Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

High Abundance Of Nesting Long-Eared Owls In North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Laura J. Rosenfield, Robert N. Rosenfield, Melvin P. Nenneman

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a secretive, poorly understood species in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. In North Dakota the long-eared owl has been considered a species of special concern (Petersen 1991), due mainly to lack of information on its occurrence and nesting status. We discovered 39 long-eared owl nests while searching for Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) nests in northwestern and north central North Dakota during April and May 2000. Long-eared owl nests mainly were observed at J. Clark Salyer and Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Souris River …

Non-Native Species Monitoring And Control In The Upper San Juan River, New Mexico 2004, Jason E. Davis

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Intensive non-native removal in 2004 on the upper San Juan River marked the fourth year of such efforts. A total of 6,925 channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and 1,216 common carp Cyprinus carpio were removed from RM’s 166.6 – 147.9 during 10 removal trips. Of the 10 trips, 6 were conducted from PNM Weir to Hogback Diversion (RM’s 166.6 – 159.0) and four from Hogback Diversion to Shiprock Bridge, New Mexico (RM’s 158.8 – 147.9). In addition to intensive removal efforts, opportunistic removal during riverwide monitoring trips continued in 2004.

PNM Weir to Hogback Diversion - SECTION 1

Channel catfish CPUE …

Environmental Contaminants Associated With A Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation And Implications For Mcmurtrey National Wildlife Refuge, Matthew S. Schwarz, Kathy R. Echols, Mark J. Wolcott, Karen J. Nelson

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Waste generated by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) may contain a variety of contaminants including nutrients, pathogens, trace elements, antibiotics, and hormones. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began to characterize CAFO contaminants in lagoons, canals, and created wetlands operated by Hastings Pork, a large swine CAFO adjacent to McMurtrey National Wildlife Refuge (McMurtrey) in Clay County, Nebraska. The created wetlands were designed to attract waterfowl; therefore, the primary purpose of this research was to evaluate whether migratory waterfowl were likely exposed to CAFO contaminants. A secondary research objective was to determine if created wetland water was suitable …

2004 Annual Report: Migratory Bird Conservation Commission

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Report of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for the Fiscal Year 2004

Approvals During Fiscal Year 2004

Migratory Bird Conservation Fund

Summary of Fiscal Year 2004 MBCF Land Acquisitions

New National Wildlife Refuge Boundary Approvals

Membership of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission

Map Showing National Migratory Bird Refuge Areas

Map Showing Wetland Management Districts

Notes on Tables One and Two

Table One – National Migratory Bird Refuge Areas

Table Two – Waterfowl Production Areas by State and County

North American Wetlands Conservation Fund

Table Three – U.S. Wetland Conservation Proposals Approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for FY 2004 …

Roadside Bias In Point Count Surveys At Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota, J. Scott Dieni, Paulette Sherr

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

We investigated potential biases of using roadside point counts to sample breeding bird populations in the northern mixed··grass prairie. In 1995, a breeding bird inventory and monitoring program was initiated at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, east-central North Dakota. Surveys were conducted annually through 1998 from an extensive point count array permanently located across the refuge (n = 162). Fifty-nine percent of the point counts were established directly on tertiary dirt roads and trails, while the remaining were interspersed at randomly selected distances of 100, 200, 300, and 400 m away from roads. Roadside point counts commonly consisted of a mosaic …

Bufflehead Breeding Activity In South-Central North Dakota, Gregory A. Knutsen, Janet C. King

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a small, cavity-nesting diving duck that breeds primarily in the aspen parkland and boreal forest regions of Alaska and Canada (Erskine 1972, Bellrose 1976, Gauthier 1993). According to Gauthier (1993), buffleheads prefer habitat consisting of small, permanent wetlands with a scarcity of emergent vegetation and adjacent aspen or poplar (Populus spp.) stands.

Conservations Practices And Programs For Your Farm

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Contents:

Conserving croplands

Improving water quality

Managing for Wildlife

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 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 …

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 …

Relationship Of Hydrological Conditions And Populations Of Breeding Piping Plovers, Daniel S. Licht

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

I used hydrological data and surveys of breeding piping plover (Charadrius melodus) from 1988 to 1997 to assess the relationship of water levels to piping plover breeding distribution, abundance, and habitat use in North Dakota. Piping plover abundance at wetlands surveyed in all years (n = 48) increased significantly as wetness increased (r = 0.93, P < 0.001). However, individual wetland sites often differed in their response to hydrological conditions with some sites showing significant decreases in piping plover abundance during wet periods. The abundance of piping plovers using the Missouri River system (Oahe and Sakakawea reservoirs and the free-flowing reaches of the river) correlated strongly with upland populations of piping plovers during periods of below-average water levels in the riverine system; however, once water levels within the Missouri River system reach a certain point the relationship turned negative with river populations·of piping plovers decreasing and upland populations of piping plovers increasing.

Validation Of Three Back-Calculation Models By Using Multiple Oxytetracycline Marks Formed In The Otoliths And Scales Of Bluegill × Green Sunfish Hybrids, Robert A. Klumb, Michael A. Bozek, Richard V. Frie

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

We assessed the accuracy of the Fraser–Lee, biological-intercept, and Weisberg back-calculation models to estimate growth from otoliths and scales of laboratory-reared juvenile bluegill × green sunfish hybrids (Lepomis macrochirus × Lepomis cyanellus). Hybrid sunfish were injected three times with oxytetracycline hydrochloride at 90- day intervals to mark bony structures, creating simulated annuli for model validation. Back-calculated lengths (BCLs) with otoliths were generally less accurate than scales for all three models. Errors ranged from –8.2 to 7.8% for the Fraser–Lee model, from –8.0 to 8.3% for the biological-intercept model, and from –6.5 to 14.3% for the Weisberg model. For …

Trace Element Concentrations In Plants And Sediments At Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Karen J. Nelson, Brent J. Esmoil

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in the Sandhills of western Nebraska, an area which contains the largest remaining tract of mid-grass and tall-grass prairie in North America. Land use surrounding the refuge is dominated by rangeland and land use practices likely result in minimal inputs of point or non-point source pollution. Industrial development in the area is minimal and the refuge complex is believed to be in fairly pristine condition. The use of persistent organochlorine pesticides on the refuge has been limited. The objectives of this study were to determine background concentrations of metals in biotic and …

Saratoga National Fish Hatchery, Wyoming: Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Saratoga NFH, established in 1911, has served as an egg-producing station during most of its years of operation.  Between 1915 and 1984, various strains of brook, rainbow, brown, golden and cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden eggs were produced.  In 1966, Saratoga NFH was formally designated as a broodstock hatchery, and in 1984 the hatchery became involved in the Great Lakes lake trout recovery program.  Today, the hatchery's broodstock program includes supplying about 5 million eyed Lewis Lake lake trout eggs to the Great Lakes restoration program and 3 to 4 million Plymouth Rock brown trout eggs for Service, State, and …

Fish Survey Of Nathan's Lake, Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Corey Lee, William Davison

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Columbia Fishery Resources Office conducted fish surveys at Nathan's Lake, a proposed component of Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), in June 2001.  Boyer Chute NWR is located in the Missouri River Floodplain about three miles north or Omaha, NE and four miles southeast of Ft. Calhoun, NE.

Nathan's Lake is located about one mile southwest of Boyer Chute (Figure 1) in Washington County and is connected to the Missouri River by a drainage ditch with a control structure located at the northeast corner of the lake,  Nathan's Lake is approximately a 50-acre shallow lake (0.61-1.22-m) that contains aquatic …

Ennis National Fish Hatchery, Montana Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Established in 1981, Ennis NFH was located for the purpose of taking trout eggs from wild populations, and introducing fingerling fish back into public waters to sustain and enhance the sport fishery.  The site was selected for the fractured rock out-cropping which gravity flows 15,000 gallons per minute of 54 °F spring waters; the ideal environmnet for producing trout.

In the 1970's the demand for catching trout decreased, but the demand for eggs increased.  More emphasis was placed on broodstock and by the mid-80's production exceeded 20 million eggs.  Today Ennis NFH operates as a federal broodstock hatchery and produces …