Al AbAmA Wildlife spring 200828

did you know that five of the seven black bass species found throughout north America can be found and caught by anglers right here in Alabama? While that diversity might reflect Alabama’s ability to sustain a

variety of bass species, it does not mirror the state’s grim popula-tion status of one bass species in particular—shoal bass. As dams and other structures have been built to accommodate rising human populations, river characteristics have changed and habitat avail-ability has been decreased. shoal bass are ranked as the rarest and least common black bass species in the state. still, there is hope for this species of concern. researchers are discovering that the key to sustaining existing populations is understanding the unique habitat requirements of this special fish.

Home Range

shoal bass are not the only Alabama bass natives. largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass and redeye bass are also found here. shoal bass are found exclusively in the Apalachicola river drainages, including the Chattahoochee (Alabama-georgia), flint (georgia) and Chipola (florida ) river systems. in Alabama waters alone, shoal bass were known to occur in Wehadkee, Osanippa, Halawakee, Wacoochee, and the little Uchee Creeks located in east-central Alabama. All these streams flow east to southeast into

the Chattahoochee river and cross what is referred to as the fall line, which demarcates the end of the Appalachian mountain chain in Alabama. shoal bass cannot persist in reservoirs, lakes, and ponds and are found exclusively in flowing waters. As their name suggests, these fish frequent shoals where these streams drop in elevation. in fact, the scientific name for shoal bass is Micropterus cataractae, and in latin, “cataractae” means waterfalls. in the early 1970s, an Auburn University study conducted on the Chattahoochee river, before the dam at West point lake was built, found that these fish were com-mon in the river. Unfortunately, these fish disappeared from the res-ervoir after impoundment, and in routine surveys of lakes Harding and eufaula, which are impoundments of the Chattahoochee river, shoal bass have not been collected. finally, shoal bass were listed as a species of special concern in Alabama in 2004.

Study aRea and metHodS

in Osanippa, Halawakee, Wacoochee, and little Uchee Creeks, we canoed about 31 miles and found only about four miles of suit-able shoal habitat that might support shoal bass. Along these streams, human habitation was very minimal or not visible from the tree channel, mature, overhanging trees shaded the streams, and a few waterfalls dropped 10 to 12 feet into plunge pools.

To collect shoal bass, we used a backpack electrofisher that mild-

of AlAbAmA:

from prolific to protected

by mike maceina and david stormer, department of fisheries, Auburn University

sHOAl bAss

1 2 3

WWW.Al AbAmAWildlife.Org 29

moved downstream into a deep water refuge containing a sand bottom that did not have boulders and bedrock--preferred habitat for shoal bass. These shoal bass survived, while the remaining shoal bass perished as the shoal water receded.

unexpected Wildlife encounteRSinterestingly, two of our radio-tagged

shoal bass were consumed by a great blue heron and a water moccasin. The great blue heron captured our radio-tagged shoal bass and carried it to a nest nearly four miles away, then consumed the fish and passed the radio tag into the woods! We found the tag using an airplane with tracking antennas con-nected to the wings. As david approached the fish he did not know was consumed by a water moccasin, the fish took off into the woods (very unusual for a fish). The battle was on, and david got the radio tag back, but the water moccasin killed a 10-inch shoal bass! Unfortunately, the rest of the radio-tagged fish possibly died due to stress and angling associated with nearly record low flows in summer and fall 2006.

pRomiSing ReSeaRcHin the fall of 2006, we collected some

young shoal bass, with the adults success-fully spawning during the spring of 2006 six months earlier. Also during that spring, dr. Carol Johnston with Auburn University observed shoal bass spawning and nesting. Apparently, these fish also spawn in the holes and crevices of boulders and bedrock and do not make a wide fanned-out nest like largemouth bass. shoal bass appear to spawn in late April to early may in east central Alabama, about a month later than the other black bass species. This difference is likely due to an adaptation to stream con-ditions because high fast flowing water in streams will destroy bass nests and young. by waiting a month later to spawn, shoal bass increases the odds of successful reproduction

ly stunned fish so that information could be gathered before the fish was released alive. A tiny electronic passive integrated Transponder (piT) tag containing a unique number was injected into all shoal bass over 6 inches, so that if we recaptured the fish, we could determine growth rates and movement.

Only one substantial population of shoal bass was found in Alabama. This single large population of shoal bass inhabited about 700 yards of stream, and we collected shoal bass weighing up to 5 lbs. We did not find shoal bass in small streams with lots of rocks and flow, but we did find largemouth bass and spotted bass. shoal bass appear to live only in medium to larger streams in east-central Alabama and can easily be confused with spotted bass. shoal bass have a bright red eye and vertical blotches that are dusky to dark green. spotted bass have many small spots on the lower part of the body and very small teeth on top of their tongue, a charac-teristic which shoal bass lack.

fiSH findingS To determine movement, behavior, and

survival of shoal bass, we inserted 24 of the fish with radio tags that lasted about 250 days. We found that shoal bass moved very little and tended to stay within a 200-yard home range. The farthest distance any single shoal bass traveled was less than half a mile. These fish were tightly associated with large boulders and bedrock that provided a hole or crevice in which to live, and most fish were found in two to three feet of water. Although water was flowing in the shoals, shoal bass were found at very low current velocities in eddies, and they maintained their position in the protection of large rocks and boulders. during the summer and fall of 2006, as drought conditions persisted in east-central Alabama, shoal bass started to migrate more, with some fish seeking deep holes in the shoal complex. A few fish

by avoiding the increased risk of being swept away and dying during high spring rains.

SpecieS of conceRndue to the low abundance of shoal

bass in Alabama, the Alabama division of Wildlife and freshwater fisheries placed a ban on anglers harvesting shoal bass on October 1, 2006, but fishing is still allowed. shoal bass can still be caught and even kept in the Chattahoochee river between Alabama and georgia, and this river lies within the jurisdiction of georgia. Currently, conservation measures are being explored to bolster shoal bass populations in these smaller Alabama streams. Young shoal bass produced from adults collected from the Chattahoochee river were stocked into three Alabama streams in January 2008 by the Alabama division of Wildlife and freshwater fish. The success of these stockings will be evaluated over the next two years.

Conservation buffer zones are being explored to maintain habitat along the stream banks critical to preserving shoal bass habitat. Analysis of water flows from these basins has shown a long-term decrease of about 40 percent in Uchee Creek since 1950 after accounting for differences in rainfall over time. Thus, measures should be taken to maintain water flows in these streams and prevent excessive withdraw-al. The population in east-central Alabama has grown nearly 70 percent over the past 50 years, which has affected surface water and ground water supplies that feed these streams. Unfortunately, shoal bass habitat has changed in the Chattahoochee river. While this river may have once served as a prime area for shoal bass recolonization, now it is not possible. nevertheless, shoal bass are a species of special concern in Alabama, and efforts are being taken to preserve, maintain, and enhance exist-ing shoal bass populations.

1) David and Mike used a backpack electrofisher that gently stunned the fish in order to collect data before they were re-released alive. 2) Shoal bass can easily be confused with spotted bass. Defining characteristics of shoal bass include a bright red eye and vertical splotches that are dusky to dark green. 3) Spotted bass are more clearly identified by the distinct small spots on the lower part of the body and very small teeth on the top of their tongue. 4) Little Uchee Creek is one of the last areas in the state where shoal bass are found exclusively. With occasional waterfalls and little human habitation, areas such as this provide an ideal habitat for this species of concern.

4