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Publications

Browse publications authored by our scientists.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more. **Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Filter Total Items: 3984

Trap style influences wild pig behavior and trapping success

Despite the efforts of many natural resource professionals, wild pig (Sus scrofa) populations are expanding in many areas of the world. Although many creative techniques for controlling pig populations are being explored, trapping has been and still is the most commonly used method of population control for many public and private land managers. We conducted an observational study to examine the e
Authors
B.L. Williams, R.W. Holtfreter, S.S. Ditchkoff, J. Barry Grand

Does small-perimeter fencing inhibit mule deer or pronghorn use of water developments?

Wildlife water development can be an important habitat management strategy in western North America for many species, including both pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). In many areas, water developments are fenced (often with small-perimeter fencing) to exclude domestic livestock and feral horses. Small-perimeter exclosures could limit wild ungulate use of fenced
Authors
R.T. Larsen, John Bissonette, J.T. Flinders, A.C. Robinson

Role of origin and release location in pre-spawning distribution and movements of anadromous alewife

Capturing adult anadromous fish that are ready to spawn from a self sustaining population and transferring them into a depleted system is a common fisheries enhancement tool. The behaviour of these transplanted fish, however, has not been fully evaluated. The movements of stocked and native anadromous alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), were monitored in the Ipswich River, Massachusetts, USA,
Authors
Holly J. Frank, M. E. Mather, Joseph M. Smith, Robert M. Muth, John T. Finn

Habitat selection and overlap of Atlantic salmon and smallmouth bass juveniles in nursery streams

Introduced smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu have invaded much of the historic freshwater habitat of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in North America, yet little is known about the ecological interactions between the two species. We investigated the possibility of competition for habitat between age-0 Atlantic salmon and age-0 and age-1 smallmouth bass by means of in situ observations and a mesocos
Authors
G. Wathen, S.M. Coghlan, Joseph D. Zydlewski, J.G. Trial

Fish entrainment rates through towboat propellers in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers

A specially designed net was used to study fish entrainment and injury through towboat propellers in 13 pools of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The net was attached to the stern of a 48.8‐m‐long towboat with twin propellers (in Kort propulsion nozzles), and sampling typically took place while the towboat pushed 15 loaded barges upstream at a time. In total, 254 entrainment samples over
Authors
Killgore K. Jack, Leandro E. Miranda, C.E. Murphy, D.M. Wolff, J.J. Hoover, T.M. Keevin, S.T. Maynord, M.A. Cornish

Scale-dependent factors affecting North American river otter distribution in the midwest

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is recovering from near extirpation throughout much of its range. Although reintroductions, trapping regulations and habitat improvements have led to the reestablishment of river otters in the Midwest, little is known about how their distribution is influenced by local- and landscape-scale habitat. We conducted river otter sign surveys from Jan. t
Authors
Mackenzie R. Jeffress, Craig P. Paukert, Joanna B. Whittier, B. K. Sandercock, P. S. Gipson

Post-breeding bird responses to canopy tree retention, stand size, and edge in regenerating Appalachian hardwood stands

Avian use of even-aged timber harvests is likely affected by stand attributes such as size, amount of edge, and retained basal area, all characteristics that can easily be manipulated in timber harvesting plans. However, few studies have examined their effects during the post-breeding period. We studied the impacts of clearcut, low-leave two-age, and high-leave two-age harvesting on post-breeding
Authors
Molly E. McDermott, Petra B. Wood

Use of fatty acid analysis to determine dispersal of Caspian Terns in the Columbia River Basin, U.S.A.

Lethal control, which has been used to reduce local abundances of animals in conflict with humans or with endangered species, may not achieve management goals if animal movement is not considered. In populations with emigration and immigration, lethal control may induce compensatory immigration, if the source of attraction remains unchanged. Within the Columbia River Basin (Washington, U.S.A.), av
Authors
C. J. Maranto, J. K. Parrish, D. P. Herman, A. E. Punt, J. D. Olden, M. T. Brett, Daniel D. Roby

King eider foraging effort during the pre-breeding period in Alaska

For reproduction, many arctic-nesting migratory birds rely on nutrients obtained on the breeding grounds, so they devote sufficient time to foraging immediately prior to nesting. However, little is known about the increase in foraging effort necessary to meet the energetic requirements of reproduction. In early June 2006 and 2008, we quantified the proportion of time spent foraging before breeding
Authors
Steffen Oppel, Abby N. Powell, Malcolm G. Butler

Algal bioassessment metrics for wadeable streams and rivers of Maine, USA

Many state water-quality agencies use biological assessment methods based on lotic fish and macroinvertebrate communities, but relatively few states have incorporated algal multimetric indices into monitoring programs. Algae are good indicators for monitoring water quality because they are sensitive to many environmental stressors. We evaluated benthic algal community attributes along a landuse gr
Authors
Thomas J. Danielson, Cynthia S. Loftin, Leonidas Tsomides, Jeanne L. DiFranco, Beth Connors

Relationship of external fish condition to pathogen prevalence and out-migration survival in juvenile steelhead

Understanding how the external condition of juvenile salmonids is associated with internal measures of health and subsequent out‐migration survival can be valuable for population monitoring programs. This study investigated the use of a rapid, nonlethal, external examination to assess the condition of run‐of‐the‐river juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss migrating from the Snake River to the Pac
Authors
Nathan J. Hostetter, A.F. Evans, Daniel D. Roby, K. Collis, M. Hawbecker, B.P. Sandford, D.E. Thompson, F.J. Loge

Long term retention, survival, growth, and physiological indicators of salmonids marked with passive integrated transponder tags

To track individuals in situ, over 12 million salmon and trout have been marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the Columbia River Basin, USA. However, few studies have examined long term tag retention as well as tag effects on juvenile salmon and trout. We marked juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch (N = 207), steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout) O. mykiss (N = 221), cutthr
Authors
Kenneth G. Ostrand, Gayle B. Zydlewski, William L. Gale, Joseph D. Zydlewski