Suwannee Bass Micropterus notius are a riverine species inhabiting a restricted range within the states of Florida and Georgia. However, little is known about exploitation of Suwannee Bass, which are currently managed in Florida under a single harvest regulation with black basses (genus Micropterus). Regional exploitation of Suwannee Bass in Florida has never been examined in comparison with Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, though such a comparison would allow fisheries managers to assess the efficacy of the current regulation. We estimated regionwide exploitation of both Suwannee Bass and Largemouth Bass in rivers, as facilitated via high‐reward ($100), plastic‐tipped dart tags. In fall 2013, we tagged 108 legal‐sized Suwannee Bass (≥305 mm) across 7 rivers and 160 legal‐sized Largemouth Bass across 10 rivers in northern Florida. At the end of 1 year, we found that exploitation rates of Suwannee Bass (0.15) and Largemouth Bass (0.10) in rivers were similar. These estimates were also similar to estimates of Largemouth Bass exploitation in lakes across northern and central Florida. Received October 30, 2015; accepted March 31, 2016 Published online July 20, 2016

The family Centrarchidae is a principal and visible component of the ichthyofauna in most warmwater ecosystems in North America, and many of its species provide key recreational fisheries. We examined the significance of various local environmental factors to 13 centrarchid species in 53 floodplain lakes (remnant channels) of the Mississippi alluvial valley to identify major environmental gradients influential in structuring centrarchid assemblages. With few exceptions, changes in forest representation in the land cover, both in the lakeshore and the catchment, had the strongest associations with centrarchid assemblages. Other influential factors included depth, water clarity, and primary productivity. Connectivity to adjacent streams was weakly correlated with centrarchid assemblage structure and correlated only with a small number of species. Lake area did not appear to affect centrarchid assemblages. Recognition that land cover has the strongest correlation with centrarchid assemblage composition suggests a landscape basis for developing management plans. However, conservation and restoration of native centrarchid assemblages in these unique ecosystems will require both watershed management to curtail inputs and in‐lake management to reverse years of neglect.

In Florida, the Yellow Perch Perca flavescens is known to exist only in the Apalachicola River watershed. We conducted a 2-y study (2015–2016) to assess population characteristics of Yellow Perch in Dead Lake, Florida. We also measured summertime (June–September 2016) water temperatures to identify temperature differences between two sections (West Arm Creek and the main pool) of Dead Lake. Using electrofishing, we collected 564 Yellow Perch ranging from 72 to 343 mm total length from West Arm Creek. An age sample showed Yellow Perch ranged in age from 0 to 6 y and strong year classes were produced in 2013 and 2015. High mean total length at age suggests Yellow Perch in Dead Lake are a fast-growing population, likely a result of limited abundance and a long growing season. This study showed low mean relative weight (Wr, 2015: 70; 2016: 67), which is similar to other southeastern populations. Stomach contents and diet analysis showed no differences between age groups, which suggests that Yellow Perch are opportunistic feeders. Dead Lake showed high water temperatures (≥28°C) during the summer months, but the spring-fed Stone Mill Creek may provide thermal refugia that allow fish to avoid stressful temperatures in the main pool of Dead Lake in summer. Limited awareness among anglers, coupled with low abundance and the fish's limited range in the state, likely contributes to the lack of exploitation of Yellow Perch in Florida.

We conducted a gear comparison study to determine the best fish-sampling methodology in shoal habitat to assist with the development of a long-term fish community monitoring program on the Chipola River, Florida. Shoal habitat occurs throughout the southeastern United States, is shallow (< 1 m), and contains rock substrate and outcroppings, which limits boat electrofishing to the habitat margins. We compared the relative effectiveness of an electric seine and backpack electrofishers. Twenty-five randomly selected sites (4 m wide by 5 m long) per gear type were block netted and sampled across four shoals from August 28 to October 3, 2014. Habitat variables were recorded for each site. Using backpack electrofishers, 1,155 fish representing 21 species were collected. Using the electric seine, 1,036 fish representing 22 species were collected. We found no significant differences between gear types in mean total catch per site, mean species richness per site, Shannon's diversity, Simpson's dominance, Pielou's evenness, or the rate of species accumulation. Therefore, we consider the two gear types to be equally effective for block-netted sites in large river shoals. Differences in available equipment, funding, and personnel were compared and may ultimately determine which gear type is used in future studies.