Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

A study of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Cades Cove. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was conducted during the summer of 1977 to determine population density, herd behavior, habitat utilization, and neral condition of the herd. Thirty-seven counts were conducted and 2,172 deer observed. The minimum summer population was estimated at 519 deer using the method of bounded counts; the sex ratio was 90.8 bucks per 100 does. Fawn-at-heel counts yielded a ratio of 49.5 fawns per 100 does. Deer utilized hayfields and horse pastures but avoided cow pastures. Feeding was the primary activity during all observation periods: bedding occurred primarily at night. Recommended management was removal of 125 deer with a 9: 10 sex ratio. The large number of deer using the Cove, the apparent importance offood as an attractant. and the fair to good reproduction were the critical factors determining the recommendations.

A total of 107} giant Canada geese (Bran/a canadensis maxima) was artificially propagated and flighted from the Buffalo Springs Research Center during 7 breeding seasons. Annual production increased from less than 50 goslings during the first 2 years to O\\er }OO goslings in the final year. The progressive increases in success were attributed to recogni/ing and accommodating for behavioral characteristics of the species and through the use of sterile technique throughout the procedure.

Deterioration of 35 bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) foods was measured during the fall and winters of 1974-1976 in the Coastal Plains of South Carolina. Poison ivy (Rhus radicans) and pokeberry (Phytolacca americana) seeds resisted deterioration, while soybeans ( G/ycine max) and mungbeans (Phaseolus sinuatus) deteriorated rapidly. Browntop millet (Panicum ramosum), proso millet (P. miliaceum), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), and three Pinus sp. sprouted during winter. Quail preference for the 35 seeds was determined before and after 120 days of ground contact. Quail were selective among food items offered concurrently. Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), poison ivy and chocolate weed (Me/ochia corchor((o/ia) were preferred. Quail selected against deteriorated seeds. Chocolate weed seemingly offers promise as a managed quail food.

This study comparcs 3 techniques for their effectiveness in detecting lead shot in waterfowl gizzards. X-rays of gizzard contents are more accurate than either X-rays of whole gizzards or manual examination of contents. Manual examination missed 24% and X-rays of whole gi71ards missed at least 28%. The most accurate technique appears to be X-ray of contents with manual verification of all positive X-ray signatures.

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) were collected monthly from June 1976 to December 1978 and examined for sores resulting from the awns of smooth beggartick (Bidens laevis). Nutria became infected in December and were heavily infected from January to March. Eleocharis spp. were the taxa most commonly found in association with Bidens laevis.

The age and growth of red eye bass (Micropterus coosae) in Shoal Creek and Little Shoal Creeks, Alabama, were determined. Shoal Creek red eye bass, on the average, grew faster than red eye bass in other studies. Little Shoal Creek red eye bass grew slower during the first 6 years of life than redeye bass in other areas with the exception of redeye bass in Sheed's Creek, TN; however, by age VII Little Shoal Creek red eye bass were slightly larger than Shoal Creek red eye bass. Condition factors (K") of Shoal and Little Shoal Creak redeye bass relative to Alabama statewide averages for red eye bass and to redeye bass from other waters were computed. The redeye bass from Shoal and Little Shoal Creeks were in poorer condition relative to the average for Alabama redeye bass and to redeye bass in other waters. The condition of redeye bass in Shoal and Little Shoal Creeks improved as the fish grew relative to redeye bass in other waters.

Age-growth relationships, length-weight relationships, and relative abundance ind ices were determined for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) collected from the Cape Fear, Chowan, Pasquotank and Tar-Pamlico river systems in North Carolina during 1976. Largemouth bass in the Pasquotank River had the highest mean annual growth rate during their first and second years when compared to those in the other river systems studied. Largemouth in the Tar-Pamlico River system had the highest mean annual growth rates for age groups III and older. The growth rate of the Chowan River largemouth population was intermediate between those of the Pasquotank and the TarPamlico rivers, while populations in the Cape Fear River had the slowest growth. Largemouth bass in the Chowan, Pasquotank, and Tar-Pamlico rivers attain legal harvestable size and recruit into the fishery at 305 mm in total length during their fourth growing season.

Although the use of rotenone as a fish toxicant is a common freshwater fisheries management technique, little is known of its effect on stream invertebrates. In this study pre- and post-treatment bottom samples of benthic invertebrates, collected from 4 study stations, were compared to determine the short-term effects of rotenone. Continuous drift sample~ collected throughout the treatment period provided additional qualitative information on the vulnerability of the benthic invertebrates to the toxin. Of the 4 major orders of macrobenthic invertebrates represented in Sinking Creek (Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Diptera), all exhibited substantial decreases in numerical abundance II days after rotenone treatment. Populations of Plecoptera (stoneflies) and Diptera (blackflies and midge larvae) were nearly exterminated, while densities ofthe 2 remaining taxa, Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Ephemeroptera (mayflies) were reduced to 50% of the pretreatment levels.

Gut content analysis of postlarval white bass (Morone chrysops) collected from the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky, revealed that prolarval carp (Cyprinus carpio) were the major food item for postlarvae of 7-12 mm standard length (SL), although no larval fish were found in the stomachs of postlarvae 12-13 mm SL. The frequency of occurrence of zooplankton (primarily copepods and cladocerans) in the diet increased steadily from 20 to 100% as the post larvae grew from 6.5 to 13.0 mm SL. The ecological implications of such early piscivory are discussed.

The effects of unionized ammonia on Channel catfish (lctalurus punctatus) resistance to aeromonad invasion were tested. Host susceptibility to Aeromonas hydrophila was related to ammonia concentration and time of exposure. Numbers of bacteria recovered from host livers increased as concentrations of un-ionized ammonia were increased in the range of 0.02-0.04 mgj I NH,. The effect of longer exposure time at these concentrations also proved to be significant (P <0.0 I) in lowering host resistance.

Estimates of correlation from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) sib-families reared in intensively stocked tanks showed that it is possible to predict the family influence in market body weight from body weight data taken as early as 4 weeks. Survival during the first 15 weeks was highly correlated with body weights or lengths from 4 'to 12 weeks. Food conversion during the period 20 to 40 weeks was highly correlated with body weights between 16 and 56 weeks. Correlations between survival and food conversion ratio and, also, between 4 to 12 week body size traits and either 16 to 40 or4l to 56 week survival were not significant.

A feeding study with channel catfish fingerlings (Ictalurus punctatus) was conducted in the winters 1975-76 and 1977-78, a mild and severe winter, respectively. In both years, fish in 3 ponds were fed 3 days per week and fish in 3 ponds were fed 6 days per week. In the 1975 study, fish fed 3 and 6 days per week averaged 10% and 45% weight gain with a mean feed conversion of 2.63 and 2.90, respectively; fish fed 6 days per week had significantly (p < .10) greater weight gains than the fish fed 3 days per week. In 1977 fish fed 3 days per week gained an average of24% and had a mean conversion of 1.98. Fish fed 6 times per week had an average weight gain of 29% and a mean feed conversion of 2.50. This was not significantly (P < .10) different than the fish fed 3 days per week.

Estimates of mortality and survival obtained from angler tag returns over a 10month period following tagging were used to define the population changes that occurred in the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) population of Lake Tobesofkee. Total mortality (A) of 30-cm and larger fish over the period was estimated at 0.911 and the exploitation rate (u) of these sizes was 0.564. The conditional rate of natural mortality was 0.602. These estimates were used to predict the relative abundance of various sizes of largemouth based on 1977 harvest and abundance data. Also the effects of various minimum length limits were predicted. Increased minimum legal size would have cut harvest to 23.7% and increased survival from 0.089 to 0.308.

The population of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in 2314-ha Melton Hill Reservoir, TN, was estimated by 2 mark and recapture methods. Shoreline electrofishing was used to capture fish for marking, while shoreline electrofishing and a bass fishing tournament were used to obtain recaptures. Both methods yielded estimates of the same magnitude; however, slightly different size selectivities were found with the 2 recapture methods. Species selectivity of shoreline electrofishing and the bass tournament are also compared. The population structure of the black bass population in Melton Hill Reservoir is examined and possible causes for this structure are presented.

Bass club catch records from tournaments held on Norris. Douglas, and Cherokee Reservoirs during 1976 were compared with creel censuses. While not statistically significant, both numbers and weights per hour of bass caught by tournament anglers were less than catch rates by nontournament fishermen. Average weight of bass caught in tournaments was higher than that found in creel censuses. Some advantages of using tournament catch records in evaluating bass fisheries are discussed.

A tag-and-reward procedure was used to estimate exploitation rates of black bass (Micropterussp.) during 1975 and 1976 in Center Hill Reservoir, Tennessee. Returns of reward tags by anglers indicated annual exploitation rates of 13.3 (22.2%) for largemouth ·(M. saltnoides), [2.9 (15.6%) for smallmouth (M. dolomieUl) and [4.8 (18.5%) for spotted bass (M. punctulatus). Within each year, exploitation rates were not significantly different between species or size groups. Rates were lower in 1976 than in [975 for all species, but the difference was significant only for largemouth bass. In [975, when tag reward values were publicly announced, most data suggested that tags with no reward value were returned at rates [ower than those observed for reward tags. In [976, when a random-reward procedure was used, differential rates of return were not detected.

An estimate of the total recreational use of the Thomas Hill Wildlife Area (1,778 ha reservoir and 2,424 ha of adjoining lands) in northern Missouri was made from I July 1972 to 30 June 1974. Recreational activity was determined by interviewing departing recreationists utilizing the non-uniform probability sampling technique. There were an estimated 219,700 recreational trips totaling 1,398,900 hours during the 2-year study. Twenty-two recreational activities were measured. Seven recreational uses; sightseeing, boating, fishing, camping, swimming, picnicking, and hunting accounted for over 99% of all the trips and hours. Sight-seeing made up 25%, boating 21 %, angling 20%, camping 16%, and swimming 9% of the total trips. However in hours, camping made up 42%, boating 22%, angling 21 %, and swimming 6% of the total. There were 63 trips per water surface ha and approximtely 45 trips per land surface ha. Anglers caught an estimated 172,100 fish during the study.

A survey of Federal fish hatcheries in the United States was conducted to determine the extent and severity of avian predation on fish stocks as well as to determine which avian species were the most serious predators. A list of 58 bird species in 14 families was provided. Managers of hatcheries were asked to indicate which species or members of what family caused problems by predation in their hatcheries. They were asked to provide their estimate of the severity of the problem; i.e. severe, significant, trivial, or none. They were also asked which fish species were preyed upon and also to identify any bird predators not on the list provided. The survey elicited a 66% response from 121 managers. Of the 58 species on the survey form, 28 species in 9 families were mentioned by managers as predators visiting fish hatcheries. Additionally, 8 species from 6 other families or subfamilies were added by managers as being pests at hatcheries.

A method of sampling fish populations in the littoral area of reservoirs was developed to estimate the number and standing stock of young-of-the-year (YOY) and adult fishes in West Point Reservoir, Alabama-Georgia. A surface area of 0.0 I ha was surrounded with a net (30.5 m x 2.7 m) and the fish were poisoned with rotenone. The sample sites were chosen randomly by using a grid system. The average monthly standing stock (kg/ hal from April to September 1977 ranged from 74.2 in September to 126.1 in June. The weekly samples yielded data that enabled us to estimate the reproductive success and time of spawning for many species. We determined a weekly mortality rate of YOY largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and could assess the availability of prey species.

Food of larval (5.0-10.9 mm, TL) black crappies (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) from Keowee Reservoir, SC, was determined in 1973, before commercial power generation began from a 2,580-MW nuclear power plant, and in 1976 after 3 years of commercial power generation. Although water temperatures were higher in 1976 than in 1973, food of the larvae appeared to be unchanged by operation of the plant. The principal organisms eaten were Diaphanosoma sp._and copepod nauplii.

Production of gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) was investigated from 17 November 1977 to 10 July 1978 in 0.08 ha, brackish-water, earthen ponds at the Claude Peteet Mariculture Center. Gulf killifish averaging 30.7 g and stocked at 12,500fishjha deposited eggs on Spanish moss spawning mats from 21 March through 16 May 1978. Fifty mats with eggs were transferred to a hatching pond which yielded 82,500 juvenile killifish averaging 0.1 g at harvest on 16 May. Stocked at 250,000 fishj ha in 3 grow-out ponds on 19 May and fed a commercial minnow feed, the juveniles averaged 2.0 g (marketable size) on 10 July 1978 with mean survival of 82%, feed conversion of 1.9, and production of 427 kgjha.

Implementation of minimum size limits is an administratively simple method of maximizing yield-per-recruit and, probably, total yield from reef fisheries. However, size limits may not guarantee ample escapement to older ages and, consequently, adequate reproduction of those species which undergo sex reversal. Further, size limits may place unnacceptably severe restriction on certain portions of reef fisheries. Finally, most undersize reef fishes taken by hook and line from deep water will likely die of injuries caused by pressure change.

Contamination of the James River in Virginia by the organochlorine pesticide Kepone R prompted depuration studies of commercially important species. Approximately 400 croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) were taken from the James River and placed in Kepone-free York River water. Groups of 20 fish, maintained at ambient temperature, were sampled over time to determine depuration rate. Results suggest that there is no substantial depuration of Kepone by croaker until water temperature exceeds 15 C.

Data collected from rotenone samples of 3 coves before (1959-65) and after (1977) infestation by Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) were compared to document changes in the fish populations. Using the mean of the 3 areas for comparison, both weight and number per hectare increased after water-milfoil infestation. The average weight per individual decreased from 0.02 kg (1959-65) to 0.008 kg (1977). The species were separated into 7 groups. Six of the groups had higher mean numbers per hectare and all groups had higher mean weights per hectare. Multivariate analyses of variance showed that the population structure had changed for numbers and weights per hectare. Ictalurids and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) had the greatest proportionate increases in numbers, whereas largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and white perch (Morone americana) had the greatest proportionate decreases.

The distributional responses of fishes to operation of a newly constructed power plant were assessed for indigenous populations of the Anclote Anchorage and River, Florida. Studies conducted during 1976 compared stations removed from potential plant effects with data collected from areas adjacent to plant intake and discharge. Comparisons were also made with preoperational information collected in the vicinity of the Anclote site. Beach seine collections exhibited a marked seasonal pattern related to the inshoreoffshore migration of nonresident species and the nursery function of the estuary. Abundance and species richness were greatest during the warmer months. as reported during preoperational surveys. Fishes at the shore zone station most affected by thermal discharges were more abundant during the coldest months and exhibited decreases during the hottest periods. This reversal of normally expected abundance was attributed to the thermal effluent.