Master's Thesis Kevin Dockendorf
Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) or ‘specks’ are a popular sportfish in the United States, including Florida. Crappie populations exhibit strong, steady, or weak pulses in annual recruitment, hence contributing to the success of the population as a fishing resource. The goal of maintaining consistent crappie populations may be accomplished by evaluating factors influencing recruitment, such as starvation, predation, environmental fluctuations, and natural mortality.
This study will relate food availability to crappie density and growth in Lake Wauburg, Lake Lochloosa, and Lake Tarpon that may provide additional insight to develop and maintain successful crappie fisheries. The objectives of this study are to 1) compare zooplankton availability in each lake, 2) assess and compare relative survival of larval and juvenile black crappie in each lake, and 3) investigate the relationship between prey availability and relative year-class strength among the three lakes. We will collect larval black crappie with surface trawls in the spring and age-0 black crappie with bottom trawls in the summer and fall. In addition, we will use a Wisconsin plankton net to collect zooplankton on each trawl date. Results of this study may improve understanding of black crappie recruitment dynamics and allow managers to effectively predict year-class strength and better manage crappie populations.
pictured above: 10 mm larval black crappie
