Pesca e Produção Pecuária

Abstrato

Water Quality and Plankton in Central Arkansas Commercial Golden Shiner Ponds

Xie L, Perschbacher P and Thomforde H

The objective of this study was to evaluate annual patterns in water quality in 9 commercial golden shiner (Notemigonous crysoleucas) ponds at three farms located in central Arkansas. Water samples were collected on 57 occasions during two consecutive years, including weekly sampling during stocking seasons (March-May) and production seasons (June-October) and bimonthly for the remaining four months. Samples from all ponds at each date were taken between 0900-1100 h with a column sampler, stored in an insulated sealed cooler, and returned to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for analyses. Evaluations were made of 18 variables: water temperature (Temp), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total ammonia-nitrogen (TAN), un-ionized ammonia (UIA), nitrite ammonia-nitrogen (NO2), chlorophyll-a (Chla), phaeophytin-a (Pheo), phytoplankton enumeration by genera (species for cyanobacteria) and zooplankton enumeration by major groups. Significant differences by month were found in all variables. Correlation analyses were performed for all data, and by stocking and production seasons-which resulted in a large number of significant correlations.