SEASONAL MOVEMENTS of NORTHERN PIKE in MINTO FLATS, ALASKA by Matthew L. Albert, B.S. a Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
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Seasonal movements of northern pike in Minto Flats, Alaska Item Type Thesis Authors Albert, Matthew L. Download date 26/09/2021 12:17:24 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6801 SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF NORTHERN PIKE IN MINTO FLATS, ALASKA By Matthew L. Albert, B.S. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Fisheries University of Alaska Fairbanks August 2016 © 2016 Matthew L. Albert APPROVED: Trent M. Sutton, Committee Chair Matthew J. Evenson, Committee Member F. Joseph Margraf, Committee Member David Verbyla, Committee Member Franz Mueter, Chair, Graduate Program in Fisheries S. Bradley Moran, Dean, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Michael Castellini, Dean o f the Graduate School Abstract Northern pike Esox lucius is a large, long-lived piscivorous species that are harvested in sport and subsistence fisheries in Alaska. My study described the seasonal movements of northern pike that inhabit the Minto Lakes portion (Goldstream Creek drainage) of the Minto Flats wetland complex, Alaska, from May 2008 through January 2010. Very high frequency (VHF) radio tags (n = 220) were surgically implanted in northern pike in Minto Flats in May 2007, 2008, and 2009, and fish were relocated with fixed telemetry stations and aerial- and boat- based telemetry surveys. Radio-tagged northern pike displayed a distinct spring pre-spawning migration into the Minto Lakes study area, where they remained for the duration of the open- water season. A protracted out-migration occurred between late September and early December, with downstream movements peaking in November and October of 2008 and 2009, respectively. Radio-tagged fish present in the Minto Lakes study area during the open-water season overwintered exclusively in a 26-km reach of the Chatanika River from its confluence with Goldstream Creek upstream to the Murphy Dome Road access point. Daily movement rates were greatest during May and August. In addition to providing a better understanding of northern pike life history in Minto Flats, these results will aid managers and researchers by identifying critical habitats and providing information to better design future population assessment experiments. iii Table of Contents Page Title Page ................................................................................................................................................ i Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................v List of Figures and List of Tables ......................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. ix General Introduction ..............................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1...............................................................................................................................................10 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Study Site......................................................................................................................................... 13 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 19 Description of radio tags and tagging methodology .................................................................19 Surgical procedure ......................................................................................................................20 Tracking and data collection ...................................................................................................... 21 Data analyses ............................................................................................................................. 26 Results............................................................................................................................................. 28 Spring movements ..................................................................................................................... 31 Summer movements ....................................................................................................................33 Fall/early winter movements...................................................................................................... 37 Mid- to late winter movements .................................................................................................. 42 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................44 Management Implications ...............................................................................................................57 Literature Cited....................................................................................................................................65 v List of Figures Page Figure 1. Map of the Minto Flats wetland complex near Fairbanks, Alaska ................................. 14 Figure 2. Map of the Minto Lakes Study Area .......................................................................16 Figure 3. Map of study Area-A and Area-B ........................................................................ 17 Figure 4. Map of the Minto Lakes Study Area depicting deployment locations of water temperature data loggers ..................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 5. Daily upstream passage counts of radio-tagged northern pike between 22 April and 11 May 2008 and 2009 at the fixed receiving station located on Goldstream Creek .......................... 32 Figure 6. Relative density of radio-tagged northern pike in the Minto Lakes Study Area by month during the 2008 summer season ..............................................................................................34 Figure 7. Relative density of radio-tagged northern pike in the Minto Lakes Study Area by month during the 2009 summer season ............................................................................ 35 Figure 8. Boxplots summarizing maximum, minimum, median upper quartile, and lower quartile mean water temperatures recorded within the Minto Lakes Study Area during northern pike movements recorded during 2008 and 2009 ..................................................................................... 38 Figure 9. Boxplots summarizing maximum, minimum, median upper quartile, and lower quartile movement rates (m-h-1) of radio-tagged northern pike by month for 2008 and 2009 .................. 39 Figure 10. Relative density of radio-tagged northern pike in the Minto Lakes Study Area by month during the 2008-2009 fall, winter, and spring seasons ..........................................................41 List of Tables Page Table 1. Candidate linear mixed-effects models used to estimate movement rates of northern pike........................................................................................................................................................29 Table 2. Summary statistics of radio-tagged northern pike in the Minto Lakes Study Area utilized for movement analyses during May - August 2008 and 2009 ........................................... 36 Table 3. Estimated northern pike abundance in the Minto Lakes Study Area (MLSA), 1987 1988, 1990-1991, 1996-1997, 2000, 2003, and 2008...................................................................... 60 vii Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude for those who made this endeavor possible. My graduate advisor was Dr. Trent Sutton and my committee members were Matt Evensen, Dr. David Verbyla, and Dr. Joe Margraf. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game provided funding for this research. A special thanks to my friends and coworkers for their assistance with all aspects of this project from fieldwork, providing ideas and guidance, endless editing and keeping things fun: Phil Joy, Klaus Wuttig, Rick Queen, Brian Collyard, Nissa Pilcher, Kyle Schuman, Toby Viavant, Andrew Garry, James Reidman, David Lorring, Rachael Kvapil, Kathy Pearse, Christina Neuman, Katherine Mattingly, Tyler Amundsen, Susan Pace, and Marty Webb. Lastly, I will forever be grateful for the never-ending support that my family has given me not only during this project, but throughout my life. ix General Introduction Movement is a critical component of the daily activities and life history of many fish species. The ability to move allows fish to meet their resource needs in spatially and temporally variable environments, and can vary widely from diel movements among habitats to seasonal migrations between water bodies. Movement behaviors may also be directly and indirectly related to factors including prey availability, predator avoidance, spawning, and environmental conditions (Schlosser and Angermeir 1995; Matthews 1998; Lucas and Baras 2001; Koed et al. 2006). Northcote (1978, 1984, 1998) defined migration as the movement that occurs when