Matthew J. Diana

Growth and Survival of Four Sizes of Stocked Largemouth Bass

Abstract We compared growth and survival (including losses to stocking stress and predation) of four sizes of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in four Illinois reservoirs. Fish were stocked as small fingerlings (55 mm total length) in July, medium fingerlings (100 mm) in August, large fingerlings (150 mm) in September, and advanced fingerlings (200 mm) the subsequent spring. Survival of small fingerlings was very low (catch per unit effort < 1 fish/h of electrofishing in the fall after stocking), and fish stocked as small fingerlings were not observed in electrofishing samples after the spring following stocking. In samples collected soon after stocking, large and advanced fingerlings were larger and more abundant than other sizes. However, in subsequent sampling, there were no differences in size or survival among fish stocked as medium, large, and advanced fingerlings. Long-term growth of stocked fish was similar to that of wild fish, but survival of stocked fish was low for all sizes. Mean initial...

Angler opinion of potential bluegill regulations on Illinois lakes: Effects of angler demographics and bluegill population size structure

Abstract Bluegills Lepomis macrochirus are an important sport as well as food fish, but harvest regulations do not currently exist on most lakes throughout the United States. A self-administered survey was used to provide insight into angler attitude toward potential new bluegill harvest regulations (including catch-and-release-only fishing, no-fishing zones, daily bag limits, and minimum size limits) designed to increase the number of bluegills 150 mm or larger. Angler surveys were conducted at six lakes in Illinois, three of which contained bluegill populations that were categorized as stunted (few fish greater than 150 mm) and three as quality (fish greater than 180 mm were abundant). Anglers showed greatest support for catch-and-release fishing (during the spawning season), a 6-in minimum size limit, and use of a daily bag limit of 10. Anglers showed a less positive response to 7- and 8-in minimum size limits, a 25-fish daily bag limit, catch-and-release fishing for the entire year, and no-fishing zon...

Catch Rates and Cost Effectiveness of Entrapment Gears for Asian Carp: A Comparison of Pound Nets, Hoop Nets, and Fyke Nets in Backwater Lakes of the Illinois River

AbstractWe compared three entrapment gears to determine which method was the most effective for capturing invasive Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix in terms of numbers of fish captured and labor invested. Gears were deployed concurrently in two backwater lakes of the Illinois River during the summers of 2012–2014. Overall, the nightly catch rates of all fishes, Bighead Carp, and Silver Carp were one to three orders of magnitude greater in pound nets than in either fyke nets or hoop nets. Pound nets collected larger Bighead Carp than hoop nets and fyke nets. Hoop nets were ineffective at catching Asian carp in backwater lakes. Estimation of the effort required to deploy, maintain, and remove each gear type indicated that pound nets were the most cost-effective gear due to their high catch rates of Asian carp relative to the labor hours invested to collect the catch. Pound nets appear to be an effective means of removing Asian carp in backwater lake habitats of the Illinoi...

A Comparison of Sampling Gears for Capturing Juvenile Silver Carp in River–Floodplain Ecosystems

AbstractEffective management and monitoring programs require confidence regarding basic biological sampling. Gear comparisons are often required to determine the most effective techniques. Such is the case for populations of invasive Asian carps Hypophthalmichthys spp., which have recently occurred in large numbers throughout sections of the Mississippi River basin. We tested five gears (mini-fyke nets, beach seine, purse seine, pulsed-DC electrofishing, and gill net) that targeted juvenile (age 0) Silver Carp H. molitrix at sites along the Illinois River during 2014 and 2015 to determine the most effective ones for age-0 Silver Carp. We considered the most cost-effective gear to be the one that provided the largest catch at a minimal expenditure of labor. Mini-fyke nets were the most effective at collecting large numbers of age-0 Silver Carp, followed in decreasing order by beach seines, pulsed-DC electrofishing, purse seines, and gill nets. The smallest Silver Carp were caught in beach seines and the la...

Differences in stocking success among geographically distinct stocks of juvenile muskellunge in Illinois lakes

AbstractMuskellunge Esox masquinongy are broadly distributed across the northern United States and southern Canada. Intraspecific genetic variation suggests the existence of divergent stocks related to residence in major river drainages. Populations and stocks have likely adapted to specific environmental conditions associated with geographic location, especially latitude and the associated thermal regime. In this study, we examined differences in survival and growth among stocks of juvenile Muskellunge stocked into lakes throughout Illinois. Muskellunge from the Ohio River drainage stock, the upper Mississippi River drainage stock, and the current mixed Illinois broodstock were used for comparisons. Stocking mortality was related to temperature and was greatest for Illinois and Ohio River drainage fish that were stocked during the early fall. Mississippi River drainage fish experienced high mortality over the first summer after stocking, resulting in the lowest abundance during the second fall poststocki...

Assessing the Long-Term Reproductive Contribution of Stocked Fish to Largemouth Bass Populations

AbstractWe evaluated the reproductive contribution of stocked Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides relative to resident populations. The reproductive contribution of stocked fish was determined using the MDH-B2* allele as a genetic tag for fingerlings stocked into five study lakes. We first determined the relative survival of stocked fish by calculating the proportion of adults (which were clipped at stocking) in the population and compared it with initial survival the first fall after stocking. Stocked fish relative survival to adulthood varied among the five study lakes and was lower than initial survival after stocking. Once these stocked fish were mature, it was possible to assess their reproductive contribution to each population by comparing the prestocking frequencies of the MDH-B2* allele with poststocking frequencies. Reproductive contribution of stocked fish was high in small lakes but relatively low in larger ones. Neither adult Largemouth Bass density nor prey density affected reproductive co...

Does fish herding enhance catch rates and detection of invasive bigheaded carp

Fish herding (driving fish into nets) is used by commercial fishers to increase harvest of invasive bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.), yet has not been widely adopted for fisheries monitoring purposes. We conducted an experiment to assess whether fish herding using percussive sound or electrical stimuli can enhance catch rates and detection of bigheaded carp and other fishes in surface-to-bottom gill nets. Catch rates (fish net set−1) from traditional gill net sets where no herding method was applied were compared to sets combined with either sound stimuli (physical impacts to the boat hull and water surface to produce percussive sound) or electricity produced from a pulsed-DC electrofisher to manipulate fish movements. For most species, herding increased catch rates and detection probability compared to control sets. Sound stimuli increased catch rates of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) by over three times, whereas electrical stimuli increased catch rates by over six times. Catch of Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) was highest in nets paired with sound stimuli. Herding methods also reduced the number of samples required to attain target detection probabilities for bigheaded carp. Herding techniques combined with gill netting may be a valuable option for targeted bigheaded carp sampling, especially when electrofishing or netting alone is ineffective for these evasive fishes. Synergistic methods may provide a cost effective means of improving detection probabilities for bigheaded carp at their invasion front or other locations where densities are low and uncertainty of capture is high.