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Aspects of Bowfin and Northern Sunfish Biology and Ecology By Aspects of Bowfin and Northern Sunfish Biology and Ecology by David Sanderson-Kilchenstein A thesis submitted to the Department of Environmental Science and Biology of the State University of New York College at Brockport in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science December 2015 i Aspects of Bowfin and Northern Sunfish Biology and Ecology by David Sanderson-Kilchenstein APPROVED BY: James Haynes, Advisor Date Jacques Rinchard, Reader Date Douglas Wilcox, Reader Date Christopher Norment, Department Chair Date Jacques Rinchard, Graduate Coordinator Date ii Abstract Bowfin (Amia calva) are currently being harvested at high rates in the Mississippi River system for the sale of their roe as a caviar alternative. I evaluated the effect that this industry could have if it expands to include the Great Lakes by describing population characteristics of bowfin from Braddock Bay, Monroe Co., NY. Pectoral fin ray sections were used to age 51 bowfin, and back-calculated length-at-age data were used to fit the Von Bertalanffy growth model. Theoretical maximum length was estimated to be 753 mm TL, the coefficient of growth 0.262, and time at length zero -0.023 years. These values resemble populations described from the upper Mississippi River that grow slower and live longer than populations in the south, and therefore would be affected more by commercial harvesting. Aquaculture could provide an alternative to wild harvest, but no established protocols exist. I attempted captive breeding (tanks and ponds) and tested the acceptance of a commercial and a handmade artificial diet. The 55 bowfin did not respond well to captivity: no breeding was observed and most fish lost weight, but they lost significantly less weight on the handmade artificial diet (P = 0.007). Low-intensity culture of bowfin may not be possible using the conditions I tested while artificial propagation likely will require induction by hormone injection. For many years, wild northern sunfish (Lepomis peltastes) in New York State have been restricted to a single 3.7 km section of lower Tonawanda Creek (LTWC), Erie County near Buffalo, NY, and the species is listed “threatened” in the state. A recovery program has been carried out by NYS Department of Environmental iii Conservation (NYSDEC) since 2005 to reintroduce the species into historic waters other than lower Tonawanda Creek and to establish new populations in other apparently suitable areas. I sampled on 30 days in 2013 and 2014 by boat and backpack electroshocking in the 3.7 km section of LTWC and at stocking sites within the Niagara River watershed. No pure northern sunfish were captured at any sites. I compared data from 2005, when boat electrofishing of LTWC produced 23 northern sunfish, to my 2013-2014 data to investigate changes in the fish community. From 2005 to 2013 capture of the aggressive, non-native green sunfish (L. cyanellus) increased from 27.7 to 288.3 fish caught per hour of electroshocking (CPUE), a 941% increase. Sensitive species have diminished, including darters and logperches (Etheostoma and Percina spp., respectively; -91% CPUE) and redhorses (Moxostoma spp.; -48% CPUE), and invasive species have increased, such as round goby (Neogobius melanostomus; +200% CPUE). Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) revealed a significant difference in the LTWC fish community between years (R = 0.806, P = 0.001), and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) showed a strong separation of fish communities between the two sampling periods. Several suspected hybrid sunfish were collected in 2013 and 2014, and microsatellite DNA analysis confirmed eight bluegill (L. macrochirus) x northern sunfish hybrids, as well as 19 other Lepomis hybrids. It is likely that the fish community of LTWC has changed so it can no longer support northern sunfish. Future stocking efforts should focus on water bodies with suitable habitat conditions and low green sunfish and round goby abundance. iv Dedication This thesis is dedicated to, first, my parents for their undying love, support, and guidance: my mother who taught me to thirst for knowledge and my father who taught me to explore natural phenomena. Second, I also dedicate this thesis to the love of my life, Noelle Hatton, who not only helped with both chapter’s field and lab work, but has unwaveringly stood by me through the writing process. v Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. James Haynes, for encouraging me to develop a thesis project that captured my interests, for providing an immeasurable amount of support and guidance, and for his patience. I would also like to acknowledge my committee member Dr. Jacques Rinchard for providing the facility and major components of my bowfin project’s setup, as well as his support and guidance. Lastly, I would like to thank my committee member, Dr. Douglas Wilcox, for providing financial support and scientific input, as well as lending me much of the field gear for capturing my bowfin. Bowfin Research: I would also like to acknowledge my interns for their hard work and valuable scientific input, and for contributing a combined 398 hours of service: Anthony Marsocci, Noelle Hatton, Corey Calby, Erik Long, Shane Barney, Colleen Kolb, Taylor Ouderkirk, Lauren Brewer, and Miranda Papp. I am also grateful for the hard work of many other volunteers without whom this project would not have happened: Matt Piche, Jacob van Slooten, Joshua Perry, Evan Rea, Robert Cornish, Lier Yo, Kelly Owens, Amberlee Todd, and William Giese. A special acknowledgement is due for Andie Graham who traipsed through two feet of snow for three days, including Christmas, to carry out experimental duties. I would also like to acknowledge Frank Lawrence for providing access to Long Pond, Dr. Allyse Ferrera of Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana for her expert opinion on some questionably-gendered bowfin, and Dr. Michael Quist of the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho for his expert opinion and advice on determining the ages of vi my bowfin. I thank the employees and managers of Lowes, Brockport, New York, for their creative thinking, patience, and helpful assistance, and lastly, I thank Bruce Butcher of Sandy Creek Marina for donating roughly 1.5 tons of gravel to my project. Northern Sunfish Research: I would first like to acknowledge NYSDEC Fish Biologists Douglas Carlson, for his mentorship of me through this project, and Scott Wells, for his valuable input. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge funding from the Niagara River Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Fund, with special thanks for the HERF committee chair, Timothy DePriest (NYSDEC), who also assisted in the field on a very cold, rainy day. Furthermore, I would like to give a huge acknowledgement to the many field assistants who were willing to traverse rapids and dive chest-deep in muck with me: Anthony Marsocci, Catherine Jirovec, Noelle Hatton, Andrea Graham, Coral Reina, Gregory Lawrence, Scott Buckingham, Jonathan Bateman, Matthew Piche, Robert Cornish, Alyssa Vogel, Dena VanCurran, Sage Hallenbeck, Mathew Pavalitis, Alexander Silva, and James Hatton. I also thank Jeffery Maharan who lent the use of and arduously guided his personal inflatable river raft for a day of sampling down Tonawanda Creek, and the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry for allowing us to sample in Cayuga Creek in Como Lake Park. I owe deep thanks to Katherine Bailey for assistance in using and understanding multivariate statistics software, and to Kelly Owens for her amazing fish photography. vii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iii Dedication ..................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Bowfin research ........................................................................................................ vi Northern sunfish research ........................................................................................ vii List of Tables .............................................................................................................. xii Bowfin chapter ........................................................................................................ xii Northern sunfish chapter ......................................................................................... xii List of Figures ............................................................................................................ xiii Bowfin chapter ....................................................................................................... xiii Northern sunfish chapter ........................................................................................ xiii List of Appendices ...................................................................................................... xv Bowfin chapter ........................................................................................................ xv Northern sunfish chapter ......................................................................................... xv General Introduction .................................................................................................. xvi Chapter 1: Population Characteristics of Bowfin (Amia calva) from a Great Lakes Coastal
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