Lambert Pond Management Plan May 2014. Virginia Tech Fisheries Management Capstone project. Assessed fish population in private Blacksburg, VA pond and provided management recommendations for owner.

1. Lambert Pond Management Plan
BY:
JEANNE CHANG, JESSICA DODDS, SASHA DOSS, MATTHEW FORD, THOMAS OLINGER, AND
MICHAEL SALYER
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

2. Introduction
 Small, private pond
 600 Bishop Road, Blacksburg, VA
 Owned by Arlean Lambert
 Managed by Alvin Hale
 ~0.99 acres (InForest)
 4.39 acre-ft
 Bishop Road Community Gardens
 Fed into by Wyatt Farms
Neighborhood Association

4. Previous Management
• Virginia Tech Fisheries
Management Class 2010 ~
April 8, 2010
• Attempted Common
Carp removal
• Active carp harvesting
management plan
Photo courtesy of Jim Negus: Knox News

5. Management Objectives
Owner Objectives Team Objectives
Decrease aquatic
vegetation
Assess current pond assemblage
• Fish species and abundance
• Vegetation presence
• Water quality
Maintain bass fishery
Determine presence of Common
Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Present management plans to
address stated objectives

6. Methods
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

7. Field Methods
15-x 4-foot Minnow Seine
3 quadrant hauls Dip Net
Collecting aquatic vegetation
Boat Electroshocking
700 volts DC and 10 amps
3 runs, 42 minutes
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

8. Water Quality and Vegetation
 Measured water temperature
and total dissolved solids (TDS)
 TDS meter [COM—100]
 Stratified random samples around
the perimeter and at the center of
the pond.
 Sampled Vegetation
 Used dip-net to collect aquatic
vegetation
 Placed samples into zip-lock bag
Courtesy of Dr. Brian R. Murphy

9. Fish Species
 Thursday, April 3, 2014
Largemouth Bass
(Micropterus
salmoides)
Bluegill
(Lepomis macrochirus)
Green Sunfish
(Lepomis cyanellus)
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

10. Observing and Measuring
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

11. Saggital Otolith Removal
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

12.  Catch-per-unit effort (CPUE)
 Length-frequency
 Water quality and vegetation
 Proportional size distribution
(PSD)
 Relative weight (Wr)
 Age and growth back-
calculations
4.710 mm
Lab Calculations

13. Results
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

14. Results
 Collected 77 fish
 Identified 3 species
 Largemouth Bass
 Bluegill
 Green Sunfish
 Majority were Largemouth Bass and
Bluegill

15. Water Quality &
Vegetation
• Average temperature: 18.2° C (64.7° F)
• Average TDS: 581.5 ppm
• Estimated electrical conductivity as
• Conductivity(µS/cm) = 1.48 X TDS
(ppm)
• Electrical conductivity: 848.99 µS/cm
• Identified vegetation as Muskgrass
(Chara globularis)

16. Catch-per-unit effort (CPUE)
 Pooling fish prevented comparison of CPUE between runs or
calculation of mortality
 Largemouth Bass: 84 fish/hr
 Bluegill: 26 fish/hr
Largemouth Bass Bluegill
Lambert Pond 2014 83.8 25.5

17. Length-Frequency
BluegillLargemouth Bass
• Our samples differed from the 2010 length samples (p < 0.0001)
• BLG: n=72 and n= 18
• LMB: n=94 and n=57
• Mean total length (TL) changed, pre-and post-carp removal
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Frequency
Total Length (mm)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Frequency
Total Length (mm)
Conversion: 1 inch=25.4 mm
• 250 mm = ~10 in
• 350 mm = ~14 in
• 450 mm = ~18 in

18. Largemouth Bass
Growth
 Age and length relationship
predicted by linear equation
 Oldest observed individual 6+
 Growth increment decline at
age-2
 Relationship predicted by
exponential equation
y = 35.008x + 167.58
R² = 0.7161
0
100
200
300
400
1 2 3 4 5 6
Length(mm)
Age
y = 87.121e-0.188x
R² = 0.7162
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 1 2 3 4 5 6Length(mm) Estimated Growth during Age Class
Conversion: 1 inch=25.4 mm
• 250 mm = ~10 in
• 350 mm = ~14 in
• 450 mm = ~18 in

19. Proportional Size Distribution (PSD)
• Largemouth Bass PSD was 65 (65 +
15 [n = 57])
• Bluegill PSD was 66 (66 + 30 [n = 18])
• LMB & BLG in quadrant III of PSD
decision model
• The PSD decision model assess
current predator-prey dynamics
and places LMB & BLG into 3
categories
• Low
• Desirable
• High
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
I II III
IV V V
VII VIII IX
Largemouth Bass PSD

20. Largemouth Bass
Relative weight (Wr)
• Ranged from 76 to 118 (n=54)
• 20% had Wr values between 95 & 100
• 30% between 85 & 95
• Classified average Wr values across
PSD length categories
• Substock- and stock-sized fish had
lower average Wr values than fish
of quality and preferred lengths
(p=0.0040)
PSD category N Average Wr
Sub-stock 2 96 ± 4
Stock 18 93 ± 4
Quality 28 100 ± 4
Preferred 6 100 ± 4
Memorable 0
Trophy 0
y = 0.0539x + 80.812
R² = 0.149
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
150 200 250 300 350 400 450
RelativeWeight(Wr)
Total Length (mm)
Conversion: 1 inch=25.4 mm
• 250 mm = ~10 in
• 350 mm = ~14 in
• 450 mm = ~18 in

21. Bluegill Relative
weight (Wr)
• Ranged from 68 to 110 (n=18)
• 33% had Wr values between 95 &
100
• Only one fish had Wr values between
105 & 115
• Averaged Wr across incremental PSD
values, showing sub-stock and stock-
sized fish with lower average Wr
values than those of quality-size fish
(p = 0.016)
PSD category N Average Wr
Sub-stock 1 76
Stock 5 82 ± 12
Quality 4 102 ± 6
Preferred 7 96 ± 3
Memorable 1 99
Trophy 0
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
50 100 150 200 250 300
RelativeWeight(Wr)
Total Length (mm)
y = 0.1571x + 65.527
R² = 0.3782
Conversion: 1 inch=25.4 mm
• 250 mm = ~10 in
• 350 mm = ~14 in
• 450 mm = ~18 in

22. Discussion
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

23. Vegetation
• Muskgrass may be a nuisance for anglers
& decreases aesthetic appeal
• Vegetation has increased since 2010
Common Carp management
• Parkos et al. (2003, 2006) found that
vegetation biomass would be higher
in the absence of Common Carp
• The photic zone in Lambert Pond will
likely have high interspecific-predation
due to relatively clear water conditions
post-carp removal
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

24. CPUE
 CPUE shift post-carp removal may indicate more LMB
 Common Carp may compete directly with Largemouth Bass and
Bluegill for invertebrate food sources (Wolfe et al. 2009)
Largemouth Bass Bluegill
Lambert Pond 2014 83.8 25.5
Lambert Pond 2010 59.1 61.6
Woodstock Pond 165.3 1,129.4
Ecoregion 8 (mean) 145.7 188.8

25. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Frequency
Total Length (mm)
Length-Frequency
 2010 (orange) sample compared to 2014
(blue), for BLG and LMB:
 2010 sample included more small fish
 2010 had a wider range of length
categories
 We observed an increase in mean TL for
LMB and BLG
 May be caused by reduced
interspecific-competition
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
Total Length (mm)
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass

26. Largemouth Bass Growth
 Increase in LMB relative abundance  Negatively influence growth
 Growth increment from 2 years ago
 Space could be a potential limiting factor
 Claytor Lake TL &
VA mean TL from
Carlander (1977)
Mean calculated TL (mm) and growth increment at each
annulus
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Claytor Lake TL 48 114 257 345 399 427 452
Increment 143 88 54 28 25
VA mean TL 133 235 312 374 424 461
Increment 102 77 62 50 37
Lambert’s Pond TL 15 96 193 240 279 315 348
Increment 97 47 39 36 33

27. Proportional Size Distribution
 PSD values for LMB and BLG correspond with a balanced
fish population (Willis et al. 1993)
 PSD in quadrant III is a rare condition that might be due
to the lack of large fish harvested (Schramm and Willis
2012)
 Comparing PSD’s between 2010 and 2014 reveal that
PSD for quality fish doubled from 32 to 65 for LMB
 BLG PSD decreased from 100 to 66

28. Relative Weight
 Sub-stock and stock-length LMB had lower average Wr than fish
of quality and preferred lengths
 Could indicate density- dependent growth
 This trend also appeared true for BLG
 44% of LMB and only 33% of BLG had Wr values above 100
 Only 8% of LMB and only 14% of Bluegill from 2010 had Wr
values above 100
 Carp removal could have led to the increase in Wr

29. Management
Recommendations
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations

30. 1. Vegetation Removal
 Mechanical
 Cutting, raking, chopping, mats
 Can reestablish by spores/fragments left behind or from upstream
 Chemical
 Copper-based compounds
 Treat in sections to avoid oxygen depletion
 Cutrine Plus
 At $60/gallon, 3 gallons are needed, which will cost ~$180
 Biological
 Triploid Grass Carp (7-15 fish/acre)
 $10 permit
 Cost $8-12/fish

31. 2. Put-grow-take Fishery
 Stocking Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus (VDGIF 2014)
 6-to 8-inches in length
 Stocked during the fall at 50-per-acre
 Additional recreation potential and a safe food source
 Reduces fishing pressure on LMB and BLG

32. 3. Trophy Largemouth Bass Fishery
 Increase harvest on 200- to 300-mm (~8- to ~12-in) bass
 Fertilizing the pond
 Stocking additional prey (ex. Fathead Minnows Pimephales
promelas)
 1- to 2-inches in length
 Stocked in April at 500-per-acre (VDGIF 2014)

33. Conclusion
 Significant changes in Lambert Pond biotic dynamics since 2010 Common Carp
management.
 Largemouth Bass PSD has doubled
 Largemouth Bass and Bluegill have relative weights over 100
 Muskgrass presence has increased
 Bluegill CPUE has decreased, Largemouth Bass CPUE has increased.
 Most likely caused by the 2010 Common Carp removal
 3 management recommendations proposed
1. Vegetation removal
2. Put-grow-take fishery
3. Trophy Largemouth Bass fishery

34. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Mrs. Arlene Lambert and Mr. Alvin Hale for their time,
assistance, and land-use. We would also like to thank our professors of our
Virginia Tech Fisheries Management class, Mr. Victor DiCenzo and Dr. Brian R.
Murphy, for their guidance, patience, and opportunity to create this
management plan.

35. Works Cited
Carlander, K. D. 1977. Handbook of freshwater fisheries biology. Volume 2. Iowa State University Press, Ames,
IA.
Lohman, Amanda. 2014. Virginia Tech University Relations. Available:
http://www.photolibrary.unirel.vt.edu/pages/search.php?search=%21collection5087&k=f4ce9eab80&of
fset=0&order_by=relevance&sort=DESC&. (May 2014).
Parkos, J. J., III, V. J. Santucci, Jr., and D. H. Wahl. 2003. Effects of adult common carp (Cyprinus carpio) on
multiple trophic levels in shallow aquatic ecosystems. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic
Sciences 60:182–192.
Parkos, J. J., III, V. J. Santucci, Jr., and D. H. Wahl. 2006. Effectiveness of a plastic mesh substrate cover for
reducing the effects of common carp on aquatic ecosystems. North American Journal of Fisheries
Man-agement 26:861–866.
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). 2014 . Private pond management. Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Available:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/pondmanagement/. (April 2014).
Wolfe, M. D., V. J. Santucci Jr., L. M. Einfalt, and D. H. Wahl. 2009. Effects of Common Carp on reproduction,
growth, and survival of Largemouth Bass and Bluegills. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
138:975-983.

36. Questions?
Courtesy of Amanda Lohman: Virginia Tech University Relations