AUTHORS: Melissa Wuellner, University of Nebraska at Kearney; Keith Koupal, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
ABSTRACT: The recruitment of Walleye (Sander vitreus) has become less reliable through time as these populations face high angler exploitation and changing climatic conditions. While the native range of Walleye does extend to the Gulf of Mexico, the populations in Nebraska represent the southern and western edges of traditional natural recruiting populations. As such the challenges these populations face potentially represent the challenges the populations in more traditional northern climates may face as climatic conditions become more variable. In Nebraska, Walleye management in many reservoirs would fall under the “Resist-Accept” continuum as the sustainability of these populations relies largely on stocking. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework has been used to frame Walleye management decisions, but the question remains as to whether the RAD framework applies to populations where summer ambient temperatures may be much warmer than locations where related research has been published. In this presentation, we will present case studies that illustrate the history of stocking over more than 40 years, whether stocking helps to meet reservoir-specific management goals, and what the future of the Walleye stocking program may be. Context for the advantages and disadvantages of the variable approaches to maintain Walleye populations along with potential consequences will be discussed.
