Impacts of the Invasive White Perch on the Fish Assemblage of Kerr Reservoir, Virginia
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Impacts of the Invasive White Perch on the Fish Assemblage of Kerr Reservoir, Virginia by Johnathan Lee Harris Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences APPROVED: B.R. Murphy, Chair J.J. Ney S.L. McMullin C.A. Dollof V.J. DiCenzo April 28, 2006 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: White perch, Striped bass, Largemouth bass, Crappie, Predation, Competition Impacts of the Invasive White Perch on the Fish Assemblage of Kerr Reservoir, Virginia by Johnathan L. Harris ABSTRACT The white perch (Morone americana) is a highly successful invader of freshwater systems, with negative consequences to some resident fishes. White perch are ovivores and may prey upon as well as compete with juvenile sportfishes. Since 1988, an introduced population of white perch has proliferated in the 19,790-ha Kerr Reservoir, NC-VA, potentially threatening popular sport fisheries for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), crappie (Pomoxis spp.), and self-sustaining striped bass (Morone saxatilis). Trophic relationships between white perch and resident sportfish were examined in the Kerr Reservoir system to determine the white perch’s impact on them. Striped bass eggs were found in the stomach contents of white perch collected from the Roanoke River during their concurrent spawning runs in May, and at times egg predation was intense (frequency of egg occurrence in white perch individuals up to 100 %). However, modeling simulations indicated that observed densities of white perch in the Roanoke River during the peak spawning period of striped bass (May) were too low to have a substantial effect on striped bass recruitment. Crappie eggs were found in the diets of white perch collected from Kerr Reservoir during April, but the significance of this predation was not determined. Trophic overlap (Schoener’s Index) was high (> 0.5) between age-0 white perch and age- 0 crappie, largemouth bass, and striped bass in June, but only remained high between white perch and crappie in the remainder of the growing season (July – September). After June, largemouth and striped bass were primarily piscivorous, whereas white perch and crappie remained primarily invertivorous. Trophic overlap was high between adult white perch and adult crappie (> 0.6), but not between white perch and any other species of adult sportfish. The utilization of white perch by adult piscivores (Ictalurids, Pomoxis spp., Moronids, and Percids) as a food source was low (< 2% of diets by weight). Piscivorous sportfish primarily ate clupeids, which are highly abundant in Kerr Reservoir. Analysis of sportfish performance before (1974 – 1987) versus after (1996 – 2005) white perch establishment indicated no change in abundance and growth of striped bass and largemouth bass. Performance data for crappie prior to white perch introductions were unavailable, but observed egg predation by and trophic overlap with white perch suggests that crappie have the highest potential to suffer deleterious interactions with the white perch. Abundance of white bass has significantly declined in years since white perch introductions. Future research in Kerr Reservoir should concentrate on interactions between white perch and these two species. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my major advisor, Dr. John Ney, for giving me the privilege to collaborate with him on this project. Dr. Ney’s humor and expertise in fisheries ecology provided an entertaining and invaluable graduate experience, and his mentorship has helped to make me a better fisheries biologist and most importantly a better person. I would also like to express my gratitude to the other members of my graduate committee (Dr. Brian Murphy, Dr. Steve McMullin, Dr. Andy Dollof, and Mr. Vic DiCenzo) whose suggestions helped to create an overall better project. Secondly, I wish to give thanks to The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration, and The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences at Virginia Tech for their financial support. Also, a special appreciation is extended to The Buggs Island Striper Club, whose letters of support to VDGIF were a significant reason this project was funded. Various VDGIF biologists and employees provided critical support and technical advice during my research. Vic DiCenzo was lead biologist working with me on this project, and I thank him for all his help and valuable guidance. I also wish to express my appreciation to Dan Michaelson, Tim Wood, Cory Kovacs, and Mike Isel for all their help with field collections. Lastly, I thank VDGIF personnel at Vic Thomas State Fish Hatchery for providing me with their knowledge on striped bass activity on the Roanoke River. The assistance and counsel of numerous other people were crucial to the completion of this study. I thank the technicians (Alton Temple, Brad Ray, Susanna Scott, Mike Leonard, and Dave Ferguson) that worked with me in the field and laboratory. I express great gratitude to Marcy Anderson, Jason Corrao, Greg Batts, Jamie Follin, Mike Duncan, Dennis Brown, Josh iv Milam, Tony Milam, and members of The Buggs Island Striper Club for volunteering their time helping me with field collections. Additional thanks are given to Marcy Anderson, Brad Ray, and Jamie Roberts for their editorial advice. I would like to thank Scott Klopfer for creating the maps presented in this thesis. I express my gratitude to Linda Boothe, Rosemary Ellis, Jesse Sherman, and Ramona Shaver for their clerical support on this project. Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank Todd Elder and everyone at Ridgeway Farms for giving me a place to stay during my spring collections in the Roanoke River and for their generous hospitality during my time on the farm. Most importantly, I give a great thanks to my friends and family, who have been there for me during this lengthy process. I would especially like to thank Jacob Rash and John Kilpatrick for their guidance through the graduate process at Virginia Tech and for all their encouragement. Finally, my mother and grandmother have been my biggest supporters throughout my life, and I am extremely grateful for having them behind me every step of the way. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 White Perch Biology and Ecology.............................................................................................. 5 Distribution............................................................................................................................. 5 Food Habits ............................................................................................................................ 6 Age and Growth ...................................................................................................................... 7 Spawning and Reproduction................................................................................................... 8 Goal and Objectives.................................................................................................................... 9 STUDY SITE............................................................................................................................... 11 METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 15 Age and Growth Analysis......................................................................................................... 15 Objective 1: Predation.............................................................................................................. 16 Field Collection .................................................................................................................... 16 Food Habits .......................................................................................................................... 19 Estimates of Total Egg Predation......................................................................................... 22 Objective 2: Trophic Competition ............................................................................................ 26 Field Collection .................................................................................................................... 26 Food Habits .......................................................................................................................... 31 Diet Overlap.......................................................................................................................... 31 Objective 3: Sportfish Utilization of White Perch................................................................... 32 Field Collection .................................................................................................................... 32 Food Habits .......................................................................................................................... 33 Objective 4: Sportfish Performance.......................................................................................... 34 vi VDGIF Historical Data Sets................................................................................................. 34 Statistical Analysis...................................................................................................................