Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Miranda, Leandro E.

Committee Member

Colvin, Michael E.

Committee Member

Dunn, Corey

Date of Degree

5-12-2023

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Oxbow lakes are highly productive waterbodies that host multiple life stages of many freshwater aquatic species. Oxbow lakes also provide habitat to Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), which has enabled populations to grow and expand within the United States. Silver Carp are undesirable because they can compete for resources with native fishes. My goal was to identify patterns of distribution and dispersion of Silver Carp in Moon Lake, Mississippi, to assist and inform precise harvesting of fish. I implanted thirty-five adult Silver Carp with acoustic tags that I released into Moon Lake. I observed that Silver Carp were disproportionately found in locations where water depths ranged from 2.0-5.9 m during all seasons, despite the availability of locations with shallower and deeper water. Silver Carp did aggregate in the wintertime (December-February) in comparison to all other seasons. This information about depth distributions and seasonal aggregations can inform removal programs.

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