2015 Meeting of the Virginia, Virginia Tech, and
West Virginia Chapters of the American
Fisheries Society
Tuesday, February 17th - Thursday, February 19th, 2015
Fralin Auditorium
360 West Campus Drive
Virginia Tech Campus
Blacksburg, Virginia
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Program Overview
Program Committee: Aaron Bunch, Andy Dolloff, Eric Hallerman (chair),
Michael Moore, Bud LaRoche, Stuart Welsh, and Ashley Weston.
Program at a glance
Tuesday, Feb 17
11:00 AM
1:00 PM
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Fralin Atrium
Fralin Auditorium
Holiday Inn
Registration
Continuing Education course
Social
Wednesday, Feb 18
7:45 AM
8:10 AM -12:00 PM
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
2:15 PM – 3:10 PM
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
6:00 PM
Fralin Atrium
Fralin Auditorium
Fralin Auditorium
Fralin Auditorium
Fralin Auditorium, room 002
German Club
Registration
Contributed papers
Keynote talk - John Boreman
Contributed papers
Business meetings, VA and WV chapters
Poster session and social
Thursday, Feb 19
8:10 AM – 11:50 AM
Fralin Auditorium
Contributed papers
Detailed Program
* denotes student presenter eligible for Best Student Paper Award
Tuesday, February 17th
11:00 AM
Registration, Fralin Hall Atrium, 360 West Campus Drive, Virginia Tech campus
1:00 PM
Continuing education program - Aquatic Vegetation Identification and Control
Methods
1:15pm Introduction to Aquatic Vegetation Issues and Participants, John
Kauffman
1:30
Aquatic Plant Identification, Laurie Fox
2:30
Break
3:00
Aquatic Vegetation Control Options, Lloyd Hipkins
4:00
Future Continuing Education Needs, John Kauffman and participants
4:30
Adjourn
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Dr. P. Lloyd Hipkins has been an Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech for many
years and provides research and outreach geared to meeting the needs of
commercial pesticide applicators and vegetation managers. His research program
focuses on evaluation of products, methods, and technologies for integrated
vegetation management. Invasive plant management is major issue as public
awareness of uncontrolled invasion has become more acute. Contact at
lhipkins@vt.edu, (540) 231-9842.
Dr. Laurie J. Fox is a Research Associate at the Hampton Roads Agriculture
Research and Extension Center. Her research interests relate to
phytoremediation, sustainable landscapes, and BayScaping with native plants.
Contact at ljfox@vt.edu, (757) 363-3807
John Kauffman, John Kauffman LLC, is fisheries specialist experienced in aquatic
plant management and water withdrawal and permitting. He was with Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for 26 years and was awarded the
Eugene W. Surber Professional Fisheries Biologist Award in 2011.
6:00 PM
Social at Attitudes, Holiday Inn, 900 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg
Wednesday, February 18th
7:45 AM
Registration, Fralin Hall atrium
8:10
Opening remarks, Don Orth – President of the Virginia Chapter
Welcome, Joel Snodgrass – Head, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation,
Virginia Tech
Contributed papers - Moderator – Aaron Bunch
Estimation of detection probabilities and fidelity of expression for the endangered
James Spinymussel (Pleurobema collina) in Swift Run - Alaina C. Esposito*,
Christine L. May, and Dorottya K. Boisen
Molecular phylogenetic evaluation of extant populations of endangered Villosa
perpurpurea (Lea 1861) and Villosa trabalis (Conrad 1834) - Tim W. Lane*, Eric M.
Hallerman, and Jess W. Jones
Close aggregation of freshwater mussels results in decreased group metabolic rate
- Jeff Kovatch, Mark Castle, Tuesday Moats, and Sam Cogar
Identification of stream-collected larval minnows (Cyprinidae) by morphometric and
molecular genetic methods - Brandon K. Peoples*, Pearce Cooper, Eric M.
Hallerman, and Emmanuel A. Frimpong
Picking up the pieces: prioritizing conservation of fragmented Clinch Dace
populations – Michael Moore* and Don Orth
8:20
8:40
9:00
9:20
9:40
10:00
Break
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10:20
10:40
11:00
11:20
11:40
12:00 PM
1:30
2:10
2:30
2:50
3:10
3:30
5:00
6:00
Contributed papers - Moderator – Christine May
Assessment and survey of Blackbanded Sunfish in Virginia - Michael J. Pinder and
Derek A. Wheaton
Landscape-scale influences on in-stream habitat for endangered Roanoke
Logperch, Percina rex. - Zach Martin*, Amy Villamagna, Lisa Scott, and Paul
Angermeier
Evaluation of age, growth and condition of Channel Catfish in Cheat Lake, West
Virginia - Corbin D. Hilling*, Stuart A. Welsh, and Dustin M. Smith
Channel Catfish population assessments on the South Branch of the Potomac
River, WV: Utilizing baited hoop nets on a small, clear, moderate-gradient stream Brandon J. Keplinger
Could summer tournaments alter population dynamics of Smallmouth Bass in the
lower New River? - Ashley E. Weston*, Brian R. Murphy, Victor DiCenzo, and
John Copeland
Lunch on your own
Moderator – Eric Hallerman
Keynote talk: One fish, two fish, Weakfish, Bluefish: Adaptation in the marine
recreational fishery survey - John Boreman, North Carolina State University, Past
President of the American Fisheries Society
Contributed papers:
Population dynamics and seasonal movement patterns of Walleye in a hydropower
reservoir - Dustin M. Smith*, Stuart A. Welsh, Nate D. Taylor, and Corbin D. Hilling
Seasonal movements of Muskellunge in North Bend Lake, West Virginia - Scott F.
Morrison and Lila H. Warren
The future of AFS, professional societies and world peace - Doug Austen,
Executive Director of the American Fisheries Society
Break
Business meetings:
- Virginia Chapter – Fralin Auditorium
- West Virginia Chapter – 002 Fralin Hall
Adjourn
Social and poster session, German Club, 711 Southgate Drive, Blacksburg.
Poster presenters and titles:
Laying the foundation for Tiger Muskie fisheries in private Virginia impoundments Dave Beasley and Aaron Cushing
Determination of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in lake sediment with
solid-phase extraction and ion chromatography - Kelsey L. Berrier* and Daniel
M. Downey
Northern Snakehead distribution in Virginia - Aaron Bunch, John Odenkirk, Mike
Isel, and Scott Herrmann
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Can changes in regulations and stocking strategies affect interactions between
Muskellunge and Smallmouth Bass? - Sasha Doss*, Joe Williams, Brian R.
Murphy, and Leandro Castello
Physiological effects of organophosphate flame retardants on freshwater mussels Cory W. Fox*, Serena Ciparis, and Mark LaGuardia
What makes trout anglers happy? - Amanda Hyman and Steve L. McMullin
Water chemistry of North Branch Simpson Creek before and after a major forest fire
- Sarah B. Jamison* and Daniel M. Downey
Behavioral and energetic responses of Etheostoma blennioides and Etheostoma
variatum to altered stream flow rates - Emma Levin-Nielsen* and Jeff Kovatch
Developing methods for in situ toxicity testing with darters - Tyler Meighan* and
Serena Ciparis
Use of mitochondrial DNA barcodes to identify prey items in fish stomach contents Zach Moran*, J.D. Schmitt, E.M. Hallerman, D.J. Orth, and Robert Aguilar
Predation of anadromous alosines by non-native ictalurids in Virginia's tidal rivers Joseph D. Schmitt and Donald J. Orth
Effects of fine sediment on Brook Trout habitat use, behavior, and predator-prey
relationships in an experimental stream - Kyle Snow*, Stephen Fisher, and
Christine May
Modeling chlorophyll concentrations in the Ohio River using satellite imagery Thaddaeus Tuggle*, Jeff Kovatch, and Anne Axel
Assessment of a Candy Darter population following a chemical-induced fish kill Derek A. Wheaton and Michael J. Pinder
Assessing potential Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) habitats for sustainability Katrina White*, Nicole Audia, Joyce Cheng, Casey Grage, Marissa Marsh, Jodie
Lee
Thursday, February 19th
8:10 AM
8:30
8:50
9:10
9:30
9:50
Contributed papers - Moderator – Eric Brittle
Otolith chemistry and genetics reveal scale of ontogenetic movement of
smallmouth bass in the James River basin, Virginia - Garrett Muckleroy*, Juli
Sorenson, Eric Hallerman, and Robert Humston
The effects of water hardness, alkalinity and pH on the development of Brook Trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis) eggs and fry in aquaculture - Thom Teears*
A natural history interpretive center and coldwaters research opportunities on the
South River in Waynesboro - Thomas R. Benzing, Kaloyan Ivanov, and Urbie
Nash
Planning the future of stocked trout management in Virginia - Vic DiCenzo*, Steve
McMullin, Amanda Hyman, and Steve Reeser
A 12-year time series of American Eel passage at an eel ladder, lower Shenandoah
River - Stuart A. Welsh and Joni L. Aldinger
Break
5
10:10
10:30
10:50
11:10
11:30
11:50
Contributed papers - Moderator – Craig Roghair
Southeast Connectivity Assessment Project (SEACAP), a tool to prioritize fish
passage project - John Kauffman
Dead fish and dying moose, could a serial killer be on the loose? - A. Kirk Smith
Maury River at Glasgow, Virginia: a case history - Louise Finger
Blue Catfish population characteristics in a small tidal tributary in coastal Virginia Aaron J. Bunch, Yan Jiao, Robert S. Greenlee, and Eric M. Brittle
Virginia’s Wildlife Management Plan - Chris Burkett
Closing remarks – Eric Hallerman
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