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Distribution and Stock Structure of Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish in Macrohabitats along Riverine Sections of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway
Author(s) -
Jackson Donald C.
Publication year - 1995
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(1995)015<0845:dassob>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - catfish , ictalurus , fishery , biology , fishing , catch per unit effort , stock (firearms) , water channel , fish <actinopterygii> , geography , oceanography , inlet , archaeology , geology
The Tennessee‐Tombigbee Waterway transformed the Tombigbee River into a series of reservoirs and navigation channels linking the Tennessee River with the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting macrohabitats—bendways (original Tombigbee River channels cut off by construction of navigation channels), channels, and tailwaters—support populations of blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus and channel catfish I. punctatus . I studied distribution and stock structure of these fishes using gill nets fished overnight throughout a 2‐year period. Blue catfish and channel catfish were captured in all three macrohabitats. Of these fish, 45% of the blue catfish and 39% of the channel catfish were of stock size (≥30 cm and ≥28 cm for blue catfish and channel catfish, respectively). Tailwater catches tended to yield larger fish for combined substock‐ and stock‐sized fish for both species. However, for stock‐sized fish considered separately, size differed little among macrohabitats. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE, fish/net‐night) for stock‐sized blue catfish was similar among macrohabitats. Catch per unit of effort for stock‐sized channel catfish was greater in channels than in tailwaters and bendways. Catch per unit of effort for substock‐sized fish of both species was greatest in channels. Management for blue catfish and channel catfish fisheries in riverine macrohabitats of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway can focus on protecting and enhancing angler–resource interactions in tailwaters and promoting angling opportunities in channels and bendways.