LE3 .A278 2018

2018

Dadswell, Michael
Stokesbury, Michael

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Biology

Biology

Striped Bass is an assessed sportfish by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), however, its basic ecology is not well understood in northeastern Nova Scotia, an area bordering two management units and outside of the immediate geographic region of known spawning populations. I used rod and reel angling to sample and acoustically tag Striped Bass to resolve population characteristics and evaluate residency within the Mira River, Cape Breton. Sixty-two Striped Bass were captured from July 2012 to September 2014 and ranged in size from 31.6 to 125.0 cm TL and ages 2 to 24. Acoustically tagged Striped Bass (n = 31) were detected in a passive array deployed from July 2012 to May 2015 and exhibited residency and fidelity within the system. An estuarine overwintering site was documented, freshwater residency in spring was observed, and a summer through autumn estuarine aggregation site was identified. Leaving events were documented in late summer, but telemetered fish returned by early autumn. These movements suggest that the Mira River may constitute a distinct population and requires further investigation. Other regional knowledge gaps include the documentation of anthropogenic sources of mortality. I described Striped Bass specimens (n= 98) collected from a cold shock mortality event at the Trenton, NS, power generating station in January 2013. Striped Bass mortalities ranged in size from 11.8 to 60.2 cm TL and ages 1 to 5 years. Diet analysis revealed 16% of the specimens collected were feeding prior to death, with Fourspine Stickleback and conspecific juveniles the only prey species identified. The frequency, extent, and impact of these overwintering mass mortality events remains unknown

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3181