ABSTRACT. The second year of a renewed net fishery in western Kentucky reservoirs was monitored by catch report analysis of data obtained by onboard ...
NorthAmericanJournalof FisheriesManagement4:75-83, 1984 ¸ Copyrightby the AmericanFisheriesSociety1984
Evaluation of the Commercial Entanglement-GearFishery in Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, Kentuckyt CHARLES R. BRONTE 2 AND DONALD W. JOHNSON3 Hancock BiologicalStation Murray State University Murray, Kentucky42071
ABSTRACT The secondyear of a renewednet fishery in western Kentucky reservoirswas monitored by catch report analysisof data obtainedby onboardobserversdescribinggear effectiveness, speciescaught, and length group structure of the catch. Twenty-nine permit fishermen removeda total of 651 metric tons of commercialspeciesvalued at more than $370,000. Total landings increased65% overthe first year. Reportedpaddlefish(Polyodonspath#la)landingsdecreased58%--from 15 to 4% of the catch by weight and from 26 to 2% of the value. Buffalofishes(Ictiob#s spp.) and catfishes(Ictal#ridae) comprised56 and 21% of the catch by weight,respectively.Trammel nets (89-114 ram) were foundto be most effectivefor harvestingbuffalofisheswhile gill nets were used selectivelyfor catfishes.Catch per effort of experiencedfishermenwas 49% higher than for inexperiencedfishermen.Daily catchreportsprovideda reliable estimateof total harvestwhen monitored and filed.
The Kentucky portionsof Kentucky Lake and tant to the westernKentucky economywith a Lake Barkley were openedto entanglementgear harvestof approximately910 metric tons worth usagein 1979 to harvestpreviouslyunutilized more than 1 million dollars annually to the refoodfishes--commoncarp(Cyprinuscarpio)and gionalfishingindustry. In 1980, investigationsinto the population buffalofishes (Ictiobusspp.). A net fisheryhad existed from 1963 to 1975, but opposition of structure of the harvest, effectiveness of harsportsmenand introductions of striped bass vestingmethods,and regulationcompliancewere the biological (Morone saxatilis)by the State of Kentucky led initiated. Objectiveswereto assess to its elimination. and economicalimpact of the fisheryand to proReviews of the 1979-1980 catch indicated that vide information on fish population trends and this valuable food resourcecould be croppedand effectiveness of harvestingmethods.Collection provide an economic incentive to commercial of such data can assistagenciesin establishing fishermen.There wasno evidenceof any impact regulationsto meet the needsof consumersand on sport fishesin 1979-1980. Selectivefishing commercial fishermenwhile protectingnontarpressureand landingsof paddlefish(Polyodon get species. This paperpresentsthe resultsof a monitoring spathula)with large-meshgill netsin 1979-1980 led to a maximum mesh-size restriction of 114 effort that we hope will be useful to managers mm in 1980-1981 and an initiation of an invescontemplatingopeninglakesto commercialhartigationon the statusof populationsof that species vest with entanglementgear. Gear type, mesh in western Kentucky. The commercial fisheries sizes,and desirablefishingpressurearejust a few in Lake Barkleyand Kentucky Lake are impor- of the componentsto considerwhen initiating a commercialfisheryand will vary dependingupon • This work wassupportedin part by fundsprovided managementobjectives.In some cases,experiby the Commonwealthof KentuckyFederalAid Proj- mental fishingusinga variety of gearsis carried ect No. 2368-R-1 with the cooperationof the National out by biologistsin an attempt to determine the Marine Fisheries Service. populationcompositionand effectiveness of har2 Presentaddress:Department of FisheriesManagevest methods. This approach may be inapproment, Red Cliff Band, Lake SuperiorChippewas,Box priate for severalreasons,one being that most 529, Bayfield,Wisconsin54814. 3 Presentaddress:Center of Environmental Studies, fisherybiologistslack the expertiseof the seasoned commercial fishermen to sample target Biology Department, Memphis State University, fishes at levels of maximum
Memphis, Tennessee38152. 75
harvest.
76
BRONTEANDJOHNSON
Table 1. Species composition,by number and
weight, in the catchesby monitoredgear in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, Kentucky. Percent
Total
Per-
num-
Total a
(nurn-
cent
bet
weight
ber)
(weight)
Smallmouth buffalo
843
2,697
30
27
Bigmouthbuffalo Black buffalo
437 447
1,835 1,609
15 16
18 16
Common carp
567
1,814
20
18
Paddlefish Channel catfish Blue catfish
84 72 154
747 166 534
3 3 5
7 2 5
Flathead catfish
73
350
3
4
River carpsucker Freshwater
Totals
drum
124
310
3
3
34
64
1
1
2,835
10,128
• Basedon mean weights(kilograms)from weighedspecimens.
METHODS
The State of Kentucky openedKentucky and
Barkleylakesto entanglement gearfor commercialharvestby permit-holding fishermenin 19791980 and again in 1980-1981. Gill nets and
trammel nets (89-114 mm bar mesh)were allowed from November 1 to March 31. Trammel
nets(89 and 102 mm bar mesh)were the most commongearused,comprising75% of the gear evaluated.New fishermencommonly used gill nets because of the lower initial cost and were
used, also, by experiencedfishermenfor selectively harvestingcatfishes(Ictaluridae).Twentynine permits were sold for the 1980-1981 net season.Eighteenof thesepermit holderswere monitored. All permit holderswere requiredto submitdaily catchreportsand salesticketsitemizing speciesand weightsharvestedand net types used.All capturednongamefish were to be removed from the lakesregardless of market value
and sportfishwerereturnedto the waterin the best condition possible.
Kentucky Lake (TennesseeRiver) and Lake Barkley(CumberlandRiver) are flood control
from November 1, 1980 to March 23, 1982. This
represented45 separatemonitoring efforts; 33 visits took placeon Lake Barkley and 12 on Kentucky Lake. Most of the monitoring occurredin Januaryand February.Observerswere onboard throughoutthe net retrieval period. Catch information for each net was placed on separatedata sheets to facilitate computer analysis. Total lengthsof eitherall or a subsampleof commercial and sport fishescaughtin eachnet were recorded alongwith net type, mesh size, and dimensions. Care was taken in processinglive sport fish to minimize
additional
stress. Scales of buffalo fish
and common carp were collected from monitored catch samples to determine recruitment ages.
Most of the fishingeffortwas on Lake Barkley. Only two permit holders regularly fished Kentucky Lake for buffalofish,but fishermendid selectively fish Kentucky Lake for catfisheswhen their market demand was high. Speciesselectivityof major geartypesand mesh sizeswas evaluated by comparing mean catch per unit effort (CPUE)--number of fish per 100 m of net setovernight(about 14 hours).Analysis of variance
was used to determine
differences
betweengearby type(gill and trammel) and mesh size. Differencesthen were identified by Duncan's Multiple Range Test using an alpha level of 0.05.
Experience with gear and associated techniques and familiarity with the lakes and life history of the fish play an important role in determining a fisherman'ssuccess.A comparison of CPUE was made between experienced and inexperiencedfishermenbasedon daily catchreports. Information on experiencewas based on interviewswith fishermenduringonboardmonitoring. Data from permit holders who consistently furnisheddaily catch reportswas used in the analysis.Comparisonswere made using a two-samplet-test (P = 0.05). All gear types and specieswere combined. RESULTS
and navigation reservoirs located in western Tennesseeand Kentucky. Surfaceareaswithin Catch Composition Buffalofishescomprised61% of the monitored Kentucky are 20,000 and 18,960 hectares,respectively.Althoughdifferingin age(Kentucky catchby number and 61% by weight (Table 1). Lake, 40 years;Lake Barkley, 18 years),these Smallmouthbuffalo(Ictiobusbubalus)was the reservoirs have similar morphometric and hy- most commonly taken species.Common carp comprised20% of the catchby number and 18% drographicfeatures. A total of 38,700 m of commercialentangle- by weight. Blue catfish(Ictalurusfurcaius) was ment gearwasmonitoredby onboardobservers the most important of the catfishesharvested.
COMMERCIAL ENTANGLEMENT-GEAR FISHERY
77
Table 2. Comparisonof 1980-1981 to 1979-1980 harvestsof commercialspeciesfrom Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, Kentucky.
Weighta
Precent
Percent
weight increase
increase in value
landed
over
Dollar values
over
(x 1,000)
1979-1980
(x 1,000)
1979-1980
Percent distribution
Barkley
Kentucky
Buffalofishes
369
81
203
70
85
15
Common carp
121
59
13
44
78
22
Channel Blue Flathead
9 38 61
28 19 336
10 42 67
17 59 272
69 42 80
31 58 20
Paddlefish Suckers
27 7
59 139
7 2
-91 100
87 72
13 28
632
57
344
45
77
23
Catfishes
Totals
Kilograms.
Paddlefish,a speciesof specialconcern(Branson et al. 1981), made up 3% of the fishescaughtand 7% of the catch by weight. Freshwater drum (Aplodinotusgrunniens)was the least important commercial species.Seven spottedgat (Lepisosteus oculatus)and three grasscarp (Ctenopharyngodonidella) also were taken. The total catch in 1980-1981, based on sales reportsof the 29 permit fishermen,was 632 t (Table 2). Increasedfishingpressureduring the 5-month netting seasonresultedin a 57% in-
Sizedistributionof the monitoredcatchis presentedin Table 3 and Fig. 1. The gearwas most selectivefor fishes450-700 mm total length.The Kentucky Lake catch includeda higher percentageof largerfish,possiblya reflectionof the lighter fishing pressurethis lake has traditionally receivedfor thesefish.Bigmouthbuffalo(Ictiobus cyprinellus)were rare in monitored Kentucky Lake catches.
Age of Target Species
creasein harvest with a total value of $344,000,
Age data indicated that Lake Barkley smallmouth buffalo, bigmouth buffalo, and common carp enter the fisheryat Age VII. The harvest was composedof only four age classesof bigmouth buffalo and smallmouth buffalo (19711974). Year classesof 1969-1971 producedthe carp harvest for both lakes. Black buffalo (Icriobusniger)in both lakesenterthe fisheryearlier (18 and 19%),the reportsfor catfishes andpad- at Age V, with the yearclassesof 1973-1975 and dlefishdid not agree.Paddlefishconstituted7% 1970-1974 being represented in Barkley and of the monitored catch, but only 4% of the re- Kentucky lakes, respectively. ported catch while catfishcomprised 11% of the Catfishgrowthdata(ConderandHoffarth 1962; monitored catch and 17% of the reported sales. Mathai 1972) indicatedthat mostly older blue Reportedlandingsof paddlefishdecreased59% catfishand channel catfish(Ictalurus punctatus) from 1979-1980, while catfishlandingswere up (Age VIII and VII, respectively)are being har104% in 1980-1981. The decreasein importance vested. Insufficient data were obtained for flatof paddlefishin the catch (15% by weight and headcatfish(Pylodictisolivaris)but, basedon the 26% of the value in 1979-1980 to 4% and 2% largemean lengths,only the older agegroupsare in 1980-1981) was undoubtedly influencedby being removed. the gearrestrictionsimposedin 1980-1981, but under-reporting and reducedabundancealsomay Gear Selectivity up 45% from 1979-1980. Fishes harvested in orderof importancewerebuffalo(58% by weight, 59% of total value), catfishes(17 and 35%) common carp (19 and 4%), and paddlefish(4 and 2%). Although there was close agreement between catchcompositionmonitored and reported for buffalo(61 and 58%, respectively)andcarp
have been factors. The increase in catfish land-
ings reflectedthe ready market and premium pricesavailable for thesespecies.
Gill nets and trammel
nets with 89-mm
mesh
were more effectivefor common carp and river carpsucker(Carplodescarp•o) than other gear
78
BRONTEAND JOHNSON
SMALLMOUTH
CHANNEL
BUFFALO
CATFISH
-%0' 4O 30
20 10
10
< 450
500
BIGMOUTH
550
600
650
700
750
< 450
BUFFALO 40
3O
3O
2O
2O
10
10
I--
500
550
550
600
650
700
750
800
>
550
600
650
700
750
800 >
800
650
700
750
800 >
BLUE CATFISH
40
< 450
500
600
650
700
750
600 >
< 450
BLACK BUFFALO
500
FLATHEAD CATFISH 4O
3O
• 10 '•'
10 < 450
500
550
600
650
700
750
800 >
< 450
500
550
U,I
I•
Iii 50
CARP
RIVER CARPSUCKER
40 30
80 • 30•
20
20
lO
lO
< 450
500
550
600
650
700
750
800 >
< 450
PADDLEFISH
550
600
650
700
7•o 8bo> '
500
550
600
650
700
7•o
DRUM
30 20
10 < 300
500
400
500
.,I,
600
700
800
3020
10
900
1000
>
< 450
86o >
TOTAL LENGTH (MM) ß = BARKLEY
I•= KENTUCKY
Figure l. Length-frequencydistributionof commercialspecieslanded in 1980-1981 from Lake Barkley and KentuckyLake net fisheries.
typesin Lake Barkley(Table 4). Gill netscaught
Kentucky Lake sample sizesfor most species caughtwere small becauseonly 9,511 m of net
more paddlefish and blue catfish than trammel nets; channel catfish and freshwater drum were
were monitored.
takenmosteffectivelywith 89-mm gillnets.Most
KentuckyLake used 114-mm gill nets.As in the
buffalofishes were taken in trammel nets. The
Lake Barkley catch, 89-mm trammel nets and
No
monitored
fishermen
on
meanlengthand weightgenerallyincreasedwith gill netsweremosteffectivein catchingcarpwhile most buffalofisheswere caughtin trammel nets. an increasein gill-net meshsize.Weightsofbufof thedatawereobtainedfrom falofishes,carp, and drum generallyincreased A largepercentage with mesh size. permitteesselectivelyfishingfor catfishand these
COMMERCIAL ENTANGLEMENT-GEAR
FISHERY
79
Table 3. Mean lengthsand weightsof commercialfish taken in monitoredcommercialgear in Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. Mean
Species
Number of fish
length (mm)
472
533
281
597
Mean
Number of fish
weight (kg)
421-720
265
2.7
1.4-5.5
421-785
188
4.2
2.0-9.4
Range
Range
Lake Barkley Smallmouth
buffalo
Bigmouthbuffalo Black buffalo
300
575
244-781
160
3.6
1.5-8.1
Common carp
429
487
310-954
265
3.2
1.1-7.8
Paddlefish Channel catfish
80 44
788 a 548
355-1,650 281-685
55 41
8.9 2.3
1.7-21.0 0.2-4.2
Blue catfish Flathead catfish
95 77
606 673
274-873 414-911
77 47
3.2 5.1
0.2-11.0 1.0-13.2
River carpsucker
84
477
440-589
54
1.8
1.3-2.3
Freshwater drum
29
504
198-675
23
2.1
0.2-4.8
132
556
427-686
113
3.6
1.5-6.9
8
620
349-810
3
4.3
3.2-5.5
Kentucky Lake Smallmouth buffalo
Bigmouthbuffalo Black buffalo
52
602
349-810
46
4.4
1.8-6.0
Common carp Paddlefish
42 4
575 809
506-721 661-1,016
38
3.0
1.5-6.5
Channel catfish Blue catfish Flathead catfish
6 54 20
549 637 658
380-715 173-946 500-865
6 48 20
2.2 3.7 4.2
0.6-4.1 0.4-8.5 1.4-15.0
River carpsucker
18
486
444-510
17
2.0
1.3-3.5
Freshwater drum
10
487
268-685
9
3.5
0.3-7.6
Body length.
catchesmay not be representativeof populations catch and the fish usually were sold undressed of commercial fishesavailable to this gear. (live weight with head, skin, and viscera).Prices The largevariationin the data for experienced average55½/kgfor buffalofish,$1.10/kg for catTennesseefishermenresulted in no significant fish, and 33½/kgfor paddlefish.Common carp differences in CPUE between experienced and were not alwaysmarketablebecauseof low deinexperienced fishermen. Resident Kentucky mand, but fishermenreceived11½/kgwhen sold. fishermen exhibited significant differencesbe- Gar and freshwater drum were seldom marketed. Tennesseepermit holders always sold fish to tween the two groups,with experiencedfishermen catching43% more fish per unit of effort. Tennesseemarkets and a large percentageof Significantdifferencesalso were found when all Kentucky permit holdersalso sold to Tennessee fishermen data were pooled. The experienced markets. During periods of excessfish, Tennesfishermen'scatch rate was 49% higher than the seebuyersboughtfishonly from Tennesseefishnovice (Table 5). A significantcorrelationdid ermen.The Kentuckymarketsboughtbuffalofish not exist betweendays fished or length of net and carp from only a few fishermenon a regular fishedby Tennesseefishermenand weightof har- basis becauselocal demand was low. Very few vest, but these factors were correlated for the fish were sold directly to the public at boat harvest of Kentucky fishermen.Increasedex- launchingsitesor other public places. posureto the fishingmethods over time should Catch ReportingAccuracy increasefishingefficiency. Daily catchreportswere evaluatedby directly Disposal of the Catch comparingthe local weightof fish reportedwith Fishermen interviews during the monitoring the monitored weight (Table 6). Speciescomperiodrevealedthat mostof the buffalofish,pad- position did not vary betweencatch and monidlefish,and catfishwere soldto local fish dealers toring reports.Total weight reportedby 15 fishin westernKentuckyand westernTennessee.Four ermenon daysthey werenot monitored was4,111 large-volumemarkets purchasedmost of the kg comparedto 5,162 kg monitored. Monitored
80
BRONTE AND JOHNSON
Tnble4. Cntchperuniteffortby genrtypenndspecies cnughtin LnkeBnrkley(Kentucky), 19801981.Menns(number of fishper100m of net)withthesnmeletternrenotsignificnntly different. Mean size
Species andgear
Number of fish
Number per100m
Letter key
67 11 4 225 135
4.3 0.4 0.6 3.3 2.3
A B AB AB AB
15 11 1 138 116
0.6 0.3 0.1 2.0 2.0
44 26 6 104 120
Kilograms per100m
Length (mm)
Weight (kg)
9.6 2.1 1.8 9.1 7.2
518 571 570 526 550
2.2 4.8 3.2 2.7 3.1
A A A A A
1.9 1.1 0.6 8.7 8.3
580 592 660 596 600
3.2 3.8 6.2 4.4 4.1
0.9 1.0 1.1 1.5 2.0
A A A A A
3.2 4.0 5.0 4.8 7.7
557 589 610 566 584
3.2 4.3 4.6 3.3 3.9
15 13 4 8 37
0.8 0.9 0.8 0.2 0.4
A A A A A
3.5 6.1 5.0 2.1 0.9
646 721 718 679 660
4.2 7.0 6.2 4.9 4.6
13 1
0.6 0.01
A B
1.1 0.03
484 440
1.7 1.6
65 5
1.5 0.1
A B
2.8 0.1
475 496
1.9 1.7
Gillnet(89)
10
0.5
A
0.7
443
1.4
Gill net(102)
0
Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89)
1 9
0.3 0.1
AB B
1.1 0.3
561 450
3.5 1.8
Trammelnet(102)
9
0.1
B
0.2
511
3.1
104 25 7 203 90
3.8 0.9 1.7 3.2 1.5
A B AB A B
11.4 3.3 7.0 9.3 5.1
578 594 628 582 603
3.0 3.5 4.2 3.0 3.5
22 15
1.0 0.7
A AB
8.4 4.3
700 811
8.3 5.8
Smallmouth buffalo
Gill net(89)B Gill net(102) Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89) Trammelnet(102) Bigmouthbuffalo
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gillnet(114) Trammelnet(89) Trammel net(102) Black buffalo
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89) Trammel net(102) Flathead catfish
Gill net(89) Gill net(102) Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89) Trammel net(102) River carpsucker
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gill net(114)
Trammel net(89) Trammel net(102)
0
B
Freshwater drum
B
Common carp
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89) Trammel net(102) Paddlefish
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gill net(114)
Trammel net(89) Trammelnet(102)
0
B
28 15
0.3 0.2
B B
2.8 1.8
804 863
9.7 8.5
19 1 1 14 9
1.2 0.02 0.1 0.3 0.2
A B B B B
2.6 0.04 0.3 0.7 0.6
546 576 570 531 574
2.1 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.8
Channel catfish
Gillnet(89) Gillnet(102) Gillnet(114) Trammel net(89) Trammel net(102)
COMMERCIAL ENTANGLEMENT-GEAR FISHERY Table 4.
81
Continued. Mean size
Number of fish
Species and gear
Number per 100 m
Letter key
Kilograms per 100 m
Length (mm)
Weight (kg)
1.7 2.3 1.0 0.4
A A AB B B
4.8 6.4 3.5 1.4 0.7
574 646 740 617 588
2.8 5.5 3.5 3.5 3.1
Blue catfish
Gill net (89) Gill net (102) Gill net (114) Trammel net (89) Trammel net (102)
27 5 5 35 23
0.2
Mesh size in millimeters.
weightwas 15%higherthan the weightreported by the fishermen.Four fishermendid not file daily catch reports for the days monitored. Excluding these permittees from the sample resultedin only a + 1.3% difference. DISCUSSION
while the averagecatfishbrought $4.00 in 1981. At theseprices, net fishingis economicallyrewardingto permitteeswho sustaintheir fishing effort. Monetary rewards for good catchesare providingan incentivefor increasedfishingpressure.Harvestswill be sustainableif management regulationsmaintain presentage and size structure and environmentalfactorsproduceno year-
Data collected from onboard monitoring effortsindicatedthat the presentfisheryis increas- class failure. ing the harvestof some previouslyunutilized commercial speciesfrom Barkley and Kentucky lakes.Kentucky Lake populationsare receiving Table 6. Comparison of daily monitoring and lessfishingpressurethan Barkley Lake stocks. catchreportsof the 1980-1981 Lake Barkley As more permitsare issued,thereshouldbe more and Kentucky Lake (Kentucky) net fishery. permitteesfishingKentucky Lake. Weight Variance Length-weightand agedata indicatedthat en(kg) Weight (%) from tanglementgear presentlyusedis effectivefor Permit Date moni(kg) monitored code monitored tored reported weight removingthe olderageclasses of all species.Ken1 1 Nov 179 169 -5.6 tucky Lake and Lake Barkley buffalofishesav1 26 Feb 1,022 1,046 +2.3 erage3.8 kgby weightand 564 mm in total length 2 1 Nov 111 131 +18 (pooleddata). Catfishesaveraged3.6 kg and 623 2 31 Jan 248 248 0 3 13 Nov 426 426 0 mm. The average buffalofishwas worth $2.09
Table 5. Relationshipof fishingexperiencevs. catch. Standard
Numbet
Mean' CPUE
deviation
Difference
Tennessee fishermen
Inexperienced Experienced
6
3
49
20
35
5
Notsignificant
7 7
24 42
10 Significant 15
Kentuckyfishermen Inexperienced Experienced All fishermen
Inexperienced Experienced
10
23
9
13
45
25
Kilogramsof fishper 100 m of net.
Significant
3 4 5 7 7 8 8 10 11 12 12 14 15 6 6 8 9 13 13
Totals
23 Jan
382
330
15 Nov 18 Nov 9 Dec 20 Feb 14 Jan 23Mar 19 Jan 22 Jan 27 Jan 25Mar 27 Feb 4Mar 1Dec 13Feb 19 Feb 14 Jan 17 Feb 27 Feb
64 180 116 194 47 96 38 149 126 90 221 369 53 134 319 37 82 79
43 181 117 230 68 98 38 173 40 191 207 375 0' 0 0 0 0 0
4,762
4,058
' No statereportfiledby fishermen.
-14 -33 +0.6 +0.1 +19 +47 +2.1 0 + 16 -68 +112 -6.3 + 1.6 -100 -100 -100 - 100 -100 -100
-15.0
82
BRONTEANDJOHNSON
Table 7. Standing crop estimatesrs. harvest of commericalfishes in Lake Barkley.
and carp while loweringthe harvestof nontarget fishes--paddlefish and catfishes.
Catchesof sportfishesin commercialnetssuggested no negative impact on their populations crop (Bronte and Johnson1983). Mesh sizesand netTotal (kg/hectare) Perhar~ Minicent tinglocationsare selectivefor commercialspecies. vest Harmum ex(kg/ vest- length ploitaSport fish entanglement was incidental, comSpecies ha) Total• ableb (mm) tionc prising only 1.1% by number of the monitored Buffalofishes d 16.9 162 156 450 11 catch.Low water temperatureand high dissolved Common carp 5.0 154 131 450 4 oxygen levels resulted in good survival for the Catfishes few that were caught. Reported paddlefishlandChannel 0.3 52 44 300 1 ings were low, with mesh-sizerestrictionelimiBlue 0.9 7 4 300 23 natingmost gearusedselectivelyfor theselarger Flathead 2.6 2 2 425 128 fish. Only one permittee fished for this species aBasedon CrookedCreekrotenonestudyusingall sizeclasses regularlyand used6.2-m deep, 114-mm gill nets. (Agguset al. 1978). b Basedon Crooked Creek rotenonestudy usingonly those Blockingof coves and channelswith the deep length classesharvested. nets led to a concern of paddlefish and catfish • Based on surface area of Lake Barkley in Kentucky and overharvestby other fishermen.Most fishermen harvestablestandingcrop. dCombined data from smallmouth buffalo, black buffalo, in pursuitofgravid paddlefishmoved to the Tenand bigmouth buffalo. nesseeportionsof both reservoirswheregearregulations allow larger, more selectivemesh sizes (152 mm). Presentmesh-sizeregulationsand a Information gatheredduring the first 2 years maximum net depth of 2.5 m would offergreater of this net fisherywas inadequateto determine protectionto paddlefish,a specieswhosefate is impact of the fisheryon the populationstructure of specialconcernto the Kentucky Academy of and abundance of commercial species.Fisher- Scienceand the American FisheriesSociety. Standing
men felt that the results of the 1981-1982
season reflected a decrease in both the size and abundance of buffalofishes. The best estimate of
standing crops of these fishes is based on the Crooked Creek rotenonestudy on Lake Barkley in 1978 (Agguset al. 1979). Thoseestimatesmay be inappropriate for several reasons,including differentialgrowthand distributionof species and sizeclasses(seeTable 7 and Gasserand Johnson 1979). If Crooked Creek buffalofishabundance and population structure were representativeof the Kentucky portion of Lake Barkley, the 11% exploitationrate shownin Table 7 suggests that more croppingof harvestablefish is possible. Futureharvestsmay consistof smallerfishin the harvestable range but increasedpressurecan be accommodatedby the resource. Trammel netswere most effectivein capturing buffalofishes.Gill nets were equally effectivein catching common carp and generally more effective (selectivelyused) for the harvest of the nontarget speciescatfish and paddlefish.Experienced fishermen confirmed that trammel nets were more selective for buffalofishes while cat-
fisheswere taken more effectivelywith gill nets. Regulationslimiting gearto trammel netsprob-
ably wouldnot limit the harvestof buffalofishes
Most
fishermen
were able to sell buffalofish
and catfish at reasonableprices to regional fish markets. A large percentageof the total harvest was sold to out-of-state dealers. As the percent-
age of resident fishermen and fishing pressure increases,Kentucky marketing opportunitiesalso may increase.SeveralsmallerKentucky markets did open in 1981 and 1982, but development of new markets for common carp, freshwaterdrum, and gar must occur if their potential for harvest is to be realized.
Daily catch reports are valid indications of to-
tal landingsif fishermenfile them; the weights reported generally matched or approximated monitored weights.Errors in estimatesof total harvest resulted primarily from the failure of some permittees to regularly provide catch information. The permit holder and assistantmust
file catch reports when they fish separatelyor permits should be required of each fishermen. Most fishermen do not fish out of the same boat
and do not pool their catchesat the market. Immediate correctiveaction shouldbe taken against permit holderswho do not comply with all regulations. These changeswould further improve
the reliability of daily catchreports. Onboard monitoring is an excellentmeansfor
COMMERCIAL ENTANGLEMENT-GEAR FISHERY
83
gatheringpertinent information on catch com- BRANSON,B. A., D. F. HARKER,JR., J. M. BASKIN,M. E. MEDLEY,D. L. BATCH,M. L. WARREN,JR., W. position and population structure.Information H. DAvis, W. C. HOUTCOOPER, B. MONROE,JR., collecteddirectly from the catch (speciescomL. R. PHILLIPPE, ANDP. CuPP. 1981. Endangered, position, lengths,weights, and scales),together threatened,and rare animals and plants of Kenwith daily catchreportsthat indicatefishingprestucky.Transactions of the KentuckyAcademyof sureare essentialfor responsiblemanagementof the fishery. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Science42(3-4):77-89. BRONTE,C. g., AND D. W. JOHNSON.1983. Occurrenceof sportfish in a commercialnet fisheryin Kentucky. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 3:239-242. CONDER,J. R., ANDR. HOFFARTH. 1962. Growth of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus,and blue catfish,Ictalurusfurcatus,in the KentuckyLake por-
The full cooperation of the organized local fishermenmade this projectpossible.Facedwith very limited funding, the technical and profestion of the Tennessee River in Tennessee. Prosionalsupportof Thomas D. Forsythe(Tennesceedings of the 16th Annual Conference seeValley Authority, Land BetweenThe Lakes) Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Comwas critical to completionof the project,as was missioners 1962:348-354. the statistical and computer assistanceof Ken GASSER, K. W., ANDD. W. JOHNSON.1979. Growth Fairbanks(Murray State University). This work variation in selectedfishesof Barkley Lake and is based upon part of a thesis submitted by the adjoiningLand BetweenThe Lakessub-impoundseniorauthor in partial fulfillment for the degree ments. Proceedingsof the Annual Conference Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife of Master of Science,Murray StateUniversity. Agencies33:723-737. REFERENCES A•us, L. R., D.C. CARVER,L. L. OLDSTED,L. L. RIDER, AND G. L. SUMMERS. 1979. Evaluation
of standingcropsof fishesin CrookedCreekBay, BarkleyLake, Kentucky.Proceedings of the Annual Conference Southeastern Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies33:710-722.
MATTHIA,P. J. 1972. Kentucky Lake commercial catchanalysis.Final Report, Project4-70-R, National Marine FisheryService.KentuckyDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Resources,Frankfort, Kentucky,USA.
