Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Relative Survival ◽  
Sport Fishery ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Index Ratio ◽  
Natural Recruitment ◽  
Water Uses ◽  
Adult Abundance

<em>Abstract</em>.—Walleyes <em>Sander vitreus </em>are commonly stocked into reservoirs across North America, but success of these stockings has been variable, and few stockings have been thoroughly evaluated. We examined six factors that may affect survival of small walleye fingerlings (25–50 mm total length) stocked into two large Missouri reservoirs: (1) initial health of stocked fish, (2) handling and transportation stress, (3) water temperature in transport and receiving waters, (4) prey abundance in receiving waters, (5) losses from predation, and (6) growth of stocked fish. Fingerlings were marked with oxytetracycline hydrochloride and stocked into Smithville and Stockton lakes in alternate years from 1998 to 2006, usually at a rate of 70–80 fish/ha. None of the measured survival factors was related to a relative survival index (ratio of the number of age-0 captured/h of October electrofishing to the number stocked/ha). We also assessed whether stockings increased age-0 and adult abundance and angler catch and harvest of walleyes. For stocking years, the majority of age-0 walleyes collected in October originated from stocking for both Smithville (63–100% marked, mean = 91%) and Stockton (62–100% marked, mean = 88%) lakes. Electrofishing catch of age-0 walleyes in October was higher in stocking than in nonstocking years. Following stocking, adult abundance and angler catch and harvest of walleyes increased. Fingerling stockings improved the sport fishery for walleyes in both lakes. However, stocking will have to continue to maintain the fisheries because natural recruitment of walleyes did not increase as a result of increased adult abundance.

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
River Water ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Sander Vitreus ◽  
Water Conditions ◽  
Rough Water ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
River Water Temperature ◽  
Water Uses

<em>Abstract</em>.—We measured initial mortality (fish judged nonreleasable at weigh-in), prerelease mortality (fish judged nonreleasable 1–2 h after weigh-in), and postrelease mortality (fish that died during 5-d retention in net pens) in seven live-release walleye <em>Sander vitreus </em>tournaments conducted in April–October 2006 on four lakes and the Mississippi River. Among the seven events, initial mortality was 0–20%, prerelease mortality was 3–48%, and postrelease mortality was 0–100%. Mortality was generally low in events conducted when lake or river water temperature was below 18°C. Mortality was substantially higher in two events when water temperatures were above 25°C and in one event when fishing and postrelease mortality evaluation occurred in rough-water conditions. The relationship between water temperature and survival of walleye caught in live-release tournaments warrants further evaluation.

Status of Human Dimensions Surveys Sponsored by State and Provincial Fisheries Management Agencies in North America

Fisheries ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gene R. Wilde ◽  
Robert B. Ditton ◽  
Shepherd R. Grimes ◽  
Robin K. Riechers
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Human Dimensions

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Reservoir Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
River Systems ◽  
Interstate Disputes ◽  
Water Uses

<em>Abstract</em>.—Litigation regarding reservoir management is increasingly common. I used a range of examples in the United States to show that such litigation is generally ineffective and that most stakeholders can achieve better results through negotiated solutions. This article provides a brief introduction to this type of litigation and illustrates some of its basic limitations. Examples are drawn from several recent interstate disputes of the United States.

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
River Systems ◽  
Public Pressure ◽  
Rearing Techniques ◽  
Water Uses

<em>Abstract</em>.—Thirteen United States fishery agencies utilized routine supplemental stocking as a means to manage largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides </em>populations in large (>405-ha) reservoirs. State agencies stocking largemouth bass used two strains (i.e., northern and Florida) as well as intergrades. Largemouth bass for stocking were raised in hatcheries, lakeside nursery ponds, or both. Among states, methods used to monitor fish in hatchery ponds and lakeside nursery ponds, the date ponds were drained, and methods to enumerate fish from the ponds varied. Although most states cited bolstering weak year-classes as their main reason for routine stocking, others noted increasing genetic variability within populations and public pressure as reasons that their agencies stocked large reservoirs with largemouth bass. As agencies continue to respond to public pressures for larger fish, they should consider the possible consequences of mixing stocks of largemouth bass. With continued development of agency rearing techniques, especially in lakeside nursery ponds, methods to enumerate fish should be considered to aid in future stocking evaluations. Improved rearing and stocking techniques will allow fisheries managers to utilize resource dollars in a way that provides benefit to anglers while ensuring the sustainability of largemouth bass populations.

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Release Site ◽  
Single Site ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Black Bass ◽  
Spotted Bass ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Population Effects ◽  
Water Uses ◽  
Negative Population

<em>Abstract</em>.—In Lake Martin (16,000 ha), Alabama, black bass <em>Micropterus </em>spp. tournaments occur nearly every weekend at a single site (Wind Creek State Park [WCSP]), which could cause fish to accumulate at this release site and potentially cause negative impacts to the population. Over a 7-month period, nearly 6,600 tour-nament-caught largemouth bass <em>M. salmoides </em>and spotted bass <em>M. punctulatus </em>were injected with a coded wire tag at different body locations before release at WCSP. After release, black bass were collected with electrofishing up to 1.5 years following release at 0–10 km from the release site and scanned for a tag. Although variable, a substantial proportion (10–70%) of tournament-caught black bass comprised the black bass population within 3 km of WCSP up to 3 months after release. After 3 months, proportions of tagged black bass within 10 km of WCSP decreased dramatically and by an order of magnitude after 1 year, which strongly suggested that these fish dispersed from WCSP. Over a 2- to 70-d period after release from a tournament, relative weights of tournament-released black bass were typically less than fish not released in tournaments. In addition, we collected and aged black bass throughout Lake Martin; relative weights of both black bass species were less and spotted bass growth was lower within 10 km of WCSP compared to other regions of Lake Martin. Even though black bass dispersed from the WCSP release site, these negative population effects were attributed to the constant translocation and accumulation of tournament-caught fish in this region of Lake Martin. In water bodies such as Lake Martin where mass translocation of black bass occurs annually at a single site, the use of live-release boats to transport tournament-caught black bass and the promotion and use of alternative release sites should be encouraged to reduce possible localized negative population effects.

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Fishing Pressure ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Behavioral Alterations ◽  
Western North Carolina ◽  
Boat Traffic ◽  
Fishing Behavior ◽  
Water Uses

<em>Abstract</em>.—We examined perceptions of and responses to crowding by boat anglers on hydropower and flood-control reservoirs in western North Carolina by reviewing angler opinion information obtained during year-long creel surveys conducted 1997–2006. Interview topics included subjective ratings of crowding on the day of interview, boating safety concerns, alterations to fishing trips due to crowding, types of behavioral alterations used to avoid crowding, and incidence of night fishing. Angler perceptions of crowding and resulting changes in fishing behavior were typically higher in warmer months and on reservoirs with greater fishing pressure. However, boat anglers on reservoirs with high fishing pressure but low nonfishing boat traffic reported fewer crowding concerns than on reservoirs with more diverse boating use. Spatial responses to crowding were reported on all waters and included fishing coves, diverting fishing trips to less-crowded reservoirs, and leaving the reservoir to avoid crowds. Temporal responses to crowding were more common on heavily used reservoirs and included fishing at night, avoiding weekends, and avoiding summer months. We recommend focusing access improvements on enhancements for off-season and night fishing, including improved access-area lighting and low-water ramps and docks.

Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Random Sample ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Sampling Frame ◽  
Slot Length ◽  
Water Uses ◽  
Conservation Ethic

<em>Abstract</em>.—Rates of voluntary release of legally harvestable largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides </em>have increased over the past few decades, causing managers concern that this behavior is reducing the effectiveness of harvest restriction regulations. We conducted an angler survey to assess the degree to which Texas anglers practice voluntary release, their attitudes towards harvest and slot-length regulations, and factors that influence these attitudes and actions. Our sampling frame consisted of a random sample of general fishing license holders and anglers intercepted by creel surveys on reservoirs managed with a slot-length limit for largemouth bass. Seventy-one percent of largemouth bass anglers reported that they rarely or never harvest fish smaller than the slot. Concerns with contaminants, value of fish as food, or the influence of peers were not reported to be strong factors in their decision to release fish. Increases to the minimum size of the protected slot range or an increase in the daily bag were not effective incentives for harvest of small largemouth bass. Anglers intercepted on slot lakes appeared to have a better understanding of the rationale for slot-length limits and are more likely to harvest fish smaller than the slot. The propensity for general fishing license holders to release small largemouth bass appears to be motivated by a perceived conservation ethic. More anglers rely on friends, magazines, television, and Web sites than other informational sources. We believe these results can be used to enhance effectiveness of educational efforts to encourage angler harvest of largemouth bass smaller than protected slot-length ranges.

Thermal stratification of Portuguese reservoirs: potential impact of extreme climate scenarios

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 544-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel C. Almeida ◽  
Pedro S. Coelho ◽  
António C. Rodrigues ◽  
Paulo A. Diogo ◽  
Rita Maurício ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Thermal Stratification ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Runoff Reduction ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Water Uses

Changes in water temperature and stratification dynamics can have a significant effect on hydrodynamics and water quality in reservoirs. Therefore, to assess future climate impacts, projections of three regional climate models for Europe, under the IPCC A1B emission scenario (2081–2100), were used with the CE-QUAL-W2 water quality model to evaluate changes in the thermal regime of 24 Portuguese reservoirs, representing different geographic regions, morphologies, volumes and hydrological regimes. Simulation results were compared with reference simulations for the period 1989–2008 and changes in water temperature and thermal stratification characteristics were evaluated. Future inflow scenarios were estimated from precipitation-runoff non-linear correlations and outflows were estimated considering present water uses, including hydropower, water supply and irrigation. Results suggest a significant increment in the mean water temperature of the reservoirs for the entire water volume and at water surface of 2.3 and 2.5 °C, respectively, associated with a runoff reduction of approximately 23%. Overall, variations in annual stratification patterns are characterized by changes in the mean annual length of stratification anomaly that ranged from −21 to +39 days. Results also show the influence of depth and volume over the reservoir's temperature anomaly, highlighting the importance of future water uses and operation rule curves optimization for reservoirs.

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