The physiological effects of catch‐and‐release fishing on largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides from Lake Powell and Mantua Reservoir, Utah, were evaluated, and an estimate of the time needed for recovery from hooking stress was obtained. Fatigue in Lake Powell fish, as indicated by elevated blood lactate, was directly proportional to hooking time (1–5 min) and water temperature, but recovery from the hyperlacticemia was relatively rapid (about 24 h). Hyperglycemia, an indicator of stress hormone production, did not occur in largemouth bass hooked and played for 1–5 min in the coldest water (11–13°C), was moderate in fish hooked and played at l6–20°C, and was severe in fish played for 5 min at 28–30°C. Fish held for recovery in live cages suffered further hyperglycemia, presumably because of the stress of confinement. Ionoregulation, as indicated by relatively stable plasma chloride values, was not immediately affected in largemouth bass caught at water temperatures of 11–13°C or 28–30°C, but an unusual hyperchloremia developed in fish hooked and played at 16–20°C. During recovery, the expected progressive hypochloremia developed. Plasma osmolality was somewhat affected by hooking at all water temperatures tested, but recovery was almost complete within about 8 h. Mantua Reservoir fish were hooked and played only at water temperatures of 23–26°C. The hyperlacticemia and hyperglycemia that occurred were generally more severe than in the Lake Powell fish hooked and played at either 16–20°C or 28–30°C. However, effects on plasma chloride and osmolality were similar to those occurring in Lake Powell fish.
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) traditionally spawn in areas of swift turbulent current in major rivers where their eggs remain suspended by the current for approximately 48 hours before hatching. Striped bass were introduced into Lake Powell in 1974 and reproduced in 1979. Reproduction was initially attributed to fish ascending the Colorado River and spawning in the traditional manner, although evidence of in‐reservoir spawning was detected in 1979. In 1981, spawning striped bass were collected in the lower reservoir near Glen Canyon Dam. Larval and fingerling striped bass were subsequently collected with midwater trawl and seine some 300 km down the lake from the Colorado River inflow. The overflow density current proved to be too weak to transport young‐of‐the‐year striped bass the length of the reservoir. Striped bass had apparently successfully spawned within Lake Powell without the aid of turbulent current. Subsequent gillnetting results confirmed a strong year class of striped bass had been produced in 1981, with relative abundance highest on each end of the reservoir. Young of the year near the inflow were presumed to be the result of river spawning, while those found near the dam evidently were spawned within the reservoir. Young fish were found at midlake stations but in lower numbers than the stations at opposite ends of the reservoir.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.