Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

<em>Abstract</em>.—Litigation regarding reservoir management is increasingly common. I used a range of examples in the United States to show that such litigation is generally ineffective and that most stakeholders can achieve better results through negotiated solutions. This article provides a brief introduction to this type of litigation and illustrates some of its basic limitations. Examples are drawn from several recent interstate disputes of the United States.


<em>Abstract</em>.—Thirteen United States fishery agencies utilized routine supplemental stocking as a means to manage largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides </em>populations in large (>405-ha) reservoirs. State agencies stocking largemouth bass used two strains (i.e., northern and Florida) as well as intergrades. Largemouth bass for stocking were raised in hatcheries, lakeside nursery ponds, or both. Among states, methods used to monitor fish in hatchery ponds and lakeside nursery ponds, the date ponds were drained, and methods to enumerate fish from the ponds varied. Although most states cited bolstering weak year-classes as their main reason for routine stocking, others noted increasing genetic variability within populations and public pressure as reasons that their agencies stocked large reservoirs with largemouth bass. As agencies continue to respond to public pressures for larger fish, they should consider the possible consequences of mixing stocks of largemouth bass. With continued development of agency rearing techniques, especially in lakeside nursery ponds, methods to enumerate fish should be considered to aid in future stocking evaluations. Improved rearing and stocking techniques will allow fisheries managers to utilize resource dollars in a way that provides benefit to anglers while ensuring the sustainability of largemouth bass populations.


<em>Abstract</em>.—The Upper Chattahoochee River (UCR) basin is typical of many river systems in the southeastern United States. A warmwater system with high biodiversity, the creation of impoundments for human water use has altered water quality and quantity and, in some reaches, converted it into a coldwater system. To recover lost fishing opportunities, nonnative trout (Salmonidae) were introduced into the system and a popular fishery developed. Recent drought, human population growth, and increased water use has resulted in changes in the fish populations and fisheries management objectives in the UCR basin. As water allocation discussions continue among the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, the future of the fishery in the UCR basin is unknown. This paper describes the changes in fisheries management in the UCR basin during the last century in relation to impoundment and increased water use in the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta, Georgia.


<em>Abstract</em>.—In most times and places, reservoir-related ecosystems cannot satisfy all the demands for goods and services, which results in competition for the resources. An appropriately structured description of the competition provides a useful framework for understanding an economic tradeoffs associated with different water allocations.


<em>Abstract</em>.—We analyzed 5 years of route-specific fish passage data acquired by fixed-aspect hydroacoustic sampling of juvenile salmonids passing downstream through Bonneville Dam. High fish-passage effectiveness of surface-flow outlets (SFOs) relative to the spillway and turbines suggested that juvenile salmonids preferentially selected surface outlets over adjacent turbines. Seasonal estimates showed that median combined effectiveness of SFOs (7.8) was 7.1 times higher than that of the spillway (1.1) and 9.8 times higher than that of turbines (0.8). Islands prevented the spillway from attracting fish from either powerhouse forebay, something that does not occur at most hydropower projects. Regression analyses indicated that percent flow passing a specific route explained from 50% to 97% of fish-passage variation, and relations were useful for evaluating fish-passage alternatives. Fitted curves for surface-passage routes, including the sluiceway at Powerhouse 1 (B1) and Powerhouse 2 (B2) were much steeper at low percent flow (2–15%) than were curves for the spillway or turbines. Regressions indicate that increasing surface-flow percentages of B1 flow from 1% to 10% could increase B1 sluiceway-passage efficiency from 40% to 83%. Increasing B2 flow to the B2 sluiceway from 4% to 15% could increase B2 sluiceway passage efficiency from 31% to 62%. Without spill, about 50% of fish passed by nonturbine routes. We recommend increasing percent flow to the B1-and B2-sluiceways because those surface-flow outlets are highly effective, adjacent to turbines, and capable of attracting smolts away from turbines.


<em>Abstract</em>.—The propensity of adult crappies <em>Pomoxis </em>spp. to use similar locations during and among spawning seasons in reservoirs is unknown. This study proposed to determine adult crappie abundance, fidelity, and the substrate consistency in five coves at Sherman Reservoir, Nebraska, which historically displays a quality crappie fishery. Adult crappies (≥150 mm total length) were collected with trap nets from each cove during May 2004 to 2006 and tagged with a visible implant elastomer tag that was color coded for each cove. A total of 7,041 crappies were tagged in 2004, 5,868 in 2005, and 3,967 in 2006. The mean catch per effort in coves ranged from 40 to 75 fish/net-night in this study. Cove fidelity, defined as percent of tagged crappie recaptured in the same cove, within a year ranged from 74% to 88% in 2004, 84–88% in 2005, and 65–89% in 2006. Cove fidelity between spawning seasons was 62–81% for 2004 and 2005, 56–90% for 2005 and 2006, and 47–92% for 2004 and 2006. All five coves had a loam substrate with similar firmness. These data indicate a tendency by crappie to visit the same cove during successive spawning seasons, even when comparable substrates are available, which demonstrates the need for habitat conservation efforts for specific coves used during spawning seasons.


<em>Abstract</em>.—In Lake Martin (16,000 ha), Alabama, black bass <em>Micropterus </em>spp. tournaments occur nearly every weekend at a single site (Wind Creek State Park [WCSP]), which could cause fish to accumulate at this release site and potentially cause negative impacts to the population. Over a 7-month period, nearly 6,600 tour-nament-caught largemouth bass <em>M. salmoides </em>and spotted bass <em>M. punctulatus </em>were injected with a coded wire tag at different body locations before release at WCSP. After release, black bass were collected with electrofishing up to 1.5 years following release at 0–10 km from the release site and scanned for a tag. Although variable, a substantial proportion (10–70%) of tournament-caught black bass comprised the black bass population within 3 km of WCSP up to 3 months after release. After 3 months, proportions of tagged black bass within 10 km of WCSP decreased dramatically and by an order of magnitude after 1 year, which strongly suggested that these fish dispersed from WCSP. Over a 2- to 70-d period after release from a tournament, relative weights of tournament-released black bass were typically less than fish not released in tournaments. In addition, we collected and aged black bass throughout Lake Martin; relative weights of both black bass species were less and spotted bass growth was lower within 10 km of WCSP compared to other regions of Lake Martin. Even though black bass dispersed from the WCSP release site, these negative population effects were attributed to the constant translocation and accumulation of tournament-caught fish in this region of Lake Martin. In water bodies such as Lake Martin where mass translocation of black bass occurs annually at a single site, the use of live-release boats to transport tournament-caught black bass and the promotion and use of alternative release sites should be encouraged to reduce possible localized negative population effects.


<em>Abstract</em>.—We examined perceptions of and responses to crowding by boat anglers on hydropower and flood-control reservoirs in western North Carolina by reviewing angler opinion information obtained during year-long creel surveys conducted 1997–2006. Interview topics included subjective ratings of crowding on the day of interview, boating safety concerns, alterations to fishing trips due to crowding, types of behavioral alterations used to avoid crowding, and incidence of night fishing. Angler perceptions of crowding and resulting changes in fishing behavior were typically higher in warmer months and on reservoirs with greater fishing pressure. However, boat anglers on reservoirs with high fishing pressure but low nonfishing boat traffic reported fewer crowding concerns than on reservoirs with more diverse boating use. Spatial responses to crowding were reported on all waters and included fishing coves, diverting fishing trips to less-crowded reservoirs, and leaving the reservoir to avoid crowds. Temporal responses to crowding were more common on heavily used reservoirs and included fishing at night, avoiding weekends, and avoiding summer months. We recommend focusing access improvements on enhancements for off-season and night fishing, including improved access-area lighting and low-water ramps and docks.


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