Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

A Game Department was added to the Texas Fish and Oyster Commission in 1907, and three functions branched from this department. Law Enforcement was formed first, with wildlife restoration following and becoming sophisticated by the addition of wildlife pathology in 1963. In these 9 years, some 2,000 necropies have been performed on various species of wildlife to develop disease backgrounds. The benefits of pathological study have been: (I) background data on diseases (2) game management implications as related to disease study and implementation of disease controls (3) forensic pathology development which has proven valuable to Law Enforcement for convictions of game violators. Game was plentiful in Texas in 1821 but declined drastically during the ensuing 50 years due to uncontrolled hunting (Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission, 1927). Public concern over dwindling wildlife resources caused legislation to be enacted providing for game warden to be employed.

The influence of weather factors on the number of hunter-deer contacts was investigated. Findings indicate that moderate rainfall contributes to an increase in deer sightings per hunter hour. An important aspect of modern deer herd management is the identification of and, ultimately, an expression of the relative importance of the many factors which influence the annual deer harvest. The influence of weather on deer harvest has been a subject of controversy for many years. Numerous investigators have recognized the importancc of weather as it affects deer activity (Hahn 1949; Barick 1952; Severinghaus and Cheatum 1956; Banasiak 1961; Tester and Heezen 1965; Behrend 1966), hunter activity (Swift 1937; Yeager and Denney 1959; White 1968), and the total season's kill (Fobes 1945; Schultz 1957; and Gwynn 1964).

A plan was initiated in 1960 for establishing a local nesting colony of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana; however, little information was available on Canada goose nesting along the gulf coast. Previous reports on establishing local nesting populations dealt mostly with attempts in north central and northeastern states (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1958; Clark and Nightingale, 1960). Therefore, much of the earlier work on this project was experimental in nature. The purpose of this study was to compare the breeding behavior of Canada geese of different source and age groups and to evaluate the value of each group toward the establishment of a home-grown flock. The comparison of Canada geese from different sources was made by determining the percentage of adult birds in each group which nested. The groups compared were: hand-reared giant Canada geese (B. c. maxima), wildtrapped Canada geese (B. c.

Web-tagging and banding returns from Wood Ducks (Aix ~ponsa) returning to their natal area after their first migration indicated that four times as many females returned as males. The proportion of returning ducks that had been banded as well as web-tagged was, however, the same for males and females. Most researchers who investigate pre-flight survival of Wood Ducks, utilize the technique of marking nestlings and recovering them after they reach flight stage. The proced ures outlined by Grice and Rogers (1965) are most often followed. In this method, a portion of the ducks that had been web-tagged as nestlings are trapped as they reach flight stage, banded and released. This produces, in the wild population, two types of marked birds: those which are web-tagged only (single marked); and those which are web-tagged and banded (double marked).

Transects established to measure whitewing nesting success have revealed that doves are subject to heavy (50-75 percent of the eggs laid) nesting predation. Prior research (Blankinship's study in 1964-1965) has indicated that whitewing (Zenaida asiatica) production can be increased 100 percent if boat-tailed grackle (Cassidix mexicanus) numbers are controlled during the nesting season. This project was initiated in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in 1967 to determine the effects of grackle control on white-winged dove and grackle nesting success. Work with poisons as a grackle control technique began in 1961. Anticoagulants, 1080, DRC-1339, DRC-1861, and methoxymol were some of the chemicals tried. DRC-1339 (3-chloro-p-toluidine Hydrochloride), a slow acting uremic poison, appeared to have the best chance for success. Cage studies determined that DRC-1339 is lethal to grackles at 1-1.5 mg! kg, while it takes 5.6 mg! kg to kill whitewings.

Our study was designed to determine if a large outdoor enclosure is suitable for evaluating the shelter requirements of gray squirrels. We designed and tested an escape-proof enclosure to determine how many squirrels could be maintained without overpopulation, and to determine if reproduction would occur. A 2-acre area in a stand of mixed hardwood about 40 years old with low mast production and few den sites was selected in the West Virginia University Forest, II miles east of Morgantown. The tree canopy was removed from a 30-foot wide strip centered on the fence line, leaving approximately 1.5 acres of canopy inside the enclosure. The squirrel-proof fence was 7.5 feet high with a 3-foot strip of 28-gage sheet metal attached above the 5-foot high base course of I-inch mesh wire. A 3-foot wide I-inch mesh wire was laid on the ground and attached to the bottomofthe fence to prevent animals from going underneath.

The main objective of this project was to determine if sonagrams could be used to assess the number of different birds using a single woodcock singing ground. Earlier work showed that individual male woodcock could be distinguished by their peent call. Weather permitting, two singing sites near Morgantown, West Virginia, were monitored every other day from April 3-28, 1972. Birds using the sites were recorded and voice prints (sonagrams) were made of the peent call. "T' test comparisons of frequency and width of the peent sonagram showed only one bird using each site. However, one bird was mistnetted at the singing site on April 18 and no further calling occurred until April 26, Based on voice prints, this was a different male. Management implications and technical problems are discussed.

Nonreproductive populations of adult largemouth bass have been found in a number of lakes. In all cases, these environments are characterized as highly eutrophic and over-crowded with bream and forage species. Reproductive failure was demonstrated to be due to a refusal ofthe adult population to spawn. Ripened ovaries were retained long after the spawning season and the deteriorated ova eventually reabsorbed. In some cases, only a portion of the adult largemouth bass population spawned, yet produced substantial yearclasses. Reproductive inhibition was attributed to the excretion and build up of a hormone like repressive factor by over-crowded bream and forage species. Largemouth bass reproduction was induced by Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin injections in at least I and perhaps 2 nonreproductive lakes. Eutrophic, over-crowded conditions, identical to those found in non-productive lakes, were created in four hatchery ponds.

This study was designed to assess the harvest of a bass fishing tournament and its effect oli the bass population of a lake. The data evaluated here are taken from a total of 2254 largemouth bass weighing an estimated 4419.5 pounds harvested during a three day (29-31 March, 1972) bass fishing tournament held at Lake Lanier, Georgia, a 38,000 acre reservoir. Of the 794 bass sexed by excising gonads, 504 (63.5%) were females. The largest male measured 19.1 inches (3 lb., II oz.) while the longest female was 23.8 inches (7 lb., 4 oz.). Catch rates for the tournament were 0.25 fish per hour and 0.49 pounds per hour. Average bass weight was 1.9 pounds. Total harvest per acre during the tournament was estimated at 0.12 pounds. Cove rotenone samples from 1961-67 indicate bass standing crops from 4.2211.25 pounds per acre in Lake Lanier. Estimated yearly bass harvest (numbers) from four years of creel censusing (1962, 1965-67) ranges from 17,834 to 30,778.

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an extensive release program conducted in conjunction with the B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) Tournament held on Lake Kissimmee and adjoining lakes, Osceola County. Florida. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) caught by tournament participants were to be released into Lake Kissimmee following weighing and counting by tournament officials. Fish in poor condition and mortalities incurred prior to release were included into an initial mortality estimate of 15.6% by number and 13.7% by weight. A sample offish to be released was taken and held for observation in anchored cages for 14 days to estimate delayed mortality resulting from hooking. handling, and related stresses. Control fish captured by non-angling methods were held simultaneously. Mortality incurred subsequent to release (delayed mortality) was estimated at 15.0% by number for a six day period.

Goezia was first detected in North America at Lake Hollingsworth in Central Florida during June, 1969 (Ware, 1970). A recently introduced population of striped bass, Morone saxatilis, was found to be infected by the nematode. The following year, three additional populations of striped bass were parasitized, located in Lakes Bentley, Parker, and Hunter in the same general area of Florida. The introduction of this parasite into Florida was at first believed to be related to the striped bass stocking program (Gaines and Rogers, 1971). Goezia was reported as a marine nematode and the young stripers had been fed a diet of marine herring during hatchery culture. A similar means of infection had been reported in France (Dollfus, 1935). Later investigations, however, found the worm to be wide-spread in Central Florida and it was apparently endemic to certain watersheds connected with marine environs. The lakes and streams of the St.

The terms intracapillary, interlamellar, cutaneous and visceral are proposed as names for four working forms or categories of Henneguya spp. found in channel catfish. Guidelines for their proper identification are suggested and the severity and incidence of each form are documented. Disease workers in diagnostic laboratories often find it convenient to separate Henneguya spp. infections into forms based on the nature of induced lesions. These forms include the interlamellar form, intracapillary form, which is referred to by many workers as the intralamellar form (Meyer, 1972, personal communication), visceral form, and cutaneous form. These working forms or categories are classified according to their location within the host tissue. The usefulness of such non-taxonomic divisions will be readily apparent when the pathogenicity and frequency of occurence of each form are considered.

When given the task of discussing guidelines for fish disease legislation, it occurred to me that a brief review of the history of the current laws, both good and bad, governing fish diseases might be in order. However, this idea was quickly discarded because the history of fish disease control in the United States is short and dates only from the mid-1950's, and its study serves only to point out the sparsity of control measures and their general lack of uniformity. I was struck by the close parallel of the early development of animal disease control and the present state of the struggle to initiate effective fish disease control measures. Because of this close parallel, I would like to briefly discuss some of the historical aspects of animal disease legislation with the hope that it will point out some of the pitfalls we need to avoid. Prior to 1843, the United States was free of any significant livestock disease problems.

Cage and raceway culture of striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), in brackish water was conducted at the Marine Resources Laboratory, Dauphin Island, Alabama during the period 1July 1971 to 2 November 1971. The effects of two feeds and two feeding regimes on the growth, food conversion and survival of fingerlings cultured in \\12" mesh cages (I yd.3) were studied. Growth, food conversion and percentage survival was better among fish fed the trout chow. The feeding regime of four times daily enhanced growth and survival among fish fed either of the two diets. Striped bass cultured in a 760-gallon circular raceway increased their weight by 832 percent over a 93 day period. Overall food conversion and percentage survival was 2.0 and 94.1, respectively. Results of a stocking density experiment involving fish stocked in cages at rates of 100, 200 and 300 per yd. 3 are discussed.

Twenty suspended l-m3 cages were each stocked with 300 five- to six-inch channel catfish fingerlings to allow for the evaluation of five feeding regimens, each replicated four times. The experiment began April 15 and terminated October 21, providing for a 180-day feeding period. The daily feeding rate was 4% of biomass initially and decreased to 1.5% of biomass during the latter phase of the feeding trial. The experimental feeds were nutritionally complete, low-fiber, expanded (nonsinking) 3/ 16-inch diameter pellets. Treatments (diets) I through 3 contained protein levels of 40,35, and 30%, with 38% of the protein in each diet coming from fishmeal and the remainder from plant sources. Diet 4 was designed to contain the same theoretical amino acid composition as diet I with only 17.5% of the protein coming from fishmeal and the deficient amino acids supplemented in isolated form.

This study was designed to compare the growth, mortality, and catchability of three species of catfish, blue catfish (lctalurus furcatus), channel catfish (I. punctatus), and white catfish (I. catus), in an artificially fed fishing pond. After stocking in October, 1968, the pond was fished a total of 35 days in two years (1970 and 1971). All remaining fish were then removed. The pond was "contaminated" primarily by brown bullheads and bluegills, with bullheads accounting for 648 pounds of the 2320 pounds per acre removed at the end of the study. Although 90 pounds of bluegill per acre were harvested during the 1971 fishing season, only 62 pounds per acre were present during eradication. Catch rates of all three catfish species were low throughout most of the study. Catch rates of blue catfish and white catfish were lower than channel catfish. "Natural" mortality of blue catfish was less than channel or white catfish.

For transfer of fingerling fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) from spawning ponds to growing ponds, the optimum combination of brood-fish population density and sex ratio in the spawning pond was 19,200 fish per surface acre and five females to one male. Fingerling production from this combination amounted to 1,524,500 fish. Fathead minnows utilized spawning boards placed up to 5 ft deep, and they also utilized boards placed without reference to the substrate. Larger nest sites encouraged larger egg deposits. Nests were crowded together as effectively by restricting available nest sites as by providing visual isolation or territorial markings. Post-spawning mortality of adults ranged from 20% to 91% with higher survival of females than males.

A method for the controlled production of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, Lac. fry is described. The method was based upon use of artificiallyfed brood fish which were stocked into small earthen ponds equipped with nylon felt spawning mats. Eggs deposited on the mats were separated, cleaned and incubated in a Heath Vertical Incubator. Fry hatched in one to two days and were held until swimup in holding troughs or shipped during the yolk sac absorption stage. A trial of the technique in 1972 resulted in approximately 2,714,000 eggs being collected from 563 fish stocked in seven O.I-acre ponds. From these eggs, 1,564,000 fry were hatched and survived (57.6 percent) to swimup or for shipment as sac fry. Twenty-two percent of the eggs collected were infertile according to examination of samples removed during processing. Subtracting this percentage from the total number of eggs collected gives an estimated 2,117,000 which could have hatched.

Populations of midges are a general nuisance around commercial catfish ponds in the Mississippi Delta, Abate(R) [(O,O,O',O'-tetramethyl O,O'-thiodi-pphenylene phosphorothioate) American Cyanamid Company] is recommended for midge larvae control in aquatic areas at a concentratIOn of about 2 ppb. Data in this study show that the LC50 ofAbate to channel catfish is between 5 and 7 ppm. This represents a wide safety margin that should insure Abate to be non-toxic to channel catfish when used at the recommended rate for midge larvae control.

In 1968 fisheries personnel of the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission began constructing and evaluating stake beds made of sawmill strips as tools to help fishermen harvest more crappie from Kentucky Reservoir. They are: hammer d riven type; driver driven type; portable pre-fab type. Crappie concentrate readily on all three types with variations occurring due to location and seasonal fish movement. Over 128 hours of documented fishing on stake beds by the author produced 6.6 crappie per hour as opposed to 1.8 crappie per hour on control cover areas. A five year mean for crappie fishermen on the same reservoir is 0.998 crappie per hour.

Floy® dart tag (FD-67 international orange) loss of 78% was discovered among largemouth bal's held in hatchery pond~ for three months.Sepa!a!io~of the #20 tubing from its monofilament anchor accounted for 81% of the losses, while dislodgement of the anchor from fish occurred in only 19% of the losses. Since ponds were free of vegetation which could entangle the tag and contained only tagged bass and bait fish, tag loss was assumed to be the result of bass pulling tags from each others' backs. To test this theory and determine differential retention for other types of Floy® dart tags, further studies were conducted. International orange, green, and brown FD-&7 tags sustained 58%, 62%, and 63% retention, respectively, on largemouth bass held in a hatchery pond tor 3 months. Differences in retention were nonsignificant in Chi-square testing.

Sampling of fish for the purpose of estimating standing crop, annual net production, and the degree of relationship between these two variables was carried out in four Oklahoma farm ponds in 1965. Fish populations were assumed to be at or near the upper asymptotic level, and fishing was almost nonexistent. Annual rate of turnover varied less from one population to another than did standing crop. Turnover rates for most species appeared high, but this may be the normal situation in older ponds whose fish populations are not being harvested. Bartlett's three-group method for Model II regression was used to obtain the prediction equation: annual net production =0.3465 + 0.6088 (standing crop). This equation showed by its positive slope that annual net production increased as standing crop increased. The coefficient of determination, r2=0.92, indicated a strong relationship between standing crop and the annual net production of fishes.

An ultrahigh-frequency electromagnetic field (2,450 ±20 megahertz) is lethal to floating aquatic plants. Preliminary experiments indicate specie sensitivity varies within the duckweeds. Laboratory experiments indicate their Median Tolerance Limit is approximately 16.7 joules/ml, for our experimental conditions. However, field simulated experiments with soil banked test containers indicate higher energy levels will be necessary for field control.

During 1968-1971 a total of 494 flathead catfish were tagged with ring and/ or spaghetti tags. Of 175 recaptures, III were by the authors and 64 were by fishermen. Application of ring tags to the pectoral spine and spaghetti (T-bar, 1chor type) tags to the operculum is described. The anchor tags were applie t to the operculum by piercing the bone with the needle of the tag applicator. Ting tags of monel metal were held totally by encirclement of the base of the pectoral spine. Rates of tag loss were measured from fish marked and recaptured March 1968 through October 1971. For both tag types, the rate of tag loss was linear the first year. but exponential the second year after tagging. A discontinuous linear regression. separating the first and second years was used to calculate tag loss. The rate of tag loss the first year was 0.0665%/ day for ring tags and 0.0830%/ day for spaghetti tags; the second year.

In the period 1936-1941, smallmouth bass nests were counted in the Main Stem and South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Counts were made during the smallmouth bass spawning season when waters were clear, usually May 1-15. Due to eutrofication, the South Fork and Main Stem water now remains clear for only a few days. The enumeration and study of bass nests has been made more difficult due to the sudden development of blooms of algae. High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the South and North Forks and the Main Stem are believed to be the cause. Total phosphate ranged from 0.33 to 4.80 parts per million in the South Fork and from 0.23 to 1.50 ppm. in the Main Stem. The highest seasonal averages occurred in the spring and fall. In the North Fork, total phosphate ranged from 0.14 to a maximum of 1.40 ppm., with the highest seasonal averages occurring in the spring and summer. Orthophosphate ranged from 0.30 to 2.30 ppm. in the South Fork, and from 0.14 to 1.04 ppm.