AUTHORS: Taylor E. Hunkins, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife; Joseph D. Conroy, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
ABSTRACT: Ohio reservoirs are aging, filling with sediment, and quality habitat available to sport fish is declining. Concurrently, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife (ODNR-DOW) does not have a standardized habitat assessment program and lacks information on physical habitat metrics in Ohio reservoirs. However, the ODNR-DOW has conducted bathymetric surveys, generated fishing maps, and deployed fish attractors in Ohio reservoirs since the late 1990s. Additionally, the ODNR-DOW and external research partners recently developed and implemented a protocol to assess nearshore reservoir habitats. We are in the process of developing, revising, and expanding Ohio’s reservoir habitat program by incorporating habitat assessments (i.e., bathymetric mapping, nearshore mapping, and fish attractors) within the Inland Management System (IMS), a planned, iterative, priority-based approach used by the ODNR-DOW to monitor and manage reservoir sport fish populations, their habitat, and anglers using standardized methods. Here, we provide a brief overview of the reservoir IMS, a history of Ohio’s reservoir habitat program, and discuss potential future directions of this program.
