Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2002. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xix, 207 p. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Roy A. Stein, Dept. of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-207).

This study is based upon information taken from stomach analysis of 302 black crappie and 561 white crappie; the following data will be presented: 1. Food of adults and fingerlings; 2. Diet variation in relation to food availability; 3. Seasonal variation of feeding habits; 4. Diet variation in relation to size of crappie. Collections were made from ten lakes located in North, East, Central, and South Texas.

Aquaculture methods are limited for white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), reducing production potential. Therefore, reproduction methods, including induced spawning, sperm cryopreservation and out-of-season spawning, were developed in tank systems. A two week acclimation period (15°C; 3-5 ppt salinity) was necessary to reduce disease-related mortality. Afterwards, four spawning induction hormones and a control were examined to induce spawning. Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue and salmonid gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue performed the best in terms of spawning success and %ertilization. Sperm cryopreservation was effective using Hanks or Ca2+ree Hanks balanced salt solutions with 10%-methanol or 5%-dimethyl-sulfoxide as a cryoprotectant, frozen at 40°C/min. Out-of-season spawning experiments manipulated photoperiod and temperature over 3-wk (9% spawning success; 11% fertilization) and 6-wk (16% spawning success; 55% fertilization) seasonal shifts. Post-experiment maturation data indicate that females were in an intermediate development stage. These experiments demonstrate the potential of advanced spawning techniques to improve annual production of white crappie.

No description available.

This study is another phase of the overall research program designed to furnish basic information for the management of East Texas lakes and has as its specific purpose the determination of the age and growth characteristics of two valuable species on these waters. The species to be considered are the black crappie, Pomoxis nigro-maculatus (Le Sueur) and the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque. Both species are highly regarded as food fish and have for many years offered recreational outlets for Texas fishermen.

Mississippi is home to many small impoundments, providing anglers with local fishing opportunities. Crappie (Pomoxis spp.) fisheries are highly prized in the state, and managers struggle to meet angler expectations in these smaller systems. From 2015 to 2017, white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) and magnolia crappie (male black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus x female white crappie Pomoxis annularis), marked with oxytetracycline and alizarin red s, were stocked into five small Mississippi impoundments to evaluate stocking efficacy and long-term mark retention. Overall stocking contribution to established populations was 0.59% with only one marked fish recovered. An additional 12 lakes ranging in size from 28 and 357 hectares were studied to assess factors contributing to successful crappie populations. Highest crappie growth rates were observed in systems where crappie abundance is limited. Findings of this study suggest predator population management can be a valuable tool for managing crappie in small impoundments.

White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) and Black Crappie (P. nigromaculatus) are popular North American gamefish; however, frequent fluctuations in year class strength present a management challenge for recreational fisheries. Intensive aquaculture production has the potential to address this challenge through controlled hatchery reproduction for supplemental stocking, but further study is needed to refine and optimize techniques. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of hormone injection timing on latency period and spawning success, examined effective cryopreservation techniques for black-stripe Black Crappie sperm (a preferred hatchery phenotype), and compared simulated spring duration on out-of-season spawning success. Latency period for White Crappie did not depend on the diel time of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone injection. Cryopreservation of black-stripe Black Crappie sperm and subsequent fertilization of White Crappie eggs was more effective using 5% dimethyl-sulfoxide than 10% methanol. A longer duration at final spring spawning conditions (3 vs. 2 weeks) increased egg fertilization in out-of-season spawning experiments.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-97).

Large rivers in the United States support popular recreational and commercial fisheries despite being among the most heavily anthropogenically modified habitats due to the construction of dams and levees, agricultural and industrial pollution, and channel modification, all of which can disrupt aquatic ecosystem function and affect fish community composition and abundance. However, despite their relative importance, riverine fisheries research tends to lag behind that of lakes and reservoirs due to the complexity of habitats and difficulties in reliably sampling dynamic waterbodies. Many fisheries biologists, researchers, and managers have implemented long-term resource monitoring programs on large rivers to collect and aggregate data on fish assemblage, population demographics, and vital rates. Nonetheless, much is still unknown about many riverine sport and non-game fish populations and how the design and implementation of these monitoring programs affects the data collected. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap around Smithland Pool, Ohio River Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) populations, as well as use fish community data from the random site selection long-term electrofishing program (LTEF) in the Smithland Pool Ohio River and fixed site IDNR annual community sampling programs in the mainstem Smithland Pool (OHR) and Illinois tributaries (OHT) from 2012-2021 to compare measures of fish assemblage structure and relative abundance and size for select sportfish populations between concurrent fixed and random site selection sampling programs in Smithland Pool, with broader implications of the relative strengths of different site selection methods in the implementation of long-term large river fish monitoring programs. Crappie are infrequently encountered in the mainstem Smithland Pool and so were sampled in the lower reaches of seven tributaries in the fall and spring of 2020 and 2021. IDNR provided additional specimens through their annual fall tributary fish community monitoring efforts. Crappies were aged using whole sagittal otoliths and population demographics and vital rates were calculated for each species. Year-class strength was represented by catch curve residuals and correlational relationships with a variety of environmental factors were established. LASSO regression models were also used to eliminate unimportant variables. Smithland Pool tributary Black Crappie and White Crappie size structure, condition, growth rates, and mortality rates were consistent with other regional fisheries. White Crappie exhibited relatively lower mortality rates, faster growth rates, and a higher proportion of larger fish in the population, though 1.7x more Black Crappie were captured than White Crappie. Strong Black Crappie year-classes were positively associated with post-spawn (June-September) Ohio River discharge while strong White Crappie year-classes were positively associated with fall (October-December) air temperature, a proxy for water temperature. The findings of this study suggest that Smithland Pool Ohio River tributary crappie population structure and vital rates are such that they can support current levels of angler harvest and highlight the differential effects of environmental variables on either crappie species’ reproductive success. Rates of Smithland Pool tributary crappie fishing mortality are currently unknown and verification of vital rates, size structure, and environmental variable-recruitment relationships is needed to ensure proper management of these species into the future. ANOSIM and NMDS analysis indicated clear significant differences between fish assemblages observed through different programs, largely driven by centrarchid species, among others, who associated more with relatively structure rich tributary and fixed site mainstem habitats. Differences in CPUE and size structure of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides), Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis), Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), and Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) between programs were inconsistent among species but generally, fixed site tributary sampling caught experienced the highest CPUE, followed by fixed site river sampling and finally random site mainstem sampling. Observed size structure was most similar between fixed and random site river sampling programs, while fixed site tributary sampling generally yielded the smallest size structure, suggesting differential habitat use by fishes of different sizes/ages. These results help to inform the effects of site selection protocols and sampling location on data collected through long-term large river monitoring programs, provide guidelines regarding proper application of data from such programs, as well identify complementary relationships between concurrently implemented sampling designs.

No description available.