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Farm Pond Management
Wes Neal
There are about 100,000 small ponds in Arkansas, which
contribute significantly to the state’s fishing resources. A
web-based pond management program for county agents and pond
owners. This delivery medium receives about 500 visits per
month, and generates a significant number of e-mail contacts. A
printable pond management calendar has been developed, and is
producing monthly farm pond press releases for county agents. A
recent survey of county agents was conducted to identify program
needs, and participated in hands-on and web based in-service
training for agents. County workshops were conducted on farm
pond management upon agent request.
Assistance has been provided to civic leaders to develop aquatic
resources in Lake Village, and works closely with the Arkansas
Game and Fish Commission to provide expertise and training for
many of the fisheries and education programs. Two training
workshops for AGFC personnel were organized in Conflict
Resolution and Water Quality, training in fish identification
and anatomy for new HOFNOD instructors, and assistance with
information booklets and brochures.
- Evaluation of AGFC Family and Community Fishing Program
Wes Neal, Cliff Hutt, Tom Lang
Recent trends have indicated a slight decline in recreational
fishing participation, and under representation of women and
minorities among the angling population. These trends, coupled
with increased emigration of individuals from rural to urban
areas, have prompted many state management agencies to start
urban fishing programs. However, the transportation costs of
these programs can be prohibitive because frequent stockings
at many locations are required. To evaluate the potential
effects of a reduction in stocking frequency, UAPB is
conducting creel surveys on six ponds stocked with channel
catfish by AGFC. The six ponds received one of two treatments:
1) the AGFC standard of biweekly stocking, or 2) monthly
stocking at double the biweekly density. Initial results have
indicated AGFC is not reaching their desired catch rate of 0.5
catfish per hour with either stocking frequency. In addition,
no decline in catch rate or angler satisfaction with reduction
in stocking frequency was observed. Year 2 of the study is
currently underway. This research has been presented recently
at state and regional professional conferences.
- Evaluation of AGFC Fishing Derby Program
Wes Neal, Cliff Hutt, Tom Lang
Recruiting new anglers is a chief concern of fish and game
agencies because of declining license sales. Successfully
recruiting new anglers depends on reaching them at a young
age, as 88% of freshwater anglers began fishing before the age
of 20. Fishing derbies are widely considered to be an
effective means of recruitment. Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission (AGFC) currently supports fishing derbies by
stocking catfish into derby ponds prior to derby events. UAPB
is evaluating the Fishing Derby Program (FDP) to determine if
derby events increase angling at non-derby locations and if
derbies are an effective means of recruiting new anglers. A
total of 32 derby events, distributed between rural and urban
locations, and derby events that are open or closed to the
public were sampled. Preliminary findings suggest that fishing
effort on derby ponds increases after a derby event, and that
derby participants are primarily Caucasian, while those
fishing on the ponds before and after the derby are primarily
African-American. The majority of derby participants are not
new to the sport of fishing, and 89% of participant guardians
have possessed fishing licenses. Year 2 of the study is
currently underway. This research has been presented recently
at state and regional professional conferences.
- Survey of the AGFC Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs
Program
Wes Neal, Cliff Hutt
The Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) program was
developed by the Future Fisherman Foundation over fifteen
years ago to teach children angling skills and ethics, aquatic
education, and positive life and social skills. It has been
implemented in over 30 states and U.S. territories. The HOFNOD
program was introduced to Arkansas in 1997 by Governor Mike
Huckabee, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), and
the Arkansas Department of Education, and is currently in its
8th year of implementation. This study was conducted to
evaluate the effectiveness of the program using teacher
questionnaires. The evaluation was particularly interested in
teacher opinions about the effectiveness of the HOFNOD program
in influencing student overall academic and classroom
performance, participation in recreational fishing, and
community and parental involvement in the school. Thirty-seven
of 38 schools actively participating in the HOFNOD program in
2004-2005 returned completed questionnaires for a 97% school
response rate. Teachers surveyed had been participating in the
program for an average of 3.8 years and were predominately
Caucasian females. Teacher responses indicated that the HOFNOD
program had its most positive effect on student learning
motivation, fishing participation, and parent and community
involvement in school activities. New teachers surveyed
following a training workshop showed slightly greater
expectations for the program than were realized by veteran
instructors. This survey is scheduled to continue for three
years.
- Using Hybrid Striped Bass as a Control for Stunted Prey
in Ponds
Wes Neal and Paul Port
Farm ponds require a balance between predator and prey,
usually largemouth bass and bluegill, to sustain a quality
fishery. Stunted bluegill populations can arise due to
overharvest of largemouth bass, which removes predation and
results in resource limitation. Often, the best solution has
been to completely eradicate the fish community and restock
the pond. An alternative to pond reclamation is to stock an
additional predator species that has the potential to alter
the structure of a stunted prey fish population. The hybrid
striped bass (white bass Morone chrysops x striped bass
M. saxatilis ) has been shown to prefer smaller prey
than largemouth bass, and therefore should consume more
individual prey, decreasing competition for resources. The
growing popularity of hybrid striped bass presents a
management opportunity for diversifying Arkansas pond
fisheries. The current study is evaluating the efficacy of
hybrid striped bass predation as a corrective management tool
on stunted prey fish populations in Arkansas. Two stocking
densities are being compared, and hybrid striped bass diet,
growth, water quality requirements, and fish community changes
are being evaluated. This research will continue for two
additional years. This management technique may be able to
improve poor-quality fishing in ponds.
- Improving Growth of Largemouth Bass in Puerto Rico
Wes Neal, Chris Mace, David Behler
Studies of largemouth bass dynamics in Puerto Rico indicate
that, unlike their dynamics in temperate reservoirs, most bass
do not survive to age 4 and rarely reach sizes considered
preferred by anglers. This short life span and small size
occurs in despite an abundance of prey and year-round growing
season. The extended spawning period with repeat spawning
events appears to require energetic shift from growth to
reproduction, leading to slow growth and early mortality.
Triploidy, resulting in sterility, offers a management
approach to increase growth and survival rates of largemouth
bass in Puerto Rico reservoirs. Sterile triploid bass stocked
into Puerto Rico reservoirs could display enhanced growth
rates as energetic costs of forgone reproduction should
translate into energy for growth, and potentially, increased
survival. The objectives of this study are to further refine
on-demand propagation techniques of largemouth bass and
improve triploidy induction procedures; to evaluate triploid
largemouth bass growth and survival in Puerto Rico reservoirs
and ponds; and to produce science-based management
recommendations directed at using supplementally stocked
triploid largemouth bass to enhance sport fishing
opportunities. This research is well underway and is scheduled
to continue for three more years.
- Developing Hatchery Techniques for Bigmouth Sleeper
Production
Wes Neal, Chris Mace, Nate Harris
In recent years, there has been a general trend towards the
use of native species in fisheries management. In Puerto Rico,
native species management in reservoirs is hindered by an
absence of truly freshwater native species and only a handful
of euryhaline species that require open access to the marine
environment. The sole exception is the bigmouth sleeper, for
which a landlocked population was recently identified in
Carite Reservoir. Whereas anglers actively target and harvest
this species, the bigmouth sleeper presents an opportunity to
establish native freshwater fisheries in Puerto Rico. Since
future management of this species will likely be dependent on
introductory and supplemental hatchery stocking of reservoirs
incapable of supporting self-sustaining bigmouth sleeper
populations, hatchery propagation potential must be evaluated
and protocols need to be developed. The objectives of this
study are to evaluate hatchery production potential of
bigmouth sleepers; to establish hatchery protocols for
broodstock maintenance, gamete production and fertilization,
embryo incubation, and grow-out to finglerling size; determine
bigmouth sleeper growth potential; and to produce
science-based management recommendations directed at using
bigmouth sleepers to enhance sport fishing opportunities. This
research is currently underway and will continue for three
more years.
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