Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Annual variation in breeding success among female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns on the Savannah River Plant (1967 to 1985) was determined from direct counts of pregnancy in spring-collected fawn females and evidence of lactation and measurements of udder thickness in fall-harvested 1.5-yearolds. Percent lactation in 1.5-year-old females collected during September and October gave the best estimate of fawn breeding in the previous year. The overall mean fawn breeding estimate from September and October was 41 %, and the yearly variation in fawn breeding was significant. An estimate of the average yearly contribution to recruitment was 43 fetuses per 100 fawn females.

Histories of releasing and hunting hand-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) on 3 private farms in Maryland were examined. Since 1962, 171,800 mallards were released; annual releases now total 7,300 birds. Hand-reared mallards averaged 65-90% of the ducks harvested on the 3 farms. Hunters on the farms harvested 24-43% of the mallards released during 1980-84; hunters off the farms harvested an additional 4-11 %. Hand-reared mallards were sedentary; 83% were harvested on the release sites, and an additional 14% within 79 km. In 1985 it cost Remington Farms $4.96/bird released and fed until October.

Numbers of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) wintering in North and South Carolina have continued to decline since the mid-1960s. Observations (N = 2,027) from 2,563 neckbanded geese, marked during fall and winter 1983-85, indicate that birds from eastern North Carolina are distinct in migration pattern from birds wintering in South Carolina and probably the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Most sightings (85%) of eastern North Carolina birds, reported from outside the state, were from Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Geese in these areas are subject to harvest and may represent a component of the population that is weakly philopatric to North Carolina as a wintering site. Within North Carolina, harvest rate indices for the last decade have increased as the population declined.

State and federal personnel banded 4,960 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in North Carolina and 11,522 in Maryland from 1963-1974. Adult survival for Maryland geese was estimated as 81.96% (SE = 0.88%) and for North Carolina geese as 79.23% (SE = 0.96%) indicating that geese banded in Maryland had a higher average annual survival rate (P < 0.01). Recovery rates also indicated Canada geese from North Carolina (3.01 %, SE = 0.16%) may have had higher rates of harvest compared to Maryland (2.39%, SE = 0.10%) (P < 0.001). Model simulations indicated that estimated differences in survival were probably not of sufficient magnitude to have caused the observed population shift.

Mortality of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) from commercial trotlines was studied on Lake Okeechobee, Florida, from November 1985 to March 1986. Of 27 scaup removed from 118 trotlines, 81% were hooked in body parts other than the mouth. An estimated 7,458 scaup, or 8% of the estimated average winter population of 97,071, were killed during 5,675 man-days of fishing. Potential impacts on scaup populations are discussed.

Duck migration chronology was determined for 11 national wildlife refuges (NWRs) in Florida during 1976-81. Mean monthly population indices differed by month, with peak populations occurring in December. Extension of the duck hunting season framework until 31 January, with a concurrent reduction of season days in December probably would reduce the statewide duck harvest. Implications of this harvest strategy are discussed in terms of hunter satisfaction and possible duck population impacts.

Landowner perceptions of damage caused by beavers (Castor canadensis) in the Arkansas Delta were determined by mail survey. Beavers were reported on lands owned by 64% of the 460 respondents. Blocked culverts, flooded row crops, and girdled timber were the most common forms of damage. Of those with beavers on their lands, 90% requested decreased populations and 72% had tried removing beavers. Many landowners were unfamiliar with accepted control methods and where to get assistance. Landowners most often requested information on controlling beavers (49%) and demonstration of control techniques (47%). Coordinating assistance programs among several agencies, emphasizing education and demonstration, and loaning traps might improve landowner assistance programs.

Adult and immature wild swine (Sus scrota) were marked using freezebranding. Irons were applied for various durations to determine the most appropriate branding time. Light-colored skin and a permanent hair loss were produced by iron application times of 100 to 120 sec for adults and 20 to 24 sec for immature animals. Marks were permanent and readable up to 100 m.

The objectives of the study were: (I) evaluate Conservation Agent law enforcement activities, (2) identify trends in recreational use of the Big Piney River, Current River, and North Fork of the White River in the counties of Texas, Carter, Douglas and Ozark. From 1980 through 1985, non-fishing citations were: 39% of Big Piney River citations, 55.5% of North Fork River citations, and 80% of Current River citations. From 1983 through 1985, non-fishing citations increased from 16% to 51% of the total on the Big Piney River, from 47% to 71% on the North Fork River, and from 74% to 91.5% on the Current River. When agents were given full police authority on Department-owned lands (1981), non-fishing citations increased on Department access areas on the Big Piney and North Fork rivers. The rising popularity of tubing and associated litter has increased the littering citations by Current River agents to 91.5% of stream citations in 1985.

Since its beginning in 1972, the Cadet Training Program of the Maryland Natural Resources Police has provided the Agency with a continuing source of young personnel preparing to attend the Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) Academy. The objective of this program has been to provide these young employees with first-hand knowledge of the MNRP's various functions and responsibilities and to permit the MNRP to observe them in a variety of real-world situations prior to committing the expense of Academy training. The ultimate goal of the program is to acquire capable, well-motivated recruits for Academy training and to enable the MNRP to maintain an acceptable attrition rate over the years. Through careful selection and in-service monitoring and evaluation, we believe that our program is successful, and that our objectives are being met. The following paper describes our methods, experiences, and, to the degree possible, our results.

The relationships of environmental factors, agent personal background, enforcement methods, and season with enforcement efficiency were analyzed. Three major interactions among independent variables were detected. Analysis of covariance by multiple regression indicated that methods of enforcement were more closely associated with enforcement efficiency than other categories of independent variables. Agent rank was found to be more strongly related to the dependent variable than the single most important environmental attribute (intensity of water recreation).

Representatives of 17 conservation agencies and organizations have joined together to form the Aquatic Resources Education Council with the goal of increasing public awareness of and respect for our aquatic resources. One of the first projects of the council was to design an aquatic education curriculum for schools, civic groups, and other organizations.

Conservation education is an area of increasing emphasis and priority in state wildlife agencies throughout the United States. Where programs involve elementary and secondary school students and teachers, there are a set of responsibilities and expectations coming from that education community which in turn affect the state wildlife agencies. In addition, under any ground rules, state wildlife agencies have their own goals, and want to be able to assess their effectiveness in accomplishing those goals. This paper addresses a few of the major ways in which the effectiveness of school-oriented conservation education programs offered by state wildlife agencies can be measured. These suggestions are not comprehensive; they are simply examples of respected, credible, and useful approaches which can be used. For sake of example, methods for evaluation employed with Project WILD will be used as illustrations.

Information and education (IE) staffs are frequently requested to handle the public relations of controversial natural resource projects. The key to successfully neutralizing negative publicity and generating positive support for such programs is the strategic planning which must compliment the design of the natural resources project.

A survey of print editors in Florida indicated they want more than raw information from conservation agencies. Editors reported that photographs frequently are in short supply and feature stories from conservation agency writers are welcome contributions. They want more "how to" stories; they want more brief filler material; and above all else they want more material of significance to their specific communities.

A school of 206 striped bass, Marone saxatilis, were sampled using rotenone in a deep, southwest Arkansas reservoir. Fish averaged 439 mm TL and 823 g in weight, ranging in size from 321 to 525 mm TL and 33.5-1,389 g. K factors were extremely low, ranging from 0.82 to 1.18. Two hundred four of the striped bass were age II+ (1981 year class), while only 2 were age I+. Several possible reasons are considered as the causative agent in the formation of this large school.

The relationships between largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) length and lengths of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) consumed by largemouth bass were explored seasonally in West Point Lake during April-November 1981. There were no significant differences in the predator-prey size relationships for largemouth bass and bluegill across seasons; however, there was a significant increase in the size of gizzard shad preyed upon during the fall as compared to earlier in the spring-summer. This seasonal shift was not a normal fall occurrence and likely was caused by a 4.2-m drop in the summer lake level which increased crowding of predator and prey and enhanced the predatory effect of largemouth bass on gizzard shad. Analysis of the relative abundance of prey species over a 7-year period (1975-1981) showed that in 1977, 2 years after impoundment, bluegill and gizzard shad were the dominant prey species.

The relative success of the Walhalla strain of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and the Wytheville and Winthrop strains of rainbow trout (S. gairdneri) was evaluated for 2 years in a put-grow-and-take stocking program in Jocassee Reservoir. Gill-net catches of brown trout increased during the 2-year study, while catches of rainbow trout of both strains declined rapidly after stocking and no rainbow trout were netted during the second year of the study. A total of 11.4% of the stocked brown trout and 1.6% of the rainbow trout were harvested by fishermen during the study. Poor survival of rainbow trout in Jocassee Reservoir may be related more to the size of fish stocked than to different strain-specific characteristics.

Scales and otoliths of cottonwick, Haemulon melanurum, collected on 2 reef sites in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico were examined for usefulness in determining age. Scales were used to estimate age. Back-calculated lengths at annulus formation ranged from 158 mm fork length (FL) (age 1) to 352 mm FL (age 11). No difference in growth was observed between areas, but there was significant year-to-year variation in mean FL for age-classes 2-5. There was no difference in parameters of the von Bertalanffy model due to area of collection.The equation was FLt=350(l-e-0.32(t + 0.1). Annual instantaneous mortality (Z) differed significantly between reefs (0.77 vs 0.95), with a weighted mean of 0.90. The length: weight relationship was W = 0.00013 FL2.6614. Variation in condition between seasons and areas was attributed to normal variation in gonadal weight due to reproductive cycles.

Mark-recapture techniques were used during spring 1982 and 1983 to estimate the abundance of harvestable size paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee. Results indicated a harvestable population in 1982 of 3,421 fish (95% confidence interval of 2,184 to 6,665). Aging studies indicated a relatively young population with an abrupt decrease in survival after the ninth year. This decrease was attributed to extreme fishing mortality on these older age classes before July 1980 when Watts Bar Reservoir was closed to net fishing. Estimated annual growth of adult paddlefish was 27.4 mm for males and 31.2 mm for females. Age at maturity was estimated at 5 to 6 years for males and 8 years for females. Males constituted 76% and 60% of the sample in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Fort Loudoun tailwater was identified as the probable spawning area for most Watts Bar Reservoir paddlefish.

Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) have been stocked extensively into Texas reservoirs containing the northern largemouth bass (M. s. salmoides) subspecies, and knowledge of the genetic make-up of these potentially intergraded populations is important to their continued management. Bass populations from 19 such reservoirs were analyzed by electrophoretic determination of individual fish genotypes. As measured by variation at 3 loci, intergradation ranged from 2% to 92%. Variations in percent intergradation among reservoirs were related to individual reservoir conditions and Florida largemouth bass stocking histories. Regression analysis suggested that repeated annual stocking of Florida largemouth bass had the greatest effect on the frequency of Florida largemouth bass genes.

Compatibility and complementarity of age-O alewife and gizzard shad as coexistent forage fishes were evaluated through analysis of their distribution, spawning periods, and growth rates in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, in 1983. Gizzard shad larvae appeared to be confined to the upper reservoir and alewife larvae to the down-lake region. Spatial segregation prevents direct trophic competition while increasing potential feeding encounters for juvenile piscivores. Gizzard shad spawning peaked in June; alewife spawning peaked in July. Age-O gizzard shad became too large for age-O and age-l piscivorous game fishes by mid-summer, but later spawning and slower growth of the alewife assured its morphological availability to these predators for the remainder of the year. The alewife appears to be compatible with gizzard shad, and the species are complementary in providing spatial and temporal feeding opportunities for juvenile piscivores in Smith Mountain Lake.

Walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, were collected from 14 sample sites in Alabama from January through March 1977-1982 to obtain information on age and growth. Walleye Age III and older from 2 state-owned public fishing lakes had significantly greater growth rates than 173 walleye collected from Mitchell Reservoir. Alabama walleye generally had slower growth rates than those reported from other southeastern reservoirs and rivers.