Criteria and procedures for evaluating the quality of fish populations in reservoirs

Routine assessments of sport fish populations are necessary for managers to determine whether populations are meeting objectives. An effective assessment technique should entail rating parameters that are measurements of, or are influenced by the three rate functions of recruitment, growth, and mortality. It will enable managers to determine which rate functions may be preventing a population from achieving stated objectives and help them determine if additional management or research efforts are needed. The first requirement of an effective assessment technique is a standard sampling method that captures all sizes of fish that are present in the population. The sampling method should detect changes in population density and size structure, which will then be reflected in sample length frequencies. Other important criteria are the selection of appropriate parameters from the sample data and the setting of objectives for those parameters. An ideal assessment should include parameters that depict recruitment levels, adult density, growth rate, age structure, and size structure. The parameter value should be easy to calculate from sample data. Use of an assessment for white crappies in Missouri’s large reservoirs showed that growth was generally good, but mortality was high. Subsequent research indicated that angler exploitation was the cause of the high mortality, which led to the successful implementation of restrictive harvest regulations.