Lateral Exchange of Larval Fish between a Restored Backwater and a Large River in the East-Central USA

Exchange of larval fish between a river\u27s main channel and its floodplain backwaters is compromised by sedimentation. Restoration projects to reduce sediment loading are being implemented in large rivers of the midwestern United States to curb backwater habitat loss and restore backwater-to-river connectivity. During 2004 and 2005, drift nets were set bidirectionally (with and against the flow) within a constructed channel between the Illinois River and an adjacent, 1,100-ha restored backwater, Swan Lake, to investigate the interplay between life history strategies and lateral drift on a diel and seasonal basis. Ambient larval density and species composition within the river and backwater also were quantified. Drift was positively correlated with water velocity in the main stem during 2004, and an estimated 32.3 × 106 larvae drifted at the surface of the channel into Swan Lake. In the absence of a flood in 2005, the density and composition of the larval fish assemblage in Swan Lake and the Illinois River appeared to drive larval drift timing, magnitude, and composition. Swan Lake\u27s restoration has maintained some river connectivity and lateral drift functionality for resident fish, but its functionality compared with natural, connected river–backwater systems remains unknown

Competition between Larval Fishes in Reservoirs: The Role of Relative Timing of Appearance

Funding for this project was provided by National Science Foundation grants DEB 9407859 and DEB 9107173 to R.A.S and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration, project F-69-P, administered jointly by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Division of Wildlife. A Presidential Fellowship from The Ohio State University supported J.E.G. during part of this research.In small, hypereutrophic reservoirs (100 mg total phosphorus/L), larval gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum and threadfin shad D. petenense (henceforth, shad) reach high densities in the limnetic zone, virtually eliminate zooplankton, and perhaps compromise success of other planktivorous larvae, such as bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. Because relative timing of appearance of shad and bluegills probably influences their relative success, we quantified densities of fish larvae and zooplankton during spring through summer in three reservoirs across 8 years (1987–1994), and we conducted three hatchery experiments with varying larval appearance times and gizzard shad densities in plastic bags (1 m3). When shad were abundant in reservoirs, bluegill abundance often peaked either at the same time (36% of reservoirs and years combined) or after (40% of reservoirs and years combined) shad peaks. When gizzard shad were placed in bags 2 weeks before bluegills (N = 1 experiment), they depleted zooplankton, reducing growth (~0.075 g · g-1· d-1) but not survival of bluegills. In experiments (N = 2) in which both species were added simultaneously, zooplankton declined only slightly with gizzard shad, and there was little effect on bluegill growth (~0.21 g · g-1· d-1) and survival; in general, gizzard shad growth declined with time and increasing gizzard shad density. Based on experiments, bluegill success should vary among reservoirs and years as a function of their appearance relative to gizzard shad. In reservoirs, zooplankton availability and bluegill abundances were consistently low during years when gizzard shad dominated reservoir fish assemblages. Because gizzard shad probably reduce bluegill success in hypereutrophic Ohio reservoirs, management strategies that reduce gizzard shad should improve bluegill success

Declining Recruitment and Growth of Shovelnose Sturgeon in the Middle Mississippi River: Implications for Conservation

To determine how populations of shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus are changing and may respond to poor environmental conditions, current commercial harvest of black-egg (sexually mature) females, and incidental mortality of males, we require annual information about sex-specific age structure as it relates to the recruitment of new cohorts. We sampled shovelnose sturgeon by use of gill nets (5-cm bar mesh) monthly during 2002-2006 in the Middle Mississippi River between Cairo, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. We compared patterns of size and age structure over time and projected age structure and population size into the future. Sex ratio in 2005-2006 was 1.14:1.00 (416 males and 363 females; P = 0.06), deviating from the 1:1 ratio that occurred in 2002-2003. Annual mortality increased from 37% in 2002-2003 to 44% by 2005-2006. Female shovelnose sturgeon were larger than males. Across years, the population shifted toward longer, older fish, and growth in length declined. Recruitment declined through time (29% per year). If these trends continue and if immigration from nonharvested populations is limited, population density may decline by an order of magnitude within one decade. Under current conditions, resilience to harvest and environmental perturbations is probably limited

Daily Increment Formation in Otoliths of the Redspotted Sunfish

To generate reliable age information for fishes, we must assess the robustness of techniques to environmental variation. We quantified daily ring deposition within the sagittal otoliths of known-age larval and juvenile redspotted sunfish Lepomis miniatus reared in ponds. We also determined how daily light : dark cycles mimicking natural conditions, reduced daylight, or constant daylight affected ring deposition in fish housed in aquaria. Additionally, we quantified how constant temperature (26°C), low daily variability in temperature (26 ± 1°C), and high daily variability (26 ± 2°C) affected production of daily rings. In pond-reared fish, the first increment was produced by the evening of hatch, and increment deposition occurred with 24-h periodicity through 119 d. Independent age estimates from two readers closely agreed. Photocycle and temperature variation did not affect periodicity of increment formation or the precision and accuracy of age estimates. Age and growth data can be reliably determined in this species to assess recruitment dynamics and develop management and conservation strategies

Use of Ultrasound Imaging to Determine Sex of Shovelnose Sturgeon

During November 2002, 51 shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus were sexed by ultrasound imaging using a portable ultrasonograph. We identified males with 96% accuracy (N = 25) and females with 80% accuracy (N = 25); one hermaphroditic individual was misidentified as a male. Overall, ultrasound imaging was 86% accurate. Sex in postspawned females was difficult to determine, 60% being misidentified as males (N = 5). Ultrasonography is an effective noninvasive method for sex determination that can be applied to other species of Acipenseriformes. Modern portable equipment expands its utility to field studies

Protracted Reproduction in Sunfish: the Temporal Dimension in Fish Recruitment Revisited

Understanding how life histories influence reproductive success under uncertain conditions is necessary to predict population dynamics. For many organisms, protracted reproduction may increase expected offspring recruitment in variable environments, requiring that temporal patterns of reproduction be considered when developing management or conservation strategies. We explored the interrelationships among birth date, production of embryos on nests, survival of larvae to the open-water stage, and survival of juveniles through the first fall and winter of life for bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus and L. gibbosus) in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, during May 1998 through May 1999. Age-0 sunfish were sampled with nesting surveys for embryos, surface tows for free-swimming larvae, and seining/trawling for juveniles. Age of juveniles (days post swim-up) was quantified using otoliths. The abundance of embryos on nests and the density of open-water larvae were unrelated across all dates and sites. Although 40% of larvae had appeared in the open water by 12 June, most juveniles sampled in the fall were produced after that time, suggesting that high mortality of early produced larvae occurred. Larval survival to the juvenile stage was generally unrelated to the abundance of edible zooplankton taxa during swim-up from nests. Larval survival was often highest at temperatures \u3e23.5°C. Fall length of age-0 sunfish increased with increasing age. Both age-specific length and mean lengths shifted positively between October 1998 and May 1999, suggesting that growth of all individuals and perhaps selective mortality of small juveniles occurred. Although early reproduction may increase sizes reached by fall and thereby improve overwinter survival, early hatched larvae are subject to variable environmental factors that may reduce survival. Late-hatched larvae may reach relatively smaller sizes by fall, but have higher survival probabilities during this life stage. Protracted reproduction appears to be a response to variable environmental factors influencing growth and survival across multiple life stages. As such, all reproducing adults, rather than those perceived to produce offspring during typically favorable times, must be protected from exploitation or other human-induced perturbations