Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (ISSN 2330-5142) presents papers that cover all aspects of the management and conservation of inland, estuarine, and marine fisheries and wildlife. It aims to provide a forum where fisheries and wildlife managers can find innovative solutions to the problems facing our natural resources in the 21st century. The Journal welcomes manuscripts that cover scientific studies, case studies, and review articles on a wide range of topics of interest and use to fish and wildlife managers, with an emphasis on the southeastern United States.
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This paper describes methods and reasons for chemically analyzing selected plant tissue and discusses procedures for processing pl:ant samples so that the results will be meaningful in deer food and habitat evaluation studies.
Fall quail population censuses were conducted on a 257.6~acre study area of the Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station extending over a period of 23 years. Spring quail censuses were conducted for 15 years. In 1940 the land had just been retired from intensive corn and cotton cultivation, and the quail population was very low (5.0 birds per 100 acres). In 1944 the fall quail population reached 40.8 birds per 100 acres and it was about the same in 1945. By 1944 abandoned cropland on the area had reached a stage very favorable to quail, and some wildlife plantings made in 1942 were producing seed. In 1950 the area was divided for study into two parts: (1) a burn-area covering 124.2 acres, and (2) a check-area covering 133.4 acres. During a six-year period (1950-55) when approximately one-fourth of the burn-area was burned each year in late winter, the fall quail population averaged about the same as the check-area.
A study designed to determine the vegetative composition and production of that portion of Apalachee Bay, Florida, ,included within the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge was carried out in 1964. Gizzards and gullets of fourteen diving ducks were subsequently collected in order to correlate feeding activities with available foods. Greater scaup consumed large quantities of animal foods. Redheads consumed considerably more vegetative material than animal, and showed a predilection for shoalgrass. Shoalgrass contribituted 67.9 per cent of the total volume of all foods consumed by diving ducks. Turtlegrass and manateegrass, two other species which occur commonly in the bay, apparently are of little value as waterfowl foods in this area.
Five deer census methods are compared on the Central Peninsula deer herd in Eastern Tennessee. This insular herd is intensively managed and has several characteristics which make it worthy of population analysis. All census methods indicated similar population trends and differed only in magnitude. The Lincoln Index and Percent Kill Methods provided the most reliable estimates. The latter is the easiest to calculate. The Sex-age Kill Method will apparently give good herd estimates, if the percent of non-hunting losses can be approximated and allowance made for other problems. It shows promise of greater accuracy when existing biases and unknowns can be omitted. For the present time the Percent Kill Method seems to be the most practical for use on the typical management area in Tennessee. Identification of accurate and practical deer census methods continues to challenge herd managers in most of North America.
Preliminary data suggest that the fat content of the soft tissue in the cavity under the grinding teeth of the mandible might be a useful indicator of condition in deer. Seven physical characteristics were measured on 85 deer. Statistical treatment of these data suggest a strong relationship between the fat content of the mandibular cavity tissue and the condition of the deer. Three of the five best correlations were between mandibular cavity tissue fat and other characteristics related to condition. Simple means of mandibular cavity tissue fat separated out three condition classes of deer effectively. Further research on the subject is suggested.
Movements and homing instinct of transplanted European wild boar were studied on adjacent wildlife management areas in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee over a six-year period (1960-1965). Ninety-one wild boars were live-trapped within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, transferred to the game department representing the state within which they were captured, ear-tagged for subsequent identification, and released at distances ranging from 13 to 27 airline miles from the point of capture. Movements information was derived by (1) recovering tags and pertinent kill data from hunters, (2) retrapping, and (3) locating dead animals. Hunters reported tags from 26 (28.5 percent) of the transplanted wild boars during the study period. Hunter-killed boars had traveled airline distances of from one-half mile to approximately 14 miles from the release site and were killed at time intervals ranging from one day to over three years following the release date.
Wild sows are physiologically capable of farrowing during any season of the year. However, there are two main farrowing periods; mid-winter (January and February) and early summer (May and June). To determine the importance of the different farrowing periods and the most appropriate time to subject the species to hunting pressure, the year was divided into three periods: December-March, April-July, and August-November. Based on the percentage of sows killed on managed hunts which were pregnant, the December-March period has the highest natality and litters are larger during this same period. The April-July period is when hunting would be most damaging to herd productivity because most of the adult sows are either pregnant or suckling, and death of the sows means death to the fetuses or dependent pigs. Most of the hogs killed during the managed hunts were born in the April-July period, indicating higher mortality among winter born hogs.
During the past four winters an effort has been made to devise a satisfactory method of estimating the percent of young among the whistling swan population wintering in the Chesapeake Bay. Work to date indicates that this can be done by use of well distributed 35-mm. aerial color slides. Combining photography with direct visual appraisal was tried in the winter of 1965. The tentative conclusion from this was that use of aerial photos for large, densely packed flocks and visual appraisal for widely dispersed flocks would give accurate results at somewhat less expense than using the photographic method exclusively. In addition to percent young, average brood and family size can also be determined by these methods. It was also noted that the percent of "gray" birds observed decreases steadily throughout the winter. Data from the 1964 breeding season indicate that cygnets from the western areas have a higher mortality rate than those from eastern areas.
Twenty-eight deer were instrumented with radio transmitters in four Florida and Alabama habitats. Telemetric contact varied from a few hours to more than four months. Minimum home ranges of seven of these deer in their natural habitats ranged from 147 to 243 acres. This relative uniformity occurred despite considerable variation in habitat characteristics. Similarities among the habitats that might account for this uniformity were noted. Minimum home range major axes ranged from 0.76 to 2.23 miles in length with most being just less than one mile. Two semi-wild deer, when released in strange habitats, wandered over much larger areas (up to 10 times greater), but eventually established relatively small home ranges. Although major shifts in home range were not known to occur, in some instances the center of activity or "core area" changed in relation to seasonal food supply.
A total of 816 American shad (Alosa sapidissima), 2,823 blueback herring (A. aestivalis), and 79 alewives (A. pseudoharengus) was collected between July and November 1963-1965 to determine distribution, food habits, and growth in the Cape Fear River system, North Carolina. Shad and blueback herring were found in the Cape Fear River from four miles south of Wilmington (20 miles from the mouth) to Lock No.3, a distance of 99 miles, and in the Black River from the mouth to NC-411 bridge, a distance of 35 miles. In the North East Cape Fear River, shad were distributed from the mouth to NC-24 bridge, a distance of 67 miles, whereas blueback herring were distributed from the river mouth to five miles north of NC-53 bridge, a distance of 44 miles. Alewives were collected in a seven-mile stretch of the Cape Fear River, from four miles south of Wilmington to three miles north of Wilmington and in the North East Cape Fear River from the mouth to Lanes Ferry, a distance of 25 miles.
Since information on the biology of the Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, of the Gulf coast of the United States is almost nonexistent, a study was initiated in February, 1966. Adult shad were collected on their spawning run in the Apalachicola River system, Florida, from February to April. Interpretation of the scale structure indicated that four age classes were represented. A few one-year-old males (average 10.6 inches TL) were in evidence in the latter part of the run. The two-year class consisted mostly of males (average 13.4 inches TL), and small numbers of females (average 14.5 inches TL). Three-year-old fish were most abundant; males (average 14.4 inches TL) and females (average 15.3 inches TL) were found in equal numbers. Small numbers of four-year-oIds were taken; most were females (average 16.1 inches TL) and a few were males (average 15.1 inches TL). No specimens more than four years old were collected.
Fishermen were interviewed as they fished for catfish and largemouth bass in pond S-1 (22 acres) and pond S-7 (2.5 acres) of the Auburn University Fisheries Research Unit to determine selected expenditures per trip. From September 15 to December 5, 1965 and from March 16 to June 16, 1966, 13,528 people fished, of which 1,434 were interviewed. In addition to the $1.00 pond permit fee, fishermen spent $1.25 per trip for travel and $0.89 per trip for bait and equipment. Average round trip distance traveled per fisherman was 34.5 miles. The individual average expenditure per trip was not related to day of the week. Total expenditures were estimated to have been $42,628 for 150 days of fishing. Permit cost was $13,528; bait cost, $6,872; equipment, $5,297 and travel expense, $16,931. The gross expenditure was $1,740 per surface acre of water.
While all four fish food organisms (damselfly nymphs, dragonfly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, and caddisfly larvae) were killed by various rotenone concentrations, dragonfly nymphs had the greatest resistance and caddisfly larvae the least. Concentrations of rotenone currently being used in fish eradication would not effect the populations of the test organisms except that a very slight reduction in the caddisfly larvae population might result from the higher concentrations that are sometimes used. No change in structure or deterioration of gills before and after rotenoning could be observed by microscopic examination. Survival of all four organisms was excellent under laboratory conditions. Oxygen deficiencies were not a factor in killing test organisms. Mayfly nymphs consumed the greatest amount of oxygen and damselfly nymphs the least. The damselfly nymphs could survive a low oxygen tension without their gills while the other test organisms could not.
Since channel catfish, Ictalwrus punctatus, were being considered as a possible predator for the control of forage fish in Florida lakes, a study of their food habits was conducted. An examination was made of the stomachs of 195 channel catfish collected in Lake Okeechobee, Lake Blue Cypress, and Lake Agnes, with trammel nets. The size range of fish examined was eight to 30 inches in total length. The major food items were insects, crustaceans, and fish. Data is presented according to the frequency of occurrence and number of food items contained in the stomachs. The lengths of channel catfish and the foods eaten are discussed.
Stomach contents of black bullheads (Ictalurus melas) collected from inshore areas of newly impounded Beaver Reservoir by electroshocker revealed distinct differences in diet between periods of relatively stable water levels and rapidly rising water level. During stable water level periods, Entomostraca formed 72 percent of the volume of food of young-of-the-year bullheads (<4 inches, total length). Filamentous algae, organic detritus and crayfish made up 94 percent of the food volume found in 4.0-11.3-inch bullheads collected during these periods. Contrastingly, during winter-spring months when water level rose and inundated basin soils for the first time, bullheads over four inches ate predominantly terrestrial animals (56% by volume). Earthworms comprised 28 percent of the total volume, followed by a wide representation of insects (15 percent), particularly grubs and caterpillars. Slugs, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, pill bugs and a worm snake were recorded.
The food cycle of bluegill and redbreast sunfish was short circuited by direct feeding of dry pellets in an attempt to increase the productivity of small lakes. Automatic fish feeders were constructed and installed in an experimental lake and were programmed to feed specific amounts of Purina Trout Chow at regular intervals. This paper deals with the construction of the automatic feeder and preliminary observations on the growth rate of bluegill and redbreast sunfish.
Since the introduction of the peacock bass, Cichla sp., into Florida in 1964, several southeastern states have considered introducing it as a new piscivorous game species. Tests show that fingerling peacock bass die at temperatures below 61°F., and, therefore, they would be unsuitable for introduction outside of tropical areas unless overwintered indoors or in heated water. In one pond stocked with 108 peacock bass per acre, tilapia, and fathead minnows, the peacock bass appeared to be a less effective predator than the largemouth bass when stocked under similar conditions. However, growth rates were approximately the same for peacock bass and largemouth bass at the end of a six-month period.
Experiments were conducted in three ponds and nine plastic swimming pools to determine the variation in growth rate of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) during their first year of life. Known-age fish were obtained from artificially stripped and fertilized eggs and from the nest of one pair of largemouth bass. The fry were stocked into pools or ponds. Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were stocked into three ponds and four large plastic pools as brood fish to provide offspring as forage for the bass which were added later. Golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) were stocked into the ponds after the bass were added. Fathead minnows, mosquito-fish (Gambusia a/finis) and golden shiners were added at intervals in the small pools after the bass were approximately one inch long, and in the large pools to supplement the original stocking of fathead minnows. Samples of approximately 10 bass were taken periodically.
Alabama surveys indicate that the chain pickerel is undesirable because it preyed on harvestable species (1954, Annual Report Farm Ponds Project,. Auburn University, unpublished). An examination of pickerel stomach contents was conducted in South Central Florida to explore possibilities of using pickerel as a desirable predator. Specimens were collected from anglers, trammel nets, and electro-shocking. One hundred fifteen adult pickerel collected from seven lakes, Pierce, Francis, June in Winter, Henry, Kissimmee, Hatchineha, and Walk 'n Water, were examined. The data collected indicate the chain pickerel feed almost entirely on fish and quite heavily on centracrhids, such as bluegills. These data also show that although pickerel will consume harvestable game species, 79.55% of all organisms consumed were not harvestable game fish. Variety of prey, mode of specie consumed, and length frequency of prey to predator are discussed.
In order to determine the distribution and habitat requirements of the redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus) in the streams and reservoirs of North Carolina, a more detailed analysis of the data were extrapolated from previous watershed and reservoir survey reports made by personnel of the Wildlife Resources Commission from 1956 to 1966. It was concluded from the study that: (1) Redbreast sunfish inhabit 23 of the 26 major watersheds within the State; (2) Redbreast sunfish inhabit (a) waters reaching elevations up to 3,500 feet, (b) waters having up to eight percent sea-water equivalency, and (c) a pH range between 4.8 and 8.4; and (3) The game-fish species most frequently associated with the redbreast sunfish in the Mountain, Piedmont, and Northeastern watersheds was the bluegill, whereas warmouth, redfin pickerel and/or largemouth bass were most frequently associated in the Southeastern Coastal watersheds.
Striped bass were successfully ovulated in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina some 150 miles from their natural spawning grounds and about one month before their normal spawning time. Brood fish were purchased from commercial fishermen, consequently the eggs so obtained were salvaged out of a sacrificial situation. The fish were collected from pound nets following narcosis by electric shock; the narcosis being maintained by the addition of Quinaldine to the water in the boat holding tank until the female fish had been injected with human chorionic gonadotropin at the egg taking station. During egg maturation, the female striped bass were held individually in glass-fronted aquaria. Whenever a fish was transferred from one aquarium to another, or whenever egg samples needed to be taken, the fish normally were tranquilized by the addition of Quinaldine to the aquarium water before the fish were handled.
Fry striped bass, Roccus saxatilis (Walbaum)" were hatched at the Weldon, North Carolina State Fish Hatchery from eggs obtained from hormone-injected females collected from commercial pound nets in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. The fry were packaged when two and three days old in conventional square (15" x 15" x 22") plastic bags with an oxygen atmosphere and shipped to Arkansas by airplane in insulated containers. Two hundred thousand (200,000) fry were held in each of two 58-gallon aquaria at the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery, Lonoke, Arkansas, for six days. Frequently changed, filtered pond water was used. At the end of six days when the fry were eight and nine days old and were swimming horizontally and feeding, they were released into a seven and one-fourth (7.25)-acre nursery pond.
Striped bass, Roccus saxatilis (Walbaum), fingerlings were stocked in five ponds, three sections of a water control canal, and 14 metal troughs. In trough experiments Purina Trout Chow was found not to contain all nutrients needed for rapid growth of fingerling striped bass. Pond experiments indicated that fathead minnows are among the preferred forage species. Mortality among trough-reared fish was 14.7 percent. Over a 16-week period, increases in total length averaged 70.6 mm for fish reared in troughs and 54.9 mm for fish in a fed pond. In ponds stocked with redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus Gmelin) and Tilapia sp., increases in total length of striped bass averaged 51.8 mm in 14 weeks. Aquaria tests indicated that tetracycline hydrochloride is effective against columnaris disease at a concentration of 15 ppm for 72 hours. Preliminary results indicate that striped bass can be successfully reared in troughs on dry feeds.
Data are presented on the effects cold water discharge from Hartwell Dam has on a twenty-mile stretch of river between Hartwell and Clark Hill Reservoirs and its influence on the temperature and oxygen concentrations beneath the thermocline in the lower lake. This study revealed that oxygen concentration increased from 0.7 ppm to between 3.2 and 6.7 ppm when the sub-60 degree F. water was taken from a 105-foot depth in Hartwell Lake and discharged into the tailrace during generation periods. This water further increased its oxygen content as it became agitated while moving over shoal areas between the two reservoirs even though the water temperature sometimes reached 80 degrees F. for short periods of time when the river was low following generation shutdown.
A sport fishery for rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) was created in the lower one-third of a 38,000-acre Oligotrophic reservoir. Maximum temperatures of 70° F. and a minimum of 3 p.p.m. oxygen were evaluated as criteria for establishing this "two-story" fishery. Stockings of 8 - 10-inch trout were made in the winter months and weight gains were up to threefold in a six-month period. Food utilized by the trout was primarily the threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense). Movement of the trout did not exceed ten miles from the stocking locations, and a majority was caught within five miles.