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Variability in Abundance of Age‐0 Centrarchids among Littoral Habitats of Flood Control Reservoirs in Mississippi
Author(s) -
Meals Keith O.,
Miranda L. Esteban
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(1991)011<0298:viaoac>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - cove , micropterus , habitat , littoral zone , abundance (ecology) , lepomis , ecology , water level , bass (fish) , shore , environmental science , fishery , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , geology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , archaeology
Abundances of age‐0 sunfishes Lepomis spp., largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides , and crappies Pomoxis spp. were determined in five types of habitats in four flood control reservoirs in years of high and low water. Fish were collected with rotenone in littoral zones of coves, sloughs, and main‐lake habitats characterized by sand, clay, or gravel shoreline. Coves and sloughs generally yielded the largest numbers of age‐0 fish, and main‐lake sand shorelines yielded the least. Although the rankings of abundance among habitat types remained similar during the years of high and low water, relative increases in abundance during high water were disproportional, and habitat types with low fish abundance generally benefited more from increases in water level. We suggest that variation in abundance among these habitat types should be considered in designing sampling surveys and shoreline enhancement programs for increasing the abundance of centrarchid species.