1st Quarter 2000 Progress Report
Ohio River Largemouth Bass Studies

1. Adult Radio Telemetry
2. Juvenile Habitat Use and Movements
3. Evaluation of Largemouth Bass Stocking in Two Ohio River Embayments

Presented to:
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Date: 08 May 2000

Prepared by:
Dr. Kyle Hartman, Jason Freund, Elizabeth Hoffman, and Eric Janney
West Virginia University
Wildlife & Fisheries Program, Division of Forestry
322 Percival Hall
Morgantown, WV 26506-6125
hartman@wvu.edu
Executive Summary

This report presents activity and progress on these Ohio River bass studies for the first quarter of 2000. Sampling was hindered somewhat during the first quarter due to ice, flood conditions and equipment failure. Heavy ice cover during January and February restricted tracking and sampling surveys. Watercraft problems also hindered efforts during winter. Despite limitations in the field, preliminary findings on these studies were presented at both the Tri-State Fisheries meeting and the Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference during the first quarter of 2000.

Field sampling is currently winding down for the three projects. The adult and juvenile bass habitat studies will be concluding early this summer. Additional fish will be implanted with transmitters for both studies early in the second quarter so that we can gain further spawning observations on adults and additional spring and summer observations on the juvenile bass. The stocking evaluation study will also conclude field work this summer with electrofishing searches for stocked fish in many areas of each stocked pool and with check-ins at spring and early summer bass tournaments.

As one might expect with projects in which data collection is nearly complete, each of the three projects is now beginning to move into the data analysis phase. This is where the fruits of the difficult field research will pay off with insights into what habitats largemouth bass utilize in the Ohio River during different seasons and whether the fall stocking of largemouth bass into two Ohio River embayments produced quantifiable results. The results of each of these studies is of importance to the management and mitigation of the Ohio River and the habitat use information will lead the way to evaluate if certain habitat features are limiting and require protection, or if important habitat features can be duplicated for mitigation.

All three graduate students who have received graduate training as part of the bass studies plan to graduate by fall 2000. Therefore, 3 theses will be generated during this calendar year. In addition, all three students have been accepted to give presentations as part of the Black Bass 2000 Symposium at the Annual American Fisheries Society Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. We expect that 4-5 manuscripts will emerge from their theses that will be submitted for publication in quality, peer-reviewed journals during the next 6-12 months.

Table of Contents	Page
Executive summary	2
Study 1. Evaluation of adult habitat use - Adult radio telemetry	4
Study 2. Evaluation of juvenile habitat use	20
Study 3. Evaluation of largemouth bass stocking in two Ohio River embayments	28