Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is an important sport and commercial species in Tennessee for which state-specific biological data are lacking. We report weight-length relationships and age and growth data for blue catfish (n = 773) collected from three exploited and one unexploited Tennessee waterbodies: Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, and the Mississippi River, and Fort Loudoun Reservoir. There were significant differences between blue catfish weight-length relationships between waterbodies. Catfish age ranged from age 0 to 34 and length at age estimates were significantly different among some, but not all studied waterbodies. Recommendations are provided regarding research necessary to fill blue catfish data gaps that hinder management of this widespread and economically important species.

Twelve large (>6 kg) blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were collected and surgically implanted with one-year radio transmitters near Wheeler Dam in Lake Wilson, Alabama, during April-May 2007. Fish were located every 14 days over an 11-month period; 10 fish survived for at least 90 days. Four fish remained in the area where they were tagged for the duration of the study. Six fish moved away from the Wheeler Dam tailrace of which four fish moved down river and likely inhabited depths beyond the effective range of our radio telemetry equipment. One radiotagged catfish emigrated downstream from Lake Wilson into Pickwick Lake. Although some blue catfish in Lake Wilson made long migrations, a substantial proportion of tagged individuals (60%) remained sedentary and moved very little throughout the year. Blue catfish moved <30 m between 48% of biweekly tracking events and 38% of diel tracking locations.

Assessments of how the fish assemblage in the Savannah River Estuary (SRE) might be affected from a proposed harbor expansion and deepening project for the Port of Savannah, Georgia, were hindered by the lack of information about the temporal and spatial distribution of fishes in the estuary. Accordingly, we conducted a year-long investigation to determine the temporal and spatial distribution of estuarine-dependent fishes along marsh edges and in tidal creeks of the SRE. We used various seines to sample the fishes monthly at eight, 2-km long reaches of the SRE. During the fish sampling, we also measured temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH just below the surface (<1m) at sample sites. We used two-way ANOVA to evaluate species density and richness among seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and habitats (polyhaline >15‰; mesohaline 5-15‰; oligohaline 1-5‰; and tidal freshwater <1‰).

Investigating trends in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) juvenile abundance is important for determining which factors may affect recruitment. We evaluated the abundance and distribution of juvenile striped bass in the Neuse River from 2006-2007 using beach seines and electrofishing techniques. Overall, little evidence of recruitment was found. Juvenile striped bass were not documented in the system during summer 2006 and were collected in low densities from isolated areas (2 of 34 sample sites) during summer 2007. Because catch was low, we could not adequately describe nursery habitat. These fish collection techniques may not be appropriate for quantifying recruitment for populations with low juvenile production. We suggest that poor recruitment will be a major impediment to stock recovery and reasons for poor recruitment should be investigated.

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) are an important component of many water bodies in the southeastern United States that contributes energy and nutrients to piscivores and impacts nutrient cycles. Spawning movements from the lower Barataria Estuary, Louisiana, into the upper reaches of the Barataria Estuary results in seasonal congregations of gizzard shad in the upper estuary. Historically, these spawning movements may have been initiated by the predictable annual Mississippi River floodpulse; however, the Barataria Estuary is currently cut off from the Mississippi River and no longer receives a predictable annual floodpulse. Gizzard shad were sampled biweekly from 22 November 2005 to 6 September 2006 using monofilament gill nets to assess gizzard shad spawning behavior, the timing of spawning, and growth rates in the altered floodplain of the upper Barataria Estuary.

The Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) was once widely abundant, but populations declined because of over-harvest and habitat degradation. The commercial fishery for Atlantic sturgeon was closed in the United States in 1996. Population status and recovery of the species is a primary management need. River-resident juvenile sturgeon provide an opportunity to conduct mark-recapture studies and estimate abundance. The goal of this study was to estimate abundance of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Ogeechee River, Georgia. Mark-recapture data were collected June-August of 2007. Sturgeon were captured using anchored gill and trammel nets set perpendicular to the flow during slack tides. A 0.5- to 1.0-cm section of the leading edge of the pectoral spine was removed from a random sub-sample of 18 juvenile sturgeon for subsequent age determination. Data were analyzed in Program MARK using a Huggins closed capture design model.

The Barataria Estuary, Louisiana, is an interconnected hydrologic network of bayous, canals, lakes, and bays that stretches from freshwater swamps to the open Gulf of Mexico along a salinity gradient. Although the Barataria Estuary was built by sediment delivered via distributaries and interdistributaries of the Mississippi River, flood protection activities have blocked the historical connections between the Mississippi River and the upper estuary. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are abundant in the Barataria Estuary and seasonally occur in the upper estuary. To gain a better understanding of the blue crab seasonal dynamics in the upper Barataria Estuary, this study was designed to: 1) document the summer and fall abundance and distribution of blue crabs, 2) describe the size and condition of the blue crab population, and 3) determine if water quality affects blue crab abundance and distribution.

From 2007 to 2009, we quantified total effort and catch of the anchored gill net American shad (Alosa sapidissima) fishery in the Altamaha River, Georgia. We observed and recorded catch data of commercial fishermen interspersed throughout the river. These fishermen also recorded their daily catch and effort in log books. Total harvest of American shad was lowest in January and highest in February of each season. Total fishing effort was estimated monthly and was combined with catch-per-unit-effort data to estimate total harvest monthly. Most harvest and effort occurred in the lower half of the river. Each year, we conducted direct observations and collected log data for between 48% and 66% of the total fishery. The total value of the 2009 anchored gill net fishery was estimated to be US$18,104. We estimated that anchored gill net fishermen accounted for 53% of total shad landings in 2009.

Dam removals are typically well-planned events designed to restore sections of habitat to natural conditions within stream or river systems. In this paper, we document the deliberate but unplanned removal of a small dam that had created additional habitat for the federally-endangered watercress darter (Etheostoma nuchale) at Roebuck Spring in Birmingham, Alabama. On 19 September 2008, Birmingham city workers removed the dam without consulting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This genetically-unique darter population was the largest of all native populations prior to dam removal. To determine the effects of the dam removal, we monitored basic water quality parameters and fish population characteristics for eight months following dam removal and compared these data to an ongoing study dating approximately 17 months prior to dam removal.