Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Mechanisms Of Freeze Avoidance In Eggs Of The Antarctic Naked Dragonfish (Gymnodraco Acuticeps) And Atlantic Tomcod (Microgadus Tomcod), Jeremy M. Carlson

Student Honors Theses

A remarkable number of marine teleosts belonging to the perciform suborder Notothenioidei and the paracanthopterygian suborder Gadoidei (cods and their allies) have evolved biophysical and physiological adaptations that promote freeze avoidance to temperatures as low as 1oC below the equilibrium freezing point of their body fluids (Cheng et al. 2003; Costanzo et al. 1995; Howes 1991; Raymond and DeVries 1977). Among the Notothenioids endemic to the Antarctic Ocean, the naked dragonfish (Gymnodraco acuticeps, Figure 1) inhabits the ice-laden waters near McMurdo Sound where the annual water temperature remains stable at -1.87 ± 0.1oC (Komatsu et al. 1970; Bargelloni et al. …

Short-Term Responses Of Fish Assemblages To Habitat Restoration In A Small Midwestern Stream, John Leon West

Masters Theses

Recent efforts to restore stream habitat have become a common practice, yet evaluations of biotic responses to these practices are not as common. I evaluated fish assemblage response to restoration in a reach of Kickapoo Creek, a fourth order stream southwest of Charleston, Illinois. Restoration included 446 meters of bank stabilization, pool scouring keys, and the creation of two artificial riffles. To have a representation of pre-restoration fish assemblages, I sampled four stream reaches of Kickapoo Creek twice before construction of habitat restoration: two control reaches (upstream and downstream) and two restored reaches within a 0.5 km restoration stretch (upstream …

Demographics Of A Commercially Exploited Population Of Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris) In The Wabash River, Cassi Jo Moody-Carpenter

Masters Theses

Flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, are a popular game and commercial fish in the Midwestern United States. In the lower 322 km of the Wabash River, flathead catfish are commercially and recreationally harvested by Illinois and Indiana fishers. Current management regulations are different between the two states; Illinois and Indiana have minimum length limits of 381 and 254 mm, respectively. Indiana has proposed changing their minimum length limit to 381 mm and allowing only one fish> 889 mm to be harvested per day. My study examined the current status of flathead catfish in the Wabash River to determine a standardized …

Demographics And The Ecological Role Of The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In Commercially Exploited And Unexploited Reaches Of The Wabash River With Implications For The Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris), Robert Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Catfish are a major component of the Wabash River fish assemblage and are commercially fished below river kilometer (Rkm) 500. From Rkm 322 through 499 the commercial fishery is subjected only to Indiana fishing regulations. In this reach of river, there is a 254-mm minimum total length limit on both sport and commercially harvested catfish. Below RM 322, the Wabash River forms the state boundary of Indiana and Illinois. In this region of river there are two different length limits on commercially harvested catfish with Indiana having a 254-mm length limit and Illinois having a 381-mm length limit. There is …

Demographics And The Ecological Role Of The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In Commercially Exploited And Unexploited Reaches Of The Wabash River With Implications For The Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris), Robert E. Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Catfish are a major component of the Wabash River fish assemblage and are commercially fished below river kilometer (Rkm) 500. From Rkm 322 through 499 the commercial fishery is subjected only to Indiana fishing regulations. In this reach of river, there is a 254-mm minimum total length limit on both sport and commercially harvested catfish. Below RM 322, the Wabash River forms the state boundary of Indiana and Illinois. In this region of river there are two different length limits on commercially harvested catfish with Indiana having a 254-mm length limit and Illinois having a 381-mm length limit. There is …

An Ecosystem-Based Approach To Management: Using Individual Behaviour To Predict The Indirect Effects Of Antarctic Krill Fisheries On Penguin Foraging, Suzanne H. Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Summary 1. Changes in species' abundance and distributions caused by human disturbances can have indirect effects on other species in a community. Although ecosystem approaches to management are becoming increasingly prevalent, they require a fuller understand- ing of how individual behaviour determines interactions within and between species. 2. Ecological interactions involving krill are of major importance to many species within the Antarctic. Despite extensive knowledge of the ecosystem that they occupy, there is still incomplete understanding of the links between species and the effect of environmental conditions on these interactions. In this study, we extended a behavioural model used previously …

Ecological Games In Space And Time: The Distribution And Abundance Of Antarctic Krill And Penguins, Suzanne Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The distribution and abundance of organisms are affected by behaviors, such as habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction. These behaviors are driven by interactions within and between species, environmental conditions, and the biology of the species in-volved. Although extensive theoretical work has explored predator–prey dynamics, these models have not considered the impact of behavioral plasticity and life-history trade-offs on predicted patterns. We apply a modeling method that allows the consideration of a spatial, dynamic ecological game between predators and prey using a life-history perspec-tive. As an illustrative example, we model the habitat selection of Antarctic krill and penguins during the time …

Ecological Games In Space And Time: The Distribution And Abundance Of Antarctic Krill And Penguins, Suzanne H. Alonzo, Paul V. Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The distribution and abundance of organisms are affected by behaviors, such as habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction. These behaviors are driven by interactions within and between species, environmental conditions, and the biology of the species in-volved. Although extensive theoretical work has explored predator–prey dynamics, these models have not considered the impact of behavioral plasticity and life-history trade-offs on predicted patterns. We apply a modeling method that allows the consideration of a spatial, dynamic ecological game between predators and prey using a life-history perspec-tive. As an illustrative example, we model the habitat selection of Antarctic krill and penguins during the time …

An Ecosystem-Based Approach To Management: Using Individual Behaviour To Predict The Indirect Effects Of Antarctic Krill Fisheries On Penguin Foraging, Suzanne Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Summary 1. Changes in species' abundance and distributions caused by human disturbances can have indirect effects on other species in a community. Although ecosystem approaches to management are becoming increasingly prevalent, they require a fuller understand- ing of how individual behaviour determines interactions within and between species. 2. Ecological interactions involving krill are of major importance to many species within the Antarctic. Despite extensive knowledge of the ecosystem that they occupy, there is still incomplete understanding of the links between species and the effect of environmental conditions on these interactions. In this study, we extended a behavioural model used previously …

Mitochondrial Dna And Microsatellite Genetic Variation Of Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis Marginatus), Nancy A. Schable

Masters Theses

Dollar sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) at the Savannah River Site were sampled from two radiocesium contaminated ponds with a history of thermal elevation and from reference ponds with no history of radioactive or thermal contamination. Fluorescent sequencing of a portion of the mitochondrial control region showed no genetic variation within or between populations. Centrarchidae microsatellite loci Lma 120 (6 alleles, N=124 from 5 populations), Lma 20 (10 alleles, N=37 from 3 populations) and Rb 7 (14 alleles. N=17 from 2 populations) were variable for dollar sunfish. An additional 9 microsatellite primer pairs were designed for dollar sunfish. Testing of the designed …

Reproductive Demographics And Early Life History Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), Robert E. Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Due to the collapse of the historic caviar fisheries in the Volga River and Caspian Sea, the demand on domestically produced caviar has increased. To supply the increased demand, the harvest of the shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus latorynchus has increased. Because caviar fisheries preferentially harvest females, information regardingthe sexual demographics of these populations is essential for effective fisheries management. To date, knowledge regarding the sex ratios and reproductive development of the shovelnose sturgeon population in the Middle Mississippi River is lacking. In Chapter 1, I describe this problem in detail and in subsequent chapters I explain how I addressed this problem …

Reproductive Demographics And Early Life History Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), Robert Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Due to the collapse of the historic caviar fisheries in the Volga River and Caspian Sea, the demand on domestically produced caviar has increased. To supply the increased demand, the harvest of the shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus latorynchus has increased. Because caviar fisheries preferentially harvest females, information regardingthe sexual demographics of these populations is essential for effective fisheries management. To date, knowledge regarding the sex ratios and reproductive development of the shovelnose sturgeon population in the Middle Mississippi River is lacking. In Chapter 1, I describe this problem in detail and in subsequent chapters I explain how I addressed this problem …

The Role Of Bowfin, Amia Calva, In Multiple Species Management Plans, Benjamin Jacob Hausmann

Masters Theses

The major challenge to fisheries managers of the 21st century will be to maintain the diversity, not only of fishing opportunity, but also of traditionally non-game and economically unimportant species. With the relatively recent understanding of the importance of ecosystem level management, attention is being focused on native species that were often ignored or eradicated under past management practices. One such fish that has been largely ignored is the bowfin, Amia calva. Ecological data pertaining to bowfin natural history are limited and to date no attempt has been made to integrate bowfin into fisheries management decisions within the species native …

Growth Of Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, And Channel Catfish In Relation To Fish Abundances, Food Availability, And Other Limnological Variables, Sean P. Callahan

Masters Theses

Bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish are widely distributed and popular sports species. We assessed growth of sympatric populations of these species in 14 reservoirs throughout Illinois, and attempted to relate growth to environmental factors. Principal components analysis (PCA) classified the lakes using 20 morphometric and limnological variables. We examined growth rate relationships with the principal components, via correlations, and also developed simple and multiple regression models using individual variables. Using size-specific growth for two size classes, percent littoral zone of a lake was correlated with growth of both channel catfish (300 and 450 mm) and small bluegill (50 mm). …

Size-Specific Growth Of Illinois Stream Fishes: Relationships With Biotic And Abiotic Habitat Variables, John H. Putman Ii

Masters Theses

Growth is an important component in the ecology and management of stream fisheries. Growth of stream fish has received relatively little attention and relationships with habitat variables are largely unknown. We quantified growth of juvenile and adult size classes of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), and smallmouth bass (M. dolomieui) from Illinois streams. Growth rates for each species fell within ranges previously reported for lakes and rivers in the United States although they averaged slightly lower. Within each species except channel catfish, growth …

Copper Accumulation By Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma Cepedianum) In The Charleston Side Channel Reservoir, Mark T. Christ

Masters Theses

Exposure to trace heavy metals is being extensively studied in relation to their adverse and toxic effects on organisms. Processes affecting compartmentalization, biogeochemical cycling, and transport of trace metals in ecological systems must be elucidated if the impact of trace metal releases on biota are to be understood. Because elemental cycles are often closely linked to hydrologic processes, freshwater and marine systems serve as both vectors and sinks for trace metals in the environment. The regular addition of a heavy metal into an aquatic ecosystem will undoubtedly increase its persistance for availability to the existing biota. Once in the environment, …

Growth Increments And Condition Factors Of Pomoxis Annularis (White Crappie) In The Years Following Completion Of The Pump Storage Reservoir At Lake Charleston, Charleston, Il, 1982-1988, Herbert Clinton Fairow

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to attempt to document any changes that may have occured due to the construction of a pump storage reservoir at Lake Charleston. The age I white crappie present in the new reservoir were observed to exhibit an increase in first year growth in 1982. This increase was observed in subsequent years but not to the same degree as was observed initially. The age II fish present in the new reservoir in 1982 exhibited a very large increase in growth for the first year of the new impoundment. In the years after 1982 the annual …

Avoidance Learning And Memory In Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Fed Bufo Tadpoles, Randy John Gawlik

Masters Theses

Tadpoles of the American toad (Bufo americanus) have been shown to be distasteful to largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) predators who learn, on the short term, to avoid them. How long bass retain this learned avoidance of Bufo larvae is unknown so an experimental design was constructed in an attempt to answer this question.

Largemouth bass were divided into four treatment groups. Two groups were initially fed exclusively larvae of Bufo americanus (one group was fed large tadpoles, the other group fed small larvae). Similarily, the other two groups were initially fed spring peeper (Hyla crucifer …

A Comparison Of The Temporal Spawning Distributions And Growth Rates Of Young-Of-The-Year Redear Sunfish (Lepomis Microlophus) And Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus) In Three Illinois Impoundments, Craig Douglas Schmittler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the temporal spawning distribution and growth rates of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) in Illinois impoundments. Otolith sagittae were used to age the fish and to determine the intervals of successful spawning for both species.

Readear sunfish initiated spawning slightly before or a the same time as bluegill; however, bluegill spawned for twice as long as redear sunfish in all study impoundments. The earliest spawned fish of both species showed the fastest growth and the earliest spawned redear sunfish grew faster than did the earliest …

Observed Changes In The Largemouth Bass Population Since Construction Of A New Pump Storage Reservoir At Charleston, Illinois, Lawrence B. Durham

Masters Theses

Lake Charleston, Illinois was electrofished to determine the status of the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides, Lacepede) population after its reconstruction into a pump storage reservoir. The changes observed were an increased rate of growth of the initial year class, increased average growth increment of older bass, and a more abundant bass population. Factors which may have influenced increased growth were decreased turbidity, alkalinity, and increased water level. There is a possibility the increase in water level led to an increase in terrestrial invertebrates as a food source, and increased spawning substrate and cover due to submerged terrestrial vegetation. …

Annual Marks In The Sagittae Otoliths Of The Bluegill And Their Use In Age Determination In A Thermally Perturbed Environment, William D. Kraus

Masters Theses

This investigation was undertaken to determine if annual marks were present in the otoliths of the Bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, and to explore their possible use as ageing structures in a thermally perturbed environment.

Two populations were studied; one from a farm pond with marked seasonal changes and the other from Lake Sanchris which serves as a cooling reservoir in central Illinois. Age determinations were made on 53 and 45 fish from the farm pond and Lake Sanchris respectively.

Annual marks were found to occur in the sagittae otoliths of the bluegill. These marks showed bright amber in sectioned …

Correlation Of Hook-And-Line Vulnerability Of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) With Selected Physicochemical Parameters At Ridge Lake, Dale P. Burkett

Masters Theses

Fluctuation in kilograms of largemouth bass caught per man-hour of fishing pressure (catch rate) in Ridge Lake (a 6.8ha impoundment located in Fox Ridge State Park, Coles County, Illinois) was positively correlated with dissolved oxygen concentration (r=0.7490), conductivity (r=0.7439), pH (r=0.5965), and alkalinity (r=0.7531). Negative correlations were found between largemouth bass catch rate and turbidity (r=-0.5145), as well as ammonia (r=-0.4694). No significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between catch rate and column water temperature, air temperature, barometric pressure, water level, maximum water temperature, minimum water temperature, maximum air temperature, or minimum air temperature.

Models describing the relationships of the most significant physicochemical parameters to catch rate of largemouth bass were chosen to represent the effects of environment …

Daily Growth Increments In The Otoliths Of Young-Of-The-Year Largemouth Bass, Micropterus Salmoides, Steven J. Miller

Masters Theses

Daily rings were found to occur in the otoliths of laboratory-reared, young-of-the-year largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, for at least 151 days after swimup. Ring formation began at hatching but the total complement of prolarval rings was visible for only 10-15 days after swimup. Subdaily rings were visible in the posterior field but were easily distinguished from daily rings. Both high and low contrast tissue was present in otoliths from fish over 45 days old. Sagittal sections were superior to frontal sections for aging bass. The accuracy of the two-sections was similiar but sagittal sections were much easier and faster …

The Effects Of Fin Clipping And Tagging On Growth And Behavior Of The Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides), Daniel M. Daley

Masters Theses

One hundred largemouth bass, ranging in size from 148mm to 385mm, were equally divided into four treatment groups (control, tag only, tag and left pectoral fin clip, and tag and all paired fins clipped) , and placed into a 5.56 hectare pond on 22 May and 25 May 1979. Upon recovery on 28 September 1979, the increase in length from the time of most recent annulus formation was found to be significantly greater in Age I control fish (x̄ = 125mm) than in fish of the same age in the other three treatment groups (x̄ = 110mm, 103mm, and 106mm, …

Repopulation Of Fishes In Riley Creek, Coles County, Illinois Following Nitrogen Fertilizer Pollution, Kim James Carney

Masters Theses

The repopulation of stream fishes was studied from 17 May 1979 to 25 October 1979 following a major kill (100% mortality) caused by nitrogen fertilizer pollution in Riley Creek, Coles County, Illinois. The extent of recovery was determined by comparing post-kill collections with pre-kill survey data that was collected on 25 October 1978.

Repopulation began six days after the abatement of the pollution source. It is suggested that the initial source of repopulation was from the nearest undamaged tributary. The first three reinhabitants in order of appearence were: stonerollers (Campostoma anomalum); creek chubs (Semotilus atromaculatus); and …

The Ecology Of Invertebrate Drift And Feeding Chronology Of The Striped Shiner, Notropis Chrysocephalus (Rafinesque) In Polecat Creek, Illinois, Dennis L. Newman

Masters Theses

The downstream drift of macroinvertebrates and the daily feeding cycle of the striped shiner, Notropis chrysocephalus (Rafinesque), were studied during the spring and summer of 1978 in Polecat Creek, Illinois. The purpose of the study was to: investigate the drift phenomenon of an entire lotic community, determine the pattern of diel periodicity for several important benthic populations, make qualitative and quantitative assessments of the relation of drift to benthos, and examine drift in relation to the daily feeding ecology of a cyprinid carnivore.

Polecat Creek at the sampling site was a relatively fast-flowing third-order stream, with frequent riffles. Drift sampling …

Analysis Of The Capture-Recapture Method Of Determining Fish Population Size In A Pond Community, Richard E. Hall

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Food Habits Of The Steelcolor Shiner, Notropis Whipplei (Girard), Mark A. Dyer

Masters Theses

Specimens of the steelcolor shiner, Notropis whipplei (Girard) were seined at irregular intervals from Polecat Creek (Coles County, Illinois) from October 1974 to September 1975. Drift and benthic samples were taken in conjunction with fish collections. The stomach contents of the fish were analyzed and compared to organisms found in the drift and benthos. More food taxa were represented in the fish collected during the summer. Aquatic insect forms, primarily chironomid larvae, amounted to 75.6% of the total percentage of foods eaten during the winter as compared to 18.8% for the summer. Adult insects, mainly coleopterans and dipterans, were the …

Mercury Levels In Muscle Tissue Of Stream-Dwelling Fish, Tom Frost

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Feeding Selectivity Of Young-Of-The-Year Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus Dolomieui Lacepede, In Four Rearing Ponds, Gordon Brent Manning

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.