Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The use of rotenone in an attempt to reduce the number of gizzard and threadfin shad in several Central Florida lakes has been intensified during the past two years·. Descriptions and procedures employed in selective shad treatments of Lake Tarpon, Lake Seminole, Lake Tsala Apopka, Alligator Lake, Lake Julianna and Scott Lake are discussed in detail. Creel census data was not available, therefore, fish population samples collected over a two year period were compared to determine if a change has occurred in the species composition of the treated water areas.

Four Tennessee impoundments, namely; Melton Hill Reservoir on the Clinch River, Watts Bar and Chickamauga reservoirs on the Tennessee River, and Douglas Lake on the French Broad River, were experimentally fished with an 1,800 yard haul seine from September 17 through December 11, 1963. Objectives of the experiment are as follows: To determine the effect of the haul seine in taking valuable market fish and other non-game fish; to determine its effect on game fish as to mortality and catchability, and to explore its possibilities as a sampling method for reservoir fish populations. A crew of seven men operated the gear and a fisheries biologist was present during the operation. The haul seine yielded 154,226 pounds of rough fish and 9,991 game fish by number, during the three months of the operation, which consisted of 54 days of actual fishing and 53 separate hauls.