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Effects of Dissolved‐Oxygen Depletion on the Rainbow Trout Fishery in Lake Taneycomo, Missouri
Author(s) -
Weithman A. Stephen,
Haas Mark A.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1984)113<109:eoddot>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - hypolimnion , rainbow trout , fishery , salmo , environmental science , trout , fishing , tailwater , fish <actinopterygii> , oceanography , eutrophication , ecology , biology , geology , nutrient
Lake Taneycomo, a 700‐hectare hydroelectric impoundment in Taney County, southwestern Missouri, is fed by cool hypolimnetic waters from an upstream reservoir. A popular put‐grow‐and‐take fishery for rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri has become established in Lake Taneycomo, but fishing success and effort decline each fall when oxygen‐depleted waters enter the lake. The fishery was examined in detail from June 1978 through May 1980. During this period, catch rates of rainbow trout averaged 0.55 fish/hour, and were influenced by dissolved‐oxygen concentration, number of fish available to be caught, discharge rates from the upstream reservoir, angler experience, and water temperature. A decrease of 1 mg/liter dissolved oxygen, between 6.0 and 2.4 mg/liter, reduced catch rates by 0.1 fish/hour. During the fall, a change in catch rate of 0.1 fish/hour can result in a change of 20,000 hours of fishing at Lake Taneycomo. The expected annual economic loss to the Taney County economy due to low concentrations of dissolved oxygen is $358,000 (range, $267,000‐$432,000). Received August 4, 1982 Accepted December 3, 1983