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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2013

Fishery population and habitat assessment in Puerto Rico streams: Phase 2 final report

This document serves as the Final Report for research on Puerto Rico stream fishes and their habitat funded by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, in the form of a grant to the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. This research was also conducted to meet the thesis requirement for a Master of Science degree granted to Elissa Buttermore (Chapters 3–4) and the dissertation requirement for a Doctor of Philospophy degree granted to William Smith (Chapters 5–8). Formatting differs among chapters, as each was developed to target a specific scientific journal and to conform to journal style.

Puerto Rico↗
USGS2021

Modern reporting methods for angler tag-return studies:Trends in data quality, choice of method, and future considerations

Angler tag-return studies are a cornerstone of fisheries research, providing insights into individual movements and estimates of exploitation, among many other applications. However, the data generated from these studies is dependent upon effective communication between anglers and scientists. As technological advances are adopted by anglers, little research has been directed at the potential benefits of incorporating modern tag reporting methods. We tagged stream-dwelling black bass Micropterus spp. and provided anglers a choice of reporting methods (telephone, email, iNaturalist app, or a “mixed-mode” combination thereof). Our objectives were to examine the fate of reported fish, quantify trends in data quality across reporting methods, and explore how geographic location and angler avidity may influence use of reporting methods. Ninety-four percent of tag reports involved the release of the fish with the tag still intact, creating opportunities for longer-term data collection. Telephone was the most commonly used reporting method; however, this method had significantly lower completeness scores (e.g., lack of photographs or specifying fate of fish) and less precise location information than other methods. In contrast, iNaturalist had the highest completeness and most precise location information but was seldom used and had increased lag times in reporting. We found no significant differences in the proportion of reporting methods used across stream locations in our study, and avid anglers appeared to be individualistic in their choice of method. Overall, our study suggests that the adoption of modern reporting methods, like email and smartphone apps, could benefit data collection efforts of angler tag-return studies. Fisheries scientists may wish to consider which reporting methods align with their specific study objectives and with the angling public of a given study area.

Arkansas, Oklahoma↗
USGS2011

Occurrence and distribution of Asian carps in Louisiana

In the 1970s, commercial fishers reported sightings of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella in large rivers and associated backwaters of Louisiana; the first specimen in Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' fishery independent sampling was recorded in 1976. Beginning in the early 1980s, commercial fishers noted increasing populations of bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp H. molitrix (together, the bigheaded carps). Populations of bigheaded carps appear to be increasing at a much slower rate than in the Midwest, possibly due to limited suitability of and access to backwater habitat for juvenile fish. In 2002, harvester reports of sporadic captures of "different-looking" grass carp indicated the possible presence of black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus . Because both normal diploid and triploid (in which triploidy has been induced to cause sterility) black carp have been stocked in the Mississippi basin, determination of the ploidy (number of chromosome sets) of these fishes is important. Since 2002, postmortem ploidy determinations using cells from eyeballs removed from six wild black carp captured in Louisiana showed each to be a normal diploid, indicative of breeding capability and potential reproducing populations. Although reported commercial landings of grass and bigheaded carps have been as high as 34,830 kg/year, limited market demand in past years resulted in many captures being discarded. A protocol for obtaining samples for easily determining ploidy is reported here. Accurate data on Asian carp distributions and their reproductive potential provides information to fisheries researchers that will be constructive in documenting the spread of these invasive species and in the assessment of risk to habitats.

Louisiana↗
USGS2021

Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2021

A comprehensive understanding of fish populations and their interactions is the cornerstone of modern fishery management and the basis for Lake Erie’s Fish Community Goals and Objectives (FCOs) developed in 2020 (Francis et al. 2020). The 2021 USGS Lake Erie Biological Station annual report is responsive to these FCOs and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) obligations via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2004 with the GLFC Council of Lake Committees (CLC) to provide scientific information in support of fishery management. Goals for the USGS Great Lakes Deepwater Fish Assessment and Ecological Studies were to monitor long-term changes in the fish community and population dynamics of key fishes of interest to management agencies (MOU 2004). Specific to Lake Erie, expectations of the MOU were sustained investigations of native percids, forage (prey) fish populations, and Lake Trout. Additionally, this work was conducted under the authority of the Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act of 2019.

Lake Erie↗
USGS2018

Are changes in lower trophic levels limiting prey-fish biomass and production in Lake Michigan?

To improve understanding of how recent changes in lower trophic levels in Lake Michigan could be affecting prey-fish biomass and production, the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) convened a Lower Trophic Level Task Group and provided several charges that are responded to in this report. First, we compiled a comprehensive summary of lower trophiclevel data in Lake Michigan, separating out nearshore versus offshore trends over time. Declining trends were prevalent in offshore time series for phosphorus, chlorophyll a, biomass of total crustacean zooplankton, biomass of herbivorous cladocerans, and density of Diporeia spp. In the nearshore, declining trends were evident only for biomass of cyclopoid copepods and density of Diporeia spp. Second, we hypothesized specific mechanisms by which changes in lower trophic levels could affect prey-fish biomass and production and described the degree of empirical support for each mechanism. The best-supported hypothesis was that declining invertebrate prey (especially Diporeia spp.) was responsible for declining growth of prey fish, especially over the last decade when competition for prey resources should otherwise have been lessened due to declining prey-fish densities. As a result, declining growth potentially limits the prey-fish biomass that could have been attained had growth been maintained at the levels that were achieved in the 1980s and earlier. Third, we prioritized several lower trophic-level indicators that fishery managers could use to better inform decision making. The top-ranked indicator was annual reporting of Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) condition. Fourth, we prioritized the key monitoring and research gaps that limit our current understanding of how lower trophic levels influence fish production. The highest-priority monitoring gap was coordinated sampling of the nearshore, which, if accomplished, would complement annual reporting on offshore sampling. The top-ranked knowledge gap was identifying bottlenecks that regulate fish recruitment, given that recent changes in zooplankton distribution and abundance could be suppressing survival of larval fish and, ultimately, the biomass and production of prey fish. We provided three specific recommendations for the LMC to consider as they seek to better incorporate lower trophiclevel changes into their management decision process: (1) implement a coordinated and standardized nearshore monitoring program, (2) encourage funding agencies to use our prioritized lists in their decision processes, and (3) foster the already improved dialogue between those researching lower trophic levels and those researching fisheries.

Miscellaneous Publication↗
USGS1991

Tributary-stream infiltration in Marsh Creek Valley, north-central Pennsylvania

The geohydrology of infiltration from five tributary streams along a 3.6-mile reach of Marsh Creek valley in north-central Pennsylvania was investigated during 1983-85. Marsh Creek valley is underlain by up to 100 feet of stratified drift that overlies Devonian bedrock. The stratified drift is overlain by up to 30 feet of alluvial-fan deposits near the tributary streams. Four of the five tributary streams lose large amounts of water to the stratified-drift aquifer in Marsh Creek valley. Along reaches away from the valley wall, infiltration losses from the streams averaged about 2 cubic feet per second per 1,000 feet of wetted channel length. Estimated hydraulic conductivity of the deposits near these streams ranges from 31 to 100 feet per day and averages 61 feet per day. Silty beds of lower permeability near the streams may significantly affect infiltration. The low permeability of the sediments near the fifth stream, which probably consist largely of fine-grained alluvium and swamp deposits, may account for the lack of infiltration losses along this stream. Tributary-stream infiltration accounted for more than 70 percent of the estimated recharge to the stratified-drift aquifer along the reach investigated during water year 1985, in which annual precipitation was below average. The sources of recharge and their estimated rates were: (1) direct infiltration of precipitation on the valley, 1.7 cubic feet per second; (2) unchanneled runoff and ground-water inflow from the uplands, 2.7 cubic feet per second; and (3) tributary-stream infiltration from Asaph Run, 3.7 cubic feet per second, Straight Run, 3.7 cubic feet per second, Dantz Run, 1.2 cubic feet per second, and Canada Run, 1.9 cubic feet per second. The temporal variation in recharge from tributary-stream infiltration greatly affects drawdowns caused by pumping from the wellfield at the National Fisheries Research and Development Laboratory near Straight Run.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2015

Surgical insertions of transmitters and telemetry methods in fisheries research

Use of electronic transmitter and monitoring systems to track movements of aquatic animals has increased continuously since the inception of these systems in the mid-1950s. The purpose of the present report is to provide information about veterinary principles and their incorporation into surgical implantation procedures for fish. We also intend to provide insight into the unique challenges of field-based aquatic surgical studies. Within this context, 4 aspects of the process for surgical implantation of transmitters in fish (ie, handling, aseptic technique, anesthesia, and implantation) will be described. Effects of surgical insertion of transmitters (ie, tagging) and aspects of the surgical implantation process where collaboration and professional exchanges among nonveterinarian researchers and veterinarians may be most fruitful will be discussed. Although this report focuses on surgical implantation, the principles and protocols described here (other than incision and suture placement) are also applicable to studies that involve injection of transmitters into fish.

American Journal of Veterinary Research↗
USGS2008

Minnesota anglers' fisheries-related value orientations and their stewardship of fish resources

Research on natural resource-related values and value orientations has grown substantially over the past decade. However, existing studies have focused almost exclusively on value orientations related to wildlife and forests. This article reports data from two mail surveys of Minnesota anglers used to develop scales for measuring fisheries-related value orientations. We report results of regression analyses examining the relationship between anglers' value orientations and norms concerning fisheries stewardship and the use of technological aids to angling. Results indicate 10 items reliably measure three value orientations we termed utilitarianism, dominance, and protectionism. Regression analyses suggest anglers' stewardship norms are influenced by all three value orientation types, while support for the use of technological aids was related with protectionism and utilitarianism, but not dominance. Results suggest anglers' fisheries-related value orientations cannot be adequately captured using single domain scales. Implications for the study of natural resources-related value orientations are discussed. Copyright ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Human Dimensions of Wildlife↗