Environmental correlates of cove fish assemblage structure in Melvern Lake, Kansas.

Abstract

The fish assemblage of 155 ha Turkey Creek Cove, Melvern Lake, Osage County, Kansas, was sampled with three gear types once a month during 1992. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis illustrated a significant depth and habitat heterogeneity gradient throughout the year, as well as for the non-spawn season (August -February), which separated inshore from offshore fishes. Age 0 and fishes mature at small size, e.g., brook silverside (Labidesthes sicculus), occupied diverse inshore habitats; larger species occupied deeper, less diverse habitat offshore. No individual gear type effectively characterized the cove assemblage, supporting the use of multiple gear types when sampling reservoir fisheries.