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

Technical Report · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:6832195

Yeager, B; Shiao, Ming

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.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Norris, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: TVA; Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6832195
• Report Number(s): TVA/WR-92/14; ON: DE93008973
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540310* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DOCUMENT TYPES
FISHES
FLUID FLOW
HABITAT
HYDROLOGY
PROGRESS REPORT
REPRODUCTION
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
VERTEBRATES
WATER RESERVOIRS