2009 Volume 3 Pages 31-40
We investigated the spawning grounds of Micropterus salmoides using Side scan sonar in Lake Izunuma in 2006. In the 2006 survey, we were able to determine that the spawning grounds of Micropterus salmoides were concentrated in areas of sandy bottoms and no ripple marks. In a 2007 survey, fine-grained bottom sediments moved due to shear induced by wind over speeds of 5 meter-per-second to make ripple marks. On the basis of these results, we searched for spawning areas of Micropterus salmoides by the bottom sediment distribution map made by Side scan sonar in 2008. Our results from this field work confirmed that Micropterus salmoides laid eggs in these spawning areas. In addition, the bottom sediment environment for breeding was similar to other studies of Micropterus salmoides. These results show that we were able to validate locating potential spawning habitat of Micropterus salmoides using Side scan sonar.
