Tennessee Chapter

Open Symposia

A Look at Trophy Bass Management and Research Throughout the Southeast

The popularity of catching large bass continues to rise across the Southeast, leading many states to increase efforts toward trophy bass management and research.  This symposium will give state agencies, universities, and others the opportunity to share and discuss specific trophy bass management and research while highlighting successes in hopes of improving trophy bass management and research throughout the Southeast.  In addition to success stories, we welcome and encourage presentations on management efforts or research that may not have been as successful as planned, as those provide great learning opportunities. We plan to conclude the symposium with an organized panel discussion which will be an opportunity to further engage with presenters and colleagues with trophy bass experience to discuss how we can all work together to improve trophy bass management and research throughout the Southeast.

Crayfish Conservation, Natural History, and Systematics of the Southeastern United States

Over the past several decades, numerous researchers have demonstrated that crayfishes play integral roles in freshwater systems.  The influence of crayfish on instream process, species displacement, organic matter cycling, sediment processing, and maintenance of biodiversity has been well documented.   Recently, there has been renewed interest in understanding the phylogeny, distribution, life history, and population structure of many lesser-known crayfish taxa.  Crayfishes are still being discovered and described while familiar invasive crayfish continue to plague ecosystems worldwide.  There is a lot left to learn about these enigmatic organisms: species-specific effects are common, most life history descriptions are best guesses,  and physiological and population constraints are largely unknown. The causes of conservation concern for most species however are strikingly similar – habitat degradation, invasive species, taxonomic ambiguity, narrow and/or nebulous distributions, and unknown life histories are common themes. These are not crayfish-specific problems however, thus models providing viable solutions likely exist outside of the realm of astacology, opening the door for highly integrative and collaborative approaches.  This session will serve to highlight recent case studies and perspectives with a focus on approaches that merge novel and established tools for conservation, enhance ecological understanding, and in turn, help bring crayfish to the forefront of freshwater conservation.  Perspectives of early-career scientists are particularly encouraged, and all speakers are challenged to provide a broad context and articulate how their study contributes solutions to the ‘crayfish conservation problem’.  The session will be structured to highlight critical steps and information needed to guide the development of a coordinated, integrative, and comprehensive crayfish conservation plan.

Consequences of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and adjacent waters on biological assemblages

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom) is a 377 km artificial U.S. waterway built for navigation between the Tennessee River in the Mississippi River Basin and the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system in the Mobile River Basin. The Tenn-Tom was completed in 1984 and connected two previously long-isolated and hydrologically discrete basins. This artificial connection made invasion of native and non-native aquatic species between the Mississippi and Mobile River Basins possible. For example, the invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) has already been captured in the Tenn-Tom, and invasive Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) are known to occur in the area. Other examples of potential species of concern are the molluscivorous Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Hybridization between native stocks of Alabama Bass (Micropterus henshalli) and Spotted Bass (Micropterus puntulatus) as well as Walleye (Sander vitreus) and Southern Walleye (Sander sp.) are of particular concern. The latter species raise concerns of genomic homogenization between previously isolated populations of natives. Additionally, movement of potential native invaders through the Tenn-Tom has been documented, including silversides (Menidia audens and Labidesthes sicculus), catfish (Ictalurus furcatus and I. punctatus), Ouachita Map Turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis), and other aquatic organisms. This special session will present current research on the movement of aquatic species, ecological consequences, and known impacts for the Tenn-Tom. Invited speakers will cover topics about possible invasive carp movement into the Mobile Basin, the mixing of native species through the Tenn-Tom, and other management implications.

Atlantic and Gulf Sturgeon Status, Conservation, and Management

Atlantic and Gulf Sturgeon are both subspecies of Acipenser oxyrinchus. Although their ranges are distinct, they have similar life history requirements and face many of the same threats to recovery. Filling data gaps that hamper management, restoration, and recovery efforts is challenged by the migratory, cryptic, and long-lived nature of both subspecies. Nonetheless, advances in our understanding of these sturgeons through collaborative research, novel techniques, and applied management have been occurring range-wide, motivated by the pressing needs of recovery in the face of considerable uncertainty. Recent contributions in several areas, including population genetics, fine- and broad-scale electronic tagging, mark-recapture, and the potential application of eDNA have expanded the knowledge base and positioned the sturgeon research community to advance our understanding of key population traits necessary to inform conservation efforts. This symposium will provide a forum for researchers and managers to communicate their findings, exchange ideas, and identify knowledge gaps toward future research and recovery. Bringing together researchers from both Gulf and Atlantic coasts will allow research approaches that have proven successful with either species to be shared broadly.

The Science Behind the Decisions: Aquatic Organism Passage Research

Aquatic organisms depend on river and stream connectivity to forage and disperse their genetics. Watersheds with high levels of fragmentation often have lower levels of species resilience to anthropogenic and environmental stressors, i.e. flooding, drought, flow alteration, and water quality impacts. These barriers also pose a threat to human health as many of them restrict flow and cause an increase in flooding during high rain events. Research on the topic of aquatic connectivity is crucial in helping to build decision tools as to which barriers are in need of the most attention for remediation or removal. This symposia will highlight research revolving around aquatic connectivity.

Invasive Carp in Southeastern Waters

Extensive flooding in the 1970s allowed invasive carp to escape aquaculture facilities and move into waterbodies of the Lower Mississippi River. In recent years, growing populations of invasive carp have expanded their range into the large river systems of the Mississippi River Basin. Once established, invasive carp pose a risk to human safety, native wildlife, and aquatic habitat. For example, studies indicate that Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis) out-compete native fish for forage while Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella) feed on freshwater mussels and aquatic plants, respectively, that help filter contaminants from water. Subsequently, the public and management authorities are concerned that invasive carp can harm local ecosystems, economies, and recreational opportunities. This symposium will present current information on the biology, ecology, control, and management of invasive carps in the Southeast U.S.

Conservation, Successes, and Current Status of Rare and Non-Game Fishes

Conservation, research, and management activities benefiting rare and non-game fishes have been rising in popularity over the last several decades. This popularity can be attributed to the increasing awareness of threats that jeopardize these communities such as climate change, impoundments, invasive species, and various forms of pollution, along with the development of techniques to captively propagate more species. Widespread awareness of the importance of freshwater biodiversity makes the need for this conservation work even more prominent. This session will serve to highlight the various and widespread conservation work that is being done at universities, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations, regarding not only the rare and non-game fishes but also the state of and restoration of their habitats. The session will also feature solutions to issues facing rare and non-game fishes and any techniques that are being developed or used to assist in maintaining these historically underappreciated species.

Beyond the Borders: Challenges in Reservoir Management in the North-Central and Southern Divisions

Reservoirs are large-scale landscape features that are widespread across the North Central and Southern Divisions of the American Fisheries Society.  Reservoirs transform lotic systems into a variety of lacustrine environments that can variously resemble natural lakes or slow-moving rivers, depending on morphology, inflows, and operational protocols.   Many of them support popular and economically valuable fisheries for a variety of sportfishes.  Likewise, these systems can provide habitat and refuge for a number of fishes not commonly targeted by anglers but that are important components of aquatic ecosystems.  Reservoir systems differ from most natural aquatic systems in that they are usually managed for multiuse, many of which are not compatible with optimal management strategies for fisheries.  Challenges faced by reservoir fisheries managers are similar across the country, offering opportunities for biologists across AFS Divisions to learn from each other as they try to overcome management issues common to all.  This symposium offers biologists in the Southern Division a rare opportunity to network and learn from their counterparts in the North Central Division, and vice versa.  Talks are expected to cover innovative strategies that biologists have used to address these challenges and should demonstrate that we are all, quite literally, in the same boat.  But hopefully not the Titanic.

Small Lakes Management

Small lakes are numerous on our landscape and provide valuable resources for both agencies and private landowners for fishing. In recent years there have been numerous advances in technology and techniques of managing these waters to maximize their potential. The goal of this symposium is to provide a forum to bring together state agencies, private industry, universities, and others to share and discuss the latest management, research, and technology for improving small lakes. We encourage presentations focusing on fisheries management, habitat and water quality enhancement, sedimentation control and management, nutrient and aquatic plant management, invasive species control, as well as outreach and education programs on small lakes. The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion that will allow further discussion and elaboration of topics.

Invited Speaker Symposia

Morone Biology and Management

In the early 1940’s biologists discovered that Striped Bass could not only survive but thrive in freshwater reservoirs. Since then, Striped Bass have been introduced and intensively managed in reservoirs across the Southeastern United States. However, the history of Striped Bass management extends far beyond inland reservoirs and includes other members of the Morone Genus such as the Yellow Bass, White Bass, and their hybrids. The storied past of managing these fish has led to significant advances in our understanding of how these species interact with their habitat, other organisms, and a wide diversity of stakeholder groups. Despite decades of evaluation, there are still major data gaps in Morone management and opportunities to better leverage resources to assist in making informed management decisions. The broad scope of this session will help biologists incorporate new ideas into their respective state’s Morone research and management and provide a great setting to discuss issues across the southeast region.