Availability, Use, and Relative Value of Cool-Water Springs as Thermal Refuge for Striped Bass in the Ogeechee River, Georgia

Objectives: Locate springs in the Ogeechee that may serve as thermal refuges for striped bass during the summer; determine striped bass use of and movements among springs during the summer; and determine the relative "refuge value" of each spring, based on the number and size of fish present, and associated macro- and microhabitat features.

Recent shifts in the size structure of the striped bass population in the Ogeechee River is suspected to be related to changes in water quality, primarily the availability of cool-water refuges during the warm summer months. Cool-water refuges are critical to the survival of striped bass during summer months. Although the occurrence of striped bass in one such spring along the Ogeechee River (Blue Springs, Jenkins Co.) has been confirmed by GA DNR personnel, whether the shift in the size structure of the striped bass population in the Ogeechee is related to the availability of such springs is unclear.

CONCLUSIONS

?Radio-tagged striped bass in the Ogeechee River rarely migrated upstream during summer months
?Ground-level tracking (e.g., boat, truck) proved difficult and was mostly unsuccessful
?Airplane tracking was used but only 8.3% of tagged fish were relocated
?Radio-tagged striped bass did not appear to be limited to the known cool-water springs and may meet their summer thermal requirements in the estuary or outside the main-stem Ogeechee River
?Low relocation rates and limited river access rendered radio-telemetry ineffective

Related Publications:

Hess, B.J., C. Jackson, and C.A. Jennings. 1999. Use of Cool-Water Springs as Thermal Refuge by Striped Bass in the Ogeechee River, Georgia. Georgia Journal of Science. 57(2):123-130.

Jennings, C.A. and G.L. Looney. 1998. Evaluation of two types of anesthesia for performing surgery on striped bass. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 18:187-190.