Evaluating the Effectiveness of Artificial Fish Habitat Designs in Turbid Reservoirs Using Sonar Imagery

Abstract

Artificial fish habitats have been widely deployed by fisheries managers to increase the concentration of fish at known locations, often without any validation of how well they meet management goals. This study used an innovative sampling method, sonar imagery, to visually evaluate artificial fish habitat designs and their effectiveness in concentrating fish in two turbid North Carolina Piedmont reservoirs. Habitats encompassed equal volumes, but materials and general designs varied; cube habitats were constructed from PVC pipes, plastic barrels, and corrugated plastic pipes, a commercially available product called Porcupine, or evergreen trees. We found that all habitats held significantly more fish than the control sites that were lacking vertical structure. Among artificial habitats, the cubed, corrugated pipe design concentrated significantly more fish than the other designs, and the biodegradability of habitat provided by bundled evergreen trees was reflected in reduced concentrations of fish over time. Received January 28, 2016; accepted August 10, 2016 Published online November 10, 2016

Threats to Freshwater Fisheries in the United States: Perspectives and Investments of State Fisheries Administrators and Agricultural Experiment Station Directors

“…; Baumann et al. ) as compared to water quality/quantity, aquatic invasive species, and other larger‐scale issues.…”

“…In contrast, many state agency administrators worked for agencies with at least 11 employees working on fish production (81% of administrators) and fish habitat research or management (72%; Table 5). This relatively high level of involvement in fish production and habitat research/management corresponds with the more practical management endpoints and job duties associated with these topics (e.g., hatchery operations, habitat rehabilitation projects, habitat protection policies; Wills et al 2004;Baumann et al 2016) as compared to water quality/quantity, aquatic invasive species, and other larger-scale issues. An even more complex pattern was found for climate change adaptation/mitigation, an issue that state fisheries agency administrators perceived as relatively unimportant (Figure 2), yet for which agencies had either many employees (50% of agencies with 21 or more employees) or very few employees (38% of agencies with 1-5 employees).…”

Fisheries Volume 44 Number 6 June 2019

“…In contrast, many state agency administrators worked for agencies with at least 11 employees working on fi sh production (81% of administrators) and fi sh habitat research or management (72%; Table 5 ). This relatively high level of involvement in fi sh production and habitat research/management corresponds with the more practical management endpoints and job duties associated with these topics (e.g., hatchery operations, habitat rehabilitation projects, habitat protection policies; Wills et al 2004 ;Baumann et al 2016 ) as compared to water quality/quantity, aquatic invasive species, and other larger-scale issues. An even more complex pattern was found for climate change adaptation/mitigation, an issue that state fi sheries agency administrators perceived as relatively unimportant (Figure 2 ), yet for which agencies had either many employees (50% of agencies with 21 or more employees) or very few employees (38% of agencies with 1-5 employees).…”

Retention and Dimensional Changes of Evergreen Brush Piles Within a Flood Control Reservoir

“…Brush piles are popular for their ready availability, low cost, easy installation, and ability to naturally degrade (Magnelia et al 2008;Allen et al 2014). However, the natural degradation of brush piles is both a disadvantage and an advantage: on the one hand brush piles require planning and upkeep to maintain their benefits (Baumann et al 2016), but on the other hand brush piles do not introduce microplastics into freshwater systems as with synthetic, slowly degrading materials (e.g., PVC; Eerkes-Medrano et al 2015).…”

“…Though their effects are well-studied, the retention (i.e., remaining at or near the installation site) and dimensional change (i.e., change in volume) of brush piles after installation has not been examined closely (Czarnecka 2016) and creates ambiguity when planning maintenance of brush piles to meet management objectives. Previous literature on brush pile retention and dimensional changes have relied on qualitative expert opinion and anecdotal evidence (Mabbott 1991;Bolding et al 2004;Stone et al 2012;Baumann et al 2016;Miranda 2017). Quantitative rates of retention and dimensional change are needed for managers to develop a schedule that efficiently mitigates reduced fisheries opportunities due to loss of structural complexity.…”