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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
USGS1961

Recent changes in the walleye fishery of northern Green Bay and history of the 1943 year class

Production, fishing intensity, and availability of walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) fluctuated widely in the commercial fishery of northern Green Bay in 1929-57. The catch ranged from 16,000 pounds (8 percent of average for the 1929-53 base period) in 1942 to 1,294,000 pounds (633 percent) in 1950. The index of fishing intensity ranged from 17 (1941) to 400 (1950) and that of abundance from 47 (1929) to 222 (1955). Production and fishing intensity were consistently above average in 1947-57; abundance exceeded the average in 8 of these years. The fishery statistics and records of age and size composition of commercial landings of walleyes in the spring and fall fishing seasons of 1949-58 (scale samples were taken from a total of 1,631 fish) were the basis for a study of recent changes in the walleye fishery with particular reference to the effects of fluctuations in the strength of year classes. The 1943 year class, by a wide margin, exceeded all others in the estimated total number (1,173,000 fish) and weight (3,355,000 pounds) contributed to commercial landings. This year class was a major factor in the sharp rise in production and abundance after 1945 and the all-time record catch of 1950. In contrast, certain other year classes (1945, 1946, 1948) have contributed totals as small as 16,000 to 52,000 pounds. The abundance of the 1950, 1951, and 1952 year classes approached or exceeded that of the 1943 year class at the lesser ages (through the IV group), but these more recent classes disappeared from the fishery so rapidly that their total contributions were relatively low. The indicated increase of mortality in the middle 1950's cannot be attributed to increase in the rate of commercial exploitation. Evidence is offered that the heightened mortality rate resulted from expansion of the sport fishery.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1961

Use of radioisotopes in hydrobiology and fish culture

Use of radioisotopes has increased rapidly in hydrobiology and fish culture. Their use, especially P 32 , to study circulation of nutrients has been demonstrated and offers opportunities in problems of lake metabolism. The most extensive use of isotopes has been to determine photosynthetic activity in plankton through C 14 uptake. Applications and limitations are discussed. Isotopes have been successfully used in food studies of fish to determine food selection, metabolism, and storage. Water movements in fresh and salt water and in sewage problems have been successfully followed by use of various isotopes. Marking of aquatic animals with radioisotopes has many possible applications, but has been little used because of some inherent problems related to danger to organisms and in field use. Extent of future use of isotopes in hydrobiology will be determined by further study of hazards and public acceptance of field studies.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1962

Distribution and detoxication of toxaphene in Clayton Lake, New Mexico

The fate of toxaphene, applied in three treatments at a total calculated concentration of 0.05 p.p.m. to Clayton Lake, New Mexico, was followed over a 1.5-year period. A detailed description of the chromatographic method of analysis is given. Water concentrations of toxaphene were higher in leeshore samples than in windward samples for 2 weeks after the application; toxaphene levels then appeared to reach a constant value of about 0.001 p.p.m. for at least an additional 250 days. Total body concentrations of toxaphene were determined in trout and bullheads present in the lake during the poisoning and in trout placed in the lake in live-cars subsequently. Trout were more susceptible to toxaphene and accumulated lower body levels than bullheads. Bullheads which showed symptoms of toxaphene poisoning when collected had higher levels than did normal-appearing individuals. No difference in levels was observed in live-car trout collected dead as compared to survivors. Aquatic vegetation accumulated high concentrations of toxaphene; low concentrations were found in some sediment samples. The significance of these findings is discussed.

New Mexico↗
USGS1962

Comparative toxicity of 3-trifluormethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) to larval lampreys and eleven species of fishes

The tolerances of larval lampreys, rainbow trout, and 10 species of warmwater fishes to 3-trifluormethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), a selective lamprey larvicide, were determined in three dilution waters of different physical and chemical characteristics. Differential toxic effects of the chemical to larval lampreys and test fishes varied broadly with the species of fish. Smallmouth bass and other centrarchids were most tolerant of the chemical; walleye, yellow perch, bullheads, and white suckers were most susceptible. The toxicity of TFM to both lampreys and fishes diminished as the conductivity and alkalinity of the dilution water increased. The differential action of the chemical was retained in all waters, however.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1963

Food of the bloater, Coregonus hoyi, in Lake Michigan

Stomachs were examined from 1,469 Lake Michigan bloaters, Coregonus [Leucichthys] hoyi, greater than 7 inches long which contained identifiable food. An additional 461 ciscoes less than 7 inches long were incorporated into the study; these latter fish were not positively identified, but most of them undoubtedly were bloaters. The specimens were caught in bottom nets except for 49, all less than 6 inches long, taken in midwater trawls. Lake Michigan bloaters under 7 inches long depend heavily on zooplankton. Those larger than 7 inches feed predominantly on Pontoporeia affinis and Mysis relicta, although fish of the 7.0- to 7.9-inch size range commonly eat zooplankton, expecially in shallower water. Generally, Mysis becomes more important, and Pontoporeia less so, as the depth increases and as the season progresses from spring to fall. Incidence of Pontoporeia increases and that of Mysis declines as the fish size increases. Other food items, in decreasing order of importance, are fingernail clams, midges (all stages of development), fish eggs, ostracods, and miscellaneous adult and immature insects other than midges.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1963

The embronic and larval development of the rainbow trout

Photographs of the developing rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, are presented in sequence from the initial cleavage through hatching. Approximately 3,000 eggs were incubated in standard hatchery troughs supplied with spring water at a constant temperature of 54° F. Accepted fish cultural methods were followed to insure normal developmental patterns. Samples of these eggs were taken for study at 1‐hour intervals from the 5th to the 24th hour after fertilization; then once every 6 hours until they were 72 hours old; then at 1‐day intervals through the peak of hatching on the 23rd day. The embryos were fixed in 5 percent neutral formalin containing 0.95 percent sodium chloride, stained in Harrisˈ hematoxylin, and photographed with a vertically mounted camera.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1963

The movements of walleyes tagged as yearlings in Lake Erie

A total of 3,998 yearling walleyes, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchill), were captured, tagged, and released along the south shore of western Lake Erie to determine their movements and their dispersal from a known nursery area. Four hundred ninety-nine recoveries were made over a period of 3 years. Tagged walleyes traveled primarily north toward the islands in the Western Basin during their first year of liberation, and in succeeding years moved progressively toward the extreme western end of the lake. Some walleyes were recaptured within 6 months in the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River, and southern Lake Huron, and the percentage of fish recaptured in these waters north of Lake Erie increased annually. Movement eastward into the Central and Eastern Basins of the lake appeared negligible. The greatest distance traveled by a marked walleye was 236 miles. The average distance traveled by all tagged fish was 25 miles.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1963

A new geographic and host record for infectious pancreatic necrosis

The occurrence of infectious pancreatic necrosis in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) has been experimentally authenticated for the first time in the western United States. The cutthroat trout represents a new host. Brook trout fin tissue culture inoculated with bacteria-free filtrate from the diseased fish tissue showed marked degenerative changes after 24 hours. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), kokanee (O. nerka), and silver salmon (O. kisutch) were not susceptible to the virus when inoculated. Histologically, extensive pancreatic necrosis was observed in the original and experimental materials, but striated muscle hyalinization was detected only in the original material.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1964

Status of the deepwater cisco population of Lake Michigan

The species and size composition and the abundance of the cisco (Leucichthys spp.) population of Lake Michigan have undergone drastic changes since the sea lamprey became established in the 1940's. The changes were measured by the catches of gill nets of identical specifications fished at the same seasons, depths, and locations in 1930-32, 1954-55, and 1960-61. The two largest ciscoes (johannae and nigripinnis), exploited heavily in a highly selective fishery from the midnineteenth century to the early 1900's, were only sparsely represented in the catch in the 1930's and were absent from catches of the comparison surveys in 1954-55 and 1960-61. The species of intermediate size (alpenae, artedi, kiyi, reighardi, and zenithicus) constituted about two-thirds of the cisco stocks of the deepwater zone in the 1930's but declined to 23.9 and 6.4 percent in the 1950's and 1960's, respectively. Major causes of change were the increased fishing pressure and sea lamprey predation that accompanied the disappearance of the lake trout. The small, slow-growing cisco (hoyi) - the primary food of lake trout - which was not fished intensively, and was too small to suffer greatly from sea lamprey predation, increased from 31.0 percent of the catch in the 1930's to 76.1 percent in the 1950's and 93.6 percent in the 1960's. Consequences of the extreme imbalance of the cisco population have been a reduction in mean size of all species, extension of the range of the very abundant hoyi (formerly most abundant in moderately shallow areas) to almost all depths and sections of the lake, and possibly introgressive hybridization among the various species. The primary change in the fishery has been a shift from gill nets to more extensive use of trawls which can take the now abundant smaller fish.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1964

Anesthetic effect of 4-styrylpyridine on lamprey and fish

The anestheticp roperty of 4-styrylpyridine (4-SP) on fish and lamprey was first noticed during chemical screening search of a selective toxicant for larval lamprey (Applegate, Howell, Hall, and Smith, 1957). To assess the possible value of the compound as an anesthetic, we later conducted the experiments reviewed in this report.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1964

The spottail shiner in Lower Red Lake, Minnesota

On the basis of 14,564 spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) from Red Lakes, Minnesota, growth rates, strength of year classes, and food utilization were studied. Males and females had different body-scale relationships, and females grew faster than males. There was high correlation between water temperature and growth rate. Strength of year classes was closely related to size of spawning population. Food habits were related to food availability in both plankton and bottom fauna. Shiner eggs were significant items of food in larger shiners. Bottom organisms were selectively taken, and larger cladocerans were selected by large fish. Cladocerans were preferred to copepods.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1964

Age, growth and sex composition of the American smelt Osmerus mordax (Mitchill), of western Lake Superior

This study is based on 4,561 smelt collected in Chequamegon Bay, the Apostle Islands, the Brule River, and Superior Harbor, all in western Lake Superior. Commercial production in the Great Lakes (U.S. and Canada combined) reached a peak of nearly 16 million pounds in 1960. Production in Lake Superior has generally been small but increased during the 1950's to reach 948,000 pounds in 1960. All O-group and spring I-group smelt had scales with sufficient sculpturing to permit detection of the first annulus. Annulus formation began after 6 June in 1960. In 1961, all smelt had completed the annulus by 24 August. The body-scale relation is a straight line with an intercept of -0.9 inch on the axis of fish length. The weight of western Lake Superior smelt increased as the 2.952 power of the length. A large range of length in each age group and resulting overlap of age-groups II-VI made length a poor index of age. Female smelt grew faster than males after the second year and dominated strongly in age-groups IV-VII. Both sexes made their best annual growth in length (3.3 inches) during their second year of life; the largest weight increments (0.74 ounce, males; 0.85 ounce, females) came in the third year. Best production from a commercial pound net in 1961 occurred when the sex ratios of spawning smelt were nearest 50:50. Spawning male smelt were consistently shorter than females and the average lengths of both sexes decreased as the spawning season progressed. Shortest mature smelt of each sex were 5.0 to 5.2 inches but the males are probably the first to reach 100 percent maturity. All year-old smelt were immature. Among 2-year-old fish, 40.7 per cent of the males and 17.7 percent of the females had reached maturity. All smelt more than 2 years old were mature. Ovaries of 10 smelt contained an average of 31,338 eggs for fish 7.3 to 8.8 inches long.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1964

Age and growth of the round whitefish in Lake Michigan

The round whitefish, though rarely abundant, is widely distributed in northern waters. It is one of the least studied of the coregonines; the present report is but the second for Great Lakes waters. Commercial production in Lake Michigan has been tightly confined to the northern portion. The period 1924-30 showed the best production: 200,000 to 359,000 pounds. Since 1956, production has been around 10,000 pounds or less. The present age and growth study is based on 208 fish collected by gill net in December 1951. The relation between total length in inches (L) and the weight in ounces ( W ) is described by the equation log W = -2.7232 + 3.2940 log L. Age-group III made up 66.3 percent, and age-group IV, 20.6 percent of the sample; age-groups V, VI, and VII combined contributed only 5.9 percent. The average length for all fish in the sample was 14.5 inches. Growth was calculated from a previously published linear body-scale relation with an intercept of 1.1 inches on the axis of fish length. The increments of calculated length declined steadily from a maximum of 4.6 inches the first year to 1.0 inch the eighth. A 3-year-old Lake Michigan fish (12.3 inches) is as long as a 5-year-old Lake Superior fish, and an 8-year-old Lake Michigan fish (18.9 inches) is 0.9 inch longer than the oldest (12 years) from Lake Superior. The smallest mature males and females were in the length intervals 12.0-12.4 inches and 13.0-13.4 inches, respectively. All males over 1.4 inches and all females over 14.9 inches were mature. The youngest mature males were in age-group II; 36 percent of II-group males but none of the females were mature. All fish older than age-group III were mature.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1965

The black-spot (Uvulifer ambloplitis: Trematoda: Strigeoidea) of centrarchid fishes

Adult Uvulifer ambloplitis were recovered from a kingfisher and the worm eggs were incubated. Helisoma snails were infected with the resultant miracidia. Cercariae, very similar, but not identical to Cercaria bessiae, were recovered and used to infect fish. It was possible to infect Lepomis macrochirus, but not Catostomus commersoni, Cottus bairdi, Carassius auratus, Notropis cornutus, N. rubellus, N. spectrunculus, Semotilus atromaculatus, S. corporalis, S. margarita, Ictalurus punctatus, Etheostoma flabellare or Salmo gairdneri. Development of the metacercaria was studied at 13° C, 21° C, and 24° C. There was almost no development at 13° C and development was about twice as rapid at 24° C as at 21° C. The origin of the cyst of parasite origin is discussed. The metacercariae live at least 4 1/2 years in the fish at 12° C. The adult is briefly described and compared with other species. A key to the adults is given.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1965

Length-weight relationship of northern pike, Esox lucius, from East Harbor, Ohio

The northern pike is one of Ohio's largest game fish but is well known to comparatively few anglers. Large numbers of the big fish spawn in the Ohio marshes adjacent to Lake Erie. Movements related to spawning reach a peak in late March or early April. Later the spawning population disperses and is seldom represented in catches by experimental gear or by anglers. The short period of availability was used to obtain life history information in March of 1951 through 1953. No comprehensive length-weight data for this species have previously been published from this area. East Harbor is a sandspit pond separated from Lake Erie by a large sand bar. Waters and fish populations of the harbor and lake can mix freely through a permanent connecting channel. The larger part of the 850 surface acres of the harbor is normally less than 8 feet deep. The male northern pike averaged 20.5 inches in length and ranged from 13.5 to 28.5 inches. The conspicuously larger females averaged 26.0 inches and ranged from 15.5 to 37.5 inches.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1965

Experimental hexamitiasis in juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) and steelhead trout ( Salmo gairdner )

An exogenous strain of cultured Hexamita salmonis (Moore) was employed to induce trophic hexamitiasis in otherwise disease-free juveniles of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri). Mortality and growth were the parameters used to detect the effects of hexamitiasis on the two species. Two levels of each of the three experimental factors under study, Hexamita infection, species of fish, and density of fish, were arranged in a three-way factorial design. Replicate lots involved a total of 1,440 fish held under controlled laboratory conditions. Comparisons of growth and mortality indicate that infection with H. salmonis over a period of 8 weeks is innocuous to coho salmon. Steelhead trout suffered a low, but statistically significant mortality which subsided after the sixth week; growth rate was not affected.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗