Angler Returns of Channel Catfish Stocked in Arkansas Lakes and Streams

Abstract

AbstractStocking is the primary fisheries management tool used to enhance fisheries for Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus throughout the United States, but the technique has not been thoroughly evaluated for large reservoirs (e.g., >5,000 ha) and small rivers. We compared angler return rates of catchable‐sized fish (316‐456 mm TL) stocked in 16 water bodies of three types: large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) lakes (5,425–18,381 ha), Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) lakes (81–2,716 ha), and small rivers. We tagged and stocked 400–500 fish per water body with standard Carlin dangler reward tags (US$10–$100), and 10 fish per water body were stocked with a $100 high‐reward tag to assess nonreporting. A total of 1,210 anglers reported catching 1,964 of the 6,800 fish (29%) stocked with standard tags. Anglers reported catching 82 of the 160 high‐reward fish (51%). The 95% CI around the mean angler reporting rate was 0.61 ± 0.14. The mean adjusted 3‐year return rate ± SD among stockings was 0.59 ± 0.26, and AGFC lakes had higher return rates than COE lakes or rivers. Anglers with the greatest reported catch on average caught 12 fish. Nearly all fish stocked were caught at three AGFC lakes, so the management of these fisheries may benefit from periodic population assessments. This study provides evidence that 3‐year return rates for put‐and‐take Channel Catfish fisheries in large reservoirs and streams can approach or exceed 0.70. However, return rates were highly variable within and among water body types, which indicated stocking rates should be determined for each water body.Received October 30, 2015; accepted January 28, 2016 Published online May 24, 2016