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USGS1963

The embronic and larval development of the rainbow trout

Photographs of the developing rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, are presented in sequence from the initial cleavage through hatching. Approximately 3,000 eggs were incubated in standard hatchery troughs supplied with spring water at a constant temperature of 54° F. Accepted fish cultural methods were followed to insure normal developmental patterns. Samples of these eggs were taken for study at 1‐hour intervals from the 5th to the 24th hour after fertilization; then once every 6 hours until they were 72 hours old; then at 1‐day intervals through the peak of hatching on the 23rd day. The embryos were fixed in 5 percent neutral formalin containing 0.95 percent sodium chloride, stained in Harrisˈ hematoxylin, and photographed with a vertically mounted camera.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1963

The movements of walleyes tagged as yearlings in Lake Erie

A total of 3,998 yearling walleyes, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchill), were captured, tagged, and released along the south shore of western Lake Erie to determine their movements and their dispersal from a known nursery area. Four hundred ninety-nine recoveries were made over a period of 3 years. Tagged walleyes traveled primarily north toward the islands in the Western Basin during their first year of liberation, and in succeeding years moved progressively toward the extreme western end of the lake. Some walleyes were recaptured within 6 months in the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River, and southern Lake Huron, and the percentage of fish recaptured in these waters north of Lake Erie increased annually. Movement eastward into the Central and Eastern Basins of the lake appeared negligible. The greatest distance traveled by a marked walleye was 236 miles. The average distance traveled by all tagged fish was 25 miles.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1963

Persistence of DDT and its metabolites in a farm pond

A farm pond near Morrison, Colorado, was treated with 0.02 p.p.m. of DDT in June 1961. The persistence and distribution of the insecticide in materials sampled from the aquatic environment were studied until November 1962. Detectable amounts of DDT were not found in the water after 3 weeks. Residues in the mud had declined within 8 weeks after the treatment to levels not significantly higher than pre-treatment levels, but a sample of vegetation still contained relatively high levels of residues. From this time until the second summer, sufficient vegetation was not present to provide a sample for chemical analysis. A new crop of vegetation sampled 1 year after the treatment contained residues approximating pre-treatment levels. Fish accumulated 3 to 4 p.p.m. of DDT and its metabolites within 1 month after the treatment. The residue levels slowly declined after this, but when the study was terminated, 2 to 3 p.p.m. of the metabolites DDD and DDE still remained in the fish. The highest residue levels measured in crayfish were about one-half of those found in fish. Some mortality of the more susceptible fish and invertebrates occurred as a result of the DDT treatment; however, severe adverse effects were not demonstrated.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1963

A new geographic and host record for infectious pancreatic necrosis

The occurrence of infectious pancreatic necrosis in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) has been experimentally authenticated for the first time in the western United States. The cutthroat trout represents a new host. Brook trout fin tissue culture inoculated with bacteria-free filtrate from the diseased fish tissue showed marked degenerative changes after 24 hours. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), kokanee (O. nerka), and silver salmon (O. kisutch) were not susceptible to the virus when inoculated. Histologically, extensive pancreatic necrosis was observed in the original and experimental materials, but striated muscle hyalinization was detected only in the original material.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1964

Status of the deepwater cisco population of Lake Michigan

The species and size composition and the abundance of the cisco (Leucichthys spp.) population of Lake Michigan have undergone drastic changes since the sea lamprey became established in the 1940's. The changes were measured by the catches of gill nets of identical specifications fished at the same seasons, depths, and locations in 1930-32, 1954-55, and 1960-61. The two largest ciscoes (johannae and nigripinnis), exploited heavily in a highly selective fishery from the midnineteenth century to the early 1900's, were only sparsely represented in the catch in the 1930's and were absent from catches of the comparison surveys in 1954-55 and 1960-61. The species of intermediate size (alpenae, artedi, kiyi, reighardi, and zenithicus) constituted about two-thirds of the cisco stocks of the deepwater zone in the 1930's but declined to 23.9 and 6.4 percent in the 1950's and 1960's, respectively. Major causes of change were the increased fishing pressure and sea lamprey predation that accompanied the disappearance of the lake trout. The small, slow-growing cisco (hoyi) - the primary food of lake trout - which was not fished intensively, and was too small to suffer greatly from sea lamprey predation, increased from 31.0 percent of the catch in the 1930's to 76.1 percent in the 1950's and 93.6 percent in the 1960's. Consequences of the extreme imbalance of the cisco population have been a reduction in mean size of all species, extension of the range of the very abundant hoyi (formerly most abundant in moderately shallow areas) to almost all depths and sections of the lake, and possibly introgressive hybridization among the various species. The primary change in the fishery has been a shift from gill nets to more extensive use of trawls which can take the now abundant smaller fish.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1964

Anesthetic effect of 4-styrylpyridine on lamprey and fish

The anestheticp roperty of 4-styrylpyridine (4-SP) on fish and lamprey was first noticed during chemical screening search of a selective toxicant for larval lamprey (Applegate, Howell, Hall, and Smith, 1957). To assess the possible value of the compound as an anesthetic, we later conducted the experiments reviewed in this report.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1964

The spottail shiner in Lower Red Lake, Minnesota

On the basis of 14,564 spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) from Red Lakes, Minnesota, growth rates, strength of year classes, and food utilization were studied. Males and females had different body-scale relationships, and females grew faster than males. There was high correlation between water temperature and growth rate. Strength of year classes was closely related to size of spawning population. Food habits were related to food availability in both plankton and bottom fauna. Shiner eggs were significant items of food in larger shiners. Bottom organisms were selectively taken, and larger cladocerans were selected by large fish. Cladocerans were preferred to copepods.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1964

Age, growth and sex composition of the American smelt Osmerus mordax (Mitchill), of western Lake Superior

This study is based on 4,561 smelt collected in Chequamegon Bay, the Apostle Islands, the Brule River, and Superior Harbor, all in western Lake Superior. Commercial production in the Great Lakes (U.S. and Canada combined) reached a peak of nearly 16 million pounds in 1960. Production in Lake Superior has generally been small but increased during the 1950's to reach 948,000 pounds in 1960. All O-group and spring I-group smelt had scales with sufficient sculpturing to permit detection of the first annulus. Annulus formation began after 6 June in 1960. In 1961, all smelt had completed the annulus by 24 August. The body-scale relation is a straight line with an intercept of -0.9 inch on the axis of fish length. The weight of western Lake Superior smelt increased as the 2.952 power of the length. A large range of length in each age group and resulting overlap of age-groups II-VI made length a poor index of age. Female smelt grew faster than males after the second year and dominated strongly in age-groups IV-VII. Both sexes made their best annual growth in length (3.3 inches) during their second year of life; the largest weight increments (0.74 ounce, males; 0.85 ounce, females) came in the third year. Best production from a commercial pound net in 1961 occurred when the sex ratios of spawning smelt were nearest 50:50. Spawning male smelt were consistently shorter than females and the average lengths of both sexes decreased as the spawning season progressed. Shortest mature smelt of each sex were 5.0 to 5.2 inches but the males are probably the first to reach 100 percent maturity. All year-old smelt were immature. Among 2-year-old fish, 40.7 per cent of the males and 17.7 percent of the females had reached maturity. All smelt more than 2 years old were mature. Ovaries of 10 smelt contained an average of 31,338 eggs for fish 7.3 to 8.8 inches long.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1964

Age and growth of the round whitefish in Lake Michigan

The round whitefish, though rarely abundant, is widely distributed in northern waters. It is one of the least studied of the coregonines; the present report is but the second for Great Lakes waters. Commercial production in Lake Michigan has been tightly confined to the northern portion. The period 1924-30 showed the best production: 200,000 to 359,000 pounds. Since 1956, production has been around 10,000 pounds or less. The present age and growth study is based on 208 fish collected by gill net in December 1951. The relation between total length in inches (L) and the weight in ounces ( W ) is described by the equation log W = -2.7232 + 3.2940 log L. Age-group III made up 66.3 percent, and age-group IV, 20.6 percent of the sample; age-groups V, VI, and VII combined contributed only 5.9 percent. The average length for all fish in the sample was 14.5 inches. Growth was calculated from a previously published linear body-scale relation with an intercept of 1.1 inches on the axis of fish length. The increments of calculated length declined steadily from a maximum of 4.6 inches the first year to 1.0 inch the eighth. A 3-year-old Lake Michigan fish (12.3 inches) is as long as a 5-year-old Lake Superior fish, and an 8-year-old Lake Michigan fish (18.9 inches) is 0.9 inch longer than the oldest (12 years) from Lake Superior. The smallest mature males and females were in the length intervals 12.0-12.4 inches and 13.0-13.4 inches, respectively. All males over 1.4 inches and all females over 14.9 inches were mature. The youngest mature males were in age-group II; 36 percent of II-group males but none of the females were mature. All fish older than age-group III were mature.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

The black-spot (Uvulifer ambloplitis: Trematoda: Strigeoidea) of centrarchid fishes

Adult Uvulifer ambloplitis were recovered from a kingfisher and the worm eggs were incubated. Helisoma snails were infected with the resultant miracidia. Cercariae, very similar, but not identical to Cercaria bessiae, were recovered and used to infect fish. It was possible to infect Lepomis macrochirus, but not Catostomus commersoni, Cottus bairdi, Carassius auratus, Notropis cornutus, N. rubellus, N. spectrunculus, Semotilus atromaculatus, S. corporalis, S. margarita, Ictalurus punctatus, Etheostoma flabellare or Salmo gairdneri. Development of the metacercaria was studied at 13° C, 21° C, and 24° C. There was almost no development at 13° C and development was about twice as rapid at 24° C as at 21° C. The origin of the cyst of parasite origin is discussed. The metacercariae live at least 4 1/2 years in the fish at 12° C. The adult is briefly described and compared with other species. A key to the adults is given.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

Food of lake trout in Lake Superior

Stomachs were examined from 1,492 lake trout and 83 siscowets collected from Lake Superior. Data are given on the food of lake trout of legal size (17 inches or longer) by year, season, and depth of water, and on the relation between food and size among smaller lake trout. Fish contributed 96.7 to 99.9 per cent of the total volume of food in the annual samples. Ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) were most common (52.2 to 87.5 per cent of the volume) in 1950 to 1953 and American smelt ranked first (65.6 per cent of the volume) in 1963. Cottids were in 8.9 to 12.3 per cent of the stomachs in 1950 to 1953 but in only 4.3 per cent in 1963. Insects ranked second to fish in occurrence (9.6 per cent for the combined samples) and crustaceans followed at 3.9 per cent. The greatest seasonal changes in the food of lake trout were among fish caught at 35 fathoms and shallower. The occurrence of Coregonus increased from 34.6 per cent in February-March to 71.1 per cent in October-December. Smelt were in 76.9 per cent of the stomachs in February-March but in only 2.2 per cent in October-December. Cottids, Mysis relicta, and insects were most common in the July-September collections. Lake trout taken at depths greater than 35 fathoms had eaten a higher percentage of Cottidae and Coregonus than had those captured in shallower water. Smelt, ninespine sticklebacks, Mysis, and insects were more frequent in stomachs of lake trout from less than 35 fathoms. Crustaceans comprised more than 70 per cent of the total volume of food for 4.0- to 7.9-inch lake trout but their importance decreased as the lake trout grew larger. Pontoporeia affinis was the most common in the stomachs of 4.0- to 6.9-inch lake trout and Mysis held first rank at 7.0 to 12.9 inches. Ostracods were important only to 4.0- to 4.9-inch lake trout. As the lake trout became larger, the importance of fish grew from 4.4-per cent occurrence at 5.0 to 5.9 inches to 93.9 per cent at 16.0 to 16.9 inches. Smelt were most commonly eaten by undersize (less than 17 inches) lake trout.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

Length-weight relationship of northern pike, Esox lucius, from East Harbor, Ohio

The northern pike is one of Ohio's largest game fish but is well known to comparatively few anglers. Large numbers of the big fish spawn in the Ohio marshes adjacent to Lake Erie. Movements related to spawning reach a peak in late March or early April. Later the spawning population disperses and is seldom represented in catches by experimental gear or by anglers. The short period of availability was used to obtain life history information in March of 1951 through 1953. No comprehensive length-weight data for this species have previously been published from this area. East Harbor is a sandspit pond separated from Lake Erie by a large sand bar. Waters and fish populations of the harbor and lake can mix freely through a permanent connecting channel. The larger part of the 850 surface acres of the harbor is normally less than 8 feet deep. The male northern pike averaged 20.5 inches in length and ranged from 13.5 to 28.5 inches. The conspicuously larger females averaged 26.0 inches and ranged from 15.5 to 37.5 inches.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

Experimental hexamitiasis in juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) and steelhead trout ( Salmo gairdner )

An exogenous strain of cultured Hexamita salmonis (Moore) was employed to induce trophic hexamitiasis in otherwise disease-free juveniles of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri). Mortality and growth were the parameters used to detect the effects of hexamitiasis on the two species. Two levels of each of the three experimental factors under study, Hexamita infection, species of fish, and density of fish, were arranged in a three-way factorial design. Replicate lots involved a total of 1,440 fish held under controlled laboratory conditions. Comparisons of growth and mortality indicate that infection with H. salmonis over a period of 8 weeks is innocuous to coho salmon. Steelhead trout suffered a low, but statistically significant mortality which subsided after the sixth week; growth rate was not affected.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

Fat content of the flesh of siscowets and lake trout from Lake Superior

Samples of flesh were excised from the middorsal region of 67 siscowets (Salvelinus namaycush siscowet) and 46 lake trout (Salvelinus n. namaycush) collected from Lake Superior. Chemical analysis of the samples revealed a range in fat content (dry weight) of 32.5 to 88.8 per cent in siscowets and 6.6 to 52.3 per cent in lake trout. Percentage fat increased progressively with increase in length of fish in both forms, but the average rate of increase was far greater for siscowets than for lake trout at lengths between 12 and 20 inches. Despite substantial individual variation, the percentage fat in the two forms was widely different and without overlap at all comparable lengths. The range in iodine number of the fat was 100 to 160 for siscowets and 103 to 161 for lake trout; average values were generally lower for siscowets than for lake trout among fish of comparable length. Percentage fat and relative weight were not correlated significantly in either subspecies. The fat content of flesh samples from a distinctive subpopulation of Lake Superior lake trout known as 'humpers' was more closely similar to that of typical lean lake trout than to siscowets, but the rate of increase in fat with increasing length was greater than for lean lake trout. Flesh samples from hatchery-reared stocks of lake trout, hybrid lake trout X siscowets, and siscowets tended to support the view that the wide difference in fat content between siscowets and lake trout is genetically determined.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1965

Age, growth, maturity, and fecundity of 'humper' lake trout, Isle Royale, Lake Superior

Humper lake trout are one of the several races or subpopulations of lake trout in Lake Superior. This study is based on 3,705 fish collected on a reef south of Isle Royale near the eastern end. The mean lengths of humper trout from commercial gill nets were smaller than those of lean lake trout. Members of age-groups VII, VIII, and IX represented 81.5 per cent of the commercial humper catch. The body-scale relation was described by two intersecting straight lines. The weight of humper trout increased as the 3.282 power of the length. Growth in length was slow and ranged from 1.6 to 3.5 inches per year. Annual increments were greatest in the first, sixth, and seventh years. Growth in weight was also slow but increased each year. Humper trout became legal (1 1/2 pounds) in the eighth year of life and reached 5 pounds in 11 years. All fish longer than 19.1 inches and older than age-group VIII were mature; the shortest mature fish were: males, 12.7 inches; females, 14.7 inches. At minimum legal size, 98 per cent of the males and 56 per cent of the females were mature. Humper trout produced an average of 1,351 eggs per fish or 516 per pound.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1966

Toxicities of several pesticides to two species of Cladocerans

Laboratory bioassays were conducted with some chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, organophosphate insecticides, other insecticides and acaricides, and with herbicides to determine their relative toxicities and immobilization values for two species of daphnids, Daphnia pulex and Simocephalus serrulatus. Both species are satisfactory bioassay organisms for the determination of a wide variety of pesticides, with D. pulex being the more sensitive. The organophosphate insecticides were generally more toxic than the chlorinated hydrocarbons to both species. DDVP was the most toxic compound investigated. DDT was the most toxic chlorinated hydrocarbon tested, and lindane the least. There was a wide range in the toxicity of hydrocarbons to D. pulex, with 48-hour EC 50 values ranging from 0.36 to 460 ppb. DDT was 2.9 times more toxic at 50 F than at 80 F. Malathion was 8.8 times more toxic at 50 F than at 70 F to S. serrulatus. Endrin was 12 times more toxic than dieldrin to D. pulex. DDT was 2.6 times more toxic at 60 F to first-instar organisms up to 18 hours old than to 7-day-old organisms.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1966

Bathymetric distribution of fish in the Apostle Islands region, Lake Superior

Records of seasonal and “all-season” (April-December) bathymetric distribution are given for 17 species of fish taken in bottom trawls and experimental gill nets fished on the bottom in 1958–63 in the Apostle Islands region of Lake Superior. The data are based on catches from 578 trawl tows at 2–59 fathoms and 301,900 linear feet of gill nets fished at 2–89 fathoms. Size of the fish varied widely among different species from the same gear and the same species from different gears. Seasonal differences in depth distribution were greatest for lake trout, bloaters, round whitefish, and older smelt, which exhibited an inshore movement in the summer and fall, and for longnose suckers, which migrated to deeper water with progress of the seasons. The all-season bathymetric distributions varied considerably among species. Round whitefish, 0- and I-group smelt, longnose suckers, ninespine sticklebacks, and johnny darters were most abundant at < 10 fathoms. Concentrations of lake trout, lake herring, lake whitefish, older smelt, trout-perch, and burbot were greatest at 10–29 fathoms. Pygmy whitefish were most common at 30–39 fathoms, bloaters and spoonhead sculpins at 40–49 fathoms, and shortjaw ciscoes, slimy sculpins, and fourhorn sculpins at 50–59 fathoms. The kiyi was most abundant at 70–79 fathoms.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1966

Some effects of sublethal concentrations of sodium arsenite on bluegills and the aquatic environment

Bluegills were exposed to sodium arsenite at various concentrations and treatment frequencies in outdoor pools. The effects of the treatments on the fish and invertebrates in the pools were assessed. Applications totaling 4.0 ppm or more of NaAsO 2 during the experiment were reflected in reduced survival and growth of the fish, with immature fish being affected to a greater degree than adults. Some pathological changes were observed in adults. Substantial residues of arsenic were found in the water, bottom soil, and throughout the organs and flesh of the bluegills at the termination of the experiment. Bottom fauna and plankton populations were reduced or inhibited in several pools with the highest concentrations of the herbicide.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗