THE POPULATION DYNAMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE LARGEMOUTH BASS, MICROPTERUS SALMOIDES (LACEPEDE) AND THE REDBREAST SUNFISH, LEPOMIS AURITUS (LINNAEUS) IN CALDER LAKE, N.Y.
Abstract
Abundance, biomass, growth, reproduction and mortality were estimated for largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede) and redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus) in Calder Lake, N.Y. in the summers of 1978 and 1979. The population of each species was broken down into two groups: Young of the Year and 1('+) and older fish. 1('+) and older bass and sunfish were caught by angling and tagged with small plastic bags. Abundance was estimated by a continuous mark-recapture technique. Young of the Year bass and sunfish were caught by electroshocking and marked by clipping one pelvic fin. A single census mark-recapture technique was used to estimate the abundance of Young of the Year fishes. Weight and length of each fish were recorded and a scale sample was taken from each fish. The population of largemouth bass in 1978 had an abundant 3('+) age-class while the redbreast sunfish had a smoothly descending age-class structure from the 1('+) to older sunfish, suggesting a relatively constant mortality rate year to year. Growth of bass was low compared to growth of other bass populations while growth of the redbreast sunfish was high compared to redbreast populations in the northeastern U.S. In 1979 the abundance and biomass of the bass population decreased about 40% from the previous year but the sunfish population remained about the same. This suggests that stocking programs in the northeastern U.S. might use the combination of largemouth bass and redbreast sunfish to reduce the chance of sunfish overpopulation--a common problem in largemouth bass--bluegill (L. Macrochirus) communities. Compared to other U.S. populations reproduction of largemouth bass in Calder Lake was low and mortality was high while reproduction and mortality of redbreast sunfish were both low. Data on the population dynamics were integrated into hypothetical models for each species to estimate the biomass of bass and sunfish which could be removed each year on a sustained basis from Calder Lake. Important results include the accumulation of baseline data from a lake which had not been managed, the formulation of a management program for Calder Lake and the possibility of limiting sunfish overpopulation by a combination of largemouth bass and redbreast sunfish.
Subject Area
Ecology
Recommended Citation
ROSKO, JOHN JAMES, "THE POPULATION DYNAMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE LARGEMOUTH BASS, MICROPTERUS SALMOIDES (LACEPEDE) AND THE REDBREAST SUNFISH, LEPOMIS AURITUS (LINNAEUS) IN CALDER LAKE, N.Y." (1982). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8213254.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8213254
