Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Terrestrial Natural Communities Of Nebraska (Version Iii - June 30, 2005), Gerry Steinauer, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

For more than a decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and state natural heritage programs, including the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NNHP), have used a “coarse filter/fine filter” approach to preserving biological diversity (The Nature Conservancy, 1994). This approach involves identification and protection of natural communities (coarse filter) as well as rare species (fine filter). Identifying and protecting representative examples of natural communities ensures conservation of most species, biotic interactions and ecological processes. Those species that “fall through” the community filters are generally the rare species. Identification and protection of viable occurrences of rare species serves as the fine filter for …

Conservations Practices And Programs For Your Farm

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Contents:

Conserving croplands

Improving water quality

Managing for Wildlife

Ecology Of The Missouri River: Missouri River Creel Survey, Bellevue Bridge To Camp Creek, 30 March Through 11 October 2002. Supplement I, Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 30 March through 11 October 2002. This is the third of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Anglers spent over 42,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Bellevue (rkm 967.7) to Camp Creek (rkm 883.5) during the survey period. Effort was steady from late spring (4/27 …

Breeding Season Avifauna Of Prairie Dog Colonies And Non-Colonized Areas In Shortgrass Prairie, Stephen L. Winter, Jack Cully Jr., Jeffrey Pontius

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Avian assemblages of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies were compared to those present at two types of non-colonized grassland, during the breeding season, in southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Relative abundances were quantified in 1996 during a period of drought and in 1997 during a period of above average precipitation. We detected fewer bird species at all sites in 1996 than in 1997, and the total number of bird species detected on prairie dog colonies was lower than that detected on both types of non-colonized areas during both years. Homed larks (Eremophila alpestris) had higher …

Morphology Of The Spores Of Myxosoma Cerebralis (Hofer, 1903) And M. Cartilaginis (Hoffman, Putz, And Dunbar, 1965)*, Glenn L. Hoffman, Jiří Lom

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The spore of Myxosoma cerebralis is redescribed and compared with that of a close relative, M. cartilaginis. M. cerebralis is smaller, with greater variability in size and shape. It possesses a mucous envelope whereas M. cartilaginis does not. The surface architecture of M. cerebralis, as seen with the scanning electron microscope, differs in possessing a conspicuous circumsutural groove, prominent polar filament pores, and a mucous envelope.

Feasibility Study On Nonnative Fish Removal In The Lower Little Colorado River, Pam Sponholtz

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

This section provides insight into the relationship between the proposed action and the Adaptive Management Program goals and objectives, Recovery Goals for the humpback chub, and the Biological Opinion RPAs on Glen Canyon Dam operations.

Bull Trout Salvelinus Confluentus

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Bull trout are members of the char subgroup of the salmon family (salmonids), which also includes the Dolly Varden, lake trout and Arctic char. Bull trout living in streams grow to about 4 pounds while those in lake or large river environments can weigh more than 20 pounds.

Biologists distinguish char from other salmonids such as trout and salmon by
the absence of teeth in the roof of the mouth, the presence of light-colored spots on a dark background (trout and salmon have dark spots on a lighter background), the absence of spots on the dorsal fin, their …

A Guide To Prairie And Wetland Restoration In Eastern Nebraska, Gerry Steinauer, Bill Whitney, Krista Adams, Mike Bullerman, Chris Helzer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This publication documents the restoration methods originally developed by Bill Whitney and later refined by himself and other ecologists from TNC, PRCT, NGPC and USFWS working in eastern Nebraska. Restoration of the following plant community types is covered in this document: tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, sand prairie, freshwater wet meadow and marsh, Rainwater Basin wet meadow and marsh, and saline wet meadow and marsh.

The methods we use are generally affordable and not complicated. To quickly summarize, we handpick and machine harvest seed, do little seed cleaning and broadcast plant with a fertilizer spreader. We do not mow annual weeds …

2003 Survey Of Priority Natural Communities In Jefferson County, Nebraska, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This survey was undertaken to update information on native plant communities and wildlife habitats in Nebraska to facilitate the development of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) Comprehensive Wildlife Plan. The specific intent of the project was to identify and map all large blocks of privately owned native plant communities within the survey area. In 2003, the surveys focused on eastern Nebraska, specifically deciduous forest communities along the Missouri River, tallgrass prairies of southeastern Nebraska (Pawnee, Gage, Jefferson, and eastern Thayer counties), and loess mixed-grass prairies in central Nebraska. A brief survey of the Elkhorn River valley in Madison …

Ecology Of The Missouri River. Progress Report, Dingell-Johnson Project F-75-R-19, Supplement 1- Missouri River Creel Survey, Camp Creek To Kansas State Line, 31 March Through 12 October 2001, Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 31 March through 12 October 2001. This is the second of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Anglers spent over 22,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Camp Creek (rkm 883.5) to the Kansas state line (rkm 790.2) during the survey period. Effort peaked during the …

Uncertainty Of Exploitation Estimates Made From Tag Returns, L.E. Miranda, R.E. Brock, Brian S. Dorr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Over 6,000 crappies Pomoxis spp. were tagged in five water bodies to estimate exploitation rates by anglers. Exploitation rates were computed as the percentage of tags returned after adjustment for three sources of uncertainty: post-release mortality due to the tagging process, tag loss, and the reporting rate of tagged fish. Confidence intervals around exploitation rates were estimated by re-sampling from the probability distributions of tagging mortality, tag loss, and reporting rate. Estimates of exploitation rates ranged from 17% to 54% among the five study systems. Uncertainty around estimates of tagging mortality, tag loss, and reporting resulted in 90% confidence intervals …

Synopsis Of Freshwater Crayfish Diseases And Commensal Organisms, Brett F. Edgerton, Louis H. Evans, Frances J. Stephens, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Disease agents and pests associated with freshwater crayfish fall into six main categories—viruses, bacteria, rickettsia-like organisms (RLOs), fungi, protists, and metazoans. Data and information on specific disease agents and pests from each of these categories are presented in this synopsis. Each agent or group of agents is considered under the following headings—condition, causative agent(s), life cycle/life history, epizootiology, pathology, pathogen viability. Information for the synopsis was obtained from the published literature and from personal contact with internationally recognized experts in freshwater crayfish aquaculture, biology, and disease. Data of relevance for import risk analysis are summarized.

Import risk analysis is the …

Rapid Ecological Assessment Of The Northern Mixedgrass Prairie Ecoregion (Nebraska Portion), Gerry Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This study was conducted as part of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) project to conduct ecoregional conservation planning throughout the continental United States. TNC contracted with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) to conduct a rapid ecological assessment (REA) of the portion of the Northern Mixedgrass Prairie ecoregion (NMGP) occurring in Nebraska. This report concludes that agreement. Roughly the northern 1/5 of central Nebraska occurs within the NMGP (Figure 1). This ecoregion also includes extensive area of central South Dakota and central North Dakota. The objective of this study was to conduct a REA of the untilled landscapes within the …

A Northeast Dairy Perspective Of Farming And Conservation, Carl W. Schwartz

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

An oxcart brought Colonel John Randall the 300 or so miles from Stonington, Connecticut, to Pharsalia, New York, to build the first house in town in 1797. The lands were wooded with mixed northern hardwoods (beech, birch, maple) growing in thin rocky soils. By 1875, when Berthier Mathewson, farmer and justice of the peace, owned the property, nearly 70 percent of the 23,458 acres in Pharsalia had been improved, leaving only 7,651 acres wooded. Gross sales of farm products that year totaled $71,382 and, aside from a couple of merchants, a hotel keeper and a saw mill, farming was the …

Contaminant Assessment Process Report For Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Joel Chirhart, Laura Coppock, Andrew Archuleta

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program identifies and evaluates the effects of environmental contaminants on lands and biological resources managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI). The primary goals of the BEST program are: 1) determine the status and trends of environmental contaminants and their effects on biological resources, 2) identify, assess, and predict the effects of contaminants on ecosystems and biological populations, and 3) provide summary information to managers and the public for guiding conservation efforts. One tool used to reach these goals is the Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP). CAP is a two-part process involving …

Determination Of Impacts On The Endangered Wyoming Toad (Bufo Baxteri) At Mortenson National Wildlife Refuge From Ammonium Nitrate Concentrations, Edward E. Little, Robin D. Calfee, Kimberly Dickerson

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The endangered Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri) is found only as a reintroduced population at Mortenson National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the Laramie Plains of southeast Wyoming. Reasons for the decline of this amphibian are unknown. Data on predation, habitat modification, soil and water conditions (Stone 1991), and water quality (Ramirez 1992; Ramirez and Armstrong 1992), are available; but, none of these parameters are documented as posing serious threats to the toad.

One threat that has not been investigated is the potential for agricultural fertilizers containing nitrates to enter surface water at Mortenson NWR. Nitrates are transported by irrigation …

Oil Field Produced Water Discharges Into Wetlands In Wyoming, Pedro Ramirez Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Approximately 600 oil field produced water discharges are permitted in Wyoming by the State’s Department of Environmental Quality's (WDEQ) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Wyoming is one of a few states that allows the discharge of oil field produced water into surface waters for beneficial use by livestock and wildlife. Sixty-six wetland sites receiving oil field produced water discharges in Wyoming were surveyed to determine the percentage of discharges in compliance with NPDES permit requirements and to determine the amount of chronic oil releases associated with these discharges. Separator pits were also surveyed to determine wildlife mortality …

Address Given By The Director Of The United States Fish And Wildlife Service, Steve Williams

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

As the theme of this conference implies, it often pays to look back, before moving forward. Theodore Roosevelt was a legendary, national, conservation leader. Throughout his life, he embodied the spirit of the original conservationist. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He recognized the detrimental impact of market hunting and the reckless attitudes that led to the disappearance of the great buffalo herds and to the extinction of the passenger pigeon.

Utah Fish & Wildlife Management Assistance

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Utah FWMAO, formerly known as the Roosevelt FWMAO, was originally established in 1971 to provide fish and wildlife technical assistance to Indian tribes in Utah in order to fulfill its trust responsibility.

Technical assistance includes helping tribes manage their fish, wildlife, and habitat resources. One of our major conservation projects is working with Tribes, other Federal agencies and State natural resource agencies to conserve Bonneville cutthroat trout and other native species.

Colorado River Fishery Project - Vernal, Ut

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Colorado River Fishery Project (CRFP) was originally established in 1979 to conduct research and management activities benefiting endangered fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Our mission is to develop and implement techniques that are used to recover four endangered fishes: the Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, bonytail, and razorback sucker, all native to the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Lander Fish And Wildlife Management Office

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The FWMAO located in Kander, WY, provided fishery assistance to the tribes since 1941.  In 1972, at the request of the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes and supported through congressional action, the office was enlarged to provide both fish and wildlife management assistance.

Today, the Lander FWMAO provides fish and wildlife management assistance to the Wind River Reservation and National Wildlife Reservation contains some of the most pristine mountainous areas in the lower 48 states with over 250 lakes and reservoirs and over 1100 miles of rivers and streams most of which provide some of the highest quality trout fisheries in …

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy: A Newly Recognized Fatal Neurological Disease Of Eagles, Waterfowl And Other Birds, John R. Fischer, Lynn A. Lewis, Tom Augspurger, Tonie E. Rocke

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Since 1994, wildlife biologists and wildlife health specialists have worked to determine the cause of avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM), a neurologic disease of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and other birds. The causes of morbidity and mortality in wildlife typically are determined through both antemortem and postmortem examinations, combined with ancillary tests for microbiological organisms, toxicants and other etiologies. However, the etiology of AVM has not been determined yet, despite extensive diagnostic investigations, including examinations for common disease agents, as well as infrequent or unusual causes of mortality. With the failure of standard diagnostic testing to determine the cause …

The Influence Of Sylvatic Plague On North American Wildlife At The Landscape Level, With Special Emphasis On Black-Footed Ferret And Prairie Dog Conservation, Michael F. Antolin, Pete Gober, Bob Luce, Dean E. Biggins, William E. Van Pelt, David B. Seery, Micael Lockhart, Mark Ball

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

"Prairie-dogs are distributed over a large part of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. Their colonies often number thousands of individuals, and their destruction of grasses and other forage plants makes them of considerable economic importance. Drastic measures are frequently necessary to prevent the destruction of crops of grain and hay. The Biological Survey is exterminating these rodents in national forests and in the public domain. The information in this report, in regards to the several species and their distribution, as indicated by maps, will aid materially in efforts, national or state, to control or exterminate them," said Henry …

Bioavailability And Exposure Assessment Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons And Trace Elements In Birds Nesting Near The North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, Kimberly Dickerson, Thomas W. Custer, Christine M. Custer, Ken Allen

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The objectives of this study were to compare refinery-related petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and nestling house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) at sites along the North Platte River Casper, Wyoming in 1997 and 1998; and to determine if contaminants were present in concentrations that could adversely affect the birds. Because trace element concentrations, mixed function oxidase activity, and the variation in DNA are often associated with petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in birds, each was measured as indicators of petroleum contamination. Sediment and aquatic invertebrates were also sampled for characterizing a possible contaminant source to …

Evaluation Of Nile Tilapia Pond Management Strategies In Egypt, Bartholomew W. Green, Zenab El Nagdy, Hussein Hebicha

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Five pond management strategies for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) production were evaluated in 0.1-ha earthen ponds in Egypt during a 145-day production cycle. Pond management strategies developed by the Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (PD/A CRSP) were compared to a traditional and to a modified Egyptian pond management strategy. Young-of-year Nile (mixed-sex or sex-reversed) tilapia were stocked into ponds at 20,000 fish ha^-1. Sex-reversed tilapia were stocked into chemical fertilization, organic fertilization plus formulated feed, and feed only treatment ponds, while mixed-sex tilapia were stocked into organic fertilization plus formulated feed, and chemical plus organic …

Morphological Variation Of Allocreadium Lobatum (Digenea: Allocreadiidae) In The Creek Chub, Semotilus Atromaculatus (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae), In Nebraska, Usa, Monte S. Willis

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Allocreadium lobatum Wallin 1909, a parasite of fresh-water fish, was originally described as having distinct lobate testes, and subsequent descriptions have left this original description unchanged. The present study quantifies the observation of distinctly non-lobate testes that could be categorized as round or asymmetrical in addition to the previously described lobate testes. Six hundred thirty-six A. lobatum were collected from 228 Semotilus atromaculatus over a 9 month period. Overall, 21.3%, 61.6%, and 16% were found to be round, asymmetrical, and lobate testes respectively (N = 1,071). Analysis of testis morphology found the increasing presence of lobate testis as …

Intermediate Rings Between A Local Domain And Its Completion, Ii, William Heinzer, Christel Rotthaus, Sylvia Wiegand

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We present results connecting flatness of extension rings to the Noetherian property for certain intermediate rings between an excellent normal local domain and its completion. We consider conditions for these rings to have Cohen-Macaulay formal fibers. We also present several examples illustrating these results.

Nebraska And South Dakota 2000 Missouri River Recreational Use Survey: Supplement Ii, Nebraska And South Dakota 2000 Missouri River Recreational Use Survey, Fort Randall Tailwater To Big Sioux River, Gerald Mestl, Gerald Wickstrom, Clifton Stone

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The 2000 Missouri River recreational use survey ran 1 April 2000 through 31 December 2000 and covered the Fort Randall Dam to Big Sioux River reach. Recreational user data was collected from postage paid post cards left on vehicles and through personal interviews. Pressure data was collected during a roving survey from ground counts of vehicles, boat trailers, recreational users. Aerial counts were made to compare angling and recreational boating data with ground count data. Recreational users spent an estimated 745,303 hours on the Missouri River survey reach during 2000. Fishing accounted for an estimated 458,749 hours, or 62% of …

2001 Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey For South Dakota And North Dakota

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The 2001 Waterfowl Breeding Ground and Habitat Survey for South and North Dakota was conducted 7 - 28 May with standard aerial coverage accomplished. Personnel changes occurred this year in both the air and ground crew. Habitat conditions were good to excellent through out most of the crew area. Compared to 2000 levels, wetland counts increased 58% in South Dakota and were similar (2%) in North Dakota. Waterfowl breeding populations were second and third highest of record for South Dakota (4.301 million) and North Dakota (5.767 million), respectively. The outlook for waterfowl production in 2001 is above average.

For The Birds

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

As you learn to enjoy the beauty of birdlife around their home, you may wish to improve the “habitat” in your yard so that more birds will visit your property. You can attract birds by placing bird feeders, nest boxes, and bird baths in your yard, and by planting a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers. These can provide good nesting sites, winter shelter, places to hide from predators and natural food supplies that are available year-round.

Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch, feed and landscape for …