Recommendation and implementation of special seasonal flow releases to enhance sauger spawning in Watts Bar tailwater. Final report

摘要

In recent years sauger populations in Chickamauga Reservoir, as well as several other areas in the Tennessee River Valley, have suffered drastic declines in numbers. Based on field creel evaluations the fisherman harvest of sauger in Chickamauga Reservoir has declined from an estimated high of 66,000 fish caught in 1979 to 0 fish in 1989. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency began an aggressive effort in 1990 and 1991 to recover this population, as well as those of Ft. Loudon and Watts Bar Reservoirs, by stocking large numbers of fingerling sauger. This is however, only a short-term, stopgap measure. The decline in the population of Chickamauga Reservoir appears directly related to dramatically lower discharges from Watts Bar Dam during the recent drought. The primary factor affecting year-class strength (numbers of sauger successfully spawned in a year and reaching catchable size in subsequent years) is the amount of spawning habitat available in the month of April (the spawning season for sauger) at one particular site below Watts Bar Dam. This report documents studies aimed at optimizing sauger spawning in Chickamauga Reservoir.