Consumption estimates of walleye stocked as fry to suppress fathead minnow populations in west‐central Minnesota wetlands

Ward, Matthew C.; Willis, David W.; Herwig, Brian R.; Chipps, Steven R.; Parsons, Bradford G.; Reed, Jeffrey R.; Hanson, Mark A.

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00257.x

Cited by 12 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This is supported by our analysis, in which r was approximately 83% of mean P/B. Fast-growing common carp escape predation by rapidly exceeding the gape limitations of predators (Sammons et al 1994;Ward et al 2008). Additionally, the long life span of common carp in Clear Lake (maximum age = 13 years; Colvin et al 2010) indicates that other sources of mortality (e.g., senescence) represent a small percentage of production.…”

Section: Annual Metrics and Ecotrophic Coefficientsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…For example, northern pike Esox lucius have been used to control nuisance fishes; however, their success as biological control agents depends on the inclusion of nuisance fishes in their diet (Paukert et al 2003;Ward et al 2008), the timing of stocking events, predator biomass, and predator and prey body size (Skov and Nilsson 2007). By controlling nuisance fish populations, piscivores can induce a trophic cascade that leads to improved water quality, recovery of sport fish populations, and increased biological diversity (Carpenter et al 1985;Kitchell 1992;Lathrop et al 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Strategies to Control a Common Carp Population by Pulsed Commercial Harvest

Colvin

Pierce

Stewart

et al. 2012

N American J Fish Manag

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Commercial fisheries are commonly used to manage nuisance fishes in freshwater systems, but such efforts are often unsuccessful. Strategies for successfully controlling a nuisance population of common carpCyprinus carpio by pulsed commercial harvest were evaluated with a combination of (1) field sampling, (2) population estimation and CPUE indexing, and (3) simulation using an exponential semidiscrete biomass dynamics model (SDBDM). The range of annual fishing mortalities (F) that resulted in successful control (F= 0.244-0.265) was narrow. Common carp biomass dynamics were sensitive to unintentional underharvest due to high rates of surplus production and a biomass doubling time of 2.7 years. Simulations indicated that biomanipulation never achieved successful control unless supplemental fishing mortality was imposed. Harvest of a majority of annual production was required to achieve successful control, as indicated by the ecotrophic coefficient (EC). Readily available biomass data and tools such as SDBDMs and ECs can be used in an adaptive management framework to successfully control common carp and other nuisance fishes by pulsed commercial fishing. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. AbstractCommercial fisheries are commonly used to manage nuisance fishes in freshwater systems, but such efforts are often unsuccessful. Strategies for successfully controlling a nuisance population of common carp Cyprinus carpio by pulsed commercial harvest were evaluated with a combination of (1) field sampling, (2) population estimation and CPUE indexing, and (3) simulation using an exponential semidiscrete biomass dynamics model (SDBDM). The range of annual fishing mortalities (F) that resulted in successful control (F = 0.244-0.265) was narrow. Common carp biomass dynamics were sensitive to unintentional underharvest due to high rates of surplus production and a biomass doubling time of 2.7 years. Simulations indicated that biomanipulation never achieved successful control unless supplemental fishing mortality was imposed. Harvest of a majority of annual production was required to achieve successful control, as indicated by the ecotrophic coefficient (EC). Readily available biomass data and tools such as SDBDMs and ECs can be used in an adaptive management framework to successfully control common carp and other nuisance fishes by pulsed commercial fishing.

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Section: Annual Metrics and Ecotrophic Coefficientsupporting

confidence: 62%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies to Control a Common Carp Population by Pulsed Commercial Harvest

Colvin

Pierce

Stewart

et al. 2012

N American J Fish Manag

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“…Young walleye experience rapid ontogenetic diet shifts and became predominantly piscivorous at a length of 30-40 mm, initially feeding on larval minnows (5-6 mm), then on progressively larger minnows (Ward 2003). Fathead minnows prey heavily on zooplankton and macroinvertebrates (Price, Tonn & Paszkowski 1991;Duffy 1998;Herwig & Zimmer 2007); thus, we believe the changes we observed resulted mostly from increased piscivory (Ward 2003;Ward et al 2008). Our results are consistent with the findings of Zimmer et al (2001) who described similar responses of zooplankton, water transparency, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton biomass following removal of fathead minnows from a shallow Minnesota lake using the fish toxicant rotenone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ward et al (2008 showed that walleye fry in these sites consumed larval minnows by mid-June 2001, with prey size increasing to include adult minnows by August that same year. Walleye fry predation rates on minnows were high; bioenergetics modelling indicated that consumption of fathead minnows by walleye fry from June to September of 2001 averaged 99 kg ha -1 (Ward et al 2008). Thus, high predation on larval minnows in early summer, and adult minnows in later summer, coupled with high natural post-spawn mortality of adult minnows (reviewed by Duffy 1998), resulted in reduced abundance of adult and larval minnows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, little is known about the ecological consequences of four dominant trophic levels (primary producers, grazing invertebrates, planktivores, piscivores), or how these systems respond to shifts between three and four trophic levels due to colonization or winterkill of piscivores. These are important questions because both presence and abundance of piscivorous fishes are highly variable among shallow lakes and within individual sites over time (Duffy 1998;Ward 2003). Given contrasting predictions of odd-link vs. even-link food-web models for terrestrial and lake ecosystems (Oksanen et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cascading food‐web effects of piscivore introductions in shallow lakes

Potthoff

Herwig

Hanson

et al. 2008

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary 1.Anthropogenic landscape modifications have resulted in increased water depths and greater connectivity among the remaining shallow lakes throughout eastern portions of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. This has created conditions favourable for the establishment of planktivorous fish populations, notably fathead minnows Pimephales promelas . Such fish populations may reach high densities and reduce zooplankton and macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. Resulting reductions in algal grazing by zooplankton favour transition to a turbid-water state, characterized by increased phytoplankton, decreased water clarity, and reduced macrophytes. Ultimately, such lakes are characterized by low habitat complexity and biodiversity, and conditions less favourable for waterbirds and other wetland-dependent species. 2. We conducted a 3-year study to assess the efficacy of walleye Sander vitreus stocking as a means of initiating trophic cascades, thus testing the ecological theory that piscivore addition can promote shifts from the turbid to the clear-water state by suppressing planktivores (fathead minnows), increasing zooplankton and macroinvertebrates, and reducing phytoplankton. Treatments consisted of six sites stocked with walleye fry, six lakes stocked with walleye age-1 and older, and six control lakes containing antecedent fathead minnows only. 3. Stocking walleye fry resulted in much lower densities of fathead minnows and higher densities of cladocerans and some macroinvertebrates. Chlorophyll a also decreased in the fry treatment sites. Stocking age-1 and older walleye induced few changes at the stocking density we tested. 4. The success of walleye fry appears to be partly attributable to their rapid diet shift to fish prey and their ability to consume and suppress all life stages of planktivores (fry, juveniles, and adults). However, most responses to walleye fry additions were short-lived, indicating that achieving long-term improvements may require repeated restocking. 5. Synthesis and applications . The available evidence indicates that catchment-level restoration alone is often of limited utility in restoring clear-water conditions in shallow lakes. Our results indicated that stocking piscivorous fish has the potential to improve ecological characteristics of shallow lakes, overcoming tendencies towards phytoplankton dominance. We suggest that managers consider using piscivorous fish stocks, ideally in conjunction with catchment-level restoration measures, to stimulate improvement of ecological characteristics in shallow lakes.

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Gear‐ and Season‐Specific Catch Rates of Age‐0 Walleyes and White Bass: Standard Sampling Recommendations for Great Plains Reservoirs

Miller

Schoenebeck

Koupal

2018

N American J Fish Manag

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Walleye Sander vitreus and White Bass Morone chrysops are two of the most popular sport fish species sought by anglers in the Great Plains. However, not all sampling approaches effectively capture age-0 Walleyes and White Bass, and therefore it may be difficult for fisheries managers to index age-0 year-class strength. We evaluated the differences among three gears for sampling age-0 Walleyes and White Bass: bag seining, boat electrofishing, and small-mesh gill netting. Boat electrofishing had the highest average catch, lowest minimum sample size needed to obtain a relative standard error of 25%, low operational effort, and the lowest mortality. The average catches of age-0 Walleyes and White Bass were positively correlated, suggesting that the two species can be sampled simultaneously. Considering all of the metrics evaluated, we recommend boat electrofishing in September as the most appropriate way to sample age-0 Walleyes and White Bass in reservoirs.

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Consumption estimates of walleye stocked as fry to suppress fathead minnow populations in west‐central Minnesota wetlands

Cited by 12 publications

References 49 publications

Strategies to Control a Common Carp Population by Pulsed Commercial Harvest

Strategies to Control a Common Carp Population by Pulsed Commercial Harvest

Cascading food‐web effects of piscivore introductions in shallow lakes

Gear‐ and Season‐Specific Catch Rates of Age‐0 Walleyes and White Bass: Standard Sampling Recommendations for Great Plains Reservoirs

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