Graduate Program

Biological Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2012

Thesis Director

Robert Colombo

Thesis Committee Member

Charles Pederson

Thesis Committee Member

Stephen Mullin

Abstract

Crappie provide important sport-fisheries throughout the United States. Because of the propensity of this species to display growth stunting, an assessment of crappie population demographics is needed in Midwestern reservoirs. I assessed the population demographics of white crappie, Pomoxis annularis, in three Illinois reservoirs. Samples were collected by three-phase AC boat electrofishing. All crappie were weighed, measured, and the otolith and scale samples were removed for age estimation. Relative density, as measured by catch per unit of effort (CPUE; fish/hour), was different at Lake Mattoon (0.53±0.15), Lake Charleston Side Channel Reservoir (1.17±0.15), and Paradise Lake (1.04±0.18). Size structure of white crappie differed among reservoirs (KS=0.199, p

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