Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

As part of a statewide regulation change in 1990, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department adopted 254-mm minimum length and 25-fish daily bag limits on crappies (Pomoxis spp.) at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The objective of the regulation was to increase the size of harvested crappies while maintaining pre-regulation catch rates, harvest rates, and yield. Population and fishery parameters during 3-year unregulated and 8-year regulated periods were compared. Results indicated that mean length and weight of harvested crappies increased significantly (16% and 40%, respectively), while yield was maintained. Significant increases in trap net catch rates of crappies, coupled with a 36% increase in angler catch rates, suggested an increase in stock-length crappie abundance during the regulation period.

Between the early and late 1990s, a nearly 10-fold decline in angler catch rates of large (?2.27 kg) largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was observed in Wheeler Reservoir, Alabama. The objective of our study was to estimate the exploitation rate of largemouth bass and compare predicted population responses from simulated minimum length limit (MLL) regulations in an attempt to explain this reduction. Exploitation was seasonal, with most of the harvest occurring during spring. Spring and early summer exploitation estimates adjusted for tag loss and angler non-reporting ranged from 10% to 15% in 2001, 9% to 14% in 2002, and 6% to 10% in 2003. No fish were reported as harvested in the first four months following tagging in October 2002. Simulation modeling predicted that a 406-mm MLL could potentially increase by 56% the proportion of a cohort that would recruit to 508-mm (approximately 2.27 kg), compared to a 305-mm MLL.

Roving-clerk creel surveys were conducted at Cat Island, Mississippi, during two three-year periods: 1977-1979 and 1997-1999. Angler interviews provided data of species caught with estimated weight and number, as well as duration of fishing activity. Periodic aerial counts of fishermen provided further estimates of total fishing activity. Fishing pressure increased significantly (P ? 0.05) during the 20-year study interval in numbers of fishermen and total hours fished. Greatest fishing activity occurred on weekends during both study periods with the greatest fishing pressure from March- November. Despite increased fishing pressure, total catch did not increase significantly (P ? 0.05) between study periods. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) exhibited a decline proportionate with the increase in fishing pressure.

We examined the effects of an aquatic herbicide (Aquathol K) applied prior to largemouth bass spawning to reduce the exotic submersed macrophyte hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) and promote establishment of native submersed plants on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) population metrics. Density and biomass of adult (>250 mm) largemouth bass were determined between 2000 and 2003 using a catch-depletion technique in a cove that had been periodically treated with herbicides. Also, catch-per-effort for both number and weight were compared in 2002-2003 between a treated and untreated hydrilla-infested cove. In the cove where catch-depletions were conducted, herbicide applications reduced hydrilla between 2000-2003 and abundance of native plants increased. Coincident with these changes, largemouth bass density and biomass increased 50% to 120%. Over time, the size of fish captured increased in this cove, but temporal changes in relative weight were not evident.

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) was introduced into oligotrophic Mayo Reservoir, North Carolina, during 1992 or 1993. The species established a self-sustaining population and increased from <1% of total fish biomass in 1993 to 31% in 2000. Size-selective planktivory by the species, a well-documented phenomenon in other alewife introductions, was implicated in observed changes in the reservoir zooplankton community. Large- and mid-sized zooplankton (> 0.7 mm) (Onchyodiaptomus birgei, calanoid copepodites, Daphnia spp., Diaphanosoma brachyurum, and Holopedium gibberum) decreased in density and biomass within a year after the alewife introduction. Total cladoceran densities and biomass and total copepod biomass also exhibited the same pattern. Conversely, smaller or more evasive zooplankton (e.g., Bosmina longirostris, Mesocyclops edax, Tropocyclops prasinus, cyclopoid copepodites, and rotifers) either increased or did not change in abundance following introduction.

A spawning population of Cycleptus meridionalis was sampled 71 times in the generator outflow area below Millers Ferry Lock and Dam from 1995-2003. Sampling success ranged from 32 fish in 2001 to 247 fish in 2003. Sixty-seven percent of 1059 fish captured were males; 30% were females, and 3% were gender unknown. Females attained a greater total length and total weight than males. Regression slopes for standard length versus total length and total weight versus standard length were significantly different (P<0.01) between males and females. Collections of >100 fish indicated peak spawning activity occurred in late March when water temperatures ranged from 15 to 17 C. Most fish left the spawning area when water temperatures reached 20 to 21 C. Twenty percent of 702 Cycleptus meridionalis anchor tagged from 1995-2002 were recaptured from 1996-2003.

We conducted a mail survey to evaluate the demographics, attitudes, and practices of Alabama licensed freshwater anglers. The survey consisted of 36 questions that largely paralleled the most recent (1987) previous angler survey conducted by Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Of the 2000 surveys mailed to randomly-selected licensed anglers, 31% (628) were returned before the stated deadline. Responses were similar to those in the last statewide survey. Tournament anglers represented only about 5% of respondents. The most sought freshwater fish species by respondents was largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Anglers demonstrated a greater desire to release rather than harvest fish, with reasons for releasing fish including the expectation of improving fishing and fear of contaminants.

Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) were monitored as part of continuing studies in the Ogeechee and Canoochee rivers adjacent to Fort Stewart, Georgia, during 1999 and 2000. Over 13,000 net-meter h soak time and 1,700 person h of effort were expended; short (27.5-m) experimental gill nets were a satisfactory sampling gear. Retention of externally mounted telemetry tags was poor (mean = 80 d), and spawning habitats were not located. The population, ranging from ages 3 to 14, was estimated at 147 individuals. Growth equation parameters and rates of mortality were similar to those described in other river systems. Recruitment appears to limit the recovery of the population. Modeling suggests this population has been maintained by yearly recruitment of about 30 age-1 fish since 1993. Cultured shortnose sturgeon released into the Savannah River allowed for age validation and contributed substantially to year classes 8, 9, and 11.

Hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis x M. chrysops, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, and blue catfish I. furcatus were tagged and stocked to assess the potential for recreational fishery enhancement in a coastal Alabama river. Creel and mail surveys were completed to evaluate the existing fishery and success of fish stocking. After adjusting for angler tag reporting, tag loss, and mortality, catch rates were 2%, 11%, and 17% for blue catfish, channel catfish, and hybrid striped bass, respectively. No directed angler effort was recorded for any stocked species and catch rates did not increase over time. Estuarine species, such as speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), white trout (Cynoscion arenarius), and red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), comprised over 67% of targeted effort and 58% of the catch. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and crappies (Pomoxis spp.) were the most targeted freshwater species.

Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) populations have declined across the species' historical range. Therefore, data on movements and home ranges of alligator gar are needed to evaluate potential management scenarios. The movements of 12 alligator gar were monitored using radio and sonic telemetry in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Alabama, from June 1998 to April 2000. Fish were fitted with external radio transmitters (N = 5) from June to October 1998 and sonic transmitters (N = 10) from March to May 1999. Seven fish were released in Threemile Creek in the western delta, three fish were released in the central delta and five fish were released in the eastern delta. Twelve of 15 alligator gar were located at least once after tagging. Fish were relocated from one to 19 times, and total observed movement was highly variable (1.55-23.10 km). Linear home ranges of fish ranged from 2.73 to 12.25 km.

We conducted a study of recreational fishing and economic activities of charter boat operators along Mississippi's Gulf Coast to determine their local and statewide economic impact in 2001. Mail questionnaires received (N = 36) from charter boat operators included information on sport fish species pursued, locations fished, number of trips and number of clientele entertained, gross revenues collected, expenditures incurred, and number of employees hired in 2001. Sport fish species or species groups that were most pursued in descending order of preference were sea trout (Cynoscion spp.), snapper (Lutjanus spp.), redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus) mackerel (Scomberomorus spp.), and sharks (Carcharhinus spp., Sphyrna spp., Isrus spp., Rhizoprionodon spp.). Captains reported open saltwater, offshore shipwrecks, oil rigs, sandbars off barrier islands, and inland shipwrecks as the top five locations fished during charter trips.

The food habits of blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), channel catfish (I. punctatus), and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) in a section of the Coosa River, Alabama, were determined by examining the contents of 800 catfish stomachs from tailwater and reservoir habitats on the Coosa River from 2001-2002. Stomachs were described using the Relative Importance Index. Small blue catfish consumed mainly molluscs in tailwaters and insects in reservoir habitats. Insects were most important to larger blue catfish in both habitats. Channel catfish consumed mostly insects in both habitats but a wider diversity was present in the diets from tailwater catfish. Flathead catfish had similar feeding patterns in both habitats. Small flathead catfish consumed mostly crayfish and zooplankton in tailwaters, whereas insects and fish were most important in reservoir areas.

Lewis Smith Reservoir, an 8,583-ha Alabama Power Company impoundment on the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River in north central Alabama, has received annual stockings of Gulf strain striped bass (STB-G) since 1983. Little is known about the distribution and seasonal movement patterns of striped bass in Lewis Smith Reservoir. During a three-year period from 1999-2001, 22 striped bass were captured, surgically implanted with ultrasonic transmitters and released back into the reservoir near their original capture site. Movement patterns of transmitter-equipped striped bass indicate that fish movement in the lake was dependent on fluctuations in seasonal temperature and water quality. During the critical summer months when the reservoir stratifies, striped bass tended to move downstream into cooler and deeper sections of the reservoir, taking advantage of lower water temperatures.

Historical data on brown trout from the Smith River tailwater, Virginia, below Philpott Dam, from 1971-2002 were reviewed to assess changes in the fishery during the time period. Data from citation brown trout (>2268 g) and electrofishing data were evaluated for changes in size distribution and fish condition. The number of citation brown trout declined over the time period. Relative stock density also decreased. Although relative condition of citation brown trout was high in the early 1970s, values decreased and remained stable after 1980. Declines in the number of trophy-sized trout and smaller size distribution may be related to trophic interactions, overexploitation, water quality or trophic status changes, or limitations in food availablility.

Although winter foods of mallards (Anas platyrhyncos) and wood ducks (Aix sponsa) have been documented in several studies, no such research has been conducted in natural bottomland hardwood forests in eastern Texas. We collected 40 mallards and 38 wood ducks and sampled available foods in eastern Texas during winters 1987-1988 and 1988-89 to study food habits and preferences. Acorns from four oak species comprised >89% and >99% of the diets of mallards and wood ducks, respectively. Nuttall oak (Quercus texana) acorns made up >67% of the diet of each species both years. Program PREFER indicated seeds of deciduous holly (Ilex decidua) and willow oak (Q. phellos) acorns were favored by mallards and wood ducks, respectively; preferences overlapped widely among potential foods, however.

Thousands of hectares of tidally-influenced, forested wetlands were cleared in the South Atlantic Coastal Zone and put into rice production during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many of these ricefields were abandoned in the late 1800s and were not maintained thereafter; hence, they no longer have functional dikes and provide poor habitat for waterfowl and wading birds due to colonization by dense stands of giant cutgrass (Zizaniopsis miliacea). Because efforts to open these extensive stands with herbicides and fire have been largely unsuccessful, in April 1997 we used an ammonium nitrate gel to blast a cluster of five potholes in a 162-ha abandoned ricefield system in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Potholes ranged from 100-175 m2 and cost ranged form US$700 to $1,000 per pothole. Our objectives were to estimate and compare plant community characteristics and invertebrate biomass in the pothole cluster and control sites.

Although restocking wild populations with pen-raised bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) is considered ineffective, it has become popular and acceptable among sportsmen to supplement hunting opportunities. Nonetheless, their impact on wild bobwhite populations remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to compare bobwhite survival, core area of use, and relative predator abundance between treatment (release of pen-raised bobwhites) and control areas. We monitored 136 wild bobwhites via radiotelemetry from September to February 2000-01 and 2001-02 on 2 areas (1 release and 1 control site) in Brooks County, Texas. We released 800 pen-raised bobwhites on the treatment site from November to December 2000 and 1,920 pen-raised bobwhites during the same time period in 2001. We documented greater survival of wild bobwhites in the control site (38%; N = 39 bobwhites) compared to the treatment site (14%; N = 41 bobwhites) only during 2001 (P = 0.02).

Changes in seed nutrient content during field weathering may have important effects on food selection by mourning doves (Zenaida macroura, hereafter ‘doves') and other granivorous wildlife. We documented changes in food selection by mourning doves with seed weathering, and we compared patterns of seed preference pre- and post-weathering with seed deterioration rates documented in an earlier-published study. Doves selected white proso millet over all other species among fresh seeds, but selected broadleaf signalgrass (Brachiaria platyphylla) over most others among weathered seeds. Results generally confirmed shifting food preferences of doves from cultivated to wild foods with seed weathering. These shifts in preference seem to be based on differential deterioration rates among seed types; selection among weathered seeds seems to favor those most resistant to mass loss.

Louisiana is the leading state in number of river otters (Lontra canadensis) used in reintroduction programs in other states and in the production of pelts. However, habitat loss and degradation have prompted concern about the status of otter populations. We analyzed harvesting records maintained by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries during 1983-2001 to identify spatial and temporal trends in otter harvesting activity. To summarize temporal trends, we estimated mean number of otters harvested and trappers, correlation coefficients for number otters trapped and number of trappers, and harvest rate (otters/trapper) for each trapping season. We used the geostatistics mean center, weighted by the number of otters harvested in each parish, to identify spatial trends in otter harvest distribution.

The funnel trap has proven a safe (for handlers), efficient, low-manpower method of capturing Rio Grande turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia). Field biologists in Texas maintain that private ranchers accept this technique more readily than alternatives because it is passive and only requires one person. The impact of the technique on animal welfare, however, has not been addressed. In 2002, in the first year of an ongoing population ecology study, we trapped 46 turkeys using a standard walk in trap, and 40 more where a tarpaulin was slipped over the trap prior to removing birds. Using this modification, trap-related mortalities dropped from 4 to 1, serious injuries fell from 11 to 1, and minor abrasions declined from 5 to 4. Funnel traps were easily modified to minimize turkey injuries and relieve landowner concerns about injury rates.

Brood counts are used frequently by state conservation agencies to estimate wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) recruitment. We performed power analyses for 25 years of Rio Grande Wild Turkey (M. g. intermedia; RGWT) brood-count data from five ecological regions of Texas in order to determine if these data had sufficient (1-b ?0.80) power to detect inter-annual and long-term changes in turkey production of 10%-20%, which we considered biologically meaningful. We then analyzed the data to determine trends in production. The analyses showed that a minimum annual sample of 200-500 turkey-group observations per region was required to detect an inter-annual change of 10%-20% in the proportion of poults in the hen:poult population. Historic annual sample size averaged 65-306. Existing data were not sufficiently powerful to detect long-term changes of 10%-20% in poult proportions.

We quantified bobcat (Lynx rufus) diet on a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) dominated area managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), hereafter quail. We sorted prey items to species when possible, but for analysis we categorized them into 1 of 5 classes: rodent, bird, deer, rabbit, and other species. Bobcat diet did not differ seasonally (X2 = 17.82, P = 0.1213). Most scats (91%) contained rodent, 14% contained bird, 9% contained deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 6% contained rabbit (Sylvilagus sp.), and 12% contained other. Quail remains were detected in only 2 of 135 bobcat scats examined. Because of low occurrence of quail (approximately 1.4%) in bobcat scats we suggest that bobcats are not a serious predator of quail.

Habitat needs of wildlife are important for science-based wildlife management. Further, these needs may differ based upon the ecosystem in which the species lives. Bobcat habitat use within the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest ecosystem has received little attention. Therefore, we monitored 21 bobcats (Lynx rufus) (8 M, 13 F) during 2001-2002 in southwestern Georgia to determine habitat use at two different spatial scales: (1) habitat associated with each animal's locations relative to habitat composition of its home range and (2) habitat composition of each bobcat's home range relative to habitat composition of the study area. Seasonal habitat selection did not differ between sexes. At the smaller spatial scale, bobcats preferred (i.e., use $ availability) food plots within their home range during fall, winter, and spring, though they preferred hardwood areas within their home range during summer.

Bachman's sparrow (Aimophila aestivalis) populations are generally declining throughout much of the Southeast, and habitat loss is suspected as the principal force driving declines. Therefore, we assessed the potential effects of current land use practices on Bachman's sparrows (BACS) within the lower Flint River Basin (LFRB). We then used a previously developed habitat model to quantify current available BACS habitat and used common landscape metrics to describe fragmentation of remaining habitat. Prior to major land use changes associated with European settlement, approximately 86% of the LFRB was suitable for BACS. Of this once suitable habitat, 3.8% is now urban, 42.4% is now in agriculture, and 48.2% is now in forests unsuitable for BACS. We estimated that only 3.3% of the original upland forests within the basin remain suitable for BACS. Today, 97.4% of suitable habitat occurs in patches <30 ha with 17.9% of patches fragmented by >1000 m.