Welcome to the technical sessions schedule for the 2015 SEAFWA Annual Meeting.
NEW THIS YEAR! The technical schedule is capable of being sorted by date (i.e, Monday, Nov. 2), track (i.e. Wildlife Technical Sessions), or session (i.e. Wildlife Session #1). You can also search for a presentation title (i.e. Changing Landscapes by Coalition), key term (i.e. striped bass), or presenter last name (i.e. Weaver). The sort and search functions can be found on the navigation panel on the right side of this page. If you hover over the "Schedule" button, you’ll also see different schedule view options (i.e. Grid or Simple). Try selecting each of them to see which view you prefer.
MY SCHEDULE FEATURE: It is not required of you to create a Sched.org account to use this site but if you do so, you’ll be able to use the "My Schedule" feature which allows you to create your own schedule for the conference. Click the "Sign Up" button in the top right corner of this page to create a Sched.org account.
SCHEDULE UPDATES: The session abstracts and timeslots are subject to change. This site will be updated as changes come in; please check back for updates.
MAIN SCHEDULE & WEBSITE:Click here to return to the main SEAFWA conference site.
Kyle T. Rachels, Benjamin R. Ricks – North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
The Neuse River, originating in piedmont North Carolina and draining to Pamlico Sound, historically supported locally important commercial and recreational Striped Bass fisheries. Population declines, habitat degradation, and a lack of fisheries data hindered attempts to manage the population throughout the 20th century. Initial management efforts consisted of intermittent stocking events, a 12-in minimum length limit (MLL), and a 25 fish daily creel limit. Beginning in 1982, more conservative regulations were enacted to restore the population, culminating in an 18-in MLL, a protective 22–27 in slot limit on the spawning grounds, restricted season lengths, and a 2 fish creel limit in 2008. Annual stocking events were initiated in 1992, with a transition from non-natal to endemic-source broodstock occurring in 2012. The 1998 removal of a low-head dam enabled access to an additional 127 km of spawning habitat. Despite recent management efforts, there is little evidence for increased population abundance, mortality is high, and the age-structure is truncated. Analysis of parentage based tagging indicates the 2010–2013 year-classes are almost exclusively hatchery fish with growth rates considerably higher relative to Striped Bass in adjacent systems. The lack of wild reproduction may necessitate a shift in management of the population, potentially away from a restoration focus and instead towards a put-grow-take fishery for recreational anglers. Since the population is subject to two state-agency jurisdictions and multiple commercial and recreational fisheries, future management will require inter-agency collaboration for population enhancement.
