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Postrelease Rate of Loss of Juvenile Red Drum Stocked out of Season in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Author(s) -
Sherwood Edward T.,
Murie Debra J.,
Parkyn Daryl C.
Publication year - 2004
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/m03-126.1
Subject(s) - juvenile , fishery , drum , wildlife refuge , fish <actinopterygii> , wildlife , biology , hatchery , zoology , environmental science , geography , ecology , archaeology
Rates of loss of juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (∼85 mm total length) stocked out of season were estimated using hatchery releases and ultrasonically tagged fish in Pumpkin and May creeks in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf coast of Florida. In Pumpkin Creek, approximately 7,000 of the 10,000 fish released on 27 June 2000 survived combined transport mortality (2%) and 24‐h acute mortality (28 ± 8.7% [mean ± SE] n = 6). In May Creek, approximately 5,100 of the 10,000 fish released on 29 June 2000 survived combined transport (7.5–10%) and 24‐h acute (44 ± 0%, n = 2) mortality. Catch curve estimates of the instantaneous “rate of loss” (mortality or emigration) within 5 d were 0.46/d and 0.50/d for Pumpkin and May creeks, respectively. Red drum with ultrasonic transmitters ( n = 12) also rapidly “disappeared” from the creeks within 4 d after release. These are the first estimates of postrelease rate of loss for juvenile red drum released out of season on the west coast of Florida. Understanding the causes of this overall rapid rate of loss will be critical to evaluating the success of out‐of‐season releases of red drum in Florida.