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Dispersal of Walleye Fingerlings after Stocking
Author(s) -
Parsons Bradford G.,
Pereira Donald L.
Publication year - 1997
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(1997)017<0988:dowfas>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - electrofishing , stocking , stizostedion , biological dispersal , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , fishing , catch and release , spring (device) , habitat , ecology , recreational fishing , population , mechanical engineering , demography , sociology , engineering
Lake size and morphometry affected dispersal of fingerlings of walleyes Stizostedion vitreum following stocking in three Minnesota lakes. A portion of stocked fingerlings were marked with coded wire tags and released in September and October of 1986, 1987, and 1988. Walleyes were collected in subsequent years by spring electrofishing. Most tagged walleyes remained near the release site through their first spring, but this effect was inconsistent among lakes. Tagged fish dispersed by their first spring in Lake Mary (960 ha), which is the smallest of the three lakes and has little underwater structure. In Lake Miltona (2,363 ha), the largest lake in the study, fish were dispersed only marginally at age 3, likely due to the lake's size and its division into two basins. Walleyes in Lake Ida (1,736 ha), which is intermediate in size and habitat complexity, generally were dispersed by age 2. These results have important implications for release–recapture experiments. Failure to evaluate dispersal may bias experimental results. In addition, angling success may be affected by stocking location and dispersal in walleye fisheries that are sustained by stocked fish. Also, survival and growth may be enhanced if stocking sites are distributed around the lake.