7946 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

\{~ \ct~S olCflfG -----~ RESERVOIR FISHERY RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES Gordon E. Hall BACKGROUND The u.s. reservoir resource today includes about 1,650 waters larger than 500 surface acres, which collectively comprise 10 million surface acres. These large artificial lakes were estimated to have supported 22 percent (150 million man-days) of all freshwater fishing in 1980; this activity generated total retail expenditures of over $3 billion. Eleven million anglers fished most often in these waters, exerting nearly three times the reservoir fishing pressure than 25 years earlier. In 1960, when fishing pressure on large reservoirs was estimated at 76 million angler-days, it was predicted that by the year 2000 large impoundments would provide over 300 million angler days per year. The projected growth of angling pressure is about on schedule and meeting this anticipated demand will require a doubling of current sport fish catches. Since few new large reservoirs are now being built or are likely ever to be built, much of this increase can only be produced by improved management of existing reservoirs. Developing the necessary management techniques will require continuing reservoir research. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was a leader in reservoir fishery research for over 20 years. Through its National Reservoir Research Program (NRRP), the Service designed, directed, and coordinated fishery research efforts on large impoundments and served the states as the primary source of baseline data on reservoir fish populations and harvests. This intensive effort was abruptly terminated in 1983, predi- cated on the assumption that necessary reservoir research efforts could and would be performed by individual states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to abort its reservoir research effort caused much concern among state, federal, and private conservation agencies because of the loss of valuable services which the NRRP had been providing, and the probability that the effort, funding, and important findings could not be replaced. Many concerned individuals and institutions questioned the wisdom of transferring reservoir fisheries research to the states because they felt there would be inevitable and wasteful duplication of effort, shortage of funding, insufficient research talent, and breakdown of technical information transfer. THE SURVEY Early in 1983, the American Fisheries Society convened Gordon Hall is retired from the Tennessee Valley Authority where he was Chief Aquatic Biologist. He is currently a consultant and is also editing the AFS Special Publication entitled "Biology and Management of the Muskellunge." March - April 1985 an ad hoc committee of 17 interested federal agencies and private conservation organizations to examine these questions. Based upon my extensive reservoir research experience with the Tennessee Valley Authority, I was commissioned to conduct appropriate surveys and prepare a report that would, as comprehensively as possible, identify and describe the 10 's eries research needs and riorities, and define the 0 ti eds. wo similar surveys were conducted in 1983 and 1984 to obtain this information. In the first, approximately 80 profes- sional fisheries biologists with reservoir experience (the most knowledgeable authorities in North America) were asked to furnish information and ideas on (1) gaps in current reserv~r knowledge, (2) pressing needs for additional information, (3) 'appropnate dlrecIlons lor research, and (4) the kind of 9r"ganization hpc;t 'mit"rl to conduct a reservoir ~~heries ..llI'ogram. Following tabulation and analysis of the responses, all 50 state fish and wildlife directors were asked to provide similar information. Since the responses were very similar, results have been combined. SURVEY RESULTS Response Characteristics A total of 65 constructive responses were received from the first 80 questionnaires. Several responses represented a group concensus view (e.g., the AFS Southern Division Reservoir Committee). Sources of replies were: 45% federal, 21 % state, 19% private, and 15% university. By geographical region (including Canada), responses were from: West-14; Canada, East, and Northeast-16; Midwest and Southwest- 14; and Southeast-22. Thirty-four of the 50 states responded to the second round of questionnaires. Because several states have few large man- made reservoirs, the final response is believed to represent the views of 90 percent of the major reservoir states. Responses to Specific Questions What do you see as the principal gaps in current knowledge related to reservoir fisheries management? Knowledge gaps identified by the largest number of re- spondents in both surveys were: (1) the absence of a clear understanding of predator jprey interactions; (2) need for iTitO'rmatlon UII optimum stock1Og procedures; (3) knowl"rl!J" ac ors a ec 10 t e recruitmen 0 's ; and (4) information 'co erning impacts of harvest regu a 0 s on individual species and population balance. Twenty additional knowledge gaps were identified by lesser numbers of respondents. (Continued) 3