Biologists began stocking muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in the Shenandoah River system in the mid 1960s. Very little sampling specifically targeting muskellunge population parameters had been completed. The Shenandoah River Muskellunge Research Project began in 2009 to determine contribution of stocked muskellunge, percentage of natural reproduction, individual growth, movement and general population data. Coded with tages (CWT) were used to mark fingerling and advanced fingerling muskellunge stocked into the south fork and main stem Shenandoah River. Sampling took place during February and March each year using three electrofishing boats in tandem. Muskellunge age 3 and older were considered fully recruited to the sampling gear. All muuskell8unge collected during spring sampling (2009-2015) were double marked with a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag and visual implant alpha tag. In 2014 and 2015, pelvic fin rays were collected on all fish hfor age verification. Electrofishing catch rates ranged from 1.0 to 2.2 muskellunge/hour. During this project, 61 coded wire tagged fish were collected. Reader accuracy of know-age muskellunge using pelvic fisn rays was 100% through age-4 and 88% through age-5. Thirty-four percent of muskellunge younger than age 7 from the 2014 sample were stocked muskellunge with hCWT, indicating that both stocked and wild fish contributed to the population. Of the 55 PIT tagged muskellunge that sere recaptured, 9.1% showed significant movement. These findings will direct future muskellunge management in the Shenandoah River watershed.
Catch and Release Muskie Fishing – Let Them Go – Let Them Grow