monitoring sicklefin redhorse in brasstown creek, georgia … · 2016-09-21 · stage 2016 2017...

Georgia Department of Natural Resources • Wildlife Resources Division

Department of Natural ResourcesWildlife Resources Division

September 21 , 2016 Brett Albanese and Friends

Sicklefin Redhorse-Georgia 2017 Update

SRCCA Annual Meeting, Asheville, NCMonitoring Sicklefin Redhorse in Brasstown Creek, Georgia

Brett AlbaneseZach AbouhamdanPeter DimmickDeb Weiler

Jonathan Davis


• Undescribed species

• Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA)• FWS decision not to list in 2016

• Little Tenneessee and Hiwasee River systems in NC and GA

• Brasstown Creek


The CCA seeks “to develop and implement management strategies that maintain or enhance Sicklefin Redhorse populations and monitor the response of the species to conservation and management activities”

• Not harmful• Make inferences about population status


7 Apr to 23 May 2013

Past Monitoring Efforts

Davis (2014)• Seining• Visual Surveys from

Bank/Canoe• Snorkeling

Useful• Spatial Distribution• Behavior

Not for Abundance• Individual recognition• Low catch rates for M-R


• Check trap AM and PM• Record sex, size, breeding condition• HDX PIT Tags


PIT Tag Antenna SystemDownstream of Fyke Net


Life History (Jenkins 1999; Favrot and Kwak 2018)



Fyke Net Data Brasstown Creek Only*

YearFykeDays

FykeDates

Total Tagged Start of

Year

HDX Tagged Start of

Year

No. New Fyke

No. Recap Fyke

% Fyke Recaps

2016 2.5 Apr 19-22 50 0 69 5 6.8

2017 7Apr 10-13,

25-27 119 69 96 10 9.4

2018 4 Apr 9-13 215 165 41 7 14.6

2019 258 208



Jolly Seber Open Population Model-POPAN Formulation(Program Mark)

Based on 2014-2017 data

Year PopulationEstimate (N)

StandardError

Lower 95% CI Upper 95% CI

2015 578 532 125 2685

2016 368 278 99 1370



Jolly Seber Open Population Model-Popan Formulation(Program Mark)

Estimated Parameters

Year Survival (Phi) StandardError


2015-2016 0.46 0.30 0.13 0.99

Year CaptureProbability (p)

StandardError


2015 0.05 0.04 0.01 0.18

2016 0.18 0.14 0.04 0.63

Year Recruitment Rate (pent)

StandardError


2015 0.13 0.43 < 0.01 0.81

2016 0.09 0.07 <0.01 0.74



Increase in Recapture Rates with PIT tag Antenna

Year No SicklefinReleased

No. SicklefinRecaptured

Fyke 2017 (%)

No. SicklefinRecaptured

Antenna + Fyke2017 (%)

2016 66 7 (10.6%) 46 (69.6%)



Project title: Estimating population size of Sicklefin Redhorse in the Hiwassee River system

Dr. Brian Irwin, Dr. Clint Moore, Angela HsiungGA Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia

Dr. Richard ChandlerWarnell School of Forestry,

University of Georgia



Categorical Health Condition (Brasstown Cr. Fyke Netting)

Health2016Male

2016Female

2017Male

2017Female

2018 Male

2018 Female

OverallPercentage

Unspec. 0 0 2 0 1 0 1.3Good 26 19 45 44 22 14 76.2

OK 11 4 13 6 10 1 20.2Poor 2 1 2 0 0 0 2.2Mort. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

Qualitative Notes on Health Condition (total of all years)

Countmales

Countfemale

Overall percent of all captures

Abnormal fin/body shape 4 7 4.9Missing scales 10 5 6.7Scale bruising 10 2 5.3Fin damage, ulcers, wounds, etc. 19 9 12.4Otter bite 1 0 0.4


Breeding Condition (Brasstown Cr. Fyke Netting)

Stage 2016 2017 2018 Male

Percent 2016 2017 2018FemalePercent

Not checked 2 1 0 2.2 1 2 0 3.4Not ripe 0 2 0 1.5 20 40 15 84.3

Hard squeeze ripe

15 3 4 16.4 3 3 0 6.7

Soft squeeze ripe

16 41 24 60.4 0 3 0 3.4

Running ripe 6 15 5 19.4 0 2 0 2.2

Male Female



Captures of Individual Fish by Method

Total Captures

All Fyke Net Captures

All Antenna Captures

Upper Antenna Only

Lower Antenna Only

Both Antennas

Year No. No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

2016 74 74 100.0 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

2017 150 106 70.7 112 74.7 44 29.3 NA NA NA NA

2018 158 48 30.4 130 82.3 40 25.3 22 13.9 51 32.3

* One male caught in Brasstown Creek in 2017 was detected on Valley Antenna in 2018



2017 PIT Detections



2018 PIT Detections

• Water Temp/Depth Log failed on deployment



2018 PIT Detections



Brasstown Creek Moxostoma



Moxostoma in Brasstown Creek Fyke Netting

CommonName

Scientific Name 2016(2.5 days)

2017(7 days)

2018(4 days)

Total (%)

SilverRedhorse

M. anisurum 4 17 17 38 (3.9)

River Redhorse

M. carinatum 6 2 3 11 (1.1)

Black Redhorse

M. duquesnei 181 91 44 316 (32.4)

Golden Redhorse

M. erythrurum 162 206 19 387 (40.0)

SicklefinRedhorse

Moxostoma sp. 63 112 48 223 (22.9)

Total 416 428 131 975


Breeding Condition Nottely River Update

• Fyke set at Hwy 129/Smokin’ Q• 4/10 to 4/13• 7 River Redhorse• 1 Black Redhorse


Barge Shocking with NPR

Photo: Virginie Kippelen/WABE

2018 Data• Barge shock just upstream Fyke• M. anisurum: 0• M. carinatum: 11• M. duquesnei: 6• M. erythrurum: 0• Sicklefin Redhorse: 0


Targeted Searches for Redhorse Suckers

• 36 Collections during April in May by TVA and GADNR• Some with poor sampling conditions

• Canoe Float by Jonathan Davis in May 2015• M. carinatum first detected in 2011• M. anisurum first detected in 2014

Nottely River Update


Thanks!

monitoring sicklefin redhorse in brasstown creek, georgia … · 2016-09-21 · stage 2016 2017...

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