The Effect of Catch-and-Release Angling on the Parental Care Behavior of Male Smallmouth Bass

Abstract

Parental investment theory predicts that parents should adjust the level of care given to offspring relative to brood size and stage of brood development. This variation in parental care results from a trade-off between the reproductive value of the current brood and the reproductive return that the parent can expect to receive from future broods. Our study, carried out in Charleston Lake, Ontario, Canada, examined how handling stress and brood predation associated with catch-and-release angling influenced parental care behaviors and, ultimately, nest abandonment decisions of male smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu. Individuals were divided into six treatment groups: two different controls (n ϭ 10 and 11) and four test groups that were either angled and then released (n ϭ 11), had broods reduced manually to simulate predation (n ϭ 12), received a combination of angling and brood reduction (n ϭ 10), or had their brood size augmented through the manual addition of larvae (n ϭ 10). Exposing the fish to a model brood predator revealed that, after catch-and-release events, angled males were less willing or less able to defend their broods than were control fish. In addition, with or without angling, males subject to simulated brood predation were the least aggressive in defending their remaining broods. Moreover, the only treatment groups that showed substantially greater rates of nest abandonment were those that included simulated predation.

The impact of catch-and-release angling on short-term behaviour and habitat choice of northern pike (Esox lucius L.)

“…This is consistent with studies reporting decreased activity of fish in response to a catch-andrelease event (Tsuboi & Morita, 2004;Young & Hayes, 2004) and with several telemetry studies that revealed short duration behavioural alterations in various species, such as downstream migration by Atlantic salmon (Webb, 1998;Mäkinen et al, 2000;Thorstad et al, 2003) and cichlids (Thorstad et al, 2004) and decreased movement rates following a short duration of hyperactivity in largemouth bass (Cooke et al, 2000) and sharpnose shark (Gurshin & Szedlmayer, 2004). Behavioural studies in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu Lacepède) showed that during parental care, nest-defending behaviour was impaired by catch-and-release fishing (Kieffer et al, 1995;Suski et al, 2003). For example, male smallmouth bass captured by angling were less willing or able to defend their broods than control fish (Suski et al, 2003) and smallmouth bass males hooked and played to exhaustion took four times longer to return to their nests than fish played briefly (Kieffer et al, 1995).…”

“…Behavioural studies in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu Lacepède) showed that during parental care, nest-defending behaviour was impaired by catch-and-release fishing (Kieffer et al, 1995;Suski et al, 2003). For example, male smallmouth bass captured by angling were less willing or able to defend their broods than control fish (Suski et al, 2003) and smallmouth bass males hooked and played to exhaustion took four times longer to return to their nests than fish played briefly (Kieffer et al, 1995). However, consistent with the present study recovery from angling stress as indicated by resuming pre capture behaviour was found to be quick as was also reported elsewhere (Kieffer et al, 1995).…”

Do we need species-specific guidelines for catch-and-release recreational angling to effectively conserve diverse fishery resources?

“…Evidence suggests that when nesting males are angled from the nest, even for a short period, the unprotected offspring are quickly consumed by predators, directly decreasing fitness (Philipp et al 1997). However, even if fish are released after angling, Cooke et al (2001) determined that when nesting males return to the nest, they exhibit impairments in locomotory activity for over 24 h, and Suski et al (2003b) showed that angling reduced the level of care provided to offspring by the attending male. A study by Ostrand et al (in press) determined that largemouth bass exposed to a simulated fishing tournament immediately prior to the spawning period produced fewer and smaller offspring than control fish.…”

Using underwater cameras to describe the reproductive behaviour of the endangered eastern freshwater cod Maccullochella ikei

“…Similar behaviour has been reported in a number of other nest-guarding species, including many of the black bass, Micropterus spp. Generally, studies of angling effects on black bass have shown that following catch-and-release, nesting males have a diminished capacity to effectively parent, with many abandoning nests completely (Cooke et al 2002;Suski et al 2003;Suski & Philipp 2004). This has resulted in long-term declines in many bass populations, attributed to reduced overall recruitment Suski et al 2002).…”