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CHARACTERISTICS OF BOWFISHING TOURNAMENTS IN ARKANSAS
Jeff Quinn
Stream Biologist
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
2 Natural Resources Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
28 December 2001
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Harvest was determined at six bowfishing tournaments, and a hand-out survey was used to assess characteristics of bowfishers. Tournaments studied were held at the Lower White River on 31 July 1999, the Arkansas River at Lake Dardanelle on 29 August 1999 and 2 May 2000, Lake DeGray on 19 March 2000, Bull Shoals Lake on 1 April 2000, and Lake Ouachita on 30 April 2000. Harvest varied considerably among tournaments, and factors that appeared to influence harvest included date and habitat type (reservoir or river). The number of teams (2 person teams) entering the tournaments studied ranged from 5 to 21, and total fish harvest ranged from 190 to 1,674 fish. Between 6 and 12 species were harvested per tourament. The mean harvest rate ranged from 2 to 5 fish/hr/individual. The harvest rate for tournament winners ranged from 4 to 11 fish/hour/individual. Harvest of fish at the two Arkansas River tournaments and the White River tournament were significantly correlated, and fish harvest from Lake DeGray and Lake Ouachita were significantly coorelated (Spearman rank correlation; P < 0.05).
Introduction
During the spring of 1999, the Bowfishers of Arkansas (BOA) requested that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission legalize the harvest of catfish by bowfishing. This proposal was difficult for agency biologists to evaluate because information concerning bowfishing tournament harvest is scarce. Also, bowfishing tournaments had never been studied in Arkansas. Alligator gar populations persist in low density in Arkansas? large rivers (Layher and Phillips 2000). Bowfishers were considered to be an under-utilized source of information about alligator gar, since adult alligator gar are the trophy fish of bowfishers. Information about harvest of alligator gar by bowfishers was needed for the conservation of this interesting large-river fish.
The first objective of this study was to determine harvest of fishes at bowfishing tournaments. This information was obtained by attending 6 bowfishing tournaments held at a diversity of aquatic systems. I was interested in documenting how species composition varied among tournament locations, and the size range of fishes observed was also of interest. The second objective was to survey bowfishers for economic and demographic information as well as to obtain information about alligator gar. Information collected from this study should be useful to managers in other states when faced with making decisions about management of bowfishers.
Tournament Characteristics
The six bowfishing tournaments studied were held at the White River at DeVall?s Bluff on 31 July 1999, the Arkansas River at Lake Dardanelle State Park on 22 August 1999, Lake DeGray at the Arlie Moore Access on 19 March 2000, Bull Shoals Lake at Lead Hill Access on 1 April 2000, Lake Ouachita at Shangrila on 30 April 2000, and the Arkansas River at Piney Bay on 7 May 2000 (Figure 1). The Lake Dardanelle State Park tournament was the only tournament studied that was sanctioned by the Bowfishing Association of America (BAA). The other tournaments were sanctioned by the Bowfishers of Arkansas (BOA). The BOA tournaments lasted 6 hours (8 p.m. to 2 a.m.), and the BAA Lake Dardanelle tourament lasted 12 hours (6 p.m to 6 a.m.).
Bowfishers were required to launch their boats in the river at the access where the tournament was held. Tournament rules allowed the participants to boat to any area or tributary that could be traveled to by boat. Registration for the tournaments started at 7 p.m. Bowfisheres usually registered as 2-person teams, but occasionally a 3-person team was allowed. Bowfishers usually paid fees to enter contests for the largest fish harvested (by weight) and the greatest number of fish harvested.
Methods
All fish were identified, counted, and measured for total length at bowfishing tournaments. Fish were measured to the nearest 1-mm, except at Arkansas River tournaments (Lake Dardanelle and Piney Bay) fish were measured to the nearest 25-mm length group to expedite data collection. At the Lake Dardanelle tournament some bowfishers did not allow us to work up their fish, or they left the tournament before we could collect data about their fish harvest. For the Lake Dardanelle tournament, total harvest of each team was determined from the tournament weigh-in board, and species composition was determined from a subsample of teams.
Twenty-three teams (46 individuals) entered the Arkansas State Bowfishing Championship at the Arkansas River at Lake Dardanelle State Park. Two of the teams did not harvest any fish due to mechanical problems early in the tournament, and one team left early (4 a.m.) after having their fishes counted by tournament organizers because of mechanical problems. The tournament organizers considered the number of teams that attended to be low. Twelve of the 20 teams that were at the weigh-in allowed us to collect data on the fishes they harvested. All of the teams had the number of fish that they harvested counted by the tournament?s official counter. The number of fish harvested by all participants was written on the tournament weigh-in board, and these data were recorded.
A survey was handed out to bowfishers at the Arkansas River, Lake Dardanelle State Park tournament that was designed to gather basic information about bowfishing (Appendix 1). The survey was modified for the Lake Dardanelle tournament, because of the responses given at the White River tournament (Appendix 2). All bowfishers that attended the tournaments were given a survey to complete. I was present to answer any questions they had about the survey, but they were not bothered while they were answering questions. At the Lake Dardanelle tournament, 38 of 46 surveys handed out were completed, for a return rate of 83%. It is assumed that the lack of reporting by those individuals not willing to cooperate did not seriously bias our results. Some questions were not answered on the surveys, and reduced sample sizes (N) are reported next to those questions. Answers to Questions 14 and 15 were not analyzed from the survey used at the Lake Dardanelle tournament, because too many bowfishers left the questions blank or they obviously did not understand the question.
Results
An estimated total of 3,280 fish was harvested at the six tournaments, of which we identified 2,751 fish representing 20 species (Tables 1 and 2). The number of teams participating in the tournaments ranged from 6 to 21 and averaged 9. Harvest ranged from 179 to 1,674 fish per tournament, and mean harvest (+ SD) was 547 + 565 fish. Mean harvest rate (+ SD) was 3.8 + 1.1 fish/hr/person, and ranged from 2.1 to 5.3 fish/hr/person. Tournament winners (+ SD) had mean harvest rate of 7.7 + 2.8 fish/hr/person
Five species accounted for 84% of fish harvested, including, spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus (24%), common carp Cyprinus carpio (21%), shortnose gar Lepisosteus platostomus (17%), spotted sucker Minytrema melanops (12%), and smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus (10%; Table 2). Other species harvested included longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus (3%), gizzard shad Dorsoma cepedianum (< 1%), goldfish Carassius auratus (< 1 %), grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (< 1%), river carpsucker Carpiodes carpio (5%), quillback Carpiodes cyprinus (< 1%), northern hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans (< 1%), bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus (< 1%), black buffalo Ictiobus niger (< 1%), black redhorse, Moxostoma duquesnei (< 1%), golden redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum (3%), shorthead redhorse Moxostoma macrolepidotum (< 1%), channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (< 1%), and freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens (3%). Families represented included the Lepisosteidae, Clupeidae, Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Ictaluridae, and Scienidae.
Tournaments held on riverine systems had similar harvest, and tournaments held in the reservoirs of the Ouachita River drainage had similar harvest (Table 3). Spearman rank coorelation on harvest data indicated that all 3 tournaments from riverine systems were positively coorelated, including the Arkansas River tournaments at Dardanelle State Park and Piney Bay and the White River tournament (Table 3). Also, tournaments held on Lake DeGray and Lake Ouachita were significantly coorelated. Principal components analysis extracted two components with eigenvalues greater than 1 (Table 4). The first component was loaded on tournaments held on riverine systems, and the second componet was loaded with the Lake DeGray and Lake Ouachita tournaments (Figure 2). Plots of the components showed that the three riverine system tournaments were tightly clumped (Figure 2).
Tournaments held in riverine environments were characterized by harvest of spotted gar, shortnose gar and common carp (Table 2), whereas the tournaments on Lake DeGray and Lake Ouachita were characterized by harvest of spotted sucker, golden redhorse, and spotted gar. The Bull Shoals Lake tournament was characterized by harvest of common carp (75%), golden redhorse (11%), black redhorse (6%).
White River at DeVall?s Bluff Tournament
A total of 190 fishes were harvested at the White River tournament from 9 species and 4 families (Tables 1 and 2). Families represented included the Lepisosteidae, Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, and Scienidae. Species collected included shortnose gar (78 fish), spotted gar (45 fish), longnose gar (25 fish), common carp (20 fish), smallmouth buffalo (12 fish), bigmouth buffalo (6 fish), river carpsucker (2 fish), freshwater drum (1 fish), and grass carp (1 fish). The three species of gar comprised 78% of the fishes harvested during the White River tournament.
The team that harvested the greatest number of fish harvested
Arkansas River at Lake Dardanelle State Park Tournament
A total of 1,674 fishes were harvested at the Lake Dardanelle bowfishing tournament. The 12 teams that we observed harvested 1,145 fishes from 12 species and four families (Tables 3 and 4). Families represented included the Lepisosteidae, Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, and Scienidae. Species collected included shortnose gar (327 fish), spotted gar (251 fish), smallmouth buffalo (202 fish), common carp (154 fish), river carpsucker (101 fish), freshwater drum (55 fish), longnose gar (31 fish), grass carp (9 fish), bigmouth buffalo (8 fish), golden redhorse (3 fish), spotted sucker (2 fish), and black buffalo (2 fish). The three species of gar comprised 54% of the fishes harvested during the Lake Dardanelle tournament.
At the State Bowfishing Championship, the winning team harvested 255 fish during the 12-hour tournament, for a catch rate of 21.3 fish/hr/team or 10.6 fish/hr/individual. The least number of fish harvested by a team was 24 fish. The mean number ( SD) of fish harvested per team for the tournament was 80 60 fish, and the mean harvest rate was 6.7 5 fish/hr/ team or 3.3 2.5 fish/hr/individual. Fishes from 12 teams were examined, and those teams harvested a mean of 95 68 fish from 8 1 species during the tournament. The teams that allowed us to examine their fishes captured slightly more fish than the overall tournament average. Additionally, the 12 teams had a harvest rate of 8 6 fish/hr/team or 4 3 fish/hr/individual.
According to the tournament weigh-in board, the winner of the heaviest fish contest landed a 38-lb carp. The 2nd through 5th place finishers harvested 32, 25, 24, and 23-lb carp. However, the tournament board did not specify if the five largest fish were common carp or grass carp.
White River Tournament Survey (Appendix 1)
Bowfishers that attended the White River tournament were generally male and from central or southern Arkansas. Jefferson County was represented by 4 bowfishers; 2 fishermen represented Saline County; and Clark, Grant and Pulaski Counties were represented by 1 bowfisher. All of the tournament participants were male, and their mean age ( SD) was 26 4 years (Questions 2 and 4). Sixty-seven percent of the bowfishermen were married, and 33% were single (Question 15). On average ( SD), they had been fishing for 8 6 years (Question 8). Bowfishers drove an average of 81 15 miles to the tournament (Question 13). They had a mean of $8,620 6,618 invested in their equipment (Question 7), and they made an average of 27 11 bowfishing trips per year (Question 5).
Four of the bowfishers answered that they had shot an alligator gar in excess of 60 lb during their lifetime, and 5 responded they had not (Question 10). Two bowfishers responded they had shot the alligator gar in the White River, 1 responded at Toad Suck (Arkansas River), and 1 responded in New Orleans. Those who responded that they had shot an alligator gar had a mean of 8.7 years of bowfishing experience.
When asked how many catfish do you estimate you could shoot per night if it were legal, 5 bowfishers circled the 0-5 fish category, 3 circled the 6-10 category, and 2 circled the 11-20 category. (Question 11) Another question that was asked was (Question 12), ?When bowfishing, do you see large catfish (over 20 inches).? No bowfisher responded that they see large catfish every night, 2 responded frequently, 4 responded occasionally, and 3 responded rarely. Several bowfishers commented that their answers to the survey questions about the number of fish they harvest would vary substantially by season.
All respondents to the survey indicated that game fish are occasionally shot by accident (Question 17). One bowfisher expressed the view that game fish are usually taken during the bass spawn in certain lakes. When asked how many game fish are mistakenly shot per year, six respondents circled the 0-5 category and three circled the 5-10 category.
Bowfishers that attended the White River tournament appeared to prefer to fish the Lake DeGray and several sites on the Arkansas River (Question 6). When asked the top 5 places that they fished, the Arkansas River and Lake DeGray were mentioned 7 times. Lake Dardanelle was listed 6 times, the White River was listed three times, DeVall?s Bluff was listed twice, and Bull Shoals, Tar Camp, Willow Beach, Toad Suck, Piney Bay, and Old River were listed once. The Arkansas River was prioritized as the area most often fished 4 times, Willow Beach, Tar Camp, and Lake Dardanelle were prioritized first 3 times, and Lake Degray was prioritized first 2 times.
The bowfishers at the White River tournament indicated they often try to give away their dead fish (Question 14). Four responded they try to give them away. Other responses that were given include ?dump, eat, garden, put in wood chips, and it varies.? One survey was left blank.
Lake Dardanelle Tournament Survey
Thirty-three of the 38 bowfishers that completed a survey were from Arkansas, 1 was from Missouri, 1 was from Louisiana, and 3 were from Oklahoma (Question 1). Drew County was represented by 9 bowfishers, 5 were from Jefferson County, 4 were from Bradley County, 3 were from Crawford County, Pulaski and Arkansas Counties were represented by 2 bowfishers, and Ashley, Benton, Clark, Desha, Johnson, Miller, Montgomery, and Yell Counties were represented by 1 bowfisher.
All of the bowfishers at the State Bowfishing Championship were male (Question 4) and 76% were married (Question 11). Bowfishers had a mean age of 33 10 years, and they had been fishing an average of 9 7 years (Questions 2 and 8). Participants drove a mean of 163 96 miles (N = 36) to the tournament and had an average of $12,607 10,721 (N = 36) invested in their bowfishing equipment (Questions 7 and 16). The mean number of bowfishing trips made per year by the bowfishers was 30 21 (N = 35; Question 5).
Bowfishers generally expressed positive feelings toward the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Commission Biologists, and the current bowfishing regulations (Questions 19, 20, and 21). Sixty-eight percent of bowfishers responded that they were happy with current bowfishing regulations, 29% were unhappy, and 3% did not respond to the question. Ninty-two percent of bowfishers expressed they had confidence in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 3% did not have confidence, and 5% did not respond. Also, 97% of bowfishers had confidence in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission?s biologists, 0% of respondents did not have confidence in agency biologists, and 3% did not respond. In general, bowfishers responded that Bowfishing in Arkansas is excellent or good (Question 23). Of the 38 bowfishers that filled out a survey, 42% responded that bowfishing is excellent in Arkansas, 53% responded that bowfishing is good, 3% responded that bowfishing was fair, and 3% did not respond to the question.
When asked how many game fish they accidentally shot per year (Question 12), 68% circled the 0-5 category, 26% circled the 6-10 category, 3% circled 11-20, and 3% circled over twenty.
Bowfishers were asked if they support the proposed catfish regulation (Question 22), and 74% responded that they supported the regulation. Twenty-one percent of respondents did not support the regulation change, and 5% did not answer the question. Five of those opposed to the regulation change did not provide a comment why. Three of those opposed to the regulation thought that harvest of 5 catfish should be legalized or they disagreed with the closed season. Of the 28 bowfishers who replied that they supported the regulation change, 5 of them wrote in the comments that the Commission should allow more than one catfish to be harvested.
On average, bowfishers responded that they could harvest the greatest number of catfish during the summer months (Question 13). During 5 hours of shooting, bowfishers indicated that on an average night they would harvest less than one catfish during the months of November, December, January, and February. The mean number ( SD) of catfish that bowfishers indicated they could harvest on an average night of bowfishing for five hours was 5 8 for March, 8 10 for April, 10 10 for May, 11 11 for June, 13 15 for July, 13 13 for August, 6 11 for September, and 3 9 for October (N = 28).
Questions were asked of bowfishers about how often they saw species of special concern while bowfishing, including alligator gar, paddlefish, and blue sucker (Questions 9, 17,18). Of the 38 respondents, 3% indicated that they see paddlefish every night, 11% responded they see paddlefish frequently, 37% indicated they occasionally see paddlefish, 34% rarely see paddlefish, and 16% did not know. When asked about blue sucker, 0% see them every night, 0% see them frequently, 13% see them occasionally, 34% rarely see them, 50% did not know, and 3% did not answer the question. When bowfishers were asked if they had shot an alligator gar, 50% replied yes, 40% replied no, and 10% did not respond.
Sixty-six bowfishers listed the Arkansas River or sites on the river as a location that they usually bowfishing (Question 6). Commonly listed sites that were listed on the Arkansas River included Lake Dardanelle (13 responses), Pine Bluff Harbor (11), Pendelton (10), Morgan Point (8), and Rising Star (6). Tar camp and 430 bridge were listed on 2 surveys, and Fort Smith, Dumas, Palarm, and Redfield were listed on 1 survey. Other commonly fished waterbodies (Question 6) included Lake Felsenthal (12 responses), Lake Chico (7 responses), Lake Degray (6), Lake Ouachita (6), the Ouachita River (5), and the White River (4). Other lakes and rivers that were mentioned as places usually fished included Lake Ferguson, Lake Maumelle, Beaver Lake, the Mississippi River, Clear Creek, and Lee Creek.
Management Implications
The results of this study imply that tournament bowfishers are efficient at harvesting fishes in shallow water, although catch rates appear to vary dramatically by team. It must be stressed that the results of this preliminary study should not be extrapolated to tournaments that occur during other seasons (e.g., spring). The species composition of the catch may vary considerably by season, and greater numbers of suckers may be harvested during their spring spawning runs. Also, characteristics of bowfishing tournament anglers should not be extrapolated to the casual sport bowfisher, because they may have much less experience.
In general, tournament bowfishers supported the proposed catfish regulation change to 1 fish per night with a closed season from May 1 to June 15 to protect spawners. However, many bowfishers wanted to be able to harvest more than one catfish per night, because they indicated that cleaning one fish per night was not worth their time. Also, a few tournament bowfishers disagreed with the closed season. Many of the bowfishers suggested they should be allowed to harvest ? the daily limit for catfish (5 fish), which would match the spearfishing regulations. Also, a few bowfishers argued that the effects of bowfishers on catfish populations would be insignificant compared to commercial fishermen.
Quality information is needed for fisheries managers to make wise management decisions. However, complete information about bowfishing for catfish is not available. Estimates are not available concerning the number of licensed anglers who bowfish. If bowfishing for catfish is legalized, the number of licensed anglers that bowfish may increase. Also, bowfishers may affect the size structure of catfish populations if they are efficient at harvesting large catfish. Thus, if any regulation changes are made it is very important that bowfishing tournaments are monitored to determine how the regulations affect the sport. Also, catfish populations should be monitored where bowfishers report they fish to ensure that the resource is not being damaged.
DISCUSSION
Location and season appeared to influence harvest of fish by bowfishers.
The distibution of fishes in Arkansas influenced fish harvest. Spotted gar were not found in Bull Shoals Lake because they are not found in the Ozark Highlands. Quillback are abundant in the large reservoirs of the Ozark uplands,
Longnose gar in Bull Shoals Lake were commonly observed with their snouts broken off, presumably by anglers unhappy with their catch.
Harvest rates of fish were low at Lake DeGray due to a large thunderstorm.
Few catfish were harvested during the touraments. However, this result may be partly explained by the tournament rules, which prevent catfish from being counted during the touraments.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The cooperation of the Bowfishers of Arkansas was greatly appreciated, especially Jim Beebe, Wesly Hebner, and Chris Youngblood for their support of this research. Shawn Hodges, Chris Horton, William G. Layher, Bob Limbird, Jim Ahlert, Mark Oliver, Jason Phillips, and Stuart Wooldridge assisted with data collection.
Table 1. The number of fishes harvested and catch rate of 5 bowfishing teams at the White River bowfishing tournament, according to species.
Team
Species 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Shortnose gar 22 27 13 11 5 78
Spotted gar 20 9 12 0 4 45
River carpsucker 0 1 1 0 0 2
Bigmouth buffalo 0 3 1 2 0 6
Smallmouth buffalo 4 3 0 3 2 12
Common carp 10 2 5 0 3 20
Grass carp 0 1 0 0 0 1
Freshwater drum 1 0 0 0 0 1
Longnose gar 8 10 1 5 1 25
Total 65 56 33 21 15 190
Fish/team/hr 10.8 9.3 5.5 3.5 2.5
Fish/ind/hr 5.4 4.7 2.8 1.8 1.3
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Table 2. Mean total lengths of species (mm) collected at the White River bowfishing tournament.
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Species N Mean SD Minimum Maximum
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Shortnose gar 78 582 65 449 814
Spotted gar 45 539 111 325 785
Longnose gar 25 995 229 728 1600
Smallmouth buffalo 12 482 65 401 587
Bigmouth buffalo 6 519 63 439 614
River carpsucker 2 442 21 427 457
Grass carp 1 887 - - -
Freshwater drum 1 333 - - -
Common carp 20 591 63 521 777
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Table 3. The number of fishes harvested by 12 bowfishing teams at the Lake Dardanelle bowfishing tournament, according to species.
Team
Species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
SNG 112 49 59 27 50 9 2 1 4 12 2 0
SPG 23 90 5 19 13 23 28 16 9 8 11 6
RCS 21 10 16 9 5 12 4 8 5 4 2 5
BMBF 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
SMBF 20 5 31 32 13 19 25 22 10 6 5 14
CARP 37 10 21 19 4 20 12 13 10 3 4 1
GCARP 0 1 3 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
DRUM 28 4 5 7 1 1 2 4 1 1 1 0
LNG 13 4 2 1 2 0 4 0 2 0 2 1
SPSK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
GRED 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
BLKBF 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 255 174 147 115 88 86 77 66 41 36 32 28
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(SNG = shortnose gar, SPG = spotted gar, RCS = river carpsucker, BMBF = bigmouth buffalo, SMBF = smallmouth buffalo, CARP = common carp, GCARP = grass carp, DRUM = freshwater drum, LNG = longnose gar, SPSK = spotted sucker, GRED = golden redhorse, BLKBF = black buffalo)
Table 4. Mean total length of species (25-mm length group; range of length group in mm in parentheses) collected at the Lake Dardanelle bowfishing tournament.
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Species N Mean SD Minimum Maximum
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Shortnose gar 327 26 (625 - 650) 3 16 36
Spotted gar 251 24 (575 ? 600) 4 9 35
Longnose gar 31 36 (875 - 900) 8 11 49
Smallmouth buffalo 202 21 (500 - 525) 8 15 125
Bigmouth buffalo 8 24 (575 - 600) 3 20 29
River carpsucker 101 17 (400 ?425) 3 7 25
Grass carp 9 38 (925 - 950) 3 31 41
Freshwater drum 55 20 (475 - 500) 4 8 27
Common carp 154 25 (600 ? 625) 3 18 32
Black buffalo 2 29 (700 - 725) 5 25 32
Golden redhorse 3 18 (425 - 450) 1 17 18
Spotted sucker 2 16 (375 - 400) 1 15 17
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Appendix 1. Survey that was used at the White River tournament.
Bowfishing Tournament Survey
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is dedicated to the wise management of Arkansas? fisheries resources. To better manage our fisheries and to better serve bowfishers, we request that you completely fill out the following survey. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Date_________________
Name_____________________________
Tournament location ______________________
1. What is your county and state of residence? _______________________
2. What is your age? _______________________________
3. What is your occupation? _____________________________
4. Are your male or female (circle one)?
5. How many bowfishing trips do you estimate you make a year? ____________________
6. Where do you usually travel to bowfish? Name the top 5 places you fish.
1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
4. ______________________________________
5. ______________________________________
7. How much money do you have invested in your bowfishing equipment? _____________________________
8. How many years have you been bowfishing? ____________________
9. Do you consider yourself a novice, intermediate, or expert bowfisher (circle one)?
10. Have you ever shot an alligator gar that weighted over 60 lbs? Yes or No (circle one)? If yes, where? __________________________________
11. How many catfish do you estimate you could shoot per night if it were legal?
0-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 over 30 (circle one)
Appendix 1. (Continued)
12. When bowfishing, do you see large catfish (over 20 inches) (circle one)
Every night
Frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
13. How many miles did you drive to this bowfishing tournament, including travel from your house to the tournament and to the place you fished?___________
14. How do you dispose of your fish?_________________________________
15. Are you single or married? (circle one).
16. Are game fish occasionally shot by accident? Yes or No (circle one)
17. How many game fish are mistakenly shot per year?
Less than 5 6-10 11-20 greater than 20
Appendix 2. Survey that was used at the Lake Dardanelle tournament.
Bowfishing Tournament Survey
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is dedicated to the wise management of Arkansas? fisheries resources. To better manage our fisheries and to better serve bowfishers, we request that you completely fill out the following survey. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. If you have comments or suggestions, please write them on the back of this survey.
Date_________________
Name (optional)_____________________________
Tournament location ______________________
1. What is your county and state of residence? _______________________
2. What is your age? _______________________________
3. What is your occupation? _____________________________
4. Are your male or female (circle one)?
5. How many bowfishing trips do you estimate you make a year in Arkansas? ____________________
6. Where do you usually travel to bowfish in Arkansas? Name the top 5 places you fish. Please be as specific as possible.
1______________________________________
2______________________________________
3______________________________________
4______________________________________
5______________________________________
7. How much money do you have invested in your bowfishing equipment (boats, motors, bow, etc.)? _____________________________
8. How many years have you been bowfishing? ____________________
9. Have you ever shot and landed an alligator gar in Arkansas? Yes or No (circle one)? If yes, where? __________________________________
10. How do you dispose of your fish?
11. Are you single or married? (circle one).
Appendix 2. (continued)
12. How many game fish are mistakenly shot per year?
0-5 6-10 11-20 greater than 20
13. On average, how many catfish do you estimate you could shoot per 5 hours if it were legal during the following months?
January ______ May ______ September ______
February ______ June ______ October ______
March ______ July ______ November ______
April ______ August ______ December ______
14. On a good night, how many catfish do you estimate you could shoot per 5 hours if it were legal during the following months?
January ______ May ______ September ______
February ______ June ______ October ______
March ______ July ______ November ______
April ______ August ______ December ______
15. When bowfishing, how often do you see large catfish (over 10 pounds) during the following months? Please write in one of the following choices in the blank next to the month. The choices include 1. Every night, 2. Frequently, 3. Occasionally, and 4. Rarely.
January _________ July __________
February _________ August __________
March _________ September __________
April _________ October __________
May _________ November __________
June _________ December __________
16. How many miles did you drive to this bowfishing tournament, including travel
from your house to the tournament? ______________________
17. When bowfishing, how often do you see paddlefish (spoonbill) (circle one)?
Every night Frequently Occasionally Rarely Do not know
18. When bowfishing, how often do you see blue sucker (circle one)?
Every night Frequently Occasionally Rarely Do not know
19. Do you have confidence in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as an agency? Yes or No (circle one)
Appendix 2. (continued)
20. Do you have confidence in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission?s biologists? Yes or No (circle one)
21. Are you satisfied with the current bowfishing regulations? Yes or No
22. Would you support the following regulation change: Allow harvest of 1 catfish per bowfisher a day (from 12 noon to 12 noon) with the season closed from May 1 to July 15 to protect spawners? Yes or No
23. Do you consider bowfishing in Arkansas to be (circle one):
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Do you have any suggestions how the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission could better manage bowfishing? Please write your suggestions below. Thank you for filling out this survey.
Appendix 3. Scientific names of the fishes that are referenced in this report.
Common Name Scientific name
Alligator gar Lepisosteus spatula
Longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus
Shortnose gar Lepisosteus oculatus
Spotted gar Lepisosteus platostomus
Paddlefish Polyodon spathula
Common carp Cyprinus carpio
Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella
River carpsucker Carpiodes carpio
Blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus
Smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus
Bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus
Black buffalo Ictiobus niger
Spotted sucker Minytrema melanops
Golden redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum
Freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens
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