Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the biological impacts and cost effectiveness of a low intensity supplemental feeding program on a wild rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population. Using volunteers to distribute feed at predetermined amounts and frequencies, wild trout population densities, standing crops, and length-frequencies were monitored for 18 months on Looking Glass Creek near Brevard, North Carolina. A priori success criteria included an increase of 60 fish/km >254 mm and a cost to produce each trout >254 mm <$5.00. Both densities and standing crops of rainbow trout >100 mm increased significantly following 18 months of feeding. The number of rainbow trout >254 mm increased by an estimated 110 fish/km after 6 months and to 315/km after 18 months, excluding harvested fish. Each fish was estimated to cost $3.44 to produce.

Triploid grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were stocked at densities of 25 (low), 50 (medium), and 75 (high) fish/vegetated hectare into 9 0.16- to 2.83-ha Texas panhandle ponds to evaluate stocking densities that may reduce, but not eradicate, submersed aquatic macrophytes. Prior to stocking, the ponds had 50%-100% areal coverage of macrophytes. The macrophyte communities included Chara sp., Ceratophyllum demersum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Najas guadalupensis, and Potamogeton spp. The high stocking density eliminated macrophytes in ≤ 13 months. Low stocking densities did not reduce areal coverage of aquatic vegetation 2 or 5 years after stocking. Triploid grass carp stocked at medium densities reduced areal coverage of macrophytes by 27% after 2 years and 42% after 5 years. Our results indicate that triploid grass carp can reduce macrophytes without eradicating them and percentage areal coverage is an effective basis for prescribing stocking rate.

Scale pattern analysis was used to differentiate between stocked and wild age-0 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in New Mart Lake, Texas. Scale samples were collected from wild (intergrade) and stocked (Florida) largemouth bass during spring 1995. Stocked fish were tagged with coded wire tags to ensure proper identification. During fall 1995, 88 age-0 wild and stocked largemouth bass were collected by electrofishing. Using linear discriminant function analysis, correct classification for the 71 wild fish was 97%, while correct classification for the 17 stocked fish ranged from 53% to 82%. Scale pattern analysis is an alternative technique for evaluating largemouth bass stocking programs.

Fisheries managers need to minimize sampling effort required to provide statistically reliable data for cost effective monitoring and assessment. Shoreline electrofishing methods used to estimate abundance and size structure of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) may be affected by seasonal variability of littoral habitat use by these species. A fixed standard of 3 15-minute electrofishing samples did not provide CPUE estimates that we considered precise enough to consistently use for management decisions on 4 50- to 119-ha Kentucky impoundments. Due to intra-reservoir variability that resulted in occasional over-sampling and, more commonly, under-sampling, we proposed dynamic sample-size protocols that are unique to each system and derived from reservoir-specific variability.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission initiated a fall crappie (Pomoxis spp.) trap net-based stock assessment program in 1986. Since 1986, declining catch rates have forced increased effort to meet sample size requirements. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of trap net design on crappie capture rates and size selectivity. In March and April 1998, 5 trap nets each of 3 mesh sizes (13, 19, and 25 mm bar measure) were set overnight (24 hours) for 4 consecutive nights on 3 piedmont North Carolina reservoirs. Catch rates of crappie approximately doubled with each increase in mesh size and were significantly (P < 0.05) different among all mesh sizes. Similar results were found for crappie <250 and ≥ 250 mm total length (TL). Differences in the pooled length frequencies of the catch were found among mesh sizes; however stock length fish (≥130 mm) were vulnerable to each mesh size and the size range of crappies collected appeared similar among meshes.

Electrofishing was conducted twice monthly from June to October 1995 on Lake Ponca Reservoir and May to October 1996 on Fort Gibson Reservoir to evaluate how temporal and environmental factors such as time of sampling, water temperature, water depth, and differing habitat types affect sampling efficiency for flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris). Relationships among catch data and concurrent temporal and environmental data were determined by multiple regression analysis. For each reservoir, models were generated for O/f (numbers of individuals netted/3 minutes of electrofishing), C/f (numbers of individuals netted/3 minutes of electrofishing), C/fH (numbers of individuals ≥510 mm total length netted/3 minutes of electrofishing), and C/fR. (numbers of individuals <200 mm total length netted/3 minutes of electrofishing) which were statistically significant.

We analyzed the efficacy of alizarin complexone (AC) immersion for creating visible fluorescent marks on otoliths of Mozambique tilapia (Tilapia mossambica) and compared the success of processing the otoliths as whole mounts and sections. We immersed 51 tilapia in a buffered 21 C aerated bath of 100 mg/liter AC for 15 hours, and no mortality resulted from marking procedures. Otoliths were removed on days 1, 10, 20, 30, and 60 following marking. Whole ground mounts showed visible rings only 84% of the time, many of which were faint or incomplete. Sectioning revealed visible rings 98% of the time and appeared to be the better examination technique. There was no mark loss over time, and marks on whole ground otoliths became more visible with time (day 1-20 had 60% visibility; day 30-60 had 95% visibility) which was believed to be a result of mark proximity to otolith edge.

Recent nationwide trends showing stable or declining fishing license sales and participation should challenge resource agencies and the fishing tackle industry to question the wisdom of doing business as usual. A special fisheries session at the 1997 Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies was devoted to addressing a marketing and outreach approach to the problem. Speakers included representatives from 2 state fisheries agencies, the fishing tackle industry, a market research group, the outdoor media, and a national bass fishing organization.

The Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC) was asked by the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend a strategy that will increase recreational boating and fishing participation and help to instill a conservation ethic through increased emphasis on effective education and outreach programs. This request was made in order to be able to rapidly and effectively implement the provisions of the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) which provides a minimum of $36 million over a 5-year period for marketing recreational fishing and boating.

The Recreation Roundtable and its annual survey provide very important information for administrators and staff to use in developing and refining fisheries marketing programs. It is clear that outdoor recreation is still very important in the United States and that parents want their children to have the same enjoyment and appreciation of nature as they had when they were growing up. Fishing meets all of the motivational needs of outdoor recreationists—fun, relaxing, stress release, experiencing nature, and exercise. With a well-developed marketing program that provides information on how and where to go fishing, it is quite possible for fishing to move from the fifth most popular outdoor activity, measured by the 1998 Recreation Roundtable Report at 22% participation, up to the next tier with picnicking, swimming, and driving for pleasure (all in the 30% range). According to the 1998 Roundtable report, only walking for fitness and recreation was more popular, scoring 47%.

National trends have indicated a decline in fishing license sales, which are a principle source of funding for fisheries conservation efforts at the state level. Moreover, fishing enthusiasts have historically been the most outspoken proponents for active fisheries management and aquatic habitat protection programs. Thus many state fisheries agencies are now talking about the need to market fishing in a manner more typical of commercial agencies. A survey was done in 1996 of all state fisheries agencies to determine what they were doing in the realm of fisheries marketing. Those results were presented at the 1996 American Sportfishing Association meeting. The survey was then replicated in 1998 for presentation at this meeting. The conclusion is that most states recognize the problem and consider marketing to be part of the solution; however, to date most have been slow in implementing marketing plans. A few examples of proactive marketing are cited.

As a management agency, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has successfully improved the quality of the state's fisheries resource. It has also actively promoted use of the resource. However, fishing license sales have been static recently and considering the competition for the public's discretionary time, a new promotional campaign has been jointly developed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, and Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods/Blackwood Martin (an advertising firm) to more effectively and widely market the fishing opportunities of Arkansas. The centerpiece of the Fish Arkansas Campaign is a 76-page four-color, magazine-style, fishing guide that will be distributed free from government and commercial facilities. The guide will contain information on fishing and family vacations in Arkansas. It will be advertised in local, regional, and national media. The campaign is scheduled to run for 3 years and will cost $230,000.

Faced with continuing declines in license sales, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC) opted to identify areas of declining sales within the state and focus on developing tactics designed to increase participation and license sales in specific counties. Counties were identified based on historic sales trends and a test program was developed to see if a concerted effort in a tighter geography would be more productive than generic programs instituted statewide. Two counties with declining license sales and 1 county with growing license sales were selected for the initial phase. Regional staff was asked to participate in a strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and then participate in developing communications and promotional tactics designed to increase license sales in the specific counties. Tactics have been developed and implementation is beginning.

We estimated seasonal and annual survival and cause-specific mortality of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) on an intensively managed plantation in Georgia. During 1992-1997, we radio-marked 813 bobwhite and determined causes and temporal patterns of mortality. Annual survival (0.201) did not differ between sexes and was higher than that reported for other populations throughout the Southeast. Yearly variation in annual survival was primarily associated with variation in overwinter mortality. Seasonal survival did not differ between sexes and mortality was equitably distributed throughout the year with fall-spring survival (0.472) similar to spring-fall survival (0.438). Mammalian (0.353) and avian (0.269) predators were the primary sources of mortality. Mean harvest rate on this area was low (0.051). Both overwinter and breeding season survival were higher on our study area than that reported for other populations throughout the Southeast.

We monitored 13 (6 female, 7 male) adult bobcats (Lynx rufus) using radiotelemetry and examined seasonal activity patterns using 9,217 observations from August 1989 - August 1990. Female bobcats were active 49% and males were active 60% of the diel period. Mean percentage activity during winter of males (x = 71%,SE = 4.0%) was greater (P < 0.01) than that of females (x + 44%, SE + 5%). Bobcats exhibited greatest activity during crepuscular and nocturnal periods. We detected a less defined bimodal crepuscular activity than previous studies. High diurnal activity makes bobcats susceptible to incidental harvest during sport hunting seasons. We recommend managers consider influence of activity on harvest patterns when designing harvest limits on bobcat populations.

Mason Mountain WMA was established as Texas' first financially self-sufficient wildlife management area. While maintaining the ecological health of Mason Mountain WMA is top priority, several programs have been initiated to generate revenue to fund Area operations. The Texas Exotic Safari, a lottery-type hunt for African big game, netted $33,762 in its first year of operation. Other public hunting activities generated a profit of $ 114,000. Grazing rights to Mason Mountain WMA are leased for $10,152 per year and exotic wildlife sales brought in $129,000 between January 1997 and April 1998. All profits and interest are retained by Mason Mountain WMA. The eventual goal is to generate enough revenue through exotic animal based programs to support the management of the native ecosystem once the exotics have been removed. Valuable economic lessons have been learned which can be applied to other Agency programs in order to reduce pressure on overburdened budgets.

A free-standing, portable drop net was developed and used in the capture of 82 Florida Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). The net was efficient, easy to set, inexpensive, and non-invasive (e.g., no blasting caps, no destruction of private property). Of 82 trapping attempts, 74 (90%) resulted in the capture of at least 1 deer, 3 (4%) resulted in net malfunction (e.g., net hung), and 5 (6%) resulted in deer escaping. The net can be used to trap deer and other animals in urban areas and can be effective in other areas where wildlife are susceptible to baiting.

During 1987-1996, 9,598 wood ducks (Aix sponsa) were banded, and 358 bands were recovered and reported during the hunting season. Males survived at an estimated annual ration of 0.585 (SE = 0.028) and females at 0.406 (SE = 0.040). Analysis of capture-recapture data from box-nesting female wood ducks resulted in a mean survival rate estimate of 0.490 (SE = 0.012), which was higher than that estimated for females from preseason banding (P = 0.045). Band recovery rates averaged 0.021 (SE = 0.002) for males and 0.018 (SE = 0.002) for females, suggesting that harvest rates were relatively low. The preseason age-ratio (an estimate of recruitment) during 1989- 1996 averaged 1.18 (SE = 0.18) young per adult, which is comparable to other reported estimates for wood ducks. We found no evidence that the Florida population of female wood ducks either declined or increased over the study period.

Sensitivity to reductions in habitat area are widely accepted as a factor in the declines of many mature-forest passerines. Although evidence from a number of sources shows significant declines among many Neotropical migratory (NTMB) and temperate migrant (TMR) early-successional birds, little information exists regarding the potential for area-sensitivity in those species. Here we report the results of research on habitat-area considerations of birds in clearcut habitats in some upland forests in South Carolina. Using single, fixed-radius point counts in each clearcut, we measured avian community composition in 21 piedmont clearcuts (0.5-13 ha) and 28 (4-25 ha) mountain clearcuts. Analysis by simple linear regression showed that estimates of richness and relative abundance for NTMBs, edge-interior species and shrub-scrub species varied positively with increasing clearcut size in piedmont sites (P ≤0.05).

We developed a Geographical Information System (GIS) based habitat model for female bobcats (Lynx rufus) and subjected the model to internal-validation, cross-validation, and validation using independent data. The model predicted probability of an area being used by female bobcats increased (P <0.001) as slope and distance to mature pine stands increased. Probability of an area being used by female bobcats decreased (P <0.001) with increasing distance to sapling stands, mature hardwood stands, paved roads, maintenance roads, and creeks. Forest type (non-forested, pine dominated, or hardwood dominated) also influenced (P <0.001) probability of use. Internal- and cross-validation indicated the model performed relatively well (75.5% and 73% correct classification, respectively). However, when the model was tested with an independent data set, predicted values were only slightly better than random (57.5% correct classification).

We captured and affixed radio collars to 80 male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during 1995-1997 to ascertain the wounding rate and proportion of deer that die from hunter-inflicted wounds. Our study population was hunted only with traditional archery equipment (recurve and longbows). Of the 22 deer shot by archers, 11 were recovered by the hunter, resulting in a 50% wounding rate (deer shot but not recovered). Only 3 (14%) of the 22 deer shot by hunters died and were not recovered. Based upon demographic and harvest statistics, these estimates indicate that approximately 4% of adult males in the population die from archery related wounds annually and are never recovered.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries regulates an experimental alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) egg collection program which requires the return of a portion of juvenile alligators to ensure recruitment and maintain populations. An extensive tag and release program of farm-released juvenile alligators was evaluated by analysis of later harvest of recaptured sub-adult and adult alligators. Results suggest fairly high survival rates of farm-released alligators. The minimum known alive method estimated survival to be 85.3% to 4 years post-release.

Manatee/human interactions were observed at a freshwater spring in Crystal River, Florida, in January and February 1997 to evaluate the contrasting needs of manatees, an endangered species, with the values of tourists and the tourist industry. Tourists interested in swimming with manatees heavily used the site, and in some instances, the tourists displaced manatees. A temporary sanctuary, off-limits to humans, was created at the spring during the 1997-1998 winter season.

We tested the efficacy of an aluminum wick herbicide applicator, the Weed Sweep®, for control of hardwood and pine saplings, 1994-1996. We compared spring and fall applications in 1 trial and, in a second trial, tested 2 herbicide mixes: glyphosate mixed with either trichlopyr or imazapyr. Herbicides plots had 78% fewer sapling stems/ha than control plots (P < 0.006). May applications of glyphosate/imazapyr provided greater control of hardwoods but lower control of pines than September applications (P < 0.05). Also, glyphosate/imazapyr provided greater control of hardwoods than glyphosate/trichlopyr (P < 0.05). Percent ground cover by forbs, grass, and legumes and total number of species in the ground story did not differ between treatment and control plots. Our results indicate that a higher rate may be needed to achieve more consistent control of slower growing genera, such as Carya and Quercus.

We radio-monitored 35 wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hens during prenesting and nesting periods in central Mississippi, 1996-1997. Comparing microhabitat variables associated with prenesting areas (N = 35) and nest sites (N = 22) with random sites indicated that groundstory conditions, including grass and woody growth, were related to hen selection of both prenesting and nesting sites. Distance to nearest road, vertical vegetative cover, and basal area were not related to nest site location (P > 0.05). We recommend managers maintain habitats with abundant grasses within landscapes managed for wild turkeys. Research addressing depredation of hens during reproductive periods should incorporate and quantify microhabitat conditions.