Importance of Bottomland Hardwood Forest Zones to Fishes and Fisheries: The Atchafalaya Basin, a Case History

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Abstract
This paper reviews the importance of bottomland hardwood forest zones to fishes and fisheries, using the Atchafalaya Basin as a case history. The Atchafalaya Basin, one of the largest remaining floodplain bottomland hardwood forests in the United States, comprises approximately 72 by 193 km lowland floodplain area in Louisiana with elevations ranging from 15 m to sea level. Fifty-four percent of the 95 species of finfish known to occur in the leveed Atchafalaya Basin use overflow wooded areas for spawning and/or rearing of young, while 56% use these areas for feeding. A total harvest of 8797 kg·km−2·yr−1 finfish and crawfish has been documented from the overflow areas of the Basin. Production of red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) in one area of the basin was estimated to be 69,717 kg·km−2·yr−1. Total standing crops of finfishes estimated from rotenone sampling ranged from 25,000 to 208,000 kg·km−2. Finfishes move out of permanent-water areas into flooded, wooded areas when water stages rise and move back into permanent-water areas when flooding waters recede. The production and yield of finfish and crawfish relative to the annual flooding of the forest are discussed.

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