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Effects of Predation and Environment on Quality of Yellow Perch and Bluegill Populations in Nebraska Sandhill Lakes

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Effects of Predation and Environment on Quality of Yellow Perch and Bluegill Populations in Nebraska Sandhill Lakes View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Game and Parks Commission -- Staff Research Publications Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 2002 Effects of Predation and Environment on Quality of Yellow Perch and Bluegill Populations in Nebraska Sandhill Lakes Craig P. Paukert South Dakota State University David W. Willis South Dakota State University Joel A. Klammer Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebgamestaff Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Paukert, Craig P.; Willis, David W.; and Klammer, Joel A., "Effects of Predation and Environment on Quality of Yellow Perch and Bluegill Populations in Nebraska Sandhill Lakes" (2002). Nebraska Game and Parks Commission -- Staff Research Publications. 49. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebgamestaff/49 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Game and Parks Commission -- Staff Research Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22:86±95, 2002 q Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2002 Effects of Predation and Environment on Quality of Yellow Perch and Bluegill Populations in Nebraska Sandhill Lakes CRAIG P. P AUKERT* AND DAVID W. W ILLIS Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Post Of®ce Box 2140B, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota 57007, USA JOEL A. KLAMMER Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Post Of®ce Box 508, Bassett, Nebraska 68714, USA Abstract.ÐWe investigated factors that may in¯uence the quality (e.g., high abundance, size structure, condition, and growth) of yellow perch Perca ¯avescens and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus populations in Nebraska sandhill lakes. Physical (e.g., lake depth, vegetation coverage), chemical (e.g., alkalinity, conductivity), and biological (e.g., chlorophyll a, invertebrate abundance) char- acteristics of 30 natural lakes were determined in 1998 and 1999. Growth, condition, and size structure were not density-dependent for bluegills or yellow perch in these shallow (,4 m maximum depth) lakes. However, bluegill abundance, size structure, and condition were positively related to yellow perch abundance, size structure, and condition. Bluegill quality tended to increase with increased emergent vegetation, whereas yellow perch quality was not correlated with any physi- cochemical variable measured. Submergent vegetation coverage ranged from 5% to 97% of lake surface area and was not related to pan®sh quality. The mean relative weight (Wr) of larger (15± 20 cm) bluegills was positively associated with high Daphnia and Cyclops abundance, whereas the mean Wr of 20±25-cm yellow perch was not related to invertebrate abundance. Higher relative abundance and lower proportional stock density of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were positively related to pan®sh quality, even in lakes up to 341 ha. Quality pan®sh populations in the Nebraska sandhills are in¯uenced by predators, prey, and the environment. However, based on the high correlation coef®cients, largemouth bass may be most in¯uential in structuring the quality of bluegill and yellow perch populations in these shallow natural lakes. Schneider (1999) suggested that Midwestern lake depth; Ryder 1965; Jenkins 1982), and chlo- lakes often contain pan®sh populations that exhibit rophyll a (Jones and Hoyer 1982). Bluegill size slow growth and low size structure. Such lakes structure increased with alkalinity in relatively un- may have lower numbers of preferred-length pan- disturbed Mississippi lakes (Jackson and Brown- ®sh (i.e., 20-cm bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and Peterson 1997), and growth was faster in shallow, 25-cm yellow perch Perca ¯avescens [Gabelhouse alkaline Minnesota lakes than deepwater Minne- 1984]) than lakes with lower pan®sh abundance. sota lakes (Tomcko 1997). However, these studies However, bluegill populations in some water bod- typically did not focus on quality pan®sh popu- ies are capable of having high size structure (i.e., lations. up to 62% of bluegills .20 cm; Schneider 1999) Submergent vegetation coverage may in¯uence and relatively high density (up to 504 ®sh/ha; the growth of bluegills and yellow perch (Theiling Schneider 1999). 1990; Lott 1991; Trebitz et al. 1997). In addition, Pan®sh quality, which we de®ne as high relative lakes with submergent vegetation coverage may abundance, size structure, condition, and growth allow higher pan®sh abundance (Lucchesi 1991; in a given lake when compared to other natural Hinch and Collins 1993) and a lower proportion lakes in the Nebraska sandhills, can be affected by of larger ®sh (Colle et al. 1987) than lakes with the physical and chemical environment of lakes. limited submergent vegetation. However, submer- Fish production and yield have been linked to al- gent vegetation coverage may not be detrimental kalinity (Hayes and Anthony 1964), phosphorus to bluegill populations in some water bodies (Hanson and Leggett 1982), the morphoedaphic (Schneider 1999). Although high submergent veg- index (MEI; de®ned as total dissolved solids/mean etation coverage may reduce predation on pan®sh, and increased abundance may lead to intraspeci®c competition, emergent vegetation has also been * Corresponding author: [email protected] related to pan®sh quality (Paukert and Willis Received September 27, 2000; accepted May 9, 2001 2000). 86 EFFECTS OF PREDATION AND ENVIRONMENT 87 Predators often affect pan®sh population qual- perch, whereas 22 lakes contained bluegills. Lar- ity. The proportion of large bluegills (i.e., $15 cm) gemouth bass were present in 22 lakes, northern and yellow perch (i.e., $20 cm) increased with pike Esox lucius in 16, black bullhead Ameiurus increasing abundance of largemouth bass Microp- melas in 25, and common carp Cyprinus carpio in terus salmoides in small Midwestern impound- 9 of the lakes. Few small ®shes that may serve as ments (Anderson 1976; Guy and Willis 1990, prey, such as small cyprinids, were found in these 1991). However, these relationships have rarely lakes, with golden shiners Notemigonus crysoleu- been documented for large (i.e., .30 ha) natural cas found in only 11 waters. Ranching is the most water bodies. In many Midwestern lakes and common land use in the sandhills, and 9 lakes were ponds, increased bluegill abundance leads to slow- located within national wildlife refuges. Angler er growth (Weiner and Hanneman 1982) and a low- exploitation is presumably minimal; winter creel er proportion of larger bluegills (.15 cm; Nov- surveys suggested that bluegill exploitation from inger and Legler 1978). However, Tomcko (1997) Valentine National Wildlife Refuge lakes is less did not ®nd an inverse relationship between blue- than 10% (Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, gill relative abundance and growth in Minnesota unpublished data). Little angling effort occurs dur- lakes. Information is needed on the effects of pred- ing the summer because of the extensive vegeta- ators and intraspeci®c competition on pan®sh qual- tion coverage. Three lakes were closed to ®shing, ity in larger water bodies, so that biologists can and most of the 30 lakes were either on private make informed management decisions to increase land or dif®cult to access. pan®sh quality in these lakes. Fish sampling.ÐLargemouth bass were sampled The Nebraska sandhill lakes typically have high by pulsed-DC (200±250 V, 3±6 A) nighttime elec- pan®sh quality, de®ned as ®sh condition above the tro®shing at 12 randomly selected 10-min stations, 75th percentile across the species range and from 15 May to 23 June 1998 and from 2 May to growth to sizes preferred by anglers in less than 24 June 1999. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 5 years (Paukert and Willis 2000). However, some largemouth bass was expressed as the number of sandhill lakes produce pan®sh that attain faster ®sh 20 cm or larger collected per hour of electro- growth, higher condition, and higher size structure ®shing. Fifteen lakes were sampled each year, for than other sandhill lakes. Therefore, our objectives a total of 30 lakes. All other ®sh species were were to evaluate which factors affected the quality sampled at randomly selected locations with over- of bluegill and yellow perch populations. We in- night sets of double-throated trap nets (i.e., mod- dexed quality using relative abundance, size struc- i®ed fyke nets) with 16-mm-bar measure mesh, ture, condition, and growth. In particular, we de- 1.1-m 3 1.5-m frames, and 22-m leads. Total sam- termined the effects of predators and environmen- pling effort was 10 trap-net nights in lakes smaller tal factors on the quality of bluegill and yellow than 50 ha and 20 trap-net nights in lakes 50 ha perch populations in an ecosystem that typically or larger. Yellow perch and bluegill CPUE was has high-quality pan®sh. expressed as the number of stock-length (CPUE- S) and preferred-length (CPUE-P) ®sh, where Methods stock and preferred bluegills were 8 and 20 cm Study area.ÐThirty natural lakes were sampled total length (TL) and stock and preferred yellow in the sandhill region in northcentral Nebraska in perch were 13 and 25 cm TL (Gabelhouse 1984). 1998 and 1999. These lakes depend on ground- Northern pike CPUE was expressed as the number water and surface water drainage, with many hav- of stock-length ®sh ($35 cm) collected per trap- ing ¯owing springs and seepages. Although the net night. lakes may have 2±3 months of ice cover, winter- Scales for age and growth analyses were taken kills are limited (McCarraher 1977) because of the from 10 individuals per 1.0-cm length-group for ¯owing springs. Lakes varied in surface area from bluegills and yellow perch.
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