scholarly journals Evaluation of Potential Regulations for Improving Flathead Catfish Size Structure in Iowa’s Large Reservoirs

Author(s):  
Savannah R. Muhlbauer ◽  
Rebecca M. Krogman

<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.


<em>Abstract</em>.—Catfish are popular recreational fish in Alabama, and management interest has been rising. We hypothesized that tailwater habitat more closely resembling lotic conditions would provide more suitable conditions for catfishes compared to impounded habitats. We examined and compared population characteristics, including abundance, age and size structure, growth, and survival of blue catfish <em>Ictalurus furcatus</em>, channel catfish <em>I. punctatus</em>, and flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em> between tailwater and reservoir habitats in a section of the Coosa River in 2001–2002. Coosa River system tailwater habitats appear to generally provide higher quality environments for abundance and growth of catfishes than reservoir habitat, although results were often not consistent among species. We found no differences for many comparisons of stock descriptors between tailwater and reservoir habitat. We found that blue catfish were larger (48 mm total length larger) and flathead catfish electrofishing catch rates were higher (13 fish/h greater) in tailwater areas. Catfish populations in the Coosa River were characterized by slow growth and high longevity, findings in accord with other recent otolith-based age analyses from populations in the Southeast. All species had moderate to high annual survival (57–88%), likely indicating light exploitation levels. Catfish populations in this section of the Coosa River appear robust, and the tendency for these dam tailwaters to have higher quality catfish populations may warrant management actions to enhance/sustain these fisheries.


<em>Abstract</em>.—Recent modeling indicates that increased exploitation on nonnative flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em> may be an avenue for native species recovery. Flathead catfish were illegally introduced into the Satilla River, Georgia, and negative impacts have occurred on native fishes. In an effort to aid in the restoration of native fish on the Satilla River, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources initiated an intensive electrofishing removal effort. In this study, we evaluated the changes in flathead catfish total mortality, condition, and size structure from those efforts. From 2007 to 2009, 13,472 flathead catfish totaling 19,337 kg were removed along a 129-km stretch of the Satilla River. The population size structure changed substantially from containing many large individuals (59% 510 mm total length [TL]) in 2007 to mainly small fish (79% 356 mm TL) by 2009. Total biomass per effort declined from 57.05 kg/h in 2007 to 19.96 kg/h in 2009. Mean individual weight of fish removed decreased from 2.64 kg in 2007 to 1.32 kg in 2008 to 0.61 kg in 2009. Population age structure was also truncated, but there was evidence for higher recruitment and earlier maturation, which would require that intensive harvest be maintained to prevent the population from rebuilding within 2–5 years. Catch-curves revealed increasing total annual mortality rates of 37, 48 and 52%, for 2007–2009, respectively. Considering the life history of the flathead catfish, being a long-lived species that presumably cannot withstand excessive rates of exploitation (i.e., greater than 25% exploitation), our results indicated that an electrofishing removal program is a reasonable management option for areas where this apex predator has been introduced, but continual removal may be required to maintain low biomass.


<em>Abstract</em>.—Few studies have been conducted on angler exploitation rates or angler harvest size selectivity for flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em>. However, exploitation of a narrow range of age groups or sizes could affect flathead catfish population characteristics and fisheries, and management strategies may be needed to enhance fisheries if selective angler exploitation is severe. Almost 3,000 flathead catfish (305–1,209 mm total length [TL]) were marked with Carlin dangler reward tags over a 3-year period in a 92-km section of the Missouri River in northwest Missouri. Corrected angler exploitation (accounting for angler nonreporting, tag loss, and natural mortality) ranged from 4.1% to 9.6%. Angler harvest rates of flathead catfish varied by fish length. Tagged fish 305–380 mm TL were harvested in lower proportion than expected. Fifty-six percent of all fish tagged were in this size-group vested in higher proportion (50% of total) than relative abundance (27%) would suggest, as were flathead catfish ≥ 508 mm TL (17% of total tagged and 23% of total harvested). Angler exploitation rates of flathead catfish from the Missouri River did not seem excessive (<10%). However, 77% of flathead catfish harvested by anglers were less than 508 mm TL, and given that logistic regression predicted that flathead catfish between 450 and 650 mm TL had the highest probability of being harvested by anglers, harvest restrictions protecting fish less than 650 mm TL would likely shift the population size structure towards larger-sized individuals, if that was a management goal.


Author(s):  
A. Sachdev ◽  
J. Schwank

Platinum - tin bimetallic catalysts have been primarily utilized in the chemical industry in the catalytic reforming of petroleum fractions. In this process the naphtha feedstock is converted to hydrocarbons with higher octane numbers and high anti-knock qualities. Most of these catalysts contain small metal particles or crystallites supported on high surface area insulating oxide supports. The determination of the structure and composition of these particles is crucial to the understanding of the catalytic behavior. In a bimetallic catalyst it is important to know how the two metals are distributed within the particle size range and in what way the addition of a second metal affects the size, structure and composition of the metal particles. An added complication in the Pt-Sn system is the possibility of alloy formation between the two elements for all atomic ratios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 655 ◽  
pp. 139-155
Author(s):  
DC Yates ◽  
SI Lonhart ◽  
SL Hamilton

Marine reserves are often designed to increase density, biomass, size structure, and biodiversity by prohibiting extractive activities. However, the recovery of predators following the establishment of marine reserves and the consequent cessation of fishing may have indirect negative effects on prey populations by increasing prey mortality. We coupled field surveys with empirical predation assays (i.e. tethering experiments) inside and outside of 3 no-take marine reserves in kelp forests along the central California coast to quantify the strength of interactions between predatory fishes and their crustacean prey. Results indicated elevated densities and biomass of invertebrate predators inside marine reserves compared to nearby fished sites, but no significant differences in prey densities. The increased abundance of predators inside marine reserves translated to a significant increase in mortality of 2 species of decapod crustaceans, the dock shrimp Pandalus danae and the cryptic kelp crab Pugettia richii, in tethering experiments. Shrimp mortality rates were 4.6 times greater, while crab mortality rates were 7 times greater inside reserves. For both prey species, the time to 50% mortality was negatively associated with the density and biomass of invertebrate predators (i.e. higher mortality rates where predators were more abundant). Video analyses indicated that macro-invertivore fishes arrived 2 times faster to tethering arrays at sites inside marine reserves and began attacking tethered prey more rapidly. The results indicate that marine reserves can have direct and indirect effects on predators and their prey, respectively, and highlight the importance of considering species interactions in making management decisions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 646 ◽  
pp. 79-92
Author(s):  
RE Scheibling ◽  
R Black

Population dynamics and life history traits of the ‘giant’ limpet Scutellastra laticostata on intertidal limestone platforms at Rottnest Island, Western Australia, were recorded by interannual (January/February) monitoring of limpet density and size structure, and relocation of marked individuals, at 3 locations over periods of 13-16 yr between 1993 and 2020. Limpet densities ranged from 4 to 9 ind. m-2 on wave-swept seaward margins of platforms at 2 locations and on a rocky notch at the landward margin of the platform at a third. Juvenile recruits (25-55 mm shell length) were present each year, usually at low densities (<1 m-2), but localized pulses of recruitment occurred in some years. Annual survival rates of marked limpets varied among sites and cohorts, ranging from 0.42 yr-1 at the notch to 0.79 and 0.87 yr-1 on the platforms. A mass mortality of limpets on the platforms occurred in 2003, likely mediated by thermal stress during daytime low tides, coincident with high air temperatures and calm seas. Juveniles grew rapidly to adult size within 2 yr. Asymptotic size (L∞, von Bertalanffy growth model) ranged from 89 to 97 mm, and maximum size from 100 to 113 mm, on platforms. Growth rate and maximum size were lower on the notch. Our empirical observations and simulation models suggest that these populations are relatively stable on a decadal time scale. The frequency and magnitude of recruitment pulses and high rate of adult survival provide considerable inertia, enabling persistence of these populations in the face of sporadic climatic extremes.


Author(s):  
В. Крыленко ◽  
V. Krylenko ◽  
Р. Косьян ◽  
R. Kos'yan ◽  
М. Крыленко ◽  
...  

The results of realized in 2010 field researches of the spatial and time grain-size structure variability of beach and bottom sediments of the bay-bar Anapskaya southern part are presented in this paper. Irretrievable carrying out of sediment particles to depths more than 7 m intensifies with their size decrease to 0,1 mm. As over 70 % bottom and about 60 % beach sediments are presented by fractions less 0,16 mm on bay-bar Anapskaya southern part, namely at this part there is sand material massive carrying out to depth. Potential danger of the investigated site geosystem degradation is revealed.


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