Survival of Caught and Released Largemouth Bass after Containment in Live Wells

Abstract

Survival of angled largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides held in live wells for 3–9 h, with and without a water conditioner, was compared to largemouth bass released within 30 min (immediate release) of capture. The study was set up to simulate conditions that may occur during a largemouth bass tournament. Simulated tournaments were held in August, November, February, May, and July. Survival of prerelease and postrelease fish was higher when water temperatures were cool during fall and winter. Survival of largemouth bass released within 30 min was 98.9%, which was higher (P < 0.01) than survival of fish held in live wells without a water conditioner (90.8%). Fish held for 3–9 h in live wells with a water conditioner had a 96.5% survival, which was higher (P < 0.05) than survival for those held in unconditioned water. Largemouth bass caught in July had higher mortality than fish caught in November, February, or May. Indications are that addition of a water conditioner to live wells enhances survival of largemouth bass caught on artificial lures; however, if the fish are properly handled, a high survival can be expected without the addition of additives to the water, particularly during cool periods of the year.

Effectiveness of Livewell Additives on Largemouth Bass Survival

“…Because the rate of competitive angling events continues to increase (Kerr and Kamke 2003;Schramm and Hunt 2007), interest in minimizing mortality is an issue of concern among anglers and fisheries biologists alike (Schramm and Hunt 2007;Siepker et al 2007). 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).…”

“…However, current research provides equivocal support regarding the benefits to fish of using livewell additives. Plumb et al (1988) examined livewells with or without water conditioners and found that water conditioners enhanced survival. Gilliland (2002) reported that diffused pure oxygen added to livewells reduced mortality compared to combinations of salt and ice or control groups with continuous or intermittent water flow through.…”

Physiological Significance of the Weigh-In during Live-Release Angling Tournaments for Largemouth Bass

“…To keep fish alive during the angling day, anglers typically retain fish in on-board live wells supplied with fresh lake water. Nevertheless, fish may be exposed to several stressors, including hypoxia (Hartley and Moring 1993), temperature change (Plumb et al 1988), crowding (Cooke et al 2002), and accumulation of metabolic wastes (Kwak and Henry 1995). Fish also may experience an additional physiological disturbance during the weigh-in process.…”

Mortality and physical damage of angled-and-released dusky flathead Platycephalus fuscus

“…Simple modifications, such as flowthrough systems or regular replacement of the water with a bucket might mitigate these live well water quality issues. Other worthwhile strategies could involve aeration, ice to cool water, or chemical conditioners (Plumb et al 1988, Gilliland & Schramm 2002, although the utility of these would need to be assessed on a species-specific basis, given that Suski et al (2006) observed retarded recovery in angler-caught largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides held in live wells that were cooled and hyper-oxygenated.…”