scholarly journals Evaluation of Population Structure, Age, Growth, and Mortality of Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish within the Robert C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Vincent Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Flathead Catfish

scholarly journals Evaluation of Stomach Tubes and Gastric Lavage for Sampling Diets from Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 258-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Scott Waters ◽  
Thomas J. Kwak ◽  
Joshua B. Arnott ◽  
William E. Pine
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Lavage ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Flathead Catfish

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Upper Mississippi River ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Resource Monitoring ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Unit Effort ◽  
Catch Rates

<em>Abstract</em>.—Using Long Term Resource Monitoring Program data collected from impounded (Pool 26) and unimpounded (Open River) reaches of the upper Mississippi River, we investigated population dynamics of flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em>, channel catfish <em>Ictalurus punctatus</em>, and blue catfish <em>I. furcatus</em> from random sites located in side channel border (SCB) and main channel border (MCB) habitats. Objectives were to (1) compare trends (1993–2007) of three catfishes collected in Pool 26 and Open River reaches of the upper Mississippi River, and (2) provide needed information to managers on population dynamics through time using a binary gear approach of active (i.e., daytime electrofishing) and passive gears (hoopnetting). Active gears resulted in a higher catch per unit effort (CPUE) of all catfishes in each habitat–reach combination as compared to passive gears. Passive gears resulted in negligible catches of blue catfish and flathead catfishes (e.g., mean of <1 fish/net night). Catch per unit effort using active gear resulted in a greater number of channel catfish captured in Pool 26 compared to the Open River, with Open River SCB habitat having the lowest CPUE in most years. Blue catfish in the Open River had a higher CPUE using active gear as compared to Pool 26, with the Open River MCB having the greatest CPUE. Flathead catfish had a higher CPUE in MCB habitat compared to SCB habitat, with the Open River MCB having the highest CPUE in most years. However, declining trends in flathead catfish appears to be occurring in Open River habitats while trends in flathead catfish appear to be slightly increasing in Pool 26. The most common length-classes captured were substock and stock-sized fish regardless of habitat, species, or reach. Trends for channel catfish were easily determined due to high catch rates; however, more monitoring and enhanced sampling is needed to accurately assess flathead catfish and blue catfish trends and to accurately determine demographics for all three species.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ictalurus Punctatus ◽  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Brown Bullhead ◽  
Black Bullhead ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
The North ◽  
Shared Environmental Factor

<em>Abstract</em>.—Growth rates are a core characteristic of catfish populations that are of increasing research interest. However, few studies have synthesized growth data across catfish populations and species to examine large-scale drivers of catfish growth. Here, a metaanalysis of growth was conducted for channel catfish <em>Ictalurus punctatus</em>, blue catfish <em>I. furcatus</em>, flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em>, brown bullhead <em>Ameiurus nebulosus</em>, and black bullhead <em>A. melas</em>, and relationships were documented between growth and climate variables, hydrologic habitats (lentic versus lotic), and latitudinal countergradients (a tendency for faster subannual growth in the north). Blue catfish, black bullhead, and brown bullhead growth correlated significantly and positively with temperature metrics. Blue catfish, flat-head catfish, and brown bullhead growth also correlated significantly and positively with sunshine fraction, wind speed, and evapotranspiration. Channel catfi sh growth did not correlate to any climate metrics. After removal of growth effects related to climate, blue catfish and brown bullhead had significantly faster growth in lotic than lentic habitats. Channel catfish and black bullhead had faster growth in lentic than lotic habitats. Flathead catfish showed no difference in growth between hydrologic habitat types. After standardizing growth by postsexual maturation age and the thermal opportunity for growth, significant and highly predictive countergradient growth relationships (mean <em>r </em><sup>2 </sup> = 0.47) were found for all five species across sites (i.e., faster temperature-standardized growth in more northerly populations). Slopes of these relationships did not differ among species, suggesting similar responses to latitude. There may be a genetic basis for countergradient growth in catfishes that developed over evolutionary scales via selection by a shared environmental factor. Catfish growth is variable within and among species but can be intensely shaped by all three primary factors evaluated in this study.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Symposium ◽  
Pylodictis Olivaris ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Conservation Ecology ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Tag Loss ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Exploitation Rate ◽  
Time Correction ◽  
Regulation Changes

<em>Abstract</em>.—The Missouri Department of Conservation suspected that blue catfish <em>Ictalurus furcatus </em>and flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris </em>were being heavily exploited by anglers in 22,539-ha Harry S. Truman Reservoir in west-central Missouri. A reward tag study was initiated in 2004 to determine angler exploitation rates for both species. Three hundred blue catfish ≥ 482 mm total length (TL) and 194 flathead catfish ≥ 508 mm TL were equipped with transbody Carlin dangler reward tags in 2004 and 2005, respectively. All reward tags displayed a reward value of US$50. A 5-year post-tagging estimate of annual exploitation (<em>u</em>) was calculated with a 25% annual correction for angler nonreporting and a one-time correction for tag loss. The estimated annual exploitation rates for blue catfish ranged from 25.5% to 33.4% with a mean of 28.8%. The estimated cumulative exploitation rate (<EM>U</EM>) at 5-years post-tagging was 81.7% for all sizes of tagged blue catfish and 92.4% for tagged blue catfish ≥ 610 mm TL. The estimated annual exploitation rates for flathead catfish ranged from 0% to 3.9% with a mean of 1.8%. The estimated cumulative exploitation rate at 5-years post-tagging for flathead catfish was 8.8%. These exploitation rates indicate that blue catfish are being heavily exploited while flathead catfish are not. Of all the reward tagged blue catfish that were reported by anglers, 7% were reported as released while 22% of the reported flathead catfish were released. These results are being used to examine possible regulation changes to protect the blue catfish fishery at Truman Reservoir.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Symposium ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
River System ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Conservation Ecology ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Catch Rates

<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.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Age Estimation ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Conservation Ecology ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Daily Increments ◽  
Daily Ring ◽  
Management And Conservation

<em>Abstract</em>.—We validated methods for estimating daily age of age-0 blue catfish <em>Ictalurus furcatus</em> and flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em>. Larvae of each species were reared in the laboratory and were sampled approximately every 10 d over a 4-month period. Five individuals of each species were randomly selected for daily age estimation from each of nine age-groups, ranging from 40 to 119 d posthatch for blue catfish and 20–121 d posthatch for flathead catfish. Mean daily ring count and known age were related for both species, indicating that daily ring deposition occurred in the otoliths of these fishes. Daily increment counts were accurate through 60 d posthatch for blue catfish and through 72 d posthatch for flathead catfish, with mean deviance of estimated age within 1 d of the known age. For both species, daily increments could be enumerated for older fish; however, accuracy decreased with age. We encourage researchers to utilize our aging technique to estimate hatch dates, the timing and frequency of hatching, and early growth rates of catfishes in wild populations. Such early life history information will be valuable in enhancing the management and conservation of important catfish populations.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Sand Bars ◽  
Longitudinal Gradients ◽  
Gravel Bars ◽  
Catch Rates ◽  
Local Variability

<em>Abstract</em>.—We examined spatial distribution of blue catfish <em>Ictalurus furcatus</em>, channel catfish <em>I. punctatus</em>, and flathead catfish<em> Pylodictis olivaris</em> at macro-, meso-, and microscales in the unimpounded Mississippi River between its mouth and the mouth of the Missouri River (river kilometer 1,847). Fish collections represented 1,309 trotlines fished at 154 river segments in 1997–2009. Blue catfish was the most abundant catfish species, followed by channel catfi sh and flathead catfish. At the macroscale level, we tested for longitudinal gradients along five a priori reaches ranging in length from 154 to 595 km. Blue catfish and flathead catfish generally decreased in upriver reaches, whereas channel catfish were abundant at the two extremes of the river span and least abundant in middle reaches. Species catch rates at the mesoscale level varied across nine habitat types with catch rates of blue catfi sh highest along natural banks; channel catfish highest in dikes, main channel edge, and gravel bars; and flathead catfish highest in articulated concrete mattresses/riprap and steep sand bars. Percentage contribution to variance in catch rate apportioned by each spatial scale differed across species but was always highest at the macroscale level, indicating greater spatial dependence at this scale. Site-specific mesoscale and microscale conditions account for local variability in abundances and are important in allocating effort in sampling programs. However, considering macroscale has the greatest influence over catfish populations, it is at this broad-scale level that management may be most effective.

Conservation, Ecology, and Management of Catfish: The Second International Symposium

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ictalurus Punctatus ◽  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Blue Catfish ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Flathead Catfish ◽  
Sport Fish

<em>Abstract</em>.—Catfish have provided sustenance for Missouri inhabitants since prehistoric times, and their abundance and large size capabilities contribute to a popular sport fishery. Catfish were first propagated in state fish hatcheries and stocked in public and private waters in 1911. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began intensive rearing of channel catfish <em>Ictalurus punctatus</em> in 1938. Since 1942, fingerling channel catfish have been used in MDC’s private impoundment stocking program. In the early 1960s, MDC initiated production of advanced fingerling channel catfish (>20.3 cm) for stocking in small public lakes. Catchable-size channel catfish (>30.5 cm) are provided for kids’fishing clinics and the urban fishing program where angler effort is as high as 30,000 h/ha. Blue catfish <em>I. furcatus</em> and flathead catfish <em>Pylodictis olivaris</em> were first reared for stocking in public impoundments in 1978 and 1983, respectively. Commercial markets currently exist for channel catfish, flathead catfish, and blue catfish harvested from the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers. Catfish have comprised 21% of the commercial fish harvest since commercial fishing reports became a requirement in 1945. Channel catfish aquaculture has been a viable commercial industry in Missouri since the 1950s. The first official state sportfishing regulation established for catfish was a seasonal restriction in 1928 followed by a 30.5-cm minimum length limit for channel catfish in 1933. Separate daily sport fish bag limits are in effect for flathead catfish, blue catfish, and channel catfish. Currently, catfish are the most preferred sport fish group in Missouri. Most (75%) catfish anglers prefer to fish for channel catfish, most are harvest-oriented, and more than 80% prefer to fish with rod and reel. Competitive fishing for catfish began in the early 1980s, with most tournaments held on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and associated lower tributary streams. Major management achievements include banning commercial catfishing on the Missouri River and developing an effective sampling technique for monitoring channel catfish populations in small public lakes. Current fisheries management efforts are directed by a statewide plan and primarily focused on measuring exploitation, growth, movement, and fecundity of blue catfish and flathead catfish in the Missouri River, upper Mississippi River, and associated tributaries, and growth and exploitation of blue catfish and flathead catfish in two large reservoirs.

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