Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The reproductive biology of chain pickerel in Lake Conway, Florida was studied from July 1976 to June 1977. The overall ratio of females to males was 1.1:1.0. Spawning apparently took place in shallow water among thick Vallisneria during a sharply dermed period from December to February. Average fecundity per female was 1232. Youngest fish to spawn were 2 years old.

Food of larval yellow perch (Perea flaveseens) from Keowee Reservoir, South Carolina was determined before (1973) and after (1976) power production began a 2,580-MW nuclear power plant Mean water temperatures at 1 m increased 2-3 C throughout the reservoir by 1976. The diet of larvae examined consisted exclusively of zooplankton. Cyclopoid copepods, Diapromus mississippiensis and Diaphanosoma braehyurum were the principal organisms eaten in all areas even though other organism were sometimes more abundant. The operation of the plant reduced zooplankton abundance in the discharge cove while the amount of zooplankton consumed by larval yellow perch increased.

Food items of 29 channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) collected during flooding of the Tombigbee River, Mississippi were almost exclusively composed of insects although other arthropods and in 1 case 2 rodents were eaten Terrestrial insects composed 84.7%, by weight, of the food eaten by catfish taken during floods compared to 1.2%, by weight, of the stomach contents of 15 catfish taken during normal flow conditions. Members of the orders Rodentia, Oligochaeta, Orthoptera and Trichoptera were the dominant foods, by weight, during flood conditions, contributing 64.4,6.1,6.0 and 5.8%, respectively. The stomach contents, by weight, of the catfish taken during normal flow were composed mainly of fish (51.0%), trichopterans (17.4%) and crayfish (12.9%).

Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) were introduced into the Cape Fear River in 1966 when 11 adult specimens weighing in a total of 107 kg were released near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The population has expanded from this initial release and now inhabits a 201·km section of the Cape Fear River. Growth rates of flathead catfish during this expansion phase has exceeded rates of riverine populations as previously reported by other investigators. Fishes were found to be the dominant forage consumed by flathead catfish as measured by frequency of occurrence, total numbers and total weight Species from the families Ictaluridae, Centrarchidae and Clupeidae were the most frequently utilized. A comparison was made of fish population samples taken prior to the introduction of flathead catfish with samples collected during this study.

A field investigation of 3 cutoff bendways and 1 natural bendway in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tombigbee River) was conducted from December 1979 to September 1980. Conductivity, pH, and current were significantly different (P < 0.05) among transects regarding corresponding bendway locations. Conductivity, dissolved oxygen, current, carbon dioxide, alkalinity, secchi visibility, turbidity, ammonia, total phosphorus, and orthophosphorus were significantly different among bendways. Dissolved oxygen stratification occurred from late July through August with little or no dissolved oxygen in the bottom stratum at most transects. Six divisions of phytoplankton including 150 taxa were observed. Lowest total numbers of plankton occurred in December (l21/ml) and increased to a maximum of 20,632 organisms/ml in late August.

The distribution of spawning blueback herring was determined on the West Branch of Cooper River and on the Santee River, South Carolina. On the West Branch of Cooper River, the main river channel and abandoned ricefields were utilized for spawning. The use of tributaries for spawning was limited. On the Santee River, the main river channel and tributaries were utilized for spawning. Ranges for selected physical and chemical water quality characteristics associated with the distribution of spawning blueback herring were determined from 9 Cooper River and 15 Santee River sampling stations during the herring run. Those ranges were: surface water temperature, 11 - 20 C; dissolved oxygen, 6 - 11 mg/l; dissolved carbon dioxide, 5 - 25 mg/l; pH, 6.0 - 7.5; and depth, 0.4 - 3.1 m.

The striped bass (9) white bass (d') hybrid (Monroe saxatilis X chrysops) was fIrst stocked into West Point Reservoir in May of 1978. Fishermen interviews established that a fIshery had developed as early as January of 1979. The hybrid bass were stocked at 2 rates over the period of study, 84 mixed fry and fingerlings per hectare in 1978 and 150 mixed fry and fingerlings per hectare in 1979. Fish in the 1979 year class had a mean length at annulus 1 which was 48 mm greater than those stocked in 1978; threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) made up most of the diet, and increased growth in 1979 was apparently due to an increased abundance of threadfm shad. Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus), gizzard shad (D. cepedianum), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were also found in the stomachs of hybrids that were longer than 100 mm. Hybrid bass that had not yet progressed to a piscivorous diet relied heavily on insect larvae of the family chironomidae.

Numerous young of the year sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) trawled from West Hackberry nearshore sites along the Louisiana coast indicated spawning peaks occurred during spring and late summer. Sexual maturity is reached at about 1 year of age and 150 mm SL for males and females. Growth of zero-year class sand seatrout during summer to fall and fall to winter was approximately 40 mm SL. Standard length of sand seatrout collected during the study ranged from 26 to 268 mm. Small young of the year were abundant during summer and winter at the nearshore site and during winter at the Weeks Island offshore site. Numerous individuals older than 6 months were present only during summer and fall at the nearshore site. Peak condition of spring fish at the nearshore site indicated preparation for spawning and favorable environmental conditions.

Effects of liberalized season and the institution of a trophy trout water classification were evaluated at 35 sample stations on 24 trout streams. Trout standing crop significantly increased (0.05 level) at 1 station and significantly decreased at 2 stations. Two stations showed significant increases and 2 stations showed significant decreases in trout abundance. Analyses of pooled data for all streams indicated no significant change. Following the implementation of the 11month season, trout standing crop increased in 50% of the streams and 71% exhibited an increase in trout abundance. The longer fishing season apparently has had little effect on the lotic population of wild trout. All trophy trout waters showed increased standing crops and abundances with significant increases (0.05 level) in standing crops in 2 streams and a significant increase in abundance in 1 stream. The trophy trout regulation has served to increase the wild trout biomass and abundance.

Knowledge and attitudes are major components of environmental perception and are important influences on each other. Knowledge about ecological concepts, wildlife, and endangered and threatened species was measured, using 1,300 8th-graders in Broward County, Florida, as the sample group. Knowledge scores were associated with attitudes, non-consumptive attitude orientations, involvement in animal activities, and other variables. Knowledge plays a relatvely minor role in predicting attitudes. Knowledge was significantly related to 16 to 25 attitude items, but the associations were weak, indicating that other factors may be more important determinants of attitude. Non-consumptive users of wildlife greatly outnumbered consumptive users and were more knowledgeable. Sex, race and parental education were the most important demographic predictors of knowledge.

Lead poisoning of waterfowl is a serious problem causing a loss nationwide of about 2 million ducks and geese each year. Using non-toxic shot on key problem areas may be as significant to the well-being of our waterfowl resource as preserving nesting areas, a project which has long been an important objective of waterfowlers. Yet many hunters fail to see the extent of the lead poisoning problem or object to the use of steel shot for various reasons. With this in mind, the Southeastern Directors I&E Committee with 16 directors concurring at the annual meeting have voted to distribute a 15:50-min, 80-slide presentation produced by the Southeastern Cooperative Information and Education Committee. This project explains the seriousness of the lead poisoning problem and addresses 3 major complaints hunters voice regarding the use of steel shot: price, barrel damage, and fear of increased loss.

The conflict between trappers and houndsmen in many areas of the southeast, over the same resource, the raccoon, has nationwide implications. Animal rights organizations have publicly attacked trapping, and indications are that these anti-organizations are encouraging the conflict between trappers and houndsmen to help their goal to abolish trapping, then coursing and other forms of hunting with dogs. Trappers and houndsmen must unite and form an alliance to collectively fight this threat to both sports. The following is the script of a slide show that has been developed for use by all states in the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

One of the most important, yet difficult challenges facing wildlife agencies is increasing the public's awareness of the economic value of wildlife. Wildlife associated recreation including hunting, fishing, bird watching and other outdoor activities all add dollars to national and state economies. Yet, loss of this potential is rarely considered when conflicts occur between habitat protection and development. This slide show addresses the economic value of wildlife and can be adapted for use by all states in the Southeastern Association membership.

A system for program development and evaluation of fisheries and wildlife extension programs is presented. The system based on the character and needs of potential audiences. Landowners, commercial interests, general public, youth groups and conservation organizations are considered the important citizen audiences. Significant professional audiences include university colleagues, natural resource agency professionals, and university students. For each audience, a rationale for involvement and suggestions for the nature and extent of program development is provided.

Members of federal and state agencies as well as the public schools are being asked to provide conservation education information and activities for the general public. This session deals with successful teacher conservation education training activities in Oklahoma, general methods and procedures that characterize a successful workshop, and research providing data concerning workshop effectiveness.

The need for effective hunter education is great and growing. Program effectiveness should be evaluated by agency administrators and external authorities. Administrators can perform a self-evaluation, based on a new model of the ideal program developed by the Hunter Education Committee of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the North American Association of Hunter Safety Coordinators. The model recognizes the role of external evaluation to penetrate the difficult questions of educational effectiveness of the program. Major concepts of educational evaluation, including a discussion on threats to the validity of evaluation research are disussed. The Virginia hunter education program is being evaluated to determine if graduates have sufficient knowledge of safety and ethics and if graduates behave closer to ideal hunters in the field than hunters who have not participated in the program.

The enforcement of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act has been delegated to the Permit Branch of the Corps of Engineers. The scope of the jurisdiction of the Permit Branch is discussed as well as the procedures of enforcement of Federal Regulations. The methods and problems of resolving an unauthorized fill activity in waters of the United States is discussed. The influence of public interest in issuing a permit in an environmentally sensitive area is discussed through a case history. The influence of public interest in issuing permits and the broad reaching jurisdiction of the Corps Permit Branch will experience changes through the forthcoming legislative sessions.

Mississippi has attempted to control its beaver population by paying bounties, hiring trappers, releasing alligators, and by providing trapper education. The trapper education program, coordinated with the state's fur industry has proven to be an effective beaver control system. Suggestions are given for maximizing the effectiveness of the fur industry in predator control.

With the electronic age, there has come a small electrical fishing device no larger than an ice cube. This new electronic telephone, in the hands of dishonest flshermen, has created a challenge for the Texas Game Warden. A challenge that has resulted in research and law change.

Do sophisticated electronic surveillance devices have a place in wildlife law enforcement? Some say yes and some say no. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission has proven, through application of basic surveillance techniques and procedures in conjunction with electronic devices, that these devices are one of the most valuable tools in wildlife law enforcement today. These devices are available, easy to use, dependable and adequate units are inexpensive. With a few minutes of instroction and a little practical experience, investigators can become very proficient in the use of these devices. If a few basic legal guidelines concerning the use of this equipment are followed, violations can be recorded for evidentiary use. "A picture is worth a thousand words," and a video recording with audio is even better. Decide for yourself.

The authors emphasize the need for a good public relations plan by each wildlife enforcement officer. Various areas of this plan are discussed.