Interactions between Walleye Sander vitreus and Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in Missouri River reservoirs
type: CreativeWork
description: Walleye Sander vitreus is a popular sportfish economically beneficial to the fisheries they inhabit but have experienced recent declines throughout their range. As a result, supplemental stocking is common. Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu have been introduced to many waterbodies outside of its native range to increase angling opportunities. However, expansion of Smallmouth Bass has overlapped with declining Walleye populations, prompting concerns regarding potential competition and predation. Yet, little research has assessed interactions between Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. My study helped to increase the understanding of these interactions by 1) assessing adult Smallmouth Bass and Walleye predation on stocked age-0 Walleye, and 2) comparing diet and stable isotope overlap in Smallmouth Bass and Walleye in systems of varying prey assemblages to assess potential competitive interactions. My first research chapter assessed post-stocking predation on age-0 Walleye by conducting a two-summer intensive diet analysis of Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. We collected predator diets in May (pre-stocking) and June-September (post-stocking) 2019 and 2021 from three bays in Lake Oahe, SD, two were stocked with Walleye (30-32 mm; 255-1,649 Walleye/ha) whereas one served as a reference. We estimated predator population abundance using Schnabel capture-recapture models and used bioenergetics to estimate the percent of stocked age-0 Walleye consumed. We found age-0 Walleye in up to 11.4% of Smallmouth Bass and 14.6% of adult Walleye diets post-stocking. Daily mean percent composition by weight (± 95% CI) of age-0 Walleye in diets peaked at 43.2% (± 35.1%) on 3 days post-stocking (DPS) for Smallmouth Bass and 49.8% (± 97.7%) on 14 DPS in adult Walleye. Following peaks, age-0 Walleye percent composition by weight rapidly declined and approached 0% after 25 DPS. Smallmouth Bass consumed up to 5.7% ± 1.8% of stocked age-0 Walleye whereas adult Walleye consumed up to 0.5% ± 0.4%. My s…
abstract: Walleye Sander vitreus is a popular sportfish economically beneficial to the fisheries they inhabit but have experienced recent declines throughout their range. As a result, supplemental stocking is common. Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu have been introduced to many waterbodies outside of its native range to increase angling opportunities. However, expansion of Smallmouth Bass has overlapped with declining Walleye populations, prompting concerns regarding potential competition and predation. Yet, little research has assessed interactions between Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. My study helped to increase the understanding of these interactions by 1) assessing adult Smallmouth Bass and Walleye predation on stocked age-0 Walleye, and 2) comparing diet and stable isotope overlap in Smallmouth Bass and Walleye in systems of varying prey assemblages to assess potential competitive interactions. My first research chapter assessed post-stocking predation on age-0 Walleye by conducting a two-summer intensive diet analysis of Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. We collected predator diets in May (pre-stocking) and June-September (post-stocking) 2019 and 2021 from three bays in Lake Oahe, SD, two were stocked with Walleye (30-32 mm; 255-1,649 Walleye/ha) whereas one served as a reference. We estimated predator population abundance using Schnabel capture-recapture models and used bioenergetics to estimate the percent of stocked age-0 Walleye consumed. We found age-0 Walleye in up to 11.4% of Smallmouth Bass and 14.6% of adult Walleye diets post-stocking. Daily mean percent composition by weight (± 95% CI) of age-0 Walleye in diets peaked at 43.2% (± 35.1%) on 3 days post-stocking (DPS) for Smallmouth Bass and 49.8% (± 97.7%) on 14 DPS in adult Walleye. Following peaks, age-0 Walleye percent composition by weight rapidly declined and approached 0% after 25 DPS. Smallmouth Bass consumed up to 5.7% ± 1.8% of stocked age-0 Walleye whereas adult Walleye consumed up to 0.5% ± 0.4%. My s…
author: Olivencia, Kyle
language: en
date published: 2022-12
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:37:49Z
provider: Iowa State University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Iowa State University