Publications

Fish community composition was determined at 33 reaches (average length 150 meters) at 22 sites in the Red River of the North Basin during 1994. Sites were selected to represent a range of stream sizes and ecoregions within the basin. Physical and chemical characteristics (classified in data sets of instream habitat, terrestrial habitat, hydrology, and water quality) were determined for...

Water and phosphorus budgets were determined for the Lauderdale Lakes (the interconnected Green, Middle, and Mill Lakes) in Walworth County, southeastern Wisconsin to provide background information for a wastewater management plan to limit the input of phosphorus to the lakes. The most significant components of the water and phosphorus budgets were determined independently by intensive...

During 1993-95, water samples were collected at nine sites on eight streams in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages to attempt to determine pesticide concentrations. The sampling effort was part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water- Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Pesticides analyzed for were 58 herbicides and 30 insecticides. Pesticides are used extensively in the study...

Would you like to know streamflow conditions before you go fishing in Wisconsin or in more distant locations? Real-time streamflow data throughout Wisconsin and the United States are available on the Internet from the U.S. Geological Survey. You can see if the stream you are interested in fishing is high due to recent rain or low because of an extended dry spell. Flow conditions at more...

Detailed vertical sampling is useful in aquifers where vertical mixing is limited and steep vertical gradients in chemical concentrations are expected. Samples can be collected at closely spaced vertical intervals from nested wells with short screened intervals. However, this approach may not be appropriate in all situations. An easy-to-construct and easy-to-install multiport sampling...

We evaluated the potential loss of target benthic macroinvertebrates from coarse-mesh field wash down of samples through a 1.18-mm mesh sieve nested on a 0.60-mm mesh sieve. Visible target organisms (midges, mayflies, and fingernail clams) in the 1.18-mm mesh sieve were removed from the sample and enumerated in the field. The entire contents of both sieves were preserved for subsequent...

During the past 20 years, aquaculture has grown both as a vital tool for fisheries management and as a viable industry. But now a crisis has arisen from the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) increased regulation of drug use in aquaculture in response to public concerns about human food safety, human health, and environmental effects. Lack of approved drugs and chemicals has...

Sediment traps are being used in some pollution monitoring programs in the USA to sample suspended solids for contaminant analyses. This monitoring approach assumes that the characteristics of solids obtained in sediment traps are the same as those collected in whole-water sampling devices. We tested this assumption in the upper Mississippi River, based on the inorganic particle-size...

Food habits of Redheads (Aythya americana) investigated at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin, during 1983-1985. Prelaying females consumed plant material almost exclusively, primarily seeds of moist-soil plant species. The diet of laying and incubating females was dominated by seeds but also contained 16-17% animal matter. Consumption of animal matter during egg production...

We developed and evaluated a surgical procedure for implanting intra-abdominal radiotransmitters with external whip antennas in captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Transmitters were implanted in the abdominal cavity and the antennas exited through the caudal abdominal wall and skin. Birds with implanted transmitters developed mild to moderate localized air sac reactions. These...

To quantify the consequences of local hunting on illegal kill of canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria), we studied the behavior of hunters on a 646-ha area open to duck hunting (closed to canvasback hunting) on Lake Onalaska, Navigation Pool 7, Wisconsin, during the 1991 and 1992 waterfowl hunting seasons. Law enforcement officers observed 258 hunting parties for 419 hours. Of 94 hunting...

We developed and evaluated a surgical procedure for implanting radio transmitters in 1-d-old Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) ducklings. Transmitters (1.5 g) were implanted subcutaneously on the back of ducklings while under a general anesthetic, isoflurane, within a few hours of hatching. Evaluations indicate that the procedure is a reliable method for radio-marking ducklings.