Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2019

AUTHORS: Austen Thomas, Smith-Root; Samantha Stanton, Michigan State University; Jake Ponce, Smith-Root; Mieke Sinnesael, Biomeme; Phong Nguyen, Smith-Root; Caren Goldberg, Washington State University

ABSTRACT: Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of aquatic invasive species using PCR is a powerful new tool for resource managers, but laboratory results often take weeks to be produced which limits options for rapid management response. To circumvent laboratory delay, we combined a purpose-built eDNA filtration system (ANDe) with a field DNA extraction and handheld qPCR platform (Biomeme) to form a complete field eDNA sampling and detection process. A lab study involving serial dilution of New Zealand mudsnail eDNA was conducted to compare the detection capabilities of the field system with traditional bench qPCR. Two field validation studies were also conducted to determine if the on-site eDNA process can be used to map mudsnail eDNA distribution and quantify temporal fluctuations. Both platforms (Biomeme, bench qPCR) lost the ability to reliably detect mudsnail eDNA at the same dilution level (10^-4), with SQ values as low as 21 DNA copies/reaction. A strong relationship was observed between the average Cq values of the two platforms (slope = 1.101, intercept = - 1.816, R²= 0.997, P < 0.001). Of the 80 field samples collected, 44 (55%) tested positive for mudsnail eDNA with Biomeme, and results identified both spatial and temporal fluctuations in mudsnail eDNA/L. However, the PCR inhibition rate (no IPC amplification) with Biomeme was 28% on average for field samples, and up to 48% in the temporal dataset. With additional optimization of the DNA extraction process, the ANDe-Biomeme system has potential to be a rapid and highly effective detection/quantification tool for aquatic invasive species.

AUTHORS: Paul Venturelli, Ball State University; Kieran Hyder, Cefas; Tonie Aarts, Royal Dutch Angling Association; Rob Ahrens, University of Florida; Michael Allen, University of Florida; Paul Askey, Freshwater Fisheries Society of British Columbia; Johan Attby, Fishbrain; Leah Baumwell, International Game Fish Association; Peter Belin, Swedish Anglers Association; Scott Bonar, U.S. Geological Survey Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Shannon Bower, Uppsala University; Adam Brown, Substance; Steve Cooke, Carleton University; John Curtis, Ireland Economic and Social Research Institute; Andy Danylchuk, University of Massachusetts; Brett Fitzgerald, The Snook and Gamefish Foundation; David Fulton, U.S. Geological Survey Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Jon Giacalone, Fishidy; Rob Houtman, Pacific Biological Station; Len Hunt, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; Matt Johnson, C-Map; Jan Kamman, Royal Dutch Angling Association; Steve Kelling, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Elizabeth Overstreet, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Kevin Pope, U.S. Geological Survey Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Tim Sartwell, NOAA Fisheries Service; Sean Simmons, Angler's Atlas; David Stormer, Florida International University; Christian Skov, Technical University of Denmark

ABSTRACT: Angler smartphone applications (apps) are a new tool for efficiently collecting conventional and novel fisheries data, and have the potential to fundamentally change how anglers interact with the resource. Given that the angler app market is diverse, competitive, and unpredictable, an important step in realizing the potential of angler apps is to develop standards that will ensure a large and reliable data stream for scientific study. To that end, we convened a workshop that was attended by representatives from 11 angler apps, and 22 experts in recreational fisheries, human dimensions, economics, data management, citizen science, and standards. A pre-workshop survey of participants identified gaps between fisheries data needs and the data that angler apps were collecting. We addressed these gaps during the workshop by cataloguing the importance and specific needs associated with 49 data fields (i.e., standards), and then determining whether apps can deliver on these standards. We concluded that any standard can be met, but that anglers will only be willing to supply data for a subset of these standards. Therefore, we propose an initial set of standards that are important to fisheries and/or easy to obtain (e.g., via automation). The consensus among workshop participants was that these standards should be maintained by a science-based and international standards council. This council should also maintain a repository of participating angler apps (including which standards they meet, the amount of data that they have, and for which locations), and any data that participating apps are willing to share. Access to these data will be controlled by the standards council, and in accordance with terms that have been set out by each participating app.

AUTHORS: Dray D. Carl, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Daniel E. Shoup, Oklahoma State University; Martha E. Mather, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Quinton E. Phelps, West Virginia University

ABSTRACT: Regulation changes are frequently used to alter lakes and reservoir fisheries to achieve management goals.  Although regulations are generally thought to be effective, fisheries management is hampered by a lack of published studies evaluating regulation effectiveness.  This is particularly troublesome given examples where regulations did not have their expected result, as the lack of published literature on this topic means there is little guidance as to when regulations will be effective.  Further, the few studies that address the topic typically just compare samples from before and after regulations are applied.  In this traditional before-after approach, many temporal changes (e.g., drought, flood, mean annual temperature, etc.) could drive changes in the fish population over time that would erroneously be attributed to the regulation change.  Use of the BACI (before, after, control, impact) design is a more robust approach that avoids erroneous decisions that might result from traditional before-after analyses.  However, the BACI design is little used, probably because of the perception that it would require more effort than is available to sample additional control lakes.  However, we suggest that some prior planning and creativity can make BACI designs possible with little additional work, especially in situations where standardized sampling is routinely used to monitor other lakes that could serve as control systems.  It is even possible that multi-state projects could be performed using routine monitoring that is already planned to provide control lakes or additional replication in cases where both states use the same standard sampling protocol.  State agencies considering regulation changes have a unique opportunity to significantly improve our understanding of regulation effectiveness if they planned BACI studies to track effects of new regulations through time, benefiting the entire field with information that up to this point has been sorely lacking.

AUTHORS: Aaron Sundmark (Ph.D. Student), Larry Gigliotti (Professor) – South Dakota State University

ABSTRACT: Sportfishing management focuses on fish resources, as well as the people using these resources. Therefore, evaluating management performance requires assessing both environmental and human-centered outcomes of a fishery. Over 400 small lakes in South Dakota are managed by the state agency to provide convenient opportunities to anglers and other recreational user groups. In January of 2017, a total of 3,753 questionnaires were mailed to residents near 7 small lakes that were diverse spatially and in their proximities to larger urban centers across South Dakota. We received completed surveys from 1,318 respondents (40% response rate). We measured the value of the lake to residents’ quality of life (dependent variable), familiarity with the lake, activities done at the lake, evaluations of conditions and amenities at the lakes and demographic variables. Analyses determined the uses, attitudes and values towards small lakes that are best at predicting their importance to local citizens’ overall quality of life living in nearby communities. Our findings suggest that the inclusion of social values in efforts to evaluate an agency’s management performance could help managers understand and predict the various user groups and the amount of overall use a lake resource will receive over time.

AUTHORS: Ryan W. Sparks, Cassi J. Moody-Carpenter, Scott Meiners, Robert E. Colombo – Eastern Illinois University

ABSTRACT: The Sangamon River, a tributary to the Illinois River, stretches about 396 kilometers across Central Illinois. The river basin has a dam located in the city of Decatur, IL creating a lake to supply drinking water for the city. Roughly 5 miles downstream of Lake Decatur, the Sanitary District of Decatur releases treated wastewater into the Sangamon River. Furthermore, 2 combined sewer outflows are located above the effluent, they are not treated. Fish were sampled at sites above this point pollution, directly at the source, and several miles below using DC-pulse electrofishing for 3 years. Also, we collected water quality data from 1 site upstream and 5 sites downstream of the Sanitary District. Our results showed high numbers of forage fish, consisting of almost 35 percent of the family Clupeidae and 18 percent Cyprinidae. The next highest abundance was Catostomidae at 30 percent; which displayed a high proportion of abnormal fin morphology. All abnormal fish were found below the point pollution of the wastewater treatment plant. Using Pulse-DC electrofishing, we will continue sampling our sites as well as incorporating mark-recapture methods in different seasons to track movement of fish in relation to the effluent.

AUTHORS: Dana Castle, Central Michigan University, Tracy Claramunt, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ed Roseman, U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, Tracy Galarowicz, Central Michigan University

ABSTRACT: Within the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS), fish and wildlife habitat and water quality have historically been degraded, however in 2004, extensive restoration projects began on this system to remediate past degradation. Post-monitoring of restoration areas conveys improving biota of the region, including improvement in Burbot, Lake Sturgeon, Walleye, and Lake Whitefish. Although species are improving in the region, the response of anglers in the region remains unknown. In 2002-2005, an extensive creel survey was conducted, however, since that time, there has been no other extensive analysis of the anglers in the SCDRS. We analyzed post-restoration creel data by calculating interview catch rates, interview harvest rates, and examining supplemental questions collected by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). We also estimated the economic value of a recent creel survey by using estimated lodging and gas expenses of interviewed anglers in the SCDRS. We examined interest in fishing in the SCDRS by examining Google Trends data. For Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, there were larger interview catch and harvest rates in post-restoration periods than in pre-restoration periods. We determined that the 2017 open water fishery on Lake St. Clair was worth approximately $11.87 million. Search terms related to the Detroit River and show a significant upward trend, indicating a rise in fishing interest in the region. Because of the increased travel, interview catch, interview harvest rates, and interest in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, anglers are likely capitalizing on increased fishing opportunity in these parts of the system. Another extensive creel survey, similar to the one conducted in the early 2000s, would be helpful in further determining the influence of restoration on angling opportunities in the SCDRS and if anglers are acting to remediate restoration costs.

AUTHORS: Shannon J. Fisher, Allen G. Stevens, Bethany J. Bethke – Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) maintains fisheries management plans on more than 4,400 lakes.  To keep plans current, inform harvest regulation development, and keep pace with changing lake conditions, >650 lake surveys are completed annually.  Minnesota’s lake survey program began over 70 years ago, with the modern program established in 1993.  Survey data have informed management decisions locally and statewide.  The evolution of Northern Pike management is a key example of how Minnesota has utilized this valuable database.  During the 1980s, increasing numbers of anglers and fisheries managers became concerned about long-term declines in Northern Pike sizes.  As a result, MNDNR experimented with length-based regulations.  Using pre- and post-regulation lake survey data (1970s-early 2000s) evidence was found that length limits could improve size structure – but not uniformly across lakes.  Therefore, a limited suite of “Toolbox” regulations for lake-specific management was developed.  Pre- and post-Toolbox regulation survey data were used to perform a meta-analysis (>50 lakes) that indicated >10 years of post-data were needed to detect size structure improvements across a range of lakes.  In 2016, we strategized to improve Northern Pike management across Minnesota and three starkly different sets of spatially clustered objectives emerged.  In 2018, lakes meeting regulatory and biological criteria were divided into three zones with different length and bag limits.  Our standardized lake survey program was integral in identifying lakes included in the evaluation and will provide the necessary post-regulation data.  Given valuable lessons learned in early analyses, we know that it will take time to detect results.  Similar evaluations have proven extremely useful in the development of regulations to better manage other recreationally important species in Minnesota, including Walleye Sanders vitreus, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, and Muskellunge Esox masquinongy. 

AUTHORS: Drew Holloway, Muncie Sanitary District Bureau of Water Quality; Jason Doll, University of Mt. Olive; Robert Shields, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

ABSTRACT: The importance of monitoring anthropogenic changes in a lotic system are not limited to chemical water quality monitoring. The addition of biological monitoring allows fish to be used as bioindicators because of their varying tolerance to pollution. For this study we utilized long-term water quality and fish data to evaluate temporal changes brought on by passage of the Clean Water Act (1972). Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) was used to describe changes in the fish community and also heavy metal concentrations of the West Fork White River inMuncie, Indiana over the past 33 years. The NMS results for both heavy metals and fish separated into distinct decadal clusters. The shift in fish community data was characterized by a drop in pollution tolerant species and an increase in intolerant species. A decrease in heavy metal concentrations (chromium, zinc, and lead) was also found during this time period. All NMS fish axis had a positive slope indicating an increase in intolerant species as heavy metal concentrations decreased. Our findings indicate that the water quality improvements documented in the West Fork White River have directly impacted its local fish community. 

AUTHORS: Zak J. Slagle, Travis Hartman – Ohio Division of Wildlife

ABSTRACT: Ohio anglers have historically fished heavily for black bass, leading to record levels of angler effort and harvest in the late 1990’s. Additionally, missing year classes of bass, invasion of non-native nest predators (Round Goby), and resurgence in possible avian predators (Double-crested Cormorant) were all seen as threats to the bass population through the early 2000’s. Ohio Division of Wildlife also lacked yearly surveys of black basses, complicating fishery management decisions. ODW responded by increasing restrictions on bag limits and minimum sizes for black bass harvest; the 14 inch, 5 fish bag limit that currently stands was created in 2000. A seasonal catch-and-release only regulation was added in 2004 to further reduce harvest after the 2000 regulations failed to sufficiently improve size structure. Since then, the increase of catch-and-release ethics have dramatically reduced harvest during the open season, and ODW has added yearly surveys that allow fisheries managers to better evaluate population trends. Ohio’s Lake Erie black bass populations are unlikely to be negatively impacted by newly introduced relaxed regulations (i.e., changing the seasonal closure to a one fish possession, 18 inch minimum size limit). Black bass harvest during the spawning season is unlikely to increase substantially with these regulation changes. However, current levels of bass fishing effort are near historical lows, and liberalization of regulations will allow additional fishing opportunities. The new regulations should expand angler opportunities and allow anglers to keep and weigh in a potential state record fish while conserving the bass population for generations to come.

AUTHORS: Dan Traynor, Shawn Sitar – Michigan Department of Natural Resources Marquette Fisheries Research Station; Ji He, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Alpena Fisheries Research Station

ABSTRACT: Lake trout are the dominant piscivore in the upper Great Lakes and are a major focus in fisheries management.  Lake populations underwent catastrophic collapses in the middle of the 20th century but have recovered in Lake Superior due to diligent management actions.  Recently, lake trout recovery has improved in Lake Huron and there are indications that Lake Michigan may be following suit.  Although controls on fishing, sea lamprey suppression, and stocking of hatchery fish were instrumental in lake trout recovery, we pose that dietary flexibility also contributed to its success.  We analyzed the diet of a broad size range of lean and siscowet lake trout from spring and summer gill net surveys conducted in southern Lake Superior and western Lake Huron during 2005-2016.  In addition to categorizing prey items by taxa, we grouped prey items by habitat types to further describe dietary flexibility.  We found that lake trout diet compositions were diverse in both lakes Superior and Huron. Generally, the diet of leans and siscowets in Lake Superior were similar.  We observed ontogenetic diet shifts in both lean and siscowet lake trout with small fish feeding predominantly in the benthos expanding to the pelagic zone as fish grew larger.  Progress in lake trout recovery in Lake Huron coincides with collapses in alewife abundance and declines in Chinook Salmon populations.  We pose that lake trout success in rapidly changing ecosystems is partly due to its high dietary flexibility and declines in Great Lakes Chinook salmon are due to its strong reliance on pelagic prey such as alewife.

AUTHORS: Joseph D. Conroy, Jeremy J. Pritt, Kevin S. Page, Stephen M. Tyszko, Richard D. Zweifel – Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife

ABSTRACT: Crappie harvest regulations seek to increase yield by allowing additional growth before anglers remove fish from the population.  Density-dependent slow growth, stunting, potential for overharvest, angler preferences for larger crappies, and angler preferences for regulations all present challenges to successfully managing crappie fisheries by using harvest regulations.  In Ohio, minimum length limits for harvest and daily bag limits have been used to regulate crappie populations since the early 1990s, with regulations enacted at more than 40 reservoirs by 2010.  The success of these regulations was assessed by examining changes in abundance (CPUE of age-2 crappies and older), growth (mean length at age 2), and size structure (PSD of harvestable-sized fish) from standard assessments conducted during the period 2003–2017.  Further, we determined angler satisfaction with the numbers and sizes of crappies caught post-regulation along with their support for the regulation from interviews during creel surveys and from postcard surveys during 2017.  Using linear mixed models, we found that in general the regulation led to increased crappie abundance, slowed growth, and changed size structure; the regulation benefited crappie populations more in larger (> 1,000 ha) and more productive (total phosphorus concentrations > 75 micrograms/L) reservoirs.  Angler satisfaction (percent satisfied) with the numbers of crappies caught ranged 30–68% and with the sizes of crappies caught ranged 24–72%, yet there was clear support for both the minimum length limit (percent support ranged 64–92%) and the daily bag limit (66–93%) with little opposition (percent opposition was < 11%) to the regulation.  These analyses ultimately led to removing the minimum length limit and daily bag regulation at 13 reservoirs.  More importantly, however, a general approach to regulation evaluation was developed, which includes analysis of standardized data on both fish populations and their anglers.

AUTHORS: Tristan Tackman (Student); Dr. Ashely Moerke (Professor/Undergraduate Advisor); Jake Larsen (Graduate) – School of Natural Resources and Environment, Lake Superior State University

ABSTRACT: The St. Marys River is the only outflow of Lake Superior and feeds both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The river itself rears a majority of these lakes’ sports fishes by providing ample spawning grounds; these young fish rely on small macroinvertebrates for most of their growth in early years. The objective of this study was to quantify and compare the supply of drifting invertebrates from the main rapids and the hydropower canal in an effort to understand key food sources available for fishes in the river.  To do so, two larval drift nets were set overnight in the rapids and canal to collect drifting invertebrates during the months of May and June 2016.  For each date biomass was calculated asash free dry weight and density was calculated as number of invertebrates per 100m³. Densities were the highest for Hydropsychidae and Mysidae at both sites, andcomprised 18% (the remanding 82% being non-dominant taxa) and 9.5% in the rapids and 26.7% and 8.9% in the canal site. Although Mysidaedensities were higher than other taxa, Hydropsychidae contributed more biomass to the system in both sites during May and June of 2016. Additionally, total drift densities were 2.4 times higher in the canal site than the rapids, suggesting that the canal is a better source of invertebrates to the St. Marys River. The canal is likely drawing water from more offshore areas in Lake Superior, which may explain the higher numbers of drifting Mysids in the canal site compared to the rapids.

AUTHORS: Ben C. Neely, Jeff D. Koch, Connor J. Chance-Ossowski – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism

ABSTRACT: Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus contribute to unique fisheries in Kansas where they fill many niches. One niche that has been gaining recent attention from anglers is pursuit of large individuals. These efforts typically occur during the Bluegill spawn in May and June when anglers can visually target nest-guarding fish. A combination of being visually evident and aggressively defending nests makes Bluegill especially susceptible to angler harvest during this time. There is concern that harvest of nest-tending Bluegill may remove the fastest growing individuals from the population and ultimately results in populations that do not support quality Bluegill fisheries. To this end, Bluegill were sampled from 14 Kansas impoundments with both fall electrofishing at random shoreline locations and spring angling for nest-tending individuals in 2017 and 2018. Total length was recorded from all captured individuals and otoliths were collected from up to five individuals per centimeter group for age and growth estimation. In all impoundments, length distribution of sampled bluegill differed between gears with angled fish shifted toward larger individuals. Similarly, angled fish exhibited more rapid growth than randomly sampled individuals in some populations. These results highlight the vulnerability of the fastest growing individuals in bluegill populations to angler harvest while preparing and guarding spawning sites. Further, these results suggest that instituting some level of protection to nest-guarding Bluegill might result in increased size structure and promote development and maintenance of quality Bluegill fisheries.

AUTHORS: Brian J. Zimmerman, The Ohio State University; Dan Rice, (retired) Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (ODNR); Marc R. Kibbey, The Ohio State University; Marymegan Daly, PhD, The Ohio State University

ABSTRACT: Milton Trautman’s classic book, “The Fishes of Ohio,” was published in 1981 and did an excellent job presenting the distribution and status of Ohio’s fish fauna at the time. In subsequent decades, fish communities of Ohio have changed in composition and distribution. In 2011, we began an inventory of the current status of all fish species found in Ohio. Some of these changes we have documented are positive, including the large scale expansion of many species of riverine fish that have been characterized as sensitive to water quality. Other changes point towards declines, particularly in species reliant on wetland or glacial lake habitats. In addition to trends in distribution and abundance of native species, we see significant impact in the occurrence of non-indigenous species that were not documented by Trautman. The results of the 2011-2017 distribution surveys are summarized in our 2018 field guide “A Naturalist Guide to the Fishes of Ohio” by Dan Rice and Brian Zimmerman.

AUTHORS: Rebekah L. Anderson, Nathan J. Lederman – Aquatic Nuisance Species Program, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Cory A. Anderson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jason A. DeBoer, Illinois River Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey.

ABSTRACT: Substantial research attests to the injurious impacts invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molotrix) have on Midwestern U.S. river systems. Particularly, the dietary overlap between silver carp and native planktivores has resulted in declined condition and abundance of these species in areas where silver carp dominate the community (i.e., the lower Illinois River). However, additional research demonstrates silver carp may benefit native non-planktivorous fishes because of the carp’s ability to produce young at a large scale providing an abundant prey source for native piscivores, and their nutrient rich fecal pellets may enrich benthic forage quality for native benthivores. Potential positive effects of silver carp for native fishes are not fully understood, and research is limited in natural systems. Here we determine whether silver carp benefit non-planktivorous native fishes in the lower Illinois River (i.e., Peoria, LaGrange, and Alton pools) by examining native piscivore and benthivore body condition over time utilizing two standardized long-term data programs. We found a significant positive relationship between silver carp abundance and native benthivore body condition. Moreover, visual trends indicate increased body condition during and immediately after strong silver carp year classes (2008 & 2014) for both native piscivores and benthivores. Therefore density-dependent effects may exist where juvenile silver carp populations and benthic nutrient levels must reach a threshold before they are exploitable (i.e., beneficial) resources. We suggest more years of data that incorporate strong silver carp year classes may be needed to clarify potential positive effects of silver carp for native non-planktivorous fishes.

AUTHORS. James Beaubien, US Geological Survey; Jason Fischer, University of Toledo, Department of Environmental Sciences ; Robin DeBruyne, University of Toledo, Department of Environmental Sciences; Rose Ellison, US Environmental Protection Agency; Hal Harrington, US Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District; Edward Roseman, US Geological Survey

ABSTRACT. The River Rouge is located in southeastern Michigan and is a tributary to the Detroit River. The river and its watershed have been severely degraded resulting in a Great Lakes Area of Concern designation with beneficial use impairments for all biota and habitat. The lower reach contains 6.4 km of concrete river channel that is unsuitable habitat for game fish, sensitive macroinvertebrates, and other native fauna. The removal of this concrete channel will mitigate some beneficial use impairments (e.g., degradation of fish and wildlife populations, degradation of aesthetics, degradation of benthos, loss of fish and wildlife habitat) in the system, however establishment of baseline environmental conditions is needed prior to habitat restoration to measure the effectiveness of restoration efforts. We sampled fish and macroinvertebrate communities at 12 sample sites; 3 sites upriver of the concrete channel, 6 sites within the concrete channel, and 3 sites below the concrete channel. Boat electrofishing surveys across all sites indicated diversity among fish assemblages was low, dominated by emerald shiners (63% numerically) and only 16% game fish (e.g. Centrarchidae, northern pike, white bass). Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages were sampled with colonization samplers (3 Hester-Dendy and 3 rock bags per site). Colonization samplers were set in June and September and allowed to soak for 30 days before being retrieved. Macroinvertebrates were identified to the lowest taxonomic classification and enumerated. Preliminary results indicate that the macroinvertebrate community composition was dominated by Chironomidae and Oligochaeta across all sites. These results provide baseline information on aquatic community structure to measure post-restoration community response to replacement of the concrete channel with natural river morphology.

AUTHORS. Colby G. Gainer, Ethan A. Rutledge, Hae H. Kim, Quinton E. Phelps – West Virginia University Division of Forestry and Natural Resources

ABSTRACT. Smallmouth bass are an economically important sportfish across the United States. Yet smallmouth bass have received little interest in the Upper Mississippi River. Understanding habitat needs of smallmouth bass could lead to improved management practices. Data from the United States Army Corps of Engineer’s Long-Term Resource Management Program was evaluated to assess the smallmouth bass habitat use. From 1993 to 2017, a total of 10,941 smallmouth bass were caught using day electrofishing in pool 4 (Lake City, Minnesota) and pool 8 (LaCrosse Wisconsin). Macrohabitat and mesohabitat use were assessed.  In regard to macrohabitat, main channel borders had the highest catch rates of smallmouth bass; this includes unstructured channel borders and wing dams. Smallmouth bass exhibited intermediate use in side channel borders, while backwaters were infrequently occupied. More specifically smallmouth bass tend to concentrate in areas with large substrate, moderate velocities across a range of depths. Information provided in this project can promote a better understanding of the smallmouth bass habitat use, ultimately enhancing management of the fish.

AUTHORS. Makayla Kelso, US Geological Survey; Nicole King, University of Toledo Lake Erie Center, Patrick Kocovsky, US Geological Survey, Christine Mayer, University of Toledo Lake Erie Center, Song Qian, University of Toledo Lake Erie Center.

ABSTRACT. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) supports many important ecological services including critical habitats for a variety of aquatic species and stabilizing shorelines, and act as indicators of water quality in coastal ecosystems. Physical factors such as light penetration and wave energy affect SAV distribution, diversity, and abundance, but biological activity from herbivores may also affect the community. There is concern that invasive herbivores in the Great Lakes, such as Grass Carp and Red Swamp Crayfish, may cause a decline in SAV communities. Data were collected as part of a larger ongoing investigation of SAV communities throughout Lake Erie to establish a baseline of vegetation conditions in all three of the lake’s basins in an effort to track changes in SAV communities. Data collection involved a 3-tier assessment process, which utilized object-based image analysis (OBIA), hydroacoustics, and in situ vegetation collection to assess SAV species composition and relative abundances in Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania and Dunkirk Harbor, New York. These two sampling locations were chosen to expand the assessment of SAV into previously un-sampled Central and Eastern Basins, and used the OBIA maps to determine areas of likely SAV coverage. Here we compare the three tiers of methodology to assess the accuracy of OBIA imagery, characterize the SAV communities in these two locations, and to determine areas potentially at risk for invasive species herbivory.

AUTHORS. Coty Prunest, Quinton Phelps, Melissa O'Neal – West Virginia University

ABSTRACT. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the cause of rainwater flooding into abandoned mines, absorbing dangerous metals and other acidic materials. Acid mine drainage increases pH and may pose deleterious effects on stream biota. States that relied on coal mining have had major issues with AMD, given loose laws surrounding disposal and storage of waste. West Virginia has suffered major AMD impacts in its streams, and therefore invertebrates and native fishes have been influenced. This project was designed to test the utility of remediation below passive AMD treatment sites. Prior data, while limited, demonstrates that passive AMD treatment sites can be an effective remediation effort. However, a more extensive formal evaluation of these treatment sites are needed. As such, five streams will be sampled (Smooth Rock Lick, Herod’s Run, West Run, Lambert’s Run, and Swamp Run). Sampling will include kick-netting for macroinvertebrates, and backpack electrofishing for fishes. Macroinvertebrates will be identified, and fish will be identified, weighed, and measured in the field. Multiple passes will be sampled in each stream; with equal sampling effort above and below the treatment site. Information gained during this study will provide direct evidence of the utility of passive AMD treatment on macroinvertebrates and fishes in West Virginia.

AUTHORS: Sandy Clark-Kolaks, Indiana Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Creel surveys provide estimates of angler effort, catch rate, and angler preference that can assist biologists in better managing fish populations. Indiana Department of Natural Resources (INDNR) has been conducting creel surveys since the 1960s on selected waterbodies using either two-stage cluster non-uniform probability or roving access designs. Creels typically ran from early spring through late fall and expansion factors were applied to the daily observations totals for each observed category to provide projections of monthly lake-wide fishing pressure and harvest. Information collected during creels is used for individual waterbody evaluations but no landscape level review of creels has been conducted. From 1983 to 2017, over 50 waterbodies have had creel surveys conducted, ranging in size from 1 to 10,750 acres. Creel survey frequencies were highly variable ranging from 16 to 1 times. The majority of anglers were targeting Largemouth Bass; however, in urban areas anglers tended to be less species specific and were most likely fishing for anything. Larger reservoirs had the greatest number of angler trips, number of fish harvested, and fishing hours. However, when normalizing metrics by lake size; smaller urban lakes had the greatest trips per acre, fish harvested per acre, fishing hours per acre, and economic impact. A major focus of the INDNR is recruiting and retaining new anglers. Urban areas contain the largest group of potential angler recruits; however, counties with the greatest population densities had very low public water available to anglers and in seven counties no public waterbodies are available to anglers. This landscape level evaluation of creel surveys provides direction to managers about where efforts should be made to increase the availability of public waters to recruit and maintain new anglers.

AUTHORS: Sarah A Molinaro, Jeffrey A Stein – Illinois Natural History Survey

ABSTRACT: Previous efforts to study and manage freshwater recreational sport fishing have largely focused on rod-and-reel anglers targeting black bass, catfish and panfish, while bowfishing – the use of archery equipment to capture fish – has received little attention despite the obligatory lethality and increasing popularity of the angling method. Furthermore, bow anglers in the Midwest primarily harvest species not traditionally targeted by recreational anglers, such as gar, buffalo and carp, which oftentimes may be taken in unlimited numbers. The limited information available on bowfishing harvest suggests that bowfishing tournaments harvest large numbers of fish at higher rates than those reported from rod-and-reel tournaments, which may leave populations vulnerable to over-exploitation. To better understand the habits and preferences of bow anglers, to characterize species-specific bowfishing harvest rates, and to estimate size-specific bowfishing mortality of gars, we conducted point-access creel surveys at bowfishing tournaments throughout Illinois from June 2017 to August 2018 (n = 16).  Creel clerks recorded fishing effort, the count of each species harvested, and individual size metrics of gars from each participating team (n = 147), and a subsample of anglers were surveyed about their bowfishing experiences, recreational angling habits, and bowfishing target species preferences (n = 147). Across all tournaments, the 456 participants bowfished for approximately 3,390 hours and harvested fish at a rate of 1.73 fish angler-hour^-1, with carps accounting for 86% of the harvested fish, buffaloes for 9% and gars for 4%. Tournament anglers reported a wide range of lifetime experience with bowfishing and bowhunting, and that tournament participation is important to their overall fishing activity. The results and conclusions of this study will inform management decisions that promote sustainable harvest of novel recreational fisheries and provide quality recreational opportunities to bow anglers, and have implications in the management of invasive carp species.

AUTHORS: Rebecca M. Krogman, Iowa Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: Like many other states, Iowa faces dwindling fishing participation and increasing urbanization. To better target urban and suburban anglers, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources created a community fishing program. To guide the program, a general population survey was conducted in Iowa’s urban and suburban communities. Survey questions focused on constraints to fishing participation, characterization of an ideal fishing trip, identification of important amenities and features, and identification of useful outreach programs. Cluster analysis yielded several groups defined by unique sets of constraints, including concern over the safety of eating fish, family friendliness, marginality, lack of basic knowledge, need for mentorship, accessibility, and catch quality and quantity. The importance of various constraints differed by demographic group and by background of the respondent (i.e., whether they grew up in a rural location, urban center, or other). In addition, preferences for an ideal fishing location and educational programs differed by cluster, demographic group, and level of fishing experience. Interestingly, the most common features characterizing an ideal fishing trip were experiential (e.g., being able to fish a location with good water quality) rather than catch-oriented (e.g., being able to catch many or large fish). These data were combined with tapestry data, allowing the characterization of neighborhoods by their probable reception to various fishing opportunities and programs. The results provide guidance to Iowa’s community fishing program for strategic fishery planning and marketing.

AUTHORS: Nick Kramer, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism

ABSTRACT: Gill nets are one of the most popular gears implemented to assess fish populations in North America. Ease of construction and low maintenance has led to their success and widespread implementation in the field of fisheries management. The characteristics of a gill net, along with the size and shape of the fish affect how capture occurs (i.e., wedging, gilling, tangling, or a combination). Many studies have been completed on selectivity of various sizes of mesh. Despite the importance of mesh size, the shape of the mesh can also be altered by modifying the hanging ratio which in turn will affect the catchability of fishes with differing body shapes. Additional studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of hobbling or tying down gill nets. This creates more of a “baggy” net which studies have shown to capture a wider size range of fish and may increase catches of species that could easily become tangled due to external protrusions (e.g., Channel Catfish or Paddlefish). In recent years, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism biologists have become interested in managing Blue and Flathead Catfish and have placed an increased priority on sampling these species; however, the biologists currently have little insight into fully representative population parameters due to standardized sampling gear that does not capture larger individuals. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of various gill net designs to sample fish populations in Kansas impoundments with special consideration given to species of interest for biologists (e.g., Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish). Year one of this study found differences in catch rates for some commonly assessed species. These differences were further examined in year two of the study by expanding the sample size; in both number of sets and number of reservoirs.

AUTHORS: Jason E. Ross, Mike Seider, Jared Myers – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

ABSTRACT: Traditional Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) monitoring and early detection programs in the Great Lakes target fish use multiple gears to maximize the number of species captured.  The measures of success has been measured by the proportion of the total expected species pool captured in a given period.  This same approach has been applied to aquatic macroinvertebrates, but the measures of success have not been reaching the same expectations as fish.  Aquatic macroinvertebrates are smaller, more numerous, less mobile, and far less studied than fish and, therefore, should not have the same expectations.  In this study, we evaluated our samples collected from 2014 to 2016 by taxonomic groups and gear types to determine whether sample designs were capturing taxonomic groups containing species at risk of invading Lake Superior (amphipods, bivalves, gastropods, and mysids).  We found that our gears (sweep nets, petite ponar, Hester-Dendy, Zebra Mussel Samplers) were not capturing taxonomic groups of interest with much success.  Missing taxon groups of interest in collections can greatly change accumulation curves and deprecate the success of a program.  During 2017, we added rock bags to target amphipods; Neuston nets, vertical plankton tows, and sweep nets at night to target mysids; and did not scrape the Hester-Dendy and Zebra Mussel Samplers to allow bivalves to mature for identification.  The modifications allowed us to capture two additional species of amphipods, successfully identified Zebra Mussels on samplers, and discovered Bloody Red Shrimp in the St. Louis River Estuary.  By changing the focus of the aquatic macroinvertebrates monitoring from “finding all of the species” to “targeting taxon of interest”, the measures of successes have changed to reasonable expectations while improving the monitoring of invasive species.

AUTHORS: Kevin S. Page, Ohio Division of Wildlife

ABSTRACT: Reservoirs in Ohio are surveyed annually by the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) to collect fishery-relevant information on angler effort, catch, and harvest. Historically, the ODOW conducted roving-access site angler creel surveys on weekdays and weekends during the months of April–September. However, the costs associated with conducting these intensive surveys limited the number of locations surveyed annually (0–5). In 2004, a new angler survey design was implemented that only targeted periods of greatest overall and directed angler effort (May–July, weekends), thereby decreasing the number of surveys at any one reservoir but increasing the number of reservoirs surveyed. This design has been instrumental in increasing the spatial and temporal extent of angler surveys. As of 2016, more than 300 angler surveys have been conducted at more than 100 reservoirs. To validate that the “targeted” survey design continues to provide useful fishery metrics, intensive angler surveys (March–November, weekdays and weekends) were conducted at four reservoirs during 2017. This full extensive dataset was compared to a subset representing the typical high-use survey. Overall, the “targeted” strategy continues to effectively monitor overall angler effort and catch, but may miss the peak periods (spring and fall) for certain fisheries.

AUTHORS: Erin M. Burkett, Michigan Technological University; Amanda Popovich, Lake Superior State University

ABSTRACT: Recreational fishing is an important part of Michigan’s economy and outdoor culture, and women’s participation in recreational fishing is on the rise. Providing fishing opportunities for all stakeholders, including women, requires fisheries management agencies to gain a better understanding how women are recruited into fishing, what draws them to fishing, and what aspects of the sport they enjoy the most. This includes information about their experiences, values, and preferences regarding fishing and fisheries more broadly. Previous studies found that men and women sometimes ascribe different values and meanings to recreational fishing, but the underlying gender-based reasons for these differences, and how they relate to the underrepresentation of women in recreational fishing, has not been explored. Gendered expectations and related social processes are linked to both how natural resource management operates and what outdoor recreation activities are perceived as appropriate for women. This study’s purpose is to use a community and participant-centered method called Photovoice to better understand Michigan’s women anglers. I ask the following research questions: 1) Why do Michigan women fish?; 2) What does fishing mean to them?; and 3) What experiences or perceptions shape their initial decision to fish and continued participation in recreational fishing? Photovoice allows participants to record their experiences, values, and opinions through pictures and develop personal narratives during facilitated group discussions. This approach can invoke explanations of social processes that are inaccessible to more traditional social research methods like surveys. In this talk I will present the study findings including the participants’ own photographs, the major themes that emerged from their experiences and conversations with other participants, and how the participants decided to use this project as a means of organizing some policy-related action.