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At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Historical decline and current status of coho salmon in California

The southernmost populations of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch occur in California where native coho stocks have declined or disappeared from all streams in which they were historically recorded. Coho salmon previously occurred in as many as 582 streams, from the Smith River near the Oregon border to the San Lorenzo River on the central coast. Information on the recent presence or absence of coho salmon was available for only 248 (43%) of those streams. Of these 248 streams, 54% still contained coho salmon and 46% did not. The farther south a stream is located, the more likely it is to have lost its coho salmon population. We estimate that the total number of adult coho salmon entering California streams in 1987-1991 averaged around 31,000 fish per year, with hatchery populations making up 57% of this total. Thus, about 13,000 nonhatchery coho salmon have been spawning in California streams each year since 1987, an estimate that includes naturalized stocks containing about 9,000 fish of recent hatchery ancestry. There are now probably less than 5,000 native coho salmon (with no known hatchery ancestry) spawning in California each year, many of them in populations of less than 100 individuals. Coho populations today are probably less than 6% of what they were in the 1940s, and there has been at least a 70% decline since the 1960s. There is every reason to believe that California coho populations, including hatchery stocks, will continue to decline. The reasons for the decline of coho salmon in California include: stream alterations brought about by poor land-use practices (especially those related to logging and urbanization) and by the effects of periodic floods and drought, the breakdown of genetic integrity of native stocks, introduced diseases, overharvest, and climatic change. We believe, that ,coho salmon in California qualify for listing as a threatened species under state law, and certain populations may qualify for listing as threatened or endangered under federal law.

California↗
USGS1994

Quantifying precision of in situ length and weight measurements of fish

We estimated and compared errors in field-made (in situ) measurements of lengths and weights of fish. We made three measurements of length and weight on each of 33 common carp Cyprinus carpio , and on each of a total of 34 bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus . Maximum total lengths of all fish were measured to the nearest 1 mm on a conventional measuring board. The bluegills and black crappies (85–282 mm maximum total length) were weighed to the nearest 1 g on a 1,000-g spring-loaded scale. The common carp (415–600 mm maximum total length) were weighed to the nearest 0.05 kg on a 20-kg spring-loaded scale. We present a statistical model for comparison of coefficients of variation of length (C l ) and weight (C w ). Expected C l was near zero and constant across mean length, indicating that length can be measured with good precision in the field. Expected C w decreased with increasing mean length, and was larger than expected C l by 5.8 to over 100 times for the bluegills and black crappies, and by 3 to over 20 times for the common carp. Unrecognized in situ weighing errors bias the apparent content of unique information in weight, which is the information not explained by either length or measurement error. We recommend procedures to circumvent effects of weighing errors, including elimination of unnecessary weighing from routine monitoring programs. In situ weighing must be conducted with greater care than is common if the content of unique and nontrivial information in weight is to be correctly identified.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS1994

Efficacy of electrofishing to assess plasma cortisol concentration in juvenile chinook salmon passing hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River

We tested the efficacy of using electrofishing to collect juvenile fall chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha to assess their plasma cortisol concentrations. In laboratory experiments, plasma cortisol titers offish sampled immediately (<4 s) after a 1.5-s, 500-V DC electroshock were not different from controls (mean ± SE, 28.8 ± 5.2 ng/mL), but within 15 min they were significantly higher (148.2 ± 19.0 ng/mL) than controls. Plasma cortisol levels of fish released through turbines and of those released through the juvenile-bypass system at Bonneville Dam, Oregon-Washington, and collected by electrofishing did not differ from each other or from prerelease samples (about 70 ± 7 ng/mL). Our results indicate that electrofishing can be used to collect fish for stress assessment in the wild, provided fish are sacrificed immediately after capture, We are concerned, however, that the small number of fish we captured by electrofishing may not be representative of the majority of fish that pass through turbines or bypass systems. The fish used in this study were not migrating smolts and so were not typical of juvenile chinook salmon passing through hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River. Developmental as well as species- and stock-related factors should be addressed in future studies.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1994

Survival of caged Atlantic salmon in the Merrimack River

Because it is difficult to locate parr and smolts of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the lower Merrimack River in order to measure survival and evaluate physiological changes, 1 held hatchery fish in 122 × 46 ×61‐cm cages at three sites for up to 70 d in 1988 and 1989, beginning each year in early April. Stationary cages were placed at two freshwater sites (3 and 7.8 km above the mouth of the river) and at a tidal freshwater–seawater site, and then stocked with fish. Movable cages were placed in the river at the most upstream stationary‐cage site, stocked with fish, and later moved downstream by boat at irregular intervals. At the most upstream site mortality gradually increased through the season, reaching the highest level (about 60%) during a period of rising temperatures in late May. Although extremes in temperature and salinity were greatest at the freshwater–seawater site, mortality was lowest in the stationary cage there, The number of Atlantic salmon infected with Aeromonas salmonicida increased during the study. Disease and mortality data suggest that survival would be highest for fish that leave the river and enter seawater soon after stocking, especially late in the season when river flows are low. At that time water temperatures may approach levels that are lethal to Atlantic salmon or may interfere with their smoltification and migration.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1994

Evaluation of tire reefs for enhancing aquatic communities in concrete-lined canals

Large earthen canals in the arid southwest are being lined with concrete to reduce seepage and conserve limited water supplies. Lining reduces habitat and increases operational velocities (relative to unaltered streams), which are detrimental to aquatic communities. Fish communities that become reestablished in these waterways exhibit lower species diversity, densities, and biomass than they did in the former earthen canals. Placement of low-profile tire reefs in the Coachella Canal, California, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct, Arizona, reversed these trends. Comparative sampling revealed that invertebrate and fish densities were 3 and 20 times higher, respectively, in reef areas than in typical canal sections without reefs. Tire reefs are recommended as an effective means of enhancing aquatic communities in concrete canals.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS1994

White sturgeon spawning and rearing habitat in the lower Columbia River

Estimates of spawning habitat for white sturgeons Acipenser transmontanus in the tailraces of the four dams on the lower 470 km of the Columbia River were obtained by using the Physical Habitat Simulation System of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Instream Flow Incremental Methodology to identify areas with suitable water depths, water velocities, and substrates. Rearing habitat throughout the lower Columbia River was assessed by using a geographic information system to identify areas with suitable water depths and substrates. The lowering of spring and summer river discharges from hydropower system operation reduces the availability of spawning habitat for white sturgeons. The four dam tailraces in the study area differ in the amount and quality of spawning habitat available at various discharges; the differences are due to channel morphology. The three impoundments and the free-flowing Columbia River downstream from Bonneville Dam provide extensive areas that are physically suitable for rearing young-of-the-year and juvenile white sturgeons.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS1995

Effect of gear selectivity on recommended allowable harvest with application to the Lake Erie yellow perch fishery

Because the 57-mm-mesh gill net is the predominant gear in the Lake Eric fishery for yellow perch Perca flavescens , gear selectivity is an important factor operating in that fishery. The selectivity curve for age-groups 2&ndash;6 is roughly symmetrical with peak vulnerability at age 4; younger and older perch are substantially less susceptible to the gear. The Beverton-Holt yield-per-recruit and Ricker equilibrium yield models were applied to the west-central Lake Erie yellow perch fishery to examine the effect of gear selectivity on yield-per-recruit analysis. All fish older than a specified recruitment age are assumed to he equally vulnerable in the Beverton-Holt yield-per-recruit analysis, but the Ricker equilibrium yield model can explicitly accommodate gear selectivity. Optimal fishing rate was estimated with both models, and then recommended allowable harvests were generated based on yellow perch population size estimates. Inclusion of gear selectivity in the yield-per-recruit analysis resulted in a 12% decrease in recommended allowable harvest. When skewed gear selectivity curves were investigated, gear selectivity had a still more pronounced effect on recommended allowable harvest.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS1995

Improving electrofishing catch consistency by standardizing power

The electrical output of electrofishing equipment is commonly standardized by using either constant voltage or constant amperage, However, simplified circuit and wave theories of electricity suggest that standardization of power (wattage) available for transfer from water to fish may be critical for effective standardization of electrofishing. Electrofishing with standardized power ensures that constant power is transferable to fish regardless of water conditions. The in situ performance of standardized power output is poorly known. We used data collected by the interagency Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) in the upper Mississippi River system to assess the effectiveness of standardizing power output. The data consisted of 278 electrofishing collections, comprising 9,282 fishes in eight species groups, obtained during 1990 from main channel border, backwater, and tailwater aquatic areas in four reaches of the upper Mississippi River and one reach of the Illinois River. Variation in power output explained an average of 14.9% of catch variance for night electrofishing and 12.1 % for day electrofishing. Three patterns in catch per unit effort were observed for different species: increasing catch with increasing power, decreasing catch with increasing power, and no power-related pattern. Therefore, in addition to reducing catch variation, controlling power output may provide some capability to select particular species. The LTRMP adopted standardized power output beginning in 1991; standardized power output is adjusted for variation in water conductivity and water temperature by reference to a simple chart. Our data suggest that by standardizing electrofishing power output, the LTRMP has eliminated substantial amounts of catch variation at virtually no additional cost.

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin↗
USGS1995

Responses of bluegills and black crappies to dissolved oxygen, temperature, and current in backwater lakes of the upper Mississippi River during winter

We conducted a radiotelemetry study to examine the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, and current velocity on winter habitat selection by bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus in the Finger Lakes backwater complex, Pool 5, on the upper Mississippi River. When DO was above 2 mg/L, both species selected areas with water temperature greater than 1°C and undetectable current. As dissolved oxygen concentrations fell below 2 mg/L, fish moved to areas with higher DO, despite water temperatures of 1°C and lower and current velocities of 1 cm/s. Areas with water temperature less than 1°C and current velocity greater than 1 cm/s were avoided. To incorporate the winter habitat requirements of bluegills and black crappies into habitat restoration projects, we recommend designs that allow the inflow of oxygenated water to maintain adequate DO without substantially decreasing temperature and increasing current velocity.

Minnesota↗
USGS1995

Optimizing sampling effort for sampling warmwater stream fish communities

We measured the variation of some commonly used fish community attributes for two warmwater stream reaches during June–October 1992 and 1993. Habitat‐specific variation among samples, expressed as coefficients of variation (SD/mean) collected throughout the study ranged from 0.13 to 1.58 and were lower for community‐level attributes such as species richness (total number of species) and total fish biomass than for biomass estimates of bleeding shiner Luxilus zonatus , longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis , and rainbow darter Etheostoma caeruleum . Corresponding estimates of the number of samples needed to ensure 20% precision at the 95% confidence level ranged from 2 to 245 and indicated that fewer samples are needed to precisely estimate community level attributes than to estimate individual species biomass. A significant negative relationship ( P < 0.05) between coefficients of variation and predicted sampling efficiency suggested that low sampling efficiencies may increase sample variance. Significant heterogeneity of variance ( P < 0.05) among habitat types suggested that physical habitat characteristics also influenced sample variance. Mixed‐model analysis of variance was used to examine spatial variance (between sampling locations, across time) and temporal variance (among sampling periods, across locations) for species richness and fish biomass. Eighteen variance components were significant, ( P < 0.01) and in 12 of these, spatial variation exceeded temporal variation. When age‐0 fish were excluded from analysis, spatial variation exceeded temporal variation in 13 of the 14 significant components. Our results indicate that the optimum sampling strategy for warmwater streams during June–October includes the collection of many samples from all habitat types during one sampling period in September–October.

Missouri, Texas↗
USGS1995

Largemouth bass response to habitat and water quality rehabilitation in a backwater of the upper Mississippi River

Severe sedimentation since lock and dam construction in the 1930s has reduced water depth in Upper and Lower Brownˈs lakes, a backwater complex in Pool 13 of the upper Mississippi River, and resulted in periods of chronic anoxia. This backwater complex was rehabilitated by construction of a deflection levee, installation of a water control structure, and excavation of canals through the area. Water quality variables inside and outside the project area, movement of radio-tagged largemouth bass in response to changing oxygen concentrations, and creel statistics were used to evaluate the success of the improvements. Turbidity was significantly less in the Brownˈs Lake complex than in the main channel. Oxygen concentrations were allowed to deteriorate to 3 ppm before the water control structures were opened during the winter; within 7 d, oxygen concentrations as high as 10 ppm were found in the top strata in most of the Brownˈs Lake complex. Chemical and thermal stratification observed in the dredge canal water column were caused by colder (32°F), highly oxygenated water from the main channel moving over denser, warmer (36–38°F) water in the dredge canals. Water in the dredge canals remained stratified until ice-out, with colder, oxygenated water in the surface stratum; warmer, but anoxic, water in the bottom stratum; and a mixture (3–7 ppm oxygen and 35–36°F) in the middle stratum. Fourteen radio-tagged largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were located in the Brownˈs Lake complex in December before oxygen concentrations began to decline, Concurrent with oxygen declines, most radio-tagged fish exited the complex through a slough connected to the main channel and returned when the water control structure was opened and oxygen concentrations increased. Some radio-tagged largemouth bass moved 4 mi under ice to return to the complex. Estimated angler effort and catch increased 58 and 117%, respectively, in the Lower Brownˈs Lake–Lainesville Slough complex following rehabilitation. A 10-fold increase in angler effort and catch was estimated for Upper Brownˈs Lake after the project was completed.

Iowa↗
USGS1995

Skin reflectance as a non-lethal measure of smoltification for juvenile salmonids

Our efforts to find nonlethal methods of assessing the parr-smoll transformation of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and spring and fall chinook salmon O. tshawytscha led to the development of a video system for quantitatively measuring skin silvering using skin reflectance. Gill Na'.K'-ATPase activity, skin guanine concentration, and skin reflectance were recorded from groups of fish marked with freeze brands at hatcheries and downstream sample sites in the Columbia River basin. Skin reflectance of migrants was significantly higher than that of fish before release; nonmigrants (released fish that did not migrate) had significantly lower skin reflectance than migrants from the same groups. Skin reflectance was significantly correlated with gill ATPasc activity and skin guanine concentration. Skin reflectance increased during the parrsmolt transformation and could be used as a nonlethal indicator of smoltification.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS1995

Estimating losses to predation of recently released American shad larvae in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania

Predation on recently released larval American shad Alosa sapidissima was quantified in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania, on 10 occasions during 1991 and 1992. Of the four sites examined (the stocking site and 100, 200, and 350 m downstream) predation on shad larvae was highest at the stocking site; 44% of the total estimated losses occurred within this 30-m zone. Percentage predation mortality was weakly and inversely related to the number of shad larvae released, and it ranged from 0 to 2.2% among sites. Overall percent mortality of larvae within the first 2 h of release was about 5% (range, 2–10%). Major predators included juvenile smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu , the spotfin shiner Cyprinella spiloptera , and the mimic shiner Notropis volucellus . Predation by these species varied among sites. Percent mortality of American shad larvae after nocturnal releases (0.17%) was significantly lower than after diurnal releases (1.18%). For most predators, the length of shad eaten increased with predator length. However, among predators of similar size, there were significant differences in the length of shad consumed. Estimated losses to predation were about equally divided among small (<50 mm, 30%) medium (50–99 mm, 37%), and large (>99 mm, 33%) predators. Because 30% of the estimated number of shad larvae lost to predation were eaten by predators less than 50 mm long, releasing slightly larger shad might reduce predation.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1996

Comparative diets of hatchery and wild Atlantic salmon smolts in the Merrimack River

We examined diets of smolts of 224 “wild” and 150 hatchery Atlantic salmon Salmo salar ; wild smolts had been released as fry from the hatchery 2 years before collection, whereas hatchery fish were released as smolts from the hatchery 3–15 d before. Smolts were collected from 1991 to 1993 at trapping facilities at dams in the Merrimack River during spring outmigration. About 50% of the hatchery smolts and 50% of the wild smolts examined had empty stomachs. For smolts containing food, terrestrial invertebrates were the major prey of both hatchery and wild salmon. Adult aquatic dipterans (i.e., chironomids, culicids, and simuliids) also composed a large portion of the diet of both groups of salmon. Hydropsychid and chironomid larvae were the main benthic taxa consumed. Surface‐oriented prey dominated the diet of hatchery (73.7%) and wild (62.4%) smolts. The coefficient of dietary overlap ( C λ) between hatchery and wild smolts was high during all years and ranged from 0.83 to 0.93. Stomach fullness of hatchery smolts was significantly less than that of wild smolts. Further research is needed to determine if the low food consumption of hatchery smolts affects survival.

Massachusetts, New Hampshire↗
USGS1996

Performance of antimycin in high-gradient streams

A variety of low- to high-gradient streams in Colorado and Montana were treated with the fish toxicant antimycin (Fintrol) to evaluate its efficacy in relation to stream gradient. In general, a dose of 8 μg/L delivered for 8 h effectively killed brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss over an elevation drop of 60–75 m where pH was low (≤7.0) and water temperature was warm (≥10°C). Colder water temperatures and higher pHs reduced the effectiveness of antimycin.

Colorado, Montana↗
USGS1996

Establishment of a fish community in the Hayden-Rhodes and Salt-Gila aqueducts, Arizona

Fish populations were studied in the Central Arizona Projectˈs canal system during the first 4 years of aqueduct operation (1986–1989). Ichthyoplankton entering the canal from Lake Havasu averaged 1 larva/m 3 during April–June 1987 and 1988. Larval fish densities increased significantly in downstream samples, substantiating diver observations that fish were spawning in the canal system. Of the 16 fish species collected, 14 were assumed to have originated from Lake Havasu and 2 were introduced by anglers from their bait buckets. Initially, the fish community was dominated numerically by threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense (>88%), centrarchids (< 10%), cyprinids (<2%), and striped bass Morone saxatilis (<I%). However, as annual water diversions increased from 1.3 × 10 8 m 3 in 1986 to 9.4 × 10 8 m 3 in 1989, community composition shifted from clupeids to centrarchids (70%). Fish densities dropped from an estimated 1,260 fish/ha in 1986 to 17 fish/ha in 1989, and biomass dropped from 116 to 73 kg/ha. Declines were attributed to higher operational velocities, associated scour, deprivation, and predation. Although initial populations adjusted downward to planned operational conditions, the fish community continued to represent a potentially valuable, but as yet unused, resource.

Arizona↗
USGS1996

Mitigation of unionid mortality caused by zebra mussel infestation: Cleaning of unionids

Exotic zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha have infested and caused mortality of native unionids in the Great Lakes since 1986; no other such parasitism of native unionids occurs in North America. Survival of unionids threatened by zebra mussel infestation was tested by suspending uncleaned and cleaned unionids in nearshore waters of western Lake Erie. Survival was determined, and newly settled zebra mussels were removed from cleaned unionids at eight intervals that ranged from 21 d to 77 d between 5 July 1990 and 3 July 1991. After 1 year, survival rates of uncleaned and cleaned unionids were 0% and 42%, respectively. Of the 10 species examined, only individuals from 3 species ( Amblema plicata plicata , Fusconaia flava , and Quadrula quadrula ) survived 1 year. These species have relatively thick shells, which may have contributed to their survival. Removal of newly settled zebra mussels may be important to unionid survival because 98% of the zebra mussels removed after the initial cleaning were small mussels (<10 mm long) that could rapidly grow and cover unionids. At present, we do not know how zebra mussels cause mortality of unionids, but the removal of zebra mussels from unionids is the only method known that successfully reduces unionid mortality in waters colonized by zebra mussels.

Michigan, Ohio↗