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Assessment of Stocking Catchable‐Size Channel Catfish in the Buffalo River, Arkansas
Author(s) -
Siegwarth G. L.,
Johnson J. E.
Publication year - 1998
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(1998)018<0096:aoscsc>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - catfish , ictalurus , stocking , fishery , hatchery , population , fishing , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , channel (broadcasting) , zoology , demography , sociology , electrical engineering , engineering
Food habits, dispersal, growth, and relative contribution to the population were assessed for catchable‐size channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus stocked in the Buffalo River, Arkansas. Although channel catfish are a well‐studied species, little published information exists on poststocking performance, especially for hatchery‐reared fish released into flowing waters. To assess these variables, 3,600 marked fish were released into upper, middle, and lower reaches of the river in September 1991. Of the 94 recaptures, 76% moved downstream (>2 km), 20% were recaptured within 2 km of the original stocking location, and 4% moved upstream. Diet analysis indicated that stocked catfish fed very little during their first 6 weeks in the river. However, by the following year, stocked catfish were observed to consume a wide variety of natural food items. Stocked fish grew an average of 96 mm in length and 310 g in weight after 300 d in the river. Catfish stocked in the river continued to exhibit rapid growth rates through age 6. In all, stocked catfish made up an estimated 93% of the channel catfish population in the Buffalo River.