Author: Charles H. Walburg

Publisher:

Published: 1966

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

Studies of age composition, growth, length-weight relation, reproduction, year-class strength, and food habits were conducted from 1962 to 1964 on carp, river carpsucker, smallmouth buffalo, and bigmouth buffalo in Lewis and Clark Lake, a main stem Missouri River reservoir impounded in July 1955. Slow growth of these fishes was attributed to low standing crops of plankton and bottom fauna which may have resulted in excessive turbidity and rapid water exchange in the reservoir. All four species produced strong year classes in the 2 years following impoundment of Lewis and Clark Lake; reproduction since that time has been poor. These species did not produce year classes comparable in abundance to thos which occurred following impoundment because of unfavorable environmental conditions. The probable major limiting successful reproduction was lack of rise in water level durig the spawning period.