Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Miranda, Steve

Date of Degree

8-11-2012

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Catch rates of age-0 and adult crappies Pomoxis spp. were compared between floodplains and coves to determine if differences in densities existed between habitats, and to determine if water levels influenced density relationships. Habitat in a cove and a floodplain of Enid Reservoir was mapped to describe differences in vegetation. Adult crappies were collected with electrofishing and age-0 crappies were collected with trap nets. Coves had the greatest spring densities of adults in 2009 and 2010, whereas floodplains attracted adults earlier in the spawning season. Recruitment of age-0 crappies was related inversely to high water levels during months preceding the spawning period, but related directly to high water levels during the spawning period. Floodplains had the greatest densities of age-0 crappies in most years and reservoirs. These results suggest that management to improve recruitment could focus on timing of water level rises and protection of floodplain habitats.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20738

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