Walleye Spawning Movements And Habitat Usage In Tombigbee River Drainages

Author : William Edward Chapman (II.)
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 68 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (617 download)

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Download or read book Movement, Distribution and Habitat Use of a Riverine Walleye (Sander Vitreus) written by William Edward Chapman (II.) and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1995, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) biologists discovered the presence of what was once thought to have been a lost native river run walleye (Sander vitreus). The native population was thought to have been extirpated due to dams and stocking of Lake Erie walleye (since 1973) into Lake Cumberland, but KDFWR and collaborating geneticists confirmed the strain persisted in the Rockcastle River. The purpose of this study was to determine how the natives remained reproductively isolated from the introduced Lake Erie strain. Radio telemetry was used to determine home range, seasonal movement patterns, and spawning locations, as well as habitat characteristics for these natives in the Rockcastle River. Efforts were made to implant transmitters in 40 native and 20 Lake Erie walleye, but genetic analysis of fin clips revealed that all walleye captured were native. Thus, data collected from fall 2003 to the end of spring 2005 were for 60 native individuals. Movements indicated upstream spawning from March through early April; and widely varying downstream post-spawning movements. Seasonally, high water discharges in February and March were cues for upstream movements to pool areas below spawning sites at shallow gravel riffles. Twenty-four hour monitoring revealed fish to be most active during the night with peak activity at sunrise and sunset. Movement patterns resembled that of other studies, with respect to spawning migrations, limited summer activity, and increased activity in the fall, late winter, and spring seasons. In total, approximately 370 walleye were captured during this study, and all but one small individual (collected in the lower Rockcastle River) were confirmed as natives through genetic analysis. Based on these collecting efforts, it is likely there is negligible interaction between native and Lake Erie walleye. In addition, the native walleye tend to migrate farther upstream to spawn, thus, further reducing the chances for hybridization between the two strains. In conclusion, this study will aid the KDFWR in their preservation efforts of the native walleye in the Rockcastle River by suggesting better places to stock and identifying key river sections as walleye spawning sites that should remain undisturbed.