Creel Census Research Articles

Food Habits of the Flathead Catfish, Pylodictis olivaris (Rafinesque), in Relation to Length and Season in a Large Kansas Reservoir

Frequency of occurrence, numbers, and volumes of organisms in stomachs of various age and size groups of 172 flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) from Milford Reservoir in northcentral Kansas were determined for each month from April through November 1975. Flathead catfish between 201 and 500 mm consumed mostly benthic macroinvertebrates and fishes, while those over 500 mm almost exclusively are gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). Diets of piscivorous flathead catfish appeared to shift seasonally. Two-year-old flathead catfish relied heavily on large benthic macroinvertebrates such as crayfish (Orconectes sp.) but this dependence decreased gradually until age six, when the flathead catfish were almost entirely piscivorous. Changes in food habits may be related to physical size of the predator and physical exclusion from habitat occupied by crayfish. The flathead catfish did not prey actively on rough fish populations, probably because gizzard shad of small size were readily available. The relatively fast growth of flathead catfish in Milford Reservoir suggests that an abundance of forage fishes limited competition for food. The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is commonly found in rivers of eastern Kansas and specimens weighing more than 18.1 kg (40 pounds) are taken from rivers in the state each year. Because of its fighting ability, edibility, and potential for reaching a large size, the flathead catfish is held in high regard by fishermen (McCoy, 1953). A creel census showed 1755 flathead catfish averaging 4.41 kg each, and totalling 7494 kg were harvested in 1974 from Milford Reservoir, Kansas (Groen, personal communication). Brown and Dendy (1961) found that flathead catfish from Alabama rivers were mainly piscivorous. Other authors suggest that the actual abundance I The author's present address is Oklahoma Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit, Life Sciences West 433, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.112 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 04:41:56 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 83, NUMBER 4 201

Two Types of Fish Attractors Compared in Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida

Abstract Two types of fish attractors, one made from vitrified clay pipes and the other from cement blocks and brush, were investigated in Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida. Electrofishing, creel census, and experimental fishing were used to evaluate the effectiveness of attractors in concentrating fish and enhancing fishing success. Both attractors produced significantly higher fishing success than did control areas and were generally superior to the average fishing success elsewhere in the lake. Brush-block attractors yielded a slightly higher success rate than the pipe attractors. Fishing success at attractor sites was highest during the first year after installation. The lower fishing success in subsequent years appeared to have been at least partially the result of a lake level drawdown which temporarily reduced the standing crop of fish and stimulated expansion of the littoral zone into deeper areas which had been devoid of plants. Soybean meal was found to be a supplemental fish attractant which increased...

Poor Returns of Hatchery-Reared Lake Trout to the Sport Fishery of Flack Lake, Ontario, 1968-74

Abstract Returns of hatchery-reared lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) to the sport fishery in 9.5-km² Flack Lake in 1968-74 were extremely poor. Of a total of 15,000 yearling lake trout that were marked by fin removal and planted in 1964-66, only 11 (0.22%) were observed during a creel census in 1968-74 and only 45 hatchery-reared lake trout (0.30%) were estimated to have been recovered during the period. Less than 18 kg of trout were harvested from three plantings that weighed a total of 87.1 kg.

Dynamics of the Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Population in Escanaba Lake, Wisconsin, 1955–72

Harvest and population dynamics of warmwater fish populations in Escanaba Lake have been under study since 1946, when complete creel census was initiated. Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were among the most important species in the sport catch. The purpose of this report is to describe dynamics of the walleye population from 1955 to 1972.Annual densities of age 3 and older walleye in spring ranged from 13 to 52/ha (mean = 34) and standing crops averaged 12.3 kg/ha. Annual densities of fall fingerlings appeared to be the most important factor influencing size of adult populations. We were unable to isolate factors that governed densities of fall fingerlings. Year-class strength was not affected by water temperatures during incubation nor by size of fall fingerlings. Growth rates of fingerling walleye were density-independent. Survival of fingerlings to age 3 averaged 12% annually; survival was not influenced by size of fingerlings nor by density of potential predators. We found no evidence to suggest that cannibalism had any effect on density of fingerlings or their survival to age 3. Total mortality of adult walleye averaged 47% annually and exploitation rate was 28%. Ricker's (1975) equilibrium yield model was used to assess possible effects of a size limit on walleye yields. We concluded that a size limit would lead to an increase in population biomass, a decrease in growth, and that yields would not change greatly. Key words: Percidae, population dynamics, Stizostedion, harvest, abundance, density, regulations, survival, production, equilibrium yield, biomass

Creel census of amateur line fishermen in the Blackwood River estuary, Western Australia, during 1974-75

A creel census was carried out from May 1974 to April 1975 on the amateur line fishermen of Blackwood River estuary, from the Swan Lakes and Deadwater to Alexandra Bridge. The estimated total fishing pressure was 76 149 fisherman hours which was mainly concentrated in the summer and autumn months. The rate of success averaged 3.86 fish per fisherman per hour fishing. The estimated harvest of fish was 287 300. In the Hardy Inlet and Swan Lake region, western sand whiting (Sillago schomburgkii) was the main species caught for most of the year, except for the autumn months when Australian herring (Arripis georgianus) was the major species. In the Blackwood River, black bream (Mylio butcheri) dominated the catch throughout the year.

Contribution of Native and Stocked Walleye Fingerlings to the Anglers' Catch, Escanaba Lake, Wisconsin

Abstract Abundance and yield for various year classes of a landlocked walleye population was studied in a northern Wisconsin Lake. The size of individual year classes varies greatly and is determined during the first summer. The number of fingerling surviving in the fall is an indication of the future role of a year class in the fishery. Yield to the angler of a particular year class over its lifetime depends on the fishing pressure but may not be directly proportional. In Escanaba Lake, as high as 25% of the fingerling surviving in the fall may be harvested by anglers during the life of the year class. Four experimental stockings of marked fingerling walleye were traced through the creel census of which only one of the four added significantly to the harvest. The yield of the successful stocking was 13%. In three of the stocked year classes, the yield was less than 1% of the number stocked.

Abundance and Harvest of Trout in Sagehen Creek, California

Between 1952 and 1961 standing crops of brook (Salvelinus fontinalis), rainbow (Salmo gairdneri), and brown (Salmo trutta) trout were determined in August for a 5.7 mile section of Sagehen Creek in east-central California. In 1953 a creel census was initiated which continued through 1961. The purpose of the study was to determine if a moderately productive wild trout stream could support a substantial angler harvest over an extended period without augmentation with hatchery-reared trout. The 10-year average standing crop of all trout was 1,578 (37 pounds) per acre. Standing crops declined somewhat during the study period, largely due to habitat deterioration rather than to fishing. Floods and abandonment of beaver impoundments were the primary adverse influences on trout habitat. Catch did not decline significantly over the period. Fishermen annually removed 23–47% (average, 33%) of all trout over 99 mm in length, but recruitment replaced the loss. Although the natural fishery has proven to be viable, the trout population is not characterized by many large fish. We recommend an experimental management program aimed at (1) restoring some of the brown trout habitat by construction of low dams similar to the beaver dams that formerly were so productive, and (2) increasing the number of larger trout in the stream by regulation of the take. If each large trout is subject to multiple capture and release, additional high-quality sport would be provided. Future studies could evaluate the effect on the fishery of these changes in management.

1971 Wildlife Conservation Officers Creel Census Report and Fish Hatchery Distribution Report. Division of Game, Fish and Parks, Department of Natural Resources, State of Colorado, 6060 North Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80216. April 1972. 18p

1971 Wildlife Conservation Officers Creel Census Report and Fish Hatchery Distribution Report. Division of Game, Fish and Parks, Department of Natural Resources, State of Colorado, 6060 North Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80216. April 1972. 18p

Biased Harvest Estimates from a Postal Survey of a Sport Fishery

Abstract A partial creel census and a postal card survey were simultaneously employed to determine the harvest of wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) from several ponds. A comparison of the catch per effort ratios (c/e) from interviews and postcards revealed a positive bias in the estimates obained from returned postcards. The c/e ratios from postcards were double the c/e ratios from interviews. This discrepancy was partly due to the reluctance of unsuccessful anglers to return postcards. There was a significantly higher proportion of unsuccessful anglers from interviews than from postcard returns. Positive errors in the c/e ratios also resulted from a nonresponse of successful anglers and from more than one fisherman reporting on a single card. Estimates of fishing success from postcards seriously overestimated the season's harvest of trout and the exploitation rates.

Evaluation of Stocking Cutthroat Trout, Salmo clarki, in Munsel Lake, Oregon

Abstract Natural mortality, emigration, and yield to anglers were assessed in 1962 for three releases of cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) in Munsel Lake, Oregon. Stocked fish were caught emigrating from March 30, the start of trapping, to July 3. Natural mortality, 16 to 75%, was the dominant factor determining the number of fish available to anglers, and this mortality was greatest when anglers could not fish immediately after stocking. Yield of trout to anglers, estimated by creel census, indicated that after release fish were removed rapidly from the lake. Catch by anglers could be increased and catch per unit effort stabilized by liberating trout just before the fishing season and once or twice in the summer. This policy could reduce losses of fish from natural mortality and emigrations.

Actual versus Reported Fishing Times as a Factor in Creel Census Data

Actual versus Reported Fishing Times as a Factor in Creel Census Data

Analysis of Basic Ecological Research in the United States, 1966-67

Analysis of Basic Ecological Research in the United States, 1966-67

Largemouth Bass and Other Fishes in Ridge Lake, Illinois, 1941-1963

Ridge Lake was stocked with 335 yearling largemouth bass and 100 adults in 1941, 129 bluegills in 1944, 138 warmouths in 1949, and varying numbers of channel catfish in 1951, 1952, and 1957. After an attempt to remove all bluegills by draining the lake and leaving the lake basin emptv over the winter of 1959-1960, 585 lake chubsuckers and 4,500 hybrid sunfishes were stocked in the spring of 1960. Since the beginning of this study in 1941, 29,700 largemouth bass, 390.000 bluegills, and about 10,000 warmouths have been permanently removed from the lake. The lake now (1968) contains adequate numbers of all species stocked except channel catfish, which did not reproduce successfully in standing water. A complete creel census has been conducted at Ridge Lake each summer except in 1941 and 1943, when the lake was closed to public fishing. In addition, the lake was drained and the fishes were censused in the springs of 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1959 (fall), and 1963, and selected kinds, sizes, and numbers of fish were held alive and restocked (Tables 1-4). One of the more important aspects of the Ridge Lake study is that, because it is a long-term investigation, it demonstrates the variability of a fairly simple population of common fishes, not only in numbers and total weight, but also in the yield obtainable from angling.

Trout Production and Angling Success from Matched Plantings of Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout in East Fish Lake, Michigan

We studied survival, growth, exploitation, and production from five consecutive matched plantings of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) (8.5-9.5 inches long) in East Fish Lake, Montmorency County, Michigan, 1958-1962. Stocked fish were given varying fin clips for later recognition. Population numbers at several intervals between introductions were determined by Petersen-type estimates. Angler exploitation was tabulated from a complete creel census. Rainbow trout survival was about 98 percent from stocking in October to the following fishing season in April, whereas brook trout survival averaged only 49 percent. About one-third of brook trout deaths occurred between 15 October and the date of ice formation (approx. 15 December). Brook trout stayed in shallow water along shore more than did rainbow trout. Anglers caught 86 percent of the stocked rainbow trout, but only 39 percent of the brook trout. For each pound of trout stocked, anglers caught 3.59 lb of rainbow trout, but only 0.76 lb of brook trout. In addition to the better return on a poundage basis, rainbow trout provided a fishery throughout the angling season, whereas nearly all brook trout were caught during the first 10 days. The brook trout grew well (average increment 0.9 lb/yr), but the rainbow trout averaged 1.3 lb increment per year. Possibly a greater poundage return on rainbow trout would accrue if the beginning of the angling season could be delayed to take advantage of the early summer growing season. Fish managers generally maintain trout in lakes by stocking hatchery fish, because trout do not reproduce in most lakes. A distinct advantage in periodic stocking is that the manager has control over fish density. We can manage trout lake-fisheries most efficiently with an understanding of mortality, growth, and production. This report deals with results from comparable plantings of brook and rainbow trout over a 5year period (1958-62) in East Fish Lake, Montmorency County, Michigan. There have been many studies of trout growth, but few studies of population numbers (and weights) throughout the life of a brood year or a given stocking. Natural mortality is difficult to measure, because the investigator usually has information only on angler exploitation, but lacks corresponding total mortality data. Seasonal differences in natural mortality of trout were observed in a general way by 1 Contribution from Dingell-Johnson Projects F-21-R, F-27-R, and F-30-R, Michigan. 682 Alexander and Shetter (1961), Latta (1963), and Eipper (1964), but we need to understand the seasonal pattern more precisely. Our objectives in this study were to determine, from October releases of rainbow and brook trout, matched for size and numbers: (1) the relative survival and growth of the species; (2) the fraction of each species later creeled; (3) the temporal distribution of the catch; and (4) the biomass of fish flesh produced by the two species. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of past and present members of the Hunt Creek Trout Research Station staff in the collection and tabulation of data. The fine cooperation of the trout fishermen in reporting their angling results is appreciated. G. P. Cooper, M. H. Patriarche, and W. E. Schaaf reviewed the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions.

Current Status of the Salmon, Salmo salar, Fisheries of Two Fish River Lakes, Maine

Creel censuses were operated on Square Lake and Long Lake from 1964–1967 to evaluate the effects of a reduced length limit on salmon (Salmo salar) and the contributions of hatchery-reared salmon to the Long Lake fishery. With the reduced length limit, fishing success for salmon showed some fluctuations but generally improved. The 12-inch (305 mm) length limit was successful in increasing harvest of salmon at younger ages than formerly. Increases in mean size and growth rate of salmon occurred; these increases can probably be partly attributed to the reduced length limit and partly to the apparent increase in smelts. The Long Lake salmon fishery continued to be supported primarily by hatchery-reared salmon. Salmon stocked as spring yearlings provided higher recoveries to anglers than those stocked as fall fingerlings.

Angler Harvest and Mortality of Esox masquinongy in Pigeon and Sturgeon Lakes, Ontario

In 1961 a creel census was begun on Pigeon Lake in south-central Ontario to assess the contribution to the fishery of maskinonge transplanted from nearby Nogies Creek Fish Sanctuary. A correction being made for a tag loss of 58%, it was estimated that 30% of the transplanted fish had appeared in the anglers' catch. The mean catch of maskinonge from Pigeon Lake for the seasons of 1961–65 was estimated to be 1318 fish per year. About 4% of the annual catch from Pigeon Lake was attributed directly to fish transplanted from Nogies Creek.From a catch curve the rate of total mortality of Pigeon Lake maskinonge age V or older was estimated to be 43% per year. Partitioning this into mortality due to fishing and mortality from other causes yielded estimates of 24.5% for each of these components.

Virtual Population Estimations of Largemouth Bass in Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1957–60

The virtual population estimation provides a useful minimal estimation of population size where a creel census is operated to provide estimates of total annual harvest and age structure. The creel census was operated from August 1957 through June 1960 indicating an average annual harvest of 1,067 bass from the 525-acre reservoir. An average virtual population of 3,325 bass was estimated following the method of Ricker (1958). Estimated maximal utilization rate was 0.32 and average postrecruitment annual mortality was 0.38.

Results of Stocking Catchable-sized Warmwater Fishes in a Lake with an Established Fish Population

Three stockings of marked, catchable-sized, warmwater fishes were made in a 30-acre lake. Creel censuses were then conducted to determine the percent recapture of these fish and their contribution to the anglersˈ catches. The percent returns from the spring stockings during the year in which the fish were stocked were similar for the three principal kinds of fishes, namely: crappies, 32.0 percent; bullheads, 28.3 percent; and bluegill, 26.1 percent. Further returns from these stockings during the following year averaged only 2.5 percent. As compared to returns from the spring stockings, very poor returns resulted from a fall stocking subjected to fishing the following season. The overall return in this case was only 8.6 percent. The contribution each kind of fish made to the anglersˈ catch of that fish varied with the density of the native population. Stocked crappies contributed 35.6 percent to the catch and bullheads 43.3 percent, while stocked bluegill contributed only 1.5 percent. There was an unexpected increase in the catch of native fish in the year in which the stockings were made. The catch of native fish was 2,325 fish during the year prior to the stockings, 4,602 during the year of the stockings, and 2,835 during the year after.

The Salmon and Trout Fishery of the Fish River Lakes, Maine

Abstract Partial creel censuses were operated on five of the Fish River Lakes in 1957-59 and on one of the lakes in 1954 and 1961 also. The salmon and brook trout fishing in general compared favorably with other large Maine lakes. Fishing success in Square Lake declined by 62 percent between 1954 and 1961. The decline is attributed to a reduced growth rate that delayed attainment of legal length. Salmon caught by anglers from all the lakes were primarily ages III-VI. Estimated yield to the angler ranged from 0.13 to 0.68 pound per acre. Brook trout were generally less abundant than salmon in the sport fishery. Trout were shorter lived than salmon and suffered a higher total mortality. The growth rates of salmon in the lakes are compared, and management possibilities are discussed for the different lakes.

Effect of Hatchery Rearing Conditions on Stream Survival of Brown Trout

Abstract Groups of brown trout (Salmo trutta) which had experienced normal and temperature-retarded growth in the hatchery were stocked in a 5-mile section of Fall Creek, New York, to compare their natural mortality rates during the season directly following spring stocking. “Normal” trout were reared in Cortland, New York, hatchery water averaging 54° F. and varying annually from 39 to 60° F.; “retarded” trout were reared in a different water supply at Cortland which remained at approximately 47° F. year-round. Observations on movement (from tag returns), rates of exploitation (from creel census), and total mortality (from electrical inventories in June and September) provided the data needed to compute natural mortality rate (n) of each experimental lot in the first and second parts of both the 1949 and 1950 seasons. Yearling and 2-year-old retarded trout usually had higher natural mortality than did yearling normals in both parts of both seasons. The higher mortality rates among the retarded trout were...