Evaluation of Habitat Use by a Catch‐and‐Release Regulated Flathead Catfish Population in Branched Oak Reservoir, Nebraska, USA

Author(s):  
Aaron J. Blank ◽  
Tony J. Barada ◽  
Jordan D. Katt ◽  
Jeffrey J. Jackson

<em>Abstract</em>.—Hand grabbing for catfish has been practiced in Mississippi for many years; however, few studies have addressed this fishing technique. Ross Barnett Reservoir is a<em> Abstract</em>.—Hand grabbing for catfish has been practiced in Mississippi for many years; however, few studies have addressed this fishing technique. Ross Barnett Reservoir is a 13,360-ha impoundment located in central Mississippi that supports a substantial hand grabbing fishery. A roving creel survey was conducted during the 2007 and 2008 Mississippi hand grabbing season (May 1–July 15). Objectives were to estimate catch, harvest, and effort of hand grabbers and to solicit information concerning techniques used by these anglers. A total of 37 parties was interviewed, consisting of 150 total anglers. Seventy percent of the parties interviewed targeted flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em>. Ninety-five percent of the parties used a probe, and all parties fished boxes located at depths of 1–2 m. Average party size was four anglers, indicating that hand grabbing is a social event. For 2007 and 2008, anglers spent an estimated 4,424 and 5,259 h hand grabbing, respectively. An estimated 3,313 and 2,589 catfish were harvested in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Based on size structure of harvested catfish, hand grabbing anglers at Ross Barnett Reservoir do not appear to be size-selective. Most anglers were harvest-oriented, with catch-and-release estimates making up only 12% and 9%, respectively. Future creel surveys should be directed at the total effort allocated toward catfishing, in an effort to determine the effect of hand grabbing on Ross Barnett Reservoir.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Filous ◽  
Robert J. Lennox ◽  
Andy J. Danylchuk ◽  
Alan M. Friedlander

<div>Giant trevally (<i>Caranx ignobilis</i>) are important predators on the reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific and research into their spatial ecology is needed to improve our understanding of their behavior and assist fisheries management. We used active acoustic telemetry to describe the fine-scale movements of giant trevally at Tetiaroa Atoll, including their home range, site fidelity, habitat use and spatial overlap with a small (21 km2) Marine Protected Area (MPA). The home ranges of giant trevally were small but varied among individuals (Minimum Convex Polygon 𝑋𝑋 = 3.2 ± 2.5 km2). All giant trevally exhibited site fidelity to their respective home ranges with a 31% average overlap in daily space use, but there was limited overlap in home ranges among individuals, with intra-individual spatial overlap significantly greater than inter-individual overlap (t = -4.93, df = 16.87, p-value = <0.001). There was only modest overlap (19 ± 19%) of giant trevally home ranges within the MPA and high spatial overlap of home ranges with deep lagoon habitats (90 ± 0.09 %). Our results indicate that MPAs could be an effective tool for the conservation of this species if they are implemented on an atoll-wide scale. However, in the case of managing recreational catch-and-release fisheries, rotational smallscale temporal closures could be effective in regulating the angling pressure imposed upon giant trevally, provided post-release mortality is minimized. The results of this study provide the first detailed account of habitat use in this species and highlight the need for additional research on the factors contributing to the survival of caught-and-released giant trevally in predator dominated atolls, especially as their popularity as a target of recreational fisheries continues to grow, and fishing operations and agencies are faced with the need to manage their fisheries.</div>


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Filous ◽  
Robert J. Lennox ◽  
Andy J. Danylchuk ◽  
Alan M. Friedlander

<div>Giant trevally (<i>Caranx ignobilis</i>) are important predators on the reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific and research into their spatial ecology is needed to improve our understanding of their behavior and assist fisheries management. We used active acoustic telemetry to describe the fine-scale movements of giant trevally at Tetiaroa Atoll, including their home range, site fidelity, habitat use and spatial overlap with a small (21 km2) Marine Protected Area (MPA). The home ranges of giant trevally were small but varied among individuals (Minimum Convex Polygon 𝑋𝑋 = 3.2 ± 2.5 km2). All giant trevally exhibited site fidelity to their respective home ranges with a 31% average overlap in daily space use, but there was limited overlap in home ranges among individuals, with intra-individual spatial overlap significantly greater than inter-individual overlap (t = -4.93, df = 16.87, p-value = <0.001). There was only modest overlap (19 ± 19%) of giant trevally home ranges within the MPA and high spatial overlap of home ranges with deep lagoon habitats (90 ± 0.09 %). Our results indicate that MPAs could be an effective tool for the conservation of this species if they are implemented on an atoll-wide scale. However, in the case of managing recreational catch-and-release fisheries, rotational smallscale temporal closures could be effective in regulating the angling pressure imposed upon giant trevally, provided post-release mortality is minimized. The results of this study provide the first detailed account of habitat use in this species and highlight the need for additional research on the factors contributing to the survival of caught-and-released giant trevally in predator dominated atolls, especially as their popularity as a target of recreational fisheries continues to grow, and fishing operations and agencies are faced with the need to manage their fisheries.</div>


2016 ◽  
Vol 544 ◽  
pp. 197-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Chin ◽  
MR Heupel ◽  
CA Simpfendorfer ◽  
AJ Tobin

2019 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
TL Silva ◽  
G Fay ◽  
TA Mooney ◽  
J Robbins ◽  
MT Weinrich ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. 227-240
Author(s):  
L Lodi ◽  
R Tardin ◽  
G Maricato

Most studies of cetacean habitat use do not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. We investigated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on habitat use by humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera brydei off the coast of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Although there are 2 marine protected areas (MPAs) in this area, few data are available on cetacean habitat use or on the overlap of different cetacean species within these MPAs. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPAs and propose a buffer zone to better protect the biodiversity of the study area. We conducted systematic surveys and developed spatial eigenvector generalized linear models to characterize habitat use by the species in the study area. Habitat use by humpback whales was influenced only by depth, whereas for Bryde’s whales there was the additional influence of anthropogenic variables. For Bryde’s whales, which use the area for feeding, sea surface temperature and the distance to anchorages had a major influence on habitat use. We also showed that neither of the MPAs in the study area adequately protects the hotspots of either whale species. Most of the humpback whale grid cells with high sighting predictions were located within 2 km of the MPAs, while areas of high sighting prediction of Bryde’s whales were located up to 5 km from the MPAs, closer to beaches. Our findings provide important insights for the delimitation of protected areas and zoning of the MPAs.


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