Factors Related to Mortality of Black Bass Caught during Small Club Tournaments in Connecticut

Abstract

Factors related to the initial and delayed mortality of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu were determined at small club tournaments held at two Connecticut lakes during April–October of 2001–2002. Organizational characteristics of tournaments, environmental conditions, and initial mortality data were collected from 58 tournaments at Mansfield Hollow Reservoir and 41 tournaments at Gardner Lake. Delayed mortality at 72 h was also determined for 29 tournaments at Mansfield Hollow Reservoir and 25 tournaments at Gardner Lake. In total, 3,290 largemouth bass and 1,035 smallmouth bass were observed for initial mortality; 1,784 largemouth bass and 647 smallmouth bass were observed for 72‐h delayed mortality. Initial and delayed mortality rates were 2.2% and 1.0% for largemouth bass and 4.8% and 2.8% for smallmouth bass. Logistic regression indicated that initial mortality was significantly greater (P < 0.0001) for smallmouth bass than for largemouth bass, and that initial mortality was positively related to water temperature (P < 0.0001), total handling time (P < 0.0001), and fishing‐day length (P = 0.0357). Delayed mortality was positively related to water temperature (P < 0.0001), and there was a significant species × lake interaction (P = 0.0152). Initial mortality began to increase sharply at water temperatures greater than 25°C. Delayed mortality showed differential responses to water temperature depending on the species and lake. Our results suggest that tournament‐associated mortality may be reduced by limiting tournament activity during the hottest months and by increasing the efficiency of weigh‐in procedures at small club tournaments.

A Simple Model for Predicting Survival of Angler‐Caught and Released Largemouth Bass

“…Dead fish were removed from tanks each day and were identified by PIT tags. For catch-and-release survival studies, 2-d (Cooke and Hogle 2000;Taylor et al 2001) and 3-d (Nelson 1998;Dunmall et al 2001;Edwards et al 2004;Stunz and McKee 2006) observation periods are common. We observed control and experimental fish for 3 d to assess catch-and-release survival of largemouth bass, and thus our model was for 3-d survival.…”

Effectiveness of Livewell Additives on Largemouth Bass Survival

“…Acting on these interests, researchers have examined the effects that fish size (Meals and Miranda 1994;Weathers and Newman 1997;Neal and Lopez-Clayton 2001), water temperatures (Schramm et al 1987;Meals and Miranda 1994;Neal and Lopez-Clayton 2001), various tournament procedures (Weathers and Newman 1997;Suski et al 2004), and livewell conditions (Carmichael et al 1984;Plumb et al 1988;Cooke et al 2002;Gilliland 2002;Suski et al 2004) have on black bass survival rates after competitive angling events. Indeed, black bass mortality associated with these events can be relatively low (0-28%), whereas other events result in mortality rates as high as 98% (Champeau and Denson 1988;Lee et al 1993;Wilde 1998;Neal and Lopez-Clayton 2001;Gilliland 2002;Wilde et al 2002;Edwards et al 2004;Siepker et al 2007). Even with continued research and literature on improving survival of their catches available to anglers (see Gilliland and Schramm 2002;Tufts and Morlock 2004), mortality rates have not been substantially reduced since the 1980s (Wilde 1998).…”

Temporal Variation in the Physiological Responses in Largemouth Bass following Small Club Angling Tournaments

“…Fish were randomly placed into one of three holding pens and no more than 10 fish were placed into an individual holding pen. The maximum density of fish in holding pens was 10 fish/5.8m 3 , which is less than densities in some previous studies using holding pens (e.g., Hartley and Moring 1995;Kwak and Henry 1995;Edwards et al 2004a). Holding pens were placed into water more than 3 m deep and secured to a dock structure.…”

“…Each team was allowed to weigh in a maximum of five largemouth bass of at least 38.1 cm TL each (equal to the creel and size limits for a single angler on tournament lakes). Anglers were allowed to use artificial baits only, captured fish were held in aerated live wells aboard boats, anglers convened at a designated weighin location at the end of the tournament, and anglers incurred penalties for deceased fish brought to the scales (e.g., Schramm et al 1987;Kwak and Henry 1995;Neal and Lopez-Clayton 2001;Suski et al 2003;Edwards et al 2004a). The dead-fish penalty was 453 g (1 lb.…”

“…For example, local club tournaments with a small number of competitors (typically <30; Edwards et al 2004a) are held more frequently than are larger, high-profile tournaments that have many competitors (50-500 participants). The greater negative effects of club-style tournaments on fisheries than those of larger tournaments have been ascribed to lower levels of organization, concentration of fishing effort on a limited number of water bodies, and the higher frequency of club-style tournaments (Wilde 1998).…”