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An ecological approach to management of an important reservoir fishery

Kallis, Jahn L

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology.
The research described herein was an attempt to determine the mechanisms underlying variation in success of saugeye (female Sander vitreus X male S. canadensis) stocked into Ohio reservoirs. In addition, we sought to identify the mechanisms that can be affected by management practices and provide a model framework for experimental assessments of fish stocking alternatives. We accomplished our goals using laboratory experiments and field assessments conducted at the individual and population levels. In a manipulative field study, we evaluated two fish management alternatives, stocking saugeye fry (approximately 6 mm total length (TL)) and stocking saugeye fingerlings (approximately 30 mm TL). We based our evaluation on a comprehensive analysis that included biological responses (i.e. saugeye growth and survival), economic criteria (i.e., saugeye production costs), and multiple fishery objectives. We also correlated saugeye growth and survival with environmental variables to help inform future stocking decisions. Although predation and the timing and abundance of larval gizzard shad prey have been implicated in the success of stocked saugeye cohorts, results from our field manipulative study did not strictly follow predictions from previous research. Thus, we combined saugeye historical data with data from our research to test earlier assumptions about saugeye predation mortality and the influence of gizzard shad on stocked saugeye cohorts. In separate study, we sought to link growth rate while fish were in the hatchery with survival in the reservoirs hypothesizing that knowing which traits were associated with high survival would give insights into the major sources of mortality. Finally, to determine if the first winter of life is an important recruitment bottleneck, we used laboratory and field studies to quantify first-winter effects, including indirect effects on growth and survival of stocked saugeye cohorts. The work described here addresses the limitations to recruitment and management in fish populations in general, but does so in the context of a reservoir-stocked piscivore whose survival is highly variable and poorly understood. We addressed basic questions about fish growth and survival during the first weeks of life, first growing season, and first winter. From an applied perspective we experimentally evaluated management alternatives and used our ecological findings to provide management recommendations.
Elizabeth Marschall (Advisor)
Stuart Ludsin (Committee Member)
Roy Stein (Committee Member)
122 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kallis, J. L. (2013). An ecological approach to management of an important reservoir fishery [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1376957161

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kallis, Jahn. An ecological approach to management of an important reservoir fishery. 2013. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1376957161.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kallis, Jahn. "An ecological approach to management of an important reservoir fishery." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1376957161

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)