Movement, Habitat Selection, and Commercial Harvest of Paddlefish in Lake Dardanelle, Arkansas

Paddlefish Polyodon spathula are a valuable commercial species throughout much of their range including Lake Dardanelle, one of the most important commercial paddlefish fisheries in Arkansas.  While fecundity, mortality, and age and growth of paddlefish stocks in Lake Dardanelle have been assessed previously, information on their movements, habitat utilization, and commercial harvest rates is lacking.  To help fill this information gap, 57 paddlefish were implanted with hydroacoustic transmitters and tracked a minimum of once per month from October 2014 through September 2015.  Habitat selection was determined for eight macrohabitat types and four bathymetric habitat types by comparing percent usage to percent availability.  Four high-use (≥10%) and four moderate-use (4-10%) areas were identified.  Median linear range was 1.9, 20.9, 1.2, and 9.7 km in winter, spring, summer, and fall, respectively.  All seasonal differences were significant (all P < 0.020) except winter and summer (P = 0.486).  Commercial fishing mortality on telemetered fish was 16.7% and 15.0% under two different scenarios.  Knowledge gained from this study will help managers maintain a viable and commercially productive paddlefish population in Lake Dardanelle.