The white perch (Morone americana) is a highly successful invader of freshwater systems, with negative consequences to some resident fishes. White perch are ovivores and may prey upon as well as compete with juvenile sportfishes. Since 1988, an introduced population of white perch has proliferated in the 19,790-ha Kerr Reservoir, NC-VA, potentially threatening popular sport fisheries for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), crappie (Pomoxis spp.), and self-sustaining striped bass (Morone saxatilis). Trophic relationships between white perch and resident sportfish were examined in the Kerr Reservoir system to determine the white perch's impact on them.
Striped bass eggs were found in the stomach contents of white perch collected from the Roanoke River during their concurrent spawning runs in May, and at times egg predation was intense (frequency of egg occurrence in white perch individuals up to 100 %). However, modeling simulations indicated that observed densities of white perch in the Roanoke River during the peak spawning period of striped bass (May) were too low to have a substantial effect on striped bass recruitment. Crappie eggs were found in the diets of white perch collected from Kerr Reservoir during April, but the significance of this predation was not determined.
Trophic overlap (Schoener's Index) was high (> 0.5) between age-0 white perch and age-0 crappie, largemouth bass, and striped bass in June, but only remained high between white perch and crappie in the remainder of the growing season (July – September). After June, largemouth and striped bass were primarily piscivorous, whereas white perch and crappie remained primarily invertivorous. Trophic overlap was high between adult white perch and adult crappie (> 0.6), but not between white perch and any other species of adult sportfish.
The utilization of white perch by adult piscivores (Ictalurids, Pomoxis spp., Moronids, and Percids) as a food source was low (< 2% of diets by weight). Piscivorous sportfish primarily ate clupeids, which are highly abundant in Kerr Reservoir.
Analysis of sportfish performance before (1974 – 1987) versus after (1996 – 2005) white perch establishment indicated no change in abundance and growth of striped bass and largemouth bass. Performance data for crappie prior to white perch introductions were unavailable, but observed egg predation by and trophic overlap with white perch suggests that crappie have the highest potential to suffer deleterious interactions with the white perch. Abundance of white bass has significantly declined in years since white perch introductions. Future research in Kerr Reservoir should concentrate on interactions between white perch and these two species. / Master of Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32914 |
| Date | 22 June 2006 |
| Creators | Harris, Johnathan |
| Contributors | Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Murphy, Brian R., Ney, John J., DiCenzo, Victor J., Dolloff, C. Andrew, McMullin, Steve L. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | Johnathan_Harris_Thesis.pdf |
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