Masters Theses

Date of Award

6-1982

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Major Professor

R.J. Strange

Committee Members

J. Larry Wilson, Thomas K. Hill, David A. Etnier

Abstract

Ten experimental sites on Lake Nottely, Georgia, seeded with field rye, and 10 corresponding control sites were sampled by night seining at two-week intervals from June through August 1981. Numbers of centrarchid bass collected from the seeded areas in June and July were significantly higher than those collected from control areas, though numbers in the seeded areas declined to control levels near the end of the summer. The decline in numbers of bass in seeded areas corresponded with falling water levels which reduced the amount of inundated grass. Dispersal, possibly coupled with Increased predation due to loss of cover, was considered responsible for the decline. Mean condition factors (K) and weights of bass in seeded areas were significantly higher than control values at the first sampling period (June 15). This seemed related to the significantly higher invertebrate food supply available in seeded areas early in the summer. Aquatic insects remained significantly more abundant throughout the summer in seeded areas whereas zooplankton numbers sharply declined in both seeded and control areas. Young-of-year bass in seeded areas averaged 13% heavier and 8% longer than bass in control areas by the end of the summer sampling. This slight growth advantage was attributed to the early transition from an invertebrate diet to a piscivorous diet, which was prompted by a significantly greater abundance of young-of-year sunfish (Lepomis spp.) in seeded areas. Gut analyses of bass in control areas indicated a significant dependence on zooplankton and insects late into the summer, though numbers available for consumption were considered very low.

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