Matthew J. Catalano

Effects of Dam Removal on Fish Assemblage Structure and Spatial Distributions in the Baraboo River, Wisconsin

Abstract We evaluated the effects of dam removal on fish assemblage structure and spatial distributions after four low-head dam removals in the Baraboo River, Wisconsin, using data collected at 35 study sites over 7 years. After dam removal, biotic integrity scores (possible range = 0–100) increased by 35–50 points at three of the four former impoundments as a result of decreases in percent tolerant species, increases in the number of intolerant species, and in some cases, increases in species richness. Fish assemblage shifts were muted at a fourth, lower-gradient impoundment site, indicating that responses differ among dam sites within a river system. In tailwater areas, postremoval assemblage shifts were transient; biotic integrity and species richness declined initially but then recovered at two of the three sites within 2 years after dam removal. An analysis of spatial distributions before dam removal revealed 11 fish species that were found below, but rarely or never above, the downstream-most dam. A...

Evaluation of Injectable Fluorescent Tags for Marking Centrarchid Fishes: Retention Rate and Effects on Vulnerability to Predation

Abstract We evaluated the performance of injectable fluorescent tags for use in mass marking of centrarchid fishes. Using age-0 largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and bluegills Lepomis macrochirus (50–100 mm total length), we compared (1) the retention rate of injectable photonic dyes (IPDs) applied to the fin rays of largemouth bass, (2) retention rates of IPDs versus visible implant elastomers (VIEs), and (3) the effect of colorless and brightly colored marks on prey selectivity by adult largemouth bass. Retention rate of IPDs declined appreciably in age-0 largemouth bass (50 mm) after 120 d with only 19% of fish retaining visible marks by that time. By the end of the experiment (day 310), no marks were visible in anal fin rays of largemouth bass. For larger age-0 largemouth bass (100 mm), retention rates of IPDs after 48 d were greatest for fish marked in the anal fin (40%), followed by caudal (20%) and dorsal fin (5%) markings. Visible implant elastomers were retained at a higher rate (84.4%) than ...

Prospects for Fishery-Induced Collapse of Invasive Asian Carp in the Illinois River

ABSTRACT Invasive Asian Carp are threatening to enter Lake Michigan through the Chicago Area Waterway System, with potentially serious consequences for Great Lakes food webs. Alongside efforts to keep these fishes from entering Lake Michigan with electric barriers, the state of Illinois initiated a fishing program aimed at reducing their densities through intensive commercial exploitation on the Illinois River. In this study, we explore prospects for the “collapse” of Asian Carp in the Illinois River through intensive fishing. Based on a meta-analysis of demographic data, we developed a dynamic simulation model to compare the performance of existing and alternative removal strategies for the Illinois River. Our model projections suggest that Asian Carp in the Illinois River are unlikely to collapse if existing harvest rates are kept below 0.7 or fishing continues to be size selective (targeting only fish >500 mm or <500 mm) or species selective (targeting mostly Bighead Carp), although their biomasses cou...

Evaluating the Potential for Stock Size to Limit Recruitment in Largemouth Bass

Abstract Compensatory changes in juvenile survival allow fish stocks to maintain relatively constant recruitment across a wide range of stock sizes (and levels of fishing), but few studies have experimentally explored recruitment compensation in fish populations. We evaluated the potential for recruitment compensation in largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides by stocking six 0.4-ha hatchery ponds with adult densities ranging from 6 to 40 fish over 2 years. Ponds were drained in October each year, and the age-0 fish densities were used as a measure of recruitment. We found no relationship between stock abundance and recruitment; ponds with low adult densities produced nearly as many recruits as the higher-density ponds in some cases. Both prey abundance and the growth of age-0 largemouth bass declined with age-0 fish density. Recruit abundance was highly variable both within and among the adult density groups, and thus we were unable to identify a clear stock–recruit relationship for largemouth bass. Our re...

Stable isotope evidence of ontogenetic changes in the diet of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum.

Stable sulphur isotopic composition (delta(34)S) of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum was used to investigate the seasonal and ontogenetic variation in the diet of young and adult fish. This study evaluated fish from a hypereutrophic lake that had recently undergone a 40% reduction of large (>300 mm total length, L(T)) D. cepedianum biomass as part of a biomanipulation experiment, which aimed at reducing internal nutrient loading. Dorosoma cepedianum delta(34)S values showed evidence of ontogenetic changes with young fish (<200 mm L(T)) depending more on benthic food sources than adults (>200 mm L(T)). The delta(34)S composition of the adult fish suggested an increasing importance of zooplankton in the diet, although benthic food sources remained part of the diet of all D. cepedianum collected in this study. The results indicated that benthic feeding is used by D. cepedianum of all sizes, suggesting that biomanipulation efforts may need to target all sizes of fish to realize benefits.

Effects of Variable Flows on Water Chemistry Gradients and Fish Communities at the Hillsborough River, Florida

Abstract We evaluated the effects of variable flows on water chemistry and fish communities to recommend biologically based minimum flows that protect low-salinity zones for freshwater–oligohaline (FO) fishes below the Hillsborough River Dam, Tampa, Florida. We plotted the distributions of hypoxic (dissolved oxygen (DO) ≤ 4 mg/L) and meso- and polyhaline (salinity > 5‰) habitats and evaluated changes in species richness and spatial distributions of FO fishes on five sampling dates from October 2002 to July 2004. During low flows (0.12 m3/s; 5‰) migrated upstream to within 1,300 m of the dam and DO decreased to less than 4 mg/L in the lower part of the reach. However, intermediate (1.19–2.18 m3/s; 25th–50th percentiles) and high flows (5.49 m3/s; 50th–75th percentiles) on four of the five sampling dates maintained oligohaline salinities (i.e., ≤5‰) and DO greater than 4 mg/L throughout most of the reach. Using fyke net data, w...

Effects of Variable Mortality and Recruitment on Performance of Catch-Curve Residuals as Indicators of Fish Year-Class Strength

Abstract We built a simulation model to assess the performance of catch-curve residuals as an index of year-class strength for a short-lived and a long-lived fish life history type across a range of assumed values for the variation in recruitment (CV R ) and fishing mortality (CV F ). The magnitude of CV R strongly influenced the utility of catch-curve residuals in assessing year-class strength. The probability of finding a significant correlation between catch-curve residuals and true recruitment values exceeded 0.9 when CV R was greater than 0.5 for the long-lived and greater than 1.0 for the short-lived life history types. This suggests that larger recruitment values have a greater probability of being successfully “tracked” through the age structure. Conversely, the magnitude of interannual variation in fishing mortality weakly influenced the performance of catch-curve residuals. The inspection of individual catch-curve residuals relative to the known recruitment values that produced them showed consi...

Assessing the Potential for the Angling of Nesting Males to Influence Largemouth Bass Recruitment Should Consider the Quality of Nesting Individuals: Response to Comment

Assessing the Potential for the Angling of Nesting Males to Influence Largemouth Bass Recruitment Should Consider the Quality of Nesting Individuals: Response to Comment Michael S. Allen a , Mark W. Rogers a , Matthew J. Catalano a , Daniel C. Gwinn a & Stephen J. Walsh b a School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 7922 North West 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida, 32653, USA b U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast Ecological Science Center, 7920 North West 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida, 32653, USA Published online: 01 Feb 2013.

Spatial Heterogeneity, Variable Rewards, Tag Loss, and Tagging Mortality Affect the Performance of Mark–Recapture Designs to Estimate Exploitation: an Example using Red Snapper in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

AbstractAccurate estimates of exploitation rate are essential to the management of exploited fisheries. Tagging studies are often used to estimate exploitation rates, but the performance of these approaches depends strongly on study design characteristics and the magnitude of assumption violations. We simulated a suite of candidate study designs for 1-year high-reward and variable-reward tagging studies, exploring a range of sample sizes (number of tagged fish), exploitation rates, tagging mortality rates, tag loss rates, proportions of double-tagged fish, and spatial variation in fish density, tag releases, and fishing effort. We calculated the uncertainty, biases, and reward costs of these candidate study designs to determine the most cost-effective approach to accurately estimate exploitation rate for Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus in Alabama waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We also investigated how incorrectly assuming a 100% reporting rate would affect these study results. Our simulations demonstrated...

A Simulation-Based Evaluation of In-Season Management Tactics for Anadromous Fisheries: Accounting for Risk in the Yukon River Fall Chum Salmon Fishery

AbstractSalmon fisheries are managed under uncertainties in abundance, population dynamics, and fishery implementation. These uncertainties create risk, which can be accounted for using probabilistic harvest control rules. Probabilistic control rules ensure management actions are consistent with the level of acceptable risk. Within a fishing season, managers seek to meet escapement objectives by using preseason forecasts and in-season data to set fishery openings and catch targets. We used a stochastic simulation model of the Yukon River fall Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus keta fishery to evaluate the effects on fishery performance of (1) the degree of in-season risk tolerance and (2) two methods for estimating daily abundance projections. We defined risk in terms of the probability of failing to meet escapement objectives, which is consistent with the emphasis on meeting escapement objectives in Alaskas Sustainable Salmon Fisheries Policy. The analysis revealed expected trade-offs between harvest and escapeme...