Matagorda Bay, Texas: its hydrography, ecology, and fishery resources
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Ten species were commercially harvested in Lake Oahe, among which bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) predominated (63.8% of the total weight), smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) and goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) ranked second, and third. Variations in the seasonal and annual production of buffalo were governed by market conditions and availability. Production of minor species depended on the amount of fishing effort directed toward the harvest of buffalo. Gill and hoop nets were the principal fishing gears. The fishing season usually extended from April through December; most fishing was in May through August.
Large trap nets were evaluated as a commercial gear for capturing buffalo fish during July-September 1965. During the 72-day fishing period, 13,171 fish weighing 21,669 kg were taken. Bigmouth buffalo ( Ictiobus cyprinellus ) and smallmouth buffalo ( Ictiobus bubalus ) dominated the catch (78.2% by weight). Eight sport species accounted for 3.6% of the total catch. Both 7.0-cm and 12.7-cm mesh (extended measure) were used in the back of the bailing crib of the nets to determine the effect of the 12.7-cm mesh in reducing the catch of sport species and nonmarketable size groups of commercial species. The 12.7-cm mesh reduced the catch of nonmarketable bigmouth buffalo 29%, smallmouth buffalo 11%, river carpsucker ( Carpiodes carpio ) 18%, carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) 8%, freshwater drum ( Aplodinotus grunniens ) 35%, and sport species 68%.
The relationship between autotrophic activity and freshwater fish populations is an important consideration for ecologists describing trophic structure in aquatic communities, fisheries managers tasked with increasing sustainable fisheries development, and fish farmers seeking to maximize production. Previous studies of the empirical relationships of autotrophic activity and freshwater fish yield have found positive relationships but were limited by small sample sizes, small geographic scopes, and the inability to compare patterns among many types of measurement techniques. Individual studies and reviews have also lacked consistent consideration of regional climate factors which may inform relationships between fisheries and autotrophic activity. We compiled data from over 700 freshwater systems worldwide and used meta-analysis and linear models to develop a comprehensive global synthesis between multiple metrics of autotrophic activity, fisheries, and climate indicators. Our results demonstrate that multiple metrics of fish (i.e., catch per unit effort, yield, and production) increase with autotrophic activity across a variety of fisheries. At the global scale additional variation in this positive relationship can be ascribed to regional climate differences (i.e., temperature and precipitation) across systems. Our results provide a method and proof-of-concept for assessing inland fisheries production at the global scale, where current estimates are highly uncertain, and may therefore inform the continued sustainable use of global inland fishery resources.