Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

We used known-fate analysis in Program MARK to estimate retention rates for radio collars equipped with leather spacers on American black bears (Ursus americanus). We radio collared 72 bears 81 times in the Upper Coastal Plain of middle Georgia along the Ocmulgee River. For the 59 spacers that broke, they lasted an average of 365.5 days (SE = 31.3, 38-782) for males and 519.2 days (SE = 63.4, 139-1482) for females. Retention rate for leather spacers varied by month and sex (x- = 0.8736, SE = 0.0390, n = 50 for males and x- = 0.9391, SE = 0.0231, n = 50 for females). Leather spacers did not last as long on males, averaging 1 year but broke early enough to avoid injuries. Females tended to retain spacers for longer periods, allowing researchers to obtain greater data without having to re-collar them annually.

We examined differences in hunter and non-hunter attitudes toward nuisance black bears (Ursus americanus) in Middle Georgia. We also compared preferences for different management options, specifically lethal control actions, given certain situations. A self-administered mail survey was sent to 4,000 homeowners in Bleckley, Houston, Pulaski, and Twiggs counties in Middle Georgia. We obtained a response rate of 34.6% (1,238 responses). Thirty-three percent of respondents indicated they had hunted during the 12 months prior to this study. Hunters' and non-hunters' attitudes toward black bears differed as well as concerns with potential problems associated with nuisance bears, with hunters perceiving bears as less of a threat or nuisance than non-hunters. Most respondents did not favor capture and euthanasia as a black bear management tool; however differences existed between hunters and non-hunters in their preference for management options.

Over the past 30 years, American black bear (Ursus americanus; hereafter, bear) numbers have increased in eastern North Carolina. In response, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) set a goal to increase harvest rates of black bears on selected private lands in eastern North Carolina to manage the population. During 1993-2008, we annually surveyed leaseholders that leased hunting rights from Weyerhaeuser Company, a large landowner in this region, to better understand bear hunter and harvest dynamics. We received 1,937 surveys from 359 different leaseholders of which an average of 57% hunted bears. Approximately half of surveyed leaseholders set a minimum weight for harvestable bears and 25% limited number of bears harvested. Hunting leases that allowed bear hunting were larger in area than those that did not allow bear hunting (p = 0.01).

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initiated “Special-opportunity Turkey Hunts” (SOTHs) on select wildlife management areas with the 1997 spring season. Participants of these fee-based, public Florida wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) hunts completed satisfaction surveys each year from 1998-2006. We analyzed survey responses to identify factors that influenced satisfaction with the SOTH program and to determine how harvest indices related to satisfaction. Factors related to perceptions of hunter crowding, encounters with other hunters, and opinions on the amount and quality of turkeys available to harvest were the most important factors affecting satisfaction and likely relate to a hunter's perception of his or her likelihood of harvesting a turkey.

Compared to reservoirs and small impoundments, sport fisheries management infrequently has been attempted in large-river systems. In river systems of the southeastern United States, black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and white crappie (P. annularis) represent popular sport fisheries in floodplain lakes and other off-channel habitats. Using floodplain lakes in the lower White River, Arkansas as a study area, crappie population data from 16 representative lakes were used to define basic stock structure statistics and evaluate whether minimum-length limits could potentially improve crappie fisheries in this system. Modeling indicated that implementation of a 254-mm minimum-length limit for crappies would reduce the number of fish harvested by half and minimally increase yield when exploitation was high. Modeling also suggested the length limit would increase mean size (length and weight) harvested, with more substantial increases observed when recruitment was held constant.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, hypoxia-induced fish kills occurred throughout the Pascagoula River Basin in southeast Mississippi. We evaluated the effect of stocking adult Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus; 200-356 mm total length) into Pascagoula River floodplain lakes to enhance fisheries recovery. We stocked 37 fish/ha into five randomly-chosen lakes in December 2006, whereas five additional lakes were left unstocked to serve as a control. Electrofishing catch per unit effort (CPUE: fish/h) and length-frequency distributions of largemouth bass and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were not different between stocked and unstocked lakes one year after stocking. Regardless of stocking treatment, largemouth bass and bluegill mean total length increased significantly and length frequencies shifted towards larger size groups from 2006 to 2007, indicating natural recovery of these populations.

Historically, limited information has been available for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fisheries in the Arkansas River downstream of Lake Dardanelle. The objectives of this research were to characterize angler effort, catch, and harvest in the lower Arkansas River for both recreational and competitive tournament anglers and to assess potential impacts of competitive tournaments on Arkansas River largemouth bass fisheries. In October 2007, a 12-month tag-reward study and bus-route creel survey were initiated to generate catch, harvest, and effort statistics for the largemouth bass fishery in Arkansas River Pool 4 (Pine Bluff). Additional surveys were conducted to assess competitive bass tournaments. Estimated angling effort for the year was 60,007 h (24.3 h/ha), of which an estimated 11.9% was associated with competitive bass tournaments.

A five-year supplemental fingerling-stocking program was initiated in 2003 to counter decreases in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) abundance and angler catch rates in Lake Nottely. Normal (25 mm TL) and advanced production (50 mm TL) fingerlings were stocked annually (April to June) from 2003 to 2007; all fingerlings were mass marked in oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) to differentiate between stocked and wild largemouth bass. Age-1 stocked fingerling contribution ranged from 17%-100%, age-2 contribution ranged from 0%- 44%, and age-3 contribution ranged from 8%-54%. Mean total length was similar between normal production and advanced production fingerlings at age 1 and age 3 (P ≥ 0.3137). Normal production largemouth bass fingerlings contributed to each age cohort and cost less than advanced production fingerlings.

Abstract.: A total of 747 flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) were collected from Sutton Lake cooling reservoir located near Wilmington, North Carolina (1999 to 2006), using boat-mounted electrofishing techniques. Individuals >600 mm total length accounted for 70% of all fish collected and trophysized fish (>1,020 mm total length) accounted for 9% of all fish collected. Mean total length (TL) at age was described by the von Bertalanffy growth curve as TL = 1,200 (1-e-0.17[age + 0.93]). Sutton Lake flathead catfish total annual mortality (A) was 0.32. The well-established flathead catfish population of Sutton Lake exhibited rapid growth rates and trophy-sized fish, but the potential for establishing a trophy flathead fishery seems no greater than in area rivers despite Sutton Lake's longer growing season.

A standardized sampling dataset collected from 1991-2007 on the Satilla River, Georgia, was used to document changes in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and redbreast sunfish (L. auritus) populations after the introduction of flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris). Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted incorporating a control area, where flathead catfish abundance is extremely low, and a flathead area, where flathead catfish have become well established, for both before (1991-1995) and after (1996-2007) flathead invasion. The analyses revealed that the mean log-transformed electrofishing catch per hour (log10-CPH) of redbreast sunfish and largemouth bass decreased significantly in the flathead area but not in the control area following flathead introduction. Mean log10-CPH of largemouth bass between 150-299 mm TL increased in the control area but remained unchanged in the flathead area.

The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is an important sport and commercial species in Tennessee for which state-specific biological data are lacking. We report weight-length relationships and age and growth data for blue catfish (n = 773) collected from three exploited and one unexploited Tennessee waterbodies: Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, and the Mississippi River, and Fort Loudoun Reservoir. There were significant differences between blue catfish weight-length relationships between waterbodies. Catfish age ranged from age 0 to 34 and length at age estimates were significantly different among some, but not all studied waterbodies. Recommendations are provided regarding research necessary to fill blue catfish data gaps that hinder management of this widespread and economically important species.

Twelve large (>6 kg) blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were collected and surgically implanted with one-year radio transmitters near Wheeler Dam in Lake Wilson, Alabama, during April-May 2007. Fish were located every 14 days over an 11-month period; 10 fish survived for at least 90 days. Four fish remained in the area where they were tagged for the duration of the study. Six fish moved away from the Wheeler Dam tailrace of which four fish moved down river and likely inhabited depths beyond the effective range of our radio telemetry equipment. One radiotagged catfish emigrated downstream from Lake Wilson into Pickwick Lake. Although some blue catfish in Lake Wilson made long migrations, a substantial proportion of tagged individuals (60%) remained sedentary and moved very little throughout the year. Blue catfish moved <30 m between 48% of biweekly tracking events and 38% of diel tracking locations.

Assessments of how the fish assemblage in the Savannah River Estuary (SRE) might be affected from a proposed harbor expansion and deepening project for the Port of Savannah, Georgia, were hindered by the lack of information about the temporal and spatial distribution of fishes in the estuary. Accordingly, we conducted a year-long investigation to determine the temporal and spatial distribution of estuarine-dependent fishes along marsh edges and in tidal creeks of the SRE. We used various seines to sample the fishes monthly at eight, 2-km long reaches of the SRE. During the fish sampling, we also measured temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH just below the surface (<1m) at sample sites. We used two-way ANOVA to evaluate species density and richness among seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and habitats (polyhaline >15‰; mesohaline 5-15‰; oligohaline 1-5‰; and tidal freshwater <1‰).

Investigating trends in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) juvenile abundance is important for determining which factors may affect recruitment. We evaluated the abundance and distribution of juvenile striped bass in the Neuse River from 2006-2007 using beach seines and electrofishing techniques. Overall, little evidence of recruitment was found. Juvenile striped bass were not documented in the system during summer 2006 and were collected in low densities from isolated areas (2 of 34 sample sites) during summer 2007. Because catch was low, we could not adequately describe nursery habitat. These fish collection techniques may not be appropriate for quantifying recruitment for populations with low juvenile production. We suggest that poor recruitment will be a major impediment to stock recovery and reasons for poor recruitment should be investigated.

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) are an important component of many water bodies in the southeastern United States that contributes energy and nutrients to piscivores and impacts nutrient cycles. Spawning movements from the lower Barataria Estuary, Louisiana, into the upper reaches of the Barataria Estuary results in seasonal congregations of gizzard shad in the upper estuary. Historically, these spawning movements may have been initiated by the predictable annual Mississippi River floodpulse; however, the Barataria Estuary is currently cut off from the Mississippi River and no longer receives a predictable annual floodpulse. Gizzard shad were sampled biweekly from 22 November 2005 to 6 September 2006 using monofilament gill nets to assess gizzard shad spawning behavior, the timing of spawning, and growth rates in the altered floodplain of the upper Barataria Estuary.

The Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) was once widely abundant, but populations declined because of over-harvest and habitat degradation. The commercial fishery for Atlantic sturgeon was closed in the United States in 1996. Population status and recovery of the species is a primary management need. River-resident juvenile sturgeon provide an opportunity to conduct mark-recapture studies and estimate abundance. The goal of this study was to estimate abundance of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Ogeechee River, Georgia. Mark-recapture data were collected June-August of 2007. Sturgeon were captured using anchored gill and trammel nets set perpendicular to the flow during slack tides. A 0.5- to 1.0-cm section of the leading edge of the pectoral spine was removed from a random sub-sample of 18 juvenile sturgeon for subsequent age determination. Data were analyzed in Program MARK using a Huggins closed capture design model.

The Barataria Estuary, Louisiana, is an interconnected hydrologic network of bayous, canals, lakes, and bays that stretches from freshwater swamps to the open Gulf of Mexico along a salinity gradient. Although the Barataria Estuary was built by sediment delivered via distributaries and interdistributaries of the Mississippi River, flood protection activities have blocked the historical connections between the Mississippi River and the upper estuary. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are abundant in the Barataria Estuary and seasonally occur in the upper estuary. To gain a better understanding of the blue crab seasonal dynamics in the upper Barataria Estuary, this study was designed to: 1) document the summer and fall abundance and distribution of blue crabs, 2) describe the size and condition of the blue crab population, and 3) determine if water quality affects blue crab abundance and distribution.

From 2007 to 2009, we quantified total effort and catch of the anchored gill net American shad (Alosa sapidissima) fishery in the Altamaha River, Georgia. We observed and recorded catch data of commercial fishermen interspersed throughout the river. These fishermen also recorded their daily catch and effort in log books. Total harvest of American shad was lowest in January and highest in February of each season. Total fishing effort was estimated monthly and was combined with catch-per-unit-effort data to estimate total harvest monthly. Most harvest and effort occurred in the lower half of the river. Each year, we conducted direct observations and collected log data for between 48% and 66% of the total fishery. The total value of the 2009 anchored gill net fishery was estimated to be US$18,104. We estimated that anchored gill net fishermen accounted for 53% of total shad landings in 2009.

Dam removals are typically well-planned events designed to restore sections of habitat to natural conditions within stream or river systems. In this paper, we document the deliberate but unplanned removal of a small dam that had created additional habitat for the federally-endangered watercress darter (Etheostoma nuchale) at Roebuck Spring in Birmingham, Alabama. On 19 September 2008, Birmingham city workers removed the dam without consulting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This genetically-unique darter population was the largest of all native populations prior to dam removal. To determine the effects of the dam removal, we monitored basic water quality parameters and fish population characteristics for eight months following dam removal and compared these data to an ongoing study dating approximately 17 months prior to dam removal.