Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Hazards to birds and mammals were evaluated following the aerial application of 0.75% nifluridide (EL-468) bait for controlling imported red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). Birds were recorded on 12 transects (6 treated and 6 control) pre- and posttreatment. Small mammal abundance was estimated by live trapping 6 plots (3 treated and 3 control) pre- and posttreatment. Bait disappearance rates were measured for 3 different densities of red fire ant mounds. Overall, more birds and small mammals were counted posttreatment than pretreatment. Posttreatment ingress by northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), dickcissels (Spiza americana), and indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) accounted for most of the increase, Conversely, 10 bird species with recognizable territories showed a population decline posttreatment on the treatment area, but the reductions were not statistically different from the control area (P > 0.20).

Wildlife complaints received by the Maryland Forest, Park and Wildlife Service from a 5-county study area of Maryland were evaluated to improve Maryland's wildlife complaint program. Data collected included type of wildlife causing complaint, type of damage or problem, method used to resolve complaint, and response of complainant to resolution of problem. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) caused the most complaints (24.9%) and 5 of the total 16 wildlife groups caused 68.4% of the complaints. Fifty-seven percent of the complaints involved houses, yards, gardens, or crops. Explaining the habits of the offending wildlife and recommending techniques that the complainant could do himself to resolve the problem was the most common technique (73.6%) used in responding to wildlife complaints. A majority of the complainants (81.4%) were satisfied with the suggestions offered. A lead agency is recommended to direct the wildlife complaint program for the state.

This study presents baseline information on the accessibility of private lands in the southern Piedmont of Virginia for hunting, fishing, and trapping. A questionnaire was mailed to 1,525 landowners in 4 rural counties. The typical respondent from the 973 analyzed questionnaires was a 55-year-old male who owned between 4.0 and 8.1ha. Land was posted by 53% of the landowners, yet only 10% totally prohibited hunting. Family members, friends, and local residents were more likely to be granted permission to hunt or fish than were outsiders. Trespassing and property abuse were reported by half the landowners. Problems with hunters and other recreationists probably increase selectivity by landowners, reducing recreational opportunities on private lands. Conservation organizations and wildlife agencies should continue to emphasize proper sportsman-landowner relationships, emphasizing recreational ethics and respect for property rights.

Forty bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) were collected in late winter of 2 years from a variety of habitats in northwestern Texas to evaluate the use of wing fat and gizzard fat as predictors of body fat. No differences were found in body fat between sexes or between years. Regression analyses revealed that the best predictor of body fat was wing fat, which was related to body fat in an exponential, rather than linear, fashion. A logarithmic model (Y = e-0.0 6 + 0.17X, R2 = 0.68, P < 0.0001) best described the observed curvilinear relationship between body fat (g) and wing fat (%). The model provides a simplified index that may be useful in evaluating nutritional condition of bobwhites.

Waterfowl nest searches are labor intensive and expensive. Development of a method to estimate number of nests without conducting nest searches would be advantageous. Mottled duck (Anas fulvigula maculosa) chase flights were compared with number of nest initiations to determine if a quantifiable relationship exists. Frequency of chase flights over an area was independent of the number of nests found in the area (P > 0.10), precluding use of chase flight frequency to estimate nest density. Chase flight frequency does provide an index of breeding chronology. A highly significant relationship (P < 0.0001) between chase flights and total flights provides an index to mottled duck density that may be used to identify changes in population size and evaluate changes in habitat use.

For more than 25 years, numerous authors of reports and texts have repeatedly published that 0.56% and 0.25% phosphorus are optimum and minimum dietary levels required by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Scrutiny of the literature reveals that data do not sufficiently support these statements. Original statements were based on the performance of 1 deer. Dietary levels of other nutrients were also low. Minimum dietary levels of phosphorus required by deer are not known. Obviously, authors have cited these results without carefully reading the literature.

High selenium levels and changes in abundance and size distribution of fishes were discovered after reports of fish dying in Martin Creek Reservoir, Texas. The reservoir functions as a cooling source for a coal-fueled power plant owned by Texas Utilities Generating Co. Analyses of fish muscle tissue by the Texas Department of Health showed selenium concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 9.1 mg/kg. Cove rotenone sampling by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department indicated biomass of fishes, except common carp, Cyprinus carpio, was reduced 72%. Relative biomass of trophic groups was altered with planktivores changing from the largest to the smallest group, carnivores were initially reduced by nearly half, and omnivores more than doubled. Three years after the fish kills, planktivore biomass remained the lowest, carnivores had recovered to approximately 90% of their original biomass, and omnivores continued to dominate the community at 3 times their original abundance.

Yellow perch, Perca flavescens, and largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, segregated both spatially and by food choice throughout most of their first year. During the summer, largemouth bass inhabitated mainly vegetated areas and soft silt and sandy areas, whereas yellow perch preferred soft silt, sand, and hard clay areas. Both species shared a common invertebrate diet until mid-summer. Largemouth bass consumed small fishes late in the growing season while yellow perch continued to consume only invertebrates. Largemouth bass were longer and weighed more than yellow perch at the end of the summer. Examination of diet overlap by the Schoener index suggested slight overlap in May (0.26) and June (0.29) for largemouth bass and yellow perch 25 to 49 mm long. High littoral water temperatures (>30° C) in summer may spatially segregate yellow perch from both largemouth bass and small fishes that inhabit littoral areas.

Examination of food items of 84 grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), 73 American coots (Fulica americana), and 31 ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris) from Lake Conway, Florida, revealed that all 3 species fed heavily on hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), Illinois pondweed (Potamogeton illinoensis), and nitella (Nitella furcata). Introduction of grass carp to control aquatic vegetation may affect waterfowl distribution and abundance if these macrophyte species are present.

Triploid grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, 2n = 72) were found to consume an average of 127 ± 17% of their body weight in fresh hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) per day. Experimental fish were 199 ± 27 g at the outset, and during the 51-day trial, the 6 fish gained an average of 3.3 ± 0.5 g/ day. Total lengths increased from 243 ± 10 mm to 301 ± 15 mm (1.1 ± 0.2 mm/day) during this time. These values are equivalent to results reported by other researchers for diploid grass carp and are 3 to 4 times greater than for triploid hybrid grass carp (C. idella X Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, 2n = 72) tested in 1983. Food conversion efficiency was 60 ± 8%. Triploid grass carp were also effective in removing hydrilla from 2 0.1-ha hatchery ponds. Fish (x = 196 g) were stocked at a rate of 250/ha in 1 pond and 500/ha in the other. At the conclusion of the study 9 months later, hydrilla was absent from the pond, except for within control exclosures.

Adult striped bass (Morone saxatilis) ranging in size from 483 to 940 mm TL in a west central Arkansas reservoir (3,000 ha) fed predominantly on gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and threadfin shad (D. petenense) throughout a 2-year study. Heavy feeding on threadfin shad occurred 1 winter due to colder than normal water temperatures which rendered threadfin shad sluggish and more susceptible to predation. Other species of fish and invertebrates comprised only a minor portion of food items regardless of time of year. An increasing trend in larger size shad consumed by larger striped bass sampled was observed and this positive correlation was significant (P < 0.05). Significantly higher weights of gizzard shad per striped bass stomach were recorded during a 2.7-m extreme fall-winter drawdown than the winter before. An index of fullness (% full stomachs) indicated increased predation by striped bass in the crowded drawdown conditions.

Twenty-one brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus), 25 channel catfish (I. punctatus) and 25 white catfish (I. catus) collected by fish trap were aged by counting annuli from the articulating process (AP), basal recess (BR) and mid-spine (MS) sections of pectoral spines. Five large channel catfish collected from hoop nets were also aged using spine techniques. Attempts were also made to age catfish by counting opaque bands or checks from whole sagittal otoliths and otolith longitudinal and cross sections. Annuli were visible in all pectoral spine sections. Fish older than 3 years showed some erosion of the spine's central lumen, but no annuli were absorbed in any of the fish examined. Ages using BR and MS spine sections were identical to ages using AP sections in all fish examined. When compared to spine ages, aging error for whole otoliths ranged from 29% to 68%. Aging errors in longitudinal sections ranged from 38% to 52%, and in cross sections ranged from 64% to 76%.

A low voltage electrofishing device, commonly called a “monkey rig” in Florida, was used to collect catfish for a tagging study on the St. Johns River, Florida. In 40 fishing trips, 3,234 catfish were captured using the “monkey rig”. This inexpensive device was selective for catfish species only. The 16-V to 18-V alternating current agitated the catfish to the surface but fish never exhibited a complete state of tetanus. When electrofishing in waters with surface temperatures warmer than 24˚ C and around underwater structure, the “monkey rig” was an effective collecting device for catfish.

A study was conducted in 9 striped bass (Morone saxatilis), 7 Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus), and 6 smallmouth bass (M. dolomieui) rearing ponds to evaluate the effects of various traditional and experimental fertilization regimes utilizing both organic and inorganic fertilizers. No significant differences were found in water quality, zooplankton populations, or fingerling production among any of the fertilization treatments. All treatments produced adequate zooplankton densities for fry survival and growth without detrimental effects on water quality. Low chlorophyll a values revealed inorganic fertilization rates could be increased to enhance phytoplankton production. A significant (P < 0.001) negative relationship between zooplankton densities and chlorophyll a levels suggested zooplankton grazing reduced phytoplankton populations.

Three thousand pair of hand selected, 3-year-old channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were stocked in 4 ponds used for brood production in Humphreys County, Mississippi. From 1 May to 13 July 1981, data were obtained on spawning in the ponds. As the water temperature increased, so did the number of spawns up to a maximum of 498 on 30 May. Total spawns and spawning rate were 603 (86% )-pond 9; 523 (75%) -pond 10; 440 (55% )-pond 11; 550 (69% )-pond 12.

Hemoglobin patterns were identified by electrophoresis for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; blue catfish, I. furcatus; white catfish, I. catus; brown bullhead, I. nebulosus; and (female x male) blue x channel, channel x blue, white x blue and channel x white hybrids. Hemoglobin patterns of each species were different with channel catfish having 11 bands; blue catfish, 8; white catfish, 5; and brown bullheads having 3 different patterns of 6, 10, and 11 bands. All hybrids except channel x white (10 bands) had 11 bands. The banding pattern exhibited by the hybrids was a combination of the parental pattern except for 1 or 2 hemoglobins unique to the hybrids. Total hemoglobin and hematocrit were higher for channel catfish and brown bullheads than blue catfish and white catfish. Maternal effects were evident for total hemoglobin in crossbred channel catfish and channel-blue hybrids. White x blue hybrids exhibited overdominance for total hemoglobin and hematocrit.

Laboratory and field growth trials were conducted to determine the feasibility of using blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) or Atlantic herring (Clupea harenous) cannery waste as dietary protein substitutes in pelleted rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) feeds. In lab and field experiments, triplicate groups of trout were fed 3 nutritionally complete diets: (1) a commercial diet (38.8% protein); or 1 of 2 experimental diets containing either (2) blue crab scrap (35.9% protein) or (3) herring byproducts (33.9% protein). Complete replacement of conventional fish meal as a protein source in rainbow trout diets with blue crab or herring waste significantly impaired growth performance factors in both laboratory and field trials. Trout fed the experimental diets consumed less feed, grew more slowly and less efficiently and, in field growth trials, suffered higher mortalities than those fed the commercial diet.

Aquatic invertebrate fauna and crawfish (Procambarus spp.) stomachs were sampled monthly (October 1981-April 1982) in a crawfish pond dominated by rice (Oryza sativa). Invertebrate fauna only was sampled during the same period in a nearby pond dominated by alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides), a perennial, semi-aquatic forb. Macroinvertebrates were affected by the gradual disappearance of rice stubble in the rice pond. Clinging insects such as dragonfly naiads and mayfly nymphs were abundant when vegetation was present but were replaced by small, bottom dwelling crustaceans (amphipods and mysid shrimps) and free swimming insects (backswimmers and water boatmen) as vegetation disappeared. Tubificids and microcrustaceans were the dominant organisms recovered from benthic cores and zooplankton samples, respectively. Stomach analyses of crawfish indicated that the balance of diet volume was composed of plant detritus and/or fresh plant material.

The freshwater aquaculture industry in Florida was surveyed by mail in 1983. Of the aquaculturists who responded, 74% raised ornamental fish; 14% raised food, bait, and/or gamefish; 9% raised alligators; and another 3% raised fish, but did not indicate the species, Respondents to the survey had 7,094 ponds that covered 264 ha with an annual production value of $6,775,719.50. Using survey data and assuming there were 300 aquaculture firms in the state, it was estimated that there were 27,300 ponds covering 1,093 ha, with an annual production value of $37,642,884. Ornamental fish culture was by far the dominant form of aquaculture in Florida.

In May 1982, 31,600 sauger (Stizostedion canadense) male x walleye (S. vitreum) female hybrids and 17,200 fingerlings from the reciprocal cross were stocked into Cherokee Reservoir, Tennessee, in an attempt to reestablish a fishery for large percids where the 2 parental species have been extirpated. Of the 217 fish that were recaptured, 184 (85%) contained food. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and threadfin shad (D. petenense) were the primary prey species and were selected over other forage species. Prey/predator length ratios for Stizostedion hybrids and shad averaged approximately 0.3 over the range of lengths examined. Stizostedion hybrids grew rapidly, attaining a mean total length (N =48) of 30.5 cm by April 1983. This was better first-year growth than reported in other studies.

Survival, growth, reproductive potential, and catchability of parental, F1 hybrid, and trihybrid sunfishes were evaluated in hatchery ponds for 28 months. The longear sunfish o x redbreast sunfish o F1 hybrid, its reciprocal, and these F1 hybrids outcrossed with the reader sunfish (i.e., trihybrids) were produced artificially, but natural hybridization in ponds was erratic. Survival of all fish types was good, and growth of F1 hybrids and trihybrids was greater than that of parentals. Only 1 F1 hybrid (redbreast sunfish o x longear sunfish o) exhibited a reduced reproductive potential. F1 hybrids and trihybrids were more vulnerable to angling than parental types. Generally, trihybrids grew better and were easier to catch than F1 hybrids.

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) x white bass (M. chrysops) hybrids were introduced into Lake Osborne, Florida, annually from 1975 to 1983 as a shad control agent and sport fish for an urban fishery. Stocking rates ranged from 21 to 337 fish per hectare. Peak season creel surveys have documented a substantial hybrid fishery in terms of harvest and effort. Creel censuses indicated 21%, 8%, 2%, and 6% stocking rate returns, respectively, during 4 creel periods from 1980 to 1984 on young-of-year fish. The majority of the hybrids were harvested by bank fishermen using bait shrimp in constricted lake areas with increased water current. Clupeid fishes were the principal food item found in stomachs of hybrids. There was no apparent impact on shad populations from intensive hybrid stockings. Fingerlings averaging 40 mm total length stocked in April demonstrated better survival and growth than those stocked <40 mm.

Otolith aging was utilized to evaluate age structure and survival of hybrid striped bass stocked in 5 central Florida lakes. Age VI and age VII hybrids collected during the study represent the oldest yet collected in Florida. High survival rates of ages 0, I, and II were observed in all lakes. Lakes stocked for more than 4 years had low survival of hybrids older than age II. It is possible that adding hybrids in a lake on an annual basis may lead to overstocking. Alternative stocking practices are being investigated.

Hybrids produced by crossing female striped bass (Morone saxatilis) with male white bass (M. chrysops) have been stocked annually in Lake Seminole, Georgia and Florida, since 1975. Fish migrating from this reservoir and subsequent stockings directly into the Apalachicola River in Florida have resulted in a very popular hybrid Morone fishery. Spring creel surveys conducted from 1979 to 1983 documented improved angler success and major increases in fishing effort. More than 15,500 hybrids weighing 28,800 kg were harvested. The monetary value of this additional fishery was more than $339,000.

In 1981, hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops) appeared in Lake Maumelle and Beaver Lake, Arkansas, both which had only been stocked with striped bass (Morone saxatilis). Therefore, it was suspected that natural hybridization might have occurred between striped bass and native populations of white bass (Morone chrysops). Scale sample analysis revealed that the hybrid striped bass collected from Lake Maumelle were from 1978 and 1979 year classes. Hybrids from the 1979 year class were collected from Beaver Lake. Review of historical stocking data did not reveal any potential errors in which hybrid striped bass might have been stocked in place of striped bass. Meristic counts and measurements of collected fish indicated that significant (P < 0.05) morphological differences existed between striped bass and hybrid striped bass (4 measurements) and also between white bass and hybrid striped bass (1 measurement).