management

Despite the broad geographical range of bullhead catfishes (Ameiurus spp.), their population vital rates have rarely been studied. Estimation of vital rates requires accurate age estimates and otoliths generally are considered to be the most accurate and precise aging structure for most fish species. However, pectoral spines of some ictalurid species have been used to generate precise age estimates of younger fish. Although previous studies have compared age estimates between otoliths and spines for large-bodied, longer-lived catfishes, there have been few comparable studies...

The Florida largemouth bass (FLMB; Micropterus salmoides floridanus) is widely stocked throughout the southeastern United States with the intent of increasing the size potential of resident northern largemouth bass (NLMB; M. s. salmoides) populations. During the early 2000s the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission initiated an eight-year FLMB stocking program on selected reaches of DeGray Lake and Lake Ouachita in an effort to sat- isfy angler preferences. The goal of this stocking program was to achieve 40% of sampled largemouth bass in each introduction zone...

Telemetry-based study of alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) movement in the lower Trinity River, Texas, indicated that fish primarily re- mained within discrete home ranges less than 60 river kilometers (rkm), supporting the potential for local-scale management. However, the temporal scale of inference was limited (22 months), which may inadequately represent fish movements and home range size at the lifetime (i.e., ≥50 years) scale. Therefore, we used otolith microchemistry to examine the long-term movements of alligator gar (n = 59; total length range 1152 to 2420 mm, age range 4 to 60...

The effects of fish-hook type on hooking location and post-release mortality of recreationally and commercially targeted fish species have been well studied. We examined how fisheries management agencies along the coastal United States had incorporated fish-hook data into fisheries regulations and how visible and accessible those regulations were to anglers. We reviewed state recreational hook regulations on natural resource agency websites of 23 states. To assess the accessibility of hook regulations to anglers, we conducted an online survey that was distributed by email to participants...

Hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops) are commonly introduced in southeastern U.S. reservoirs to create a sport fishery and as a means of utilizing abundant shad (Dorosoma spp.) populations. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has historically stocked the common-cross hybrid (M. saxatilis female x M. chrysops male; hereafter, common HSB) rather than the reciprocal-cross hybrid (M. saxatilis male x M. chrysops female; hereafter, reciprocal HSB). Due to concerns over downstream emigration of stocked fish from reservoirs, common HSB have mostly been...