Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Working toward fulfilling regional habitat objectives for migratory shorebirds, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) constructed moist soil units on three Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) to specifically be managed for stopover habitat. Units either were converted from agriculture land and fitted with water pumps or constructed at the base of a hill to collect rainwater. The most commonly observed shorebirds using these sites and other available habitat on the WMAs were killdeer (), pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), and lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). Managing for shallow water habitat on public lands, particularly during fall migration and/or drought years, is key to ensuring that priority shorebirds arrive on the wintering or breeding grounds in good condition. Recommendations include considerations of spatial placement and topography of shorebird units, control of vegetation, and monitoring protocols.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) provides unsuitable vegetative structure for northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) by out-competing native vegetation, impeding foraging and movement of bobwhite chicks, and increasing heat loads. During 2000-2002, we examined the efficacy of four herbicides (three grass-selective translocated herbicides [GSH]; Clethodim, Fluazifop/Fenoxaprop, and Quizalofop; and one non-selective translocated herbicide: Imazapyr) for bermudagrass control in burned and unburned experiments in a field on River Bend Wildlife Management Area, Laurens County, Georgia. Herbicide treatments reduced bermudagrass cover 30 day, 60 day, and one year post-application (P < 0.05). Imazapyr resulted in complete necrosis of bermudagrass at 30 and 60 days post-application in both burned and unburned experimental plots. The GSH were not as effective, reducing bermudagrass coverage by only 50%-51% and 29%-42% on all plots 30 days and 60 days post-application, respectively.

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a popular recreational sport fish in estuarine environments like the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. However, catch rates of large largemouth bass are often low in these coastal systems. Larger largemouth bass (≥2,268 g) are sometimes thought to move upstream to less saline locations when salinity increases. We combined three approaches to explore movement of adult largemouth bass in relation to salinity and angler displacement: external tagging, acoustic telemetry, and fish releases at tournaments. Movement patterns were more varied at downstream sites than upstream sites. Behaviors of downstream fish included remaining in protected channels near the release location, moving upstream as salinity increased (<2ppt), or moving into the main river channel. Fish upstream generally remained near the release site.

Evaluations were made of management objectives across Tennessee for 25 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) populations and 7 smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu) populations. Two models were used; one that calculated mortality caps based on target mean lengths and one based on minimum acceptable PSD or RSD. Mortality caps were calculated over a range of target mean lengths and PSD/RSD objectives and results from each model discussed. Both models suggested that current harvest restrictions for most populations were sufficient to protect fish up to at least 25.4 mm beyond current length limits and to maintain size structure balance within desired PSD ranges. Reservoir populations without size limits or low minimum length limits had mortality caps closest to observed total mortality, warranting additional sampling and possibly more stringent harvest restrictions.

The movement and habitat selection of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was determined in a north-central Florida lake from 18 April 2002 to 1 May 2003 via radio telemetry. The study site was a steep-sided, 7-ha flooded limerock quarry, composed of six conjoined sub-basins. Twelve largemouth bass were internally implanted with radio transmitters (of no more than 18% of the total length of the fish). Limnetic areas were selected over littoral areas during the summer (May through October) and fall/winter (November through January) periods. Only one fish used littoral areas more than limnetic areas during this time. In the spring (February through April), habitat use switched. Sunken trees were the only structural habitat significantly used by largemouth bass (P < 0.05). Other structural habitats (aerators, feeders, fish attractors, and humps and boulders) had neutral preference values. Areas within 5 m of the shoreline were strongly avoided (P < 0.05).

Juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides; approximately 50 mm total length) were stocked into four ponds (0.9 to 5.3 ha) at a rate of 248 fish ha⁻¹ in late May 2003. Ponds were sampled the following spring to determine population characteristics. Largemouth bass survival ranged from 39% to 57% and appeared to be inversely related to pond size. Growth was rapid, with mean weight increasing from 1.8 g to 200-273 g in 300 days. Faster growing largemouth bass expressed greater relative weights. Catch rates of small (75 to 130 mm) bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were highly correlated to pond size and bluegill may have reduced largemouth bass survival. Catch rates of large (130 to 150 mm total length) bluegills varied much less among ponds, but ponds with bluegill catch rates ≥100 fish/hour electrofishing were characterized by greater largemouth bass relative weights.

The species largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides is comprised of two subspecies: northern largemouth bass M.s. salmoides and Florida largemouth bass M.s. floridanus. It is uncertain whether largemouth bass is native to the Atlantic slope and New drainages of Virginia. There exists a widely-held perception that Florida largemouth bass or F1 northern x Florida hybrids provide more trophy catches than northern largemouth bass, which has led to widespread stocking of Florida largemouth bass into native northern and intergrade largemouth bass populations. Twenty-four Virginia populations of largemouth bass were screened for the frequencies of allozyme markers diagnostic for the two subspecies. The relative contributions of the Florida subspecies to the respective populations ranged from 0.32 in Occoquan Reservoir to 0.68 in Lake Robertson. No geographic pattern in genetic variation was seen.

We examined relations among creel statistics and stocking rates of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in small impoundments. Angling effort directed toward catfish varied from 2 to 790 hours ha⁻¹ and made up between 1% and 62% of the total angling effort. Anglers harvested nearly all of the channel catfish they caught in most impoundments. Harvest of channel catfish varied from 0.4 to 126 fish ha⁻¹ and 0.3 to 74 kg ha⁻¹ and was more closely associated with catfish angling effort than with stocking rate. Harvest rate declined asymptotically with increasing catfish angling effort. Catfish angling effort slightly increased and mean size of harvested channel catfish slightly decreased with increasing stocking rate. Stocking rate had a small influence on creel statistics compared to angling effort. Key words: channel catfish, creel, angler use, stocking

A mail survey was conducted in 2004 to solicit the opinions and attitudes of active resident anglers on the subject of handfishing for catfish in Missouri. Almost 90% of survey respondents had heard of handfishing prior to receiving our survey. However, only about 10% had ever participated in the activity. Anglers were essentially split in their opinions with roughly 33% of anglers in support of, 33% in opposition to, and 34% not having an opinion about allowing handfishing in Missouri. Less than 15% of those surveyed indicated that they would participate in handfishing if legalized in Missouri. However, over 70% of those surveyed that had previously participated in handfishing supported legalizing it in Missouri. Results of this survey indicated that there was not a clear majority for support or opposition to legalizing handfishing in Missouri, and handfishing is an activity that would likely have limited participation if legalized.

Demopolis Reservoir is a short-retention (three-day) mainstream impoundment where sedimentation over the past 50 years has caused separation of some backwater areas and sloughs that were historically connected to the reservoir during normal water level periods. We collected fish with direct-current electrofishing from closed-access backwater (separated from the reservoir unless flood events occur), open-access backwater, and mainstream riverine habitats four times a year over a year and a half to document species richness, diversity, evenness, and relative abundance of all fish and major sport fish. Species richness, represented by more than one individual, was the lowest in closed-access backwater habitats and highest in the open-access habitats. Fish communities were similar, but closed access habitats were more dissimilar from riverine habitats.

Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 1,640-ha refuge consisting of 405 ha open water (Banks Lake) and 1,235 ha of cypress swamp, marsh, and uplands located in southern Georgia. Fishes from Banks Lake, a system with problematic densities of both indigenous and nonindigenous aquatic vegetation, were collected during eight sampling periods in open water habitats from 1992 through 2003 to evaluate assemblage and sportfish dynamics. Stability and persistence analyses indicated that the fish assemblage was stable and persistent over time, though catch per unit effort of assemblage members was low in most years sampled. The bluegill population appeared stunted and was characterized by low relative weights (Wr) and proportional stock densities (PSD), while the largemouth bass population had low Wr and medium to high PSDs throughout the sample period. Length, weight, and structural indices for these fishes were characteristic of populations in a system with excessive vegetation.

Fisheries managers and anglers are concerned about the effects that increasing over-wintering populations of piscivorous double-crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus have on sport fishes across North America. We estimated the mortality of the largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides population due to predation by cormorants on a 2024-ha oxbow lake in southeastern Arkansas. Cormorants consumed an estimated 0.05%-6.20% of the largemouth bass population in 2001. Consumption ranged widely because of the variability associated with our estimates of the number of days per year that cormorants spent on the lake and the instantaneous estimate of number of cormorants feeding on the lake. Potential for competition between cormorants and largemouth bass was examined by determining diet overlap for fall, winter, spring, and all seasons combined. Diet overlap was greater than 60% only in the fall, but cormorant and largemouth bass diets were never significantly correlated.

Juvenile stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) depend on estuarine productivity for rapid growth and estuarine habitat diversity for predator protection. The distribution of juvenile striped bass within estuaries may be influenced by salinity. The potential influence of salinity on the suitability of estuaries as nursery areas was investigated in laboratory experiments using four age groups 67- and 91-d post hatch (25 C) and 112- and 133-d (28 C) post hatch of juvenile striped bass reared for 14 days at three different salinities (0, 5, and 10 ppt) representing conditions encountered in different estuarine zones of the Southeastern United States. We examined salinity effects on survival, growth rate, and nutritional condition. Nutritional condition was determined using the liver somatic index (IL), percent carcass lipid, hepatocyte cell size, and liver glycogen content. Survival exceeded 98% in all treatments.

Food habits of redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) populations in the Shenandoah River Basin, Virginia, were assessed during 2002 to identify dietary pathways and patterns potentially affecting mercury uptake. Aquatic insects (71% to 83%) were the principal food item of redbreast sunfish, while smallmouth bass mainly consumed aquatic insects (32% to 48%), crayfish (19% to 31%), and fish (22% to 29%). Principal food items of white sucker included aquatic insects (20% to 26%) and detritus (66% to 70%). Dipterans, ephemeropterans, and trichopterans were the main taxa of aquatic insects consumed by all species. As redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass increased in size, redbreast sunfish diversified their diet, while smallmouth bass shifted from a diet mainly composed of aquatic insects to one primarily composed of crayfish and fish.

Developing and recommending protective flows for stream fishes requires precise information on how fishes use their habitat. Collections to establish fish-habitat relations are typically conducted during daylight hours, but because of diel habitat shifts exhibited by many warmwater stream fishes, we were concerned that determining protective flows only from day collections would result in recommended flows that were not protective. We tested for diel differences in habitat selection by stream fishes and evaluated the effects of these differences on simulated usable habitat area as flows varied. Logistic regression modeling and habitat-selection analyses for five fish species showed substantial differences between day and night habitat relations.

Since the late 1980s, range-wide bird conservation plans have been developed for a wide range of species and habitats. These plans provide a basis for setting population and habitat objectives, as well as identify assumptions that require further research and monitoring. Generally, bird conservation plans share four common components: a vision to sustain a high relative abundance, the development of specific population estimates and objectives, the development of habitat objectives within ecoregions, known as Bird Conservation Regions, and the acknowledgement of partnerships for conservation delivery at local and regional scales. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) was formed in 2000 to provide a forum for discussion and action among wildlife administrators charged with implementing bird conservation plans. Currently, high priority actions for the U.S.

The State Wildlife Grant program resulted from efforts to adequately fund wildlife diversity conservation by State and Territorial Wildlife Agencies through the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. From 2001 to 2005, State Wildlife Grants provided funding for programs for a broad array of wildlife species that were not eligible under other funding initiatives. It has also created a strong partnership between state, federal, and non-governmental agencies working toward conservation goals by requiring the development of Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies in the States and Territories. State Wildlife Grants are one of the mechanisms that can contribute to conservation of birds and other wildlife species in the Southeast. Key words: conservation, funding, strategy, wildlife, grants, birds

We present a framework for using Landtype Associations (LTAs), or subdivisions of ecological subsections, to develop integrated conservation strategies for priority bird and other taxa of conservation concern in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, using the Missouri Ozarks as a prototype. We profile LTAs amenable to the conservation of species in grassland, shrub-savanna, woodland-forest and wetland landscapes, provide examples of priority species associated with each, suggest conservation strategies at biologically appropriate spatial scales, and evaluate conservation opportunities and limits based upon current land use characteristics and socioeconomic factors. Key words: Landtype associations, ecological hierarchy, bird conservation, comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies

All-bird conservation, although relatively simple in concept, is extremely challenging at nearly every level when trying to implement. State wildlife agencies are often faced with budget constraints, staffing limitations, or logistical challenges (e.g., access to private lands). The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has been successful in overcoming many of these challenges through innovative partnerships that have co-funded positions with the Department, provided matching funds for grants, and facilitated large-scale research and habitat management projects for priority species. In addition, the Department's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy planning effort is helping to prioritize conservation efforts to ensure complete coverage of various bird conservation plans.

The South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative (SAMBI) has integrated planning efforts among several major continental bird conservation plans in the United States, seeking common goals and objectives for habitat conservation to sustain, maintain, and increase populations of migratory birds and resident birds which utilize the Atlantic Flyway. One objective common to all these bird conservation plans is the need for surveys and monitoring of bird populations. Inherent to all surveys and monitoring protocols is the requirement of data storage and management. An attempt to address this need resulted in the development of a web-based data storage and management website called the SAMBI Waterfowl and Shorebird Bird Data Page. The website provides remote data entry and region-wide display of waterfowl and shorebird survey data. Currently, waterfowl and shorebird surveys are underway on a network of wildlife management areas and National Wildlife Refuges from Virginia to Florida.

A working group of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Science and Research Committee reviewed the rationale, design, and coordination of bird monitoring during 2004 to focus on the need for integration of information about bird status with budget, policy, and management decisions. “Rationale” promotes understanding of the role of monitoring in effective bird conservation and management, “design” of monitoring focuses on the effective and efficient use of monitoring resources, and “coordination” emphasizes the necessary infrastructure and resources for coordinated monitoring. Science-based management requires explicit objectives, management strategies and corresponding management actions, assessment, and periodic adjustment of management strategies. Distinctions between monitoring for status and trends versus monitoring to evaluate management have, however, become a source of debate among those responsible for bird monitoring.

The first continental bird conservation initiative for North America started under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) during the mid-1980s. About five years later Partners in Flight (PIF; focused on landbird species) came into being followed by the U.S. and Canada Shorebird Conservation Plans (USSCP and CSCP), the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan (NAWCP), and the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). Soon after the establishment of NAWMP,priority areas for waterfowl conservation were identified for delivering conservation programs, now referred to as Joint Ventures. Soon after PIF was initiated, all of the United States and Canada was divided into Physiographic Areas, loosely based on areas defined by the Breeding Bird Survey. USSCP and NAWCP identified larger planning regions, which were essentially aggregations of previously identified planning units established under PIF.

In 1999, the Management Board of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) embraced the vision and framework of the then newly emerging North American Bird Conservation Initiative. As a result, the ACJV expanded its objective of conserving waterfowl and wetlands habitat to all native birds and their associated habitats throughout the Atlantic Flyway. To meet this objective, the ACJV launched the South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative (SAMBI) in the Southeastern Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Region.

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (Strategy) is one component of Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative (Initiative), which is a program designed to create a strategic vision for conserving all of Florida's wildlife. The other two main components of the Initiative are partnership development and Florida's State Wildlife Grants Program. The state of Florida has an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of fish and wildlife conservation efforts. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Commission) is developing a long-range strategy for managing all wildlife in Florida, including birds, with the aim of averting future declines and keeping common species common. The Strategy will build a foundation for future wildlife conservation that will be solidified by opportunities for funding.

Contemporary wetland managers assigned to modified landscapes are faced with increasing complexity to maintain wetland functions and values and to meet the needs of many taxons. Historically, wetland management was driven by the drought of the 1930s when waterfowl populations were in serious decline. These conditions set the stage for a management dogma rooted in the storage rather than the manipulation of water and a focus on waterfowl. Although the first National Wildlife Refuge was for the protection of waterbirds in Florida, there was a strong focus on protecting and managing waterfowl habitats on breeding areas following the drought. Not only was the emphasis on the breeding grounds and waterfowl, but the focus was often on a single species, a selected life cycle event, or a specified time period. Thus, management often had the goal of maintaining high waterfowl populations continuously.