Project Title
Fish community analyses through time in Lake Sinclair, GA
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Dr. Kalina Manoylov
Abstract
A man-made reservoir on the Oconee River, Lake Sinclair has been a recreation and fishing hot spot in middle Georgia since the completion of Sinclair Dam in 1953. The concept of native and nonnative species populations within manmade systems requires further research. Fish communities are an integral part of aquatic habitats as an essential part of food chains connected with terrestrial consumers. This study was conducted as an assessment of changes in fish community changes between 2006-08 (drought period) and ten years later at Lake Sinclair, GA. Data on water and nutrient levels were collected from the Anny Corps of Engineers or Georgia Power respectively. In addition, fish populations data through gillnetting and electrofishing methods were gathered from Georgia DNR. Changes in fish communities were analyzed with species richness, Shannon diversity, and similarity indices. Population characteristics for 9 fish species were documented and analyzed, for example Pomoxis nigromaculatus Lesueur (common name Black Crappie) dominated Lake Sinclair close to 50 % relative abundance in random sub-sampling of available data, and Shannon diversity was low 1.29 for the 2007-08 drought period. This species is considered native to the southeastern US, our analyses suggested significant decrease (p<0.001) in black crappy population, but it is not clear what fish species replaced it. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacepède) is a carnivorous game fish of great importance for fishing and recreation in the area. Its population in Lake Sinclair spiked above the statewide average in the most current data analyses from 2018. Hybrid bass populations were stocked in Lake Sinclair regularly for the period analyzed. Nonnative species introduction and anthropogenic alterations have been classified as the primary threat to biodiversity and are particularly harmful to already threatened or imperiled species.
Fish community analyses through time in Lake Sinclair, GA
A man-made reservoir on the Oconee River, Lake Sinclair has been a recreation and fishing hot spot in middle Georgia since the completion of Sinclair Dam in 1953. The concept of native and nonnative species populations within manmade systems requires further research. Fish communities are an integral part of aquatic habitats as an essential part of food chains connected with terrestrial consumers. This study was conducted as an assessment of changes in fish community changes between 2006-08 (drought period) and ten years later at Lake Sinclair, GA. Data on water and nutrient levels were collected from the Anny Corps of Engineers or Georgia Power respectively. In addition, fish populations data through gillnetting and electrofishing methods were gathered from Georgia DNR. Changes in fish communities were analyzed with species richness, Shannon diversity, and similarity indices. Population characteristics for 9 fish species were documented and analyzed, for example Pomoxis nigromaculatus Lesueur (common name Black Crappie) dominated Lake Sinclair close to 50 % relative abundance in random sub-sampling of available data, and Shannon diversity was low 1.29 for the 2007-08 drought period. This species is considered native to the southeastern US, our analyses suggested significant decrease (p<0.001) in black crappy population, but it is not clear what fish species replaced it. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacepède) is a carnivorous game fish of great importance for fishing and recreation in the area. Its population in Lake Sinclair spiked above the statewide average in the most current data analyses from 2018. Hybrid bass populations were stocked in Lake Sinclair regularly for the period analyzed. Nonnative species introduction and anthropogenic alterations have been classified as the primary threat to biodiversity and are particularly harmful to already threatened or imperiled species.