Abstract
Harvest regulations are important for fishes that are both commercially and recreationally sought after such as Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) throughout the Middle Mississippi River. Monitoring total harvest and understanding Channel catfish population dynamics (i.e., recruitment, growth, and mortality) are crucial for managing a sustainable population. Total commercial harvest and current harvest regulations in the Middle Mississippi River have not recently been evaluated. Thus, we evaluated total commercial harvest reports from 1945–2012 along with commercial fishing effort, population dynamics for the Middle Mississippi River Channel catfish population, and simulated the effects of various length limits on the reproductive potential and yield per recruit of the Channel catfish population. Overall, total commercial harvest has drastically declined from 1990–2012, while commercial effort has remained relatively constant. We speculate overexploitation as a possible cause to the decline in harvest ...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.