Protecting The Bass Population?

[ozarkgunner]

I can't agree with either side of this debate 100%, but I do agree 100% with what Bill is saying about the basis of decisions by the MDC.

It has nothing to do with Biology, It's about cash. How it's made and how it's spent.

The MDC is a business. Plain and simple. Don't think they just arbitrarily go around protecting wildlife. I mean, they will, if the price is right.

I use to feel the same way about MDC being cash driven. However, after getting to know some of the agents and the private land biologists up in Cedar County, I think the department truely works to strike a balance between economic and biologic interests. The recent changes involving the 8 point limit for deer hunting is a prime example of MDC putting the deer heard health ahead of permit money. Additionally, we saw an experimental "hand fishing" season removed following a 3 year study. Lastly, I want everyone to think about the public duck areas in Missouri. It is WELL proven that bird watching generates much more economic benifit than duck hunting. Yet year after year MDC tries to bring as many youths into the sport as possible. MDC is charged with protecting the bass and I think they would take action if it was truely needed.

The lack of action on TRL bass is probally due to what Bill said, a lack of decent fisherman!

However, I still dream about TRL with a few more regualtions that promote and protect trophy sized bass.

Tightlines.

[ness]

What do you guys think about the current administration's economic stimulus plans?

(Just trying to steer this into a little less controversial subject).

[ozarkgunner]

What do you guys think about the current administration's economic stimulus plans?

(Just trying to steer this into a little less controversial subject).

LMAO!

[taxidermist]

Iknow there is more pressure on the resource now. but siince I was a kid the size of bass has dropped greatly. even when the length limits first went nto effect since the, Honestly not much has changed.

We fished the past Sat, Sun. and after the boats slowed down and lef tthe lake fishing picked up and we could have kept a ton of 15 inch fish. Thats not any better that back in the 1970's.

Maybe taking all the small bass out of the lake would help?

Slot limit???

[ozarkgunner]

Iknow there is more pressure on the resource now. but siince I was a kid the size of bass has dropped greatly. even when the length limits first went nto effect since the, Honestly not much has changed.

We fished the past Sat, Sun. and after the boats slowed down and lef tthe lake fishing picked up and we could have kept a ton of 15 inch fish. Thats not any better that back in the 1970's.

Maybe taking all the small bass out of the lake would help?

Slot limit???

Were they smaller bass or just a differnt type (spots)? I agree with you if you are saying most of the fish are no longer Largemouth, but I don't know how a slot would help this issue.

[Whack'emGood]

Wow I just saw this today I can not believe I just read all 118 post.

I have a few questions

1)Do any of the guides that commented on this thread fish tournaments( the reason I ask this is because you all seem to be a huge advocate of the Bass fishery down here) I do not see how a guide can advocate both

2) Does any body know the mortality rate of Bass tournaments?

3) Do you guys that strictly catch and release think that all your fish live after you release them. If so why.

4) Not to name any store or resort but why would some one have a Bass tourney on Table Rock during the spawn and allow you fish with live bait.

Thats all I have right now

1) Yes

2) Extremely low

3) Absolutely - unless they are gut or gill hooked really bad.

4) Nobody would to my knowledge-- where did that come from?

[john19]

I was not going to put the name out but since the moderator wants names to back up statements it was Bass Pro Company tournament 70 boats.

Plus if any of you think that all fish will live you do not know what lactic acid is here is an article

Whether we are speaking of Bass or the Freshwater/Saltwater fish in your aquarium all fish have what is called a Slime Coat that protects them from infections. This Slime Coat is vital for a fish to stay healthy. Unfortunately,among the many ways for a fish to lose their slime coat is by coming in contact with humans. Because of this how we handle our catch may be what determines whether or not they live. If a fish loses it's slime coat the effects are not immediately seen. The fish will begin to become stressed lowering it's ability to fight off infections which can be fatal.

When you catch a fish try to handle it with only one hand. And make sure your hand is wet. If you are going to pose for a picture only hold the fish by the mouth and release it back to the water as soon as possible. For Bass larger than 10lbs you can support the bass using a second hand around the tail, once again making sure your hand is wet. The use of gloves are acceptable but only if they are clean and relatively new. Laying a bass on the carpet of a boat is not recommended and in all cases can be avoided aside from the rare accident. For this reason using a net is not recommended as most often the bass is placed on the carpet in order to get it out of the net.

Previously, I mentioned that stress can be fatal to a fish. Stress is one way to describe how a fish becomes weak and starts to lose it's slime coat. The act of being caught is very stressful to a bass and raises it's lactic acid levels in their muscle tissues. Lactic acid is what races to muscle tissue to raise blood flow when a force is exerted. The lactic acid helps the muscle to fight off infection to heal but is also what causes you to feel pain the day after a workout. This lactic acid if raised too high is what leads to mortality. When you hook a bass try not to "horse" the fish out of the water. The more the bass fights, the higher the lactic acid levels will raise. Do not be in a hurry to get the bass into the boat but instead play the fish. The more you pull on the fish the more the fish will pull back

Basically the fish may swim off but latter might die.

Two more articles about bass mortality in tournaments.

GENE GILLILAND (Oklahoma Fishery Research Laboratory, 500 E. Constellation, Norman, Oklahoma 73072)

The Oklahoma Fishery Research Laboratory (OFRL) began a two-year project in spring 1995 to determine delayed mortality rates of largemouth bass following tournament release. Three tournaments in the spring and two in the summer were monitored. Fish were held in large live-nets placed in marina boat stalls after weigh-in. Up to 30 tournament bass per net were held for six days after each contest along with control fish collected by electroshocking. Dissolved oxygen and temperature were measured in the nets and in contestant’s boat live wells as they came to shore.

Spring tournament total mortality (initial + delayed) was less than 6%. Spring water temperatures average 63°F and live-well oxygen levels averaged 7.3 ppm. In the summer, we recorded less than 7% initial mortality. However, after six days we experienced an average of 39% delayed mortality. Most of the fish died between the third and sixth day after weigh-in. High water temperatures (average of 80°F) and low oxygen levels in boat live wells (minimums of 1.3 ppm) were measured. At one summer tournament fish were separated according to oxygen in boat live wells, one group from ‘‘low-oxygen’’ live wells (<6.0 ppm) and another from ‘‘high-oxygen’’ live wells (>6.0 ppm). Fish in the low oxygen group experience a 51% delayed mortality rate while the fish in the high-oxygen group had only a 35% delayed mortality rate. Boaters that ran their aerators continuously rather than relying on a timer had better oxygen levels in their live wells and 16% lower mortality.

The second year of our mortality study (1996) will test procedures that have been recommend by other researchers to see what Tournament Directors and anglers can do to reduce summer mortality

One more

Dispersal, Stress Response and Delayed Mortality of Largemouth Bass

Caught in Live-Release Tournaments

Principal Investigator: P.W. Bettoli* and M. Redding

Funding Agency: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Project Period: July 1, 2005-June 30, 2009

The high incidence of voluntary catch-and-release by bass fishermen and the

mandatory release of tournament-caught fish reflect the notion by most anglers

that released fish recover quickly and suffer low mortality rates. Under ideal

conditions, total mortality rates at bass tournaments can be kept low.

Conversely, poorly managed tournaments and high temperatures can result in

high (> 26%) mortality of released fish. Although many authors have reported

initial mortality rates (i.e., at weigh-in), that rate alone is not an indicator of

tournament-associated mortality because most bass are reported alive when

released after tournament weigh-ins.

In recent years Canadian researchers have investigated the physiological stress

response of largemouth bass captured during fishing tournaments. Suski et al.

(2003) documented large metabolic disturbances in tournament caught

largemouth bass. Suski et al. (2004) demonstrated that hypoxia due to transferbag

confinement can be more lethal than poor water quality and confinement in

livewells. Other researchers have also observed poor water quality in water-filled

transfer bags used during the traditional weigh-in process (Edwards et al. 2004).

Increased bass densities and elevated water temperatures in transfer bags can

rapidly cause hypoxia, resulting in mortality (Suski et al. 2004).

In collaboration with researchers at Queens University (Ontario, Canada) and the

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the fishing

tackle firm Shimano developed a Water Weigh-In System to alleviate stressors

associated with typical tournament weigh-in procedures. The system allows

bass to be kept in well oxygenated water in baskets (as opposed to bags) as

anglers queue to have their catch weighed, and the fish are weighed in water,

which has two benefits: air exposure is eliminated when fish are weighed, and

fish spend less time on the scales because they struggle less when held in water.

Research on the efficacy of water-weigh-ins in reducing metabolic disturbances

in largemouth bass has been restricted to Canadian waters, which do not

experience the high water temperatures typical of southern U.S. reservoirs in

summer.

Telemetry has been used to monitor hooking mortality of free-ranging striped

bass (Bettoli and Osborne 1998). Attaching transmitters to fish to measure

delayed tournament mortality would eliminate concerns over confinement,

artificially high fish densities in pens, or exposure to elevated temperatures.

Telemetry would also provide additional data such as the dispersal rate of

tournament caught bass. Most largemouth bass displaced in a Canadian lake

did not return to their original home ranges (Ridgway 2002). Tournament activity

that displaces significant numbers of bass could have ecological effects and

management implications for reservoir populations (Wilde 2003).

The objectives of this study are to (1) compare the physiological response of

largemouth bass that experience normal weigh-in procedures to those that

experience a water weigh-in procedure at temperatures typical of Tennessee

reservoirs in summer; (2) compare delayed mortality of largemouth basin

subjected to each weigh-in procedure; (3) relate physiological disturbances

experienced by tournament-caught largemouth bass to their long-term survival;

(4) monitor dispersal of largemouth bass from tournament weigh-in sites; and (5)

perform public outreach to demonstrate weigh-in procedures that reduce

tournament mortality.

References

Edwards, G. P. Jr., R. M. Neumann, R. P. Jacobs, and E. B. O’Donnell. 2004.

Factors related to mortality of black bass caught during small club tournaments in

Connecticut. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 24: 801-810.

Osborne, R. and P. W. Bettoli. 1995. A reusable ultrasonic tag and float

assembly for use with large pelagic fish. North American Journal of Fisheries

Management 15:512-514.

Ridgway, M. S. 2002. Movements, home range, and survival estimation of

largemouth bass following displacement. American Fisheries Society

Symposium 31:525-533.

Suski, C. D., S. S. Killen, S. J. Cooke, J. D. Kieffer, D. P. Philipp, and B. L. Tufts.

2004. Physiological significance of the weigh-in during live-release angling

tournaments for largemouth bass. Transactions of the American Fisheries

Society 133: 1291-1303.

Suski, C.D., S. S. Killen, M. B. Morrissey, S. G. Lund and B. L. Tufts. 2003.

Physiological changes in largemouth bass caused by live-release angling

tournaments in southeastern Ontario. North American Journal of Fisheries

Management 23:760-769.

Thats all I have right know just more food for thought

[Whack'emGood]

I was not going to put the name out but since the moderator wants names to back up statements it was Bass Pro Company tournament 70 boats.

Plus if any of you think that all fish will live you do not know what lactic acid is here is an article

If you get them quickly into the boat and don't let them wear themselves to a frazzle then you have little if any problems ever with this.

I have a question for you: Do these fish build up lactic acid while chasing shad and such and die also? I don't think they do. Bass are just really not that fragile... now trout-- there is another story altogether.

Oh, one more thing. The use of Rejuvenade or Catch-n-Release formula in the live well aids in replenishing the slime coat, reducing stress, treating any wounds to avoid infections, etc. It works great.

Also- using the aereator pump in your livewell and dissolving ice in your livewell does a great job in oxygenating the water. It also works great.

Here's some info about the aforementioned:

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmas..._alive_livewell

[SRV1990]

What do you guys think about the current administration's economic stimulus plans?

(Just trying to steer this into a little less controversial subject).

I'm sure there are guys on here who probably want to "keep" the plans, but I say "release" them

BTW, good article from John19, with some very good advice on handling caught fish. In addition, if fish do need to be put into a livewell there are additives on the market (like Please Release Me and Catch & Release from Sure-Life Laboratories) which help maintain the slime coat, calm the fish, remove chlorine, etc. Also, small measured amounts of hydrogen peroxide added to your livewell will help to keep the oxygen at an adequate level. All very important to ensure fish survive once they are released.

[john19]

I will have to say that all fish are susceptible to the lactic acid build up does not matter the species of fish. here is another article. Sorry for putting so many articles up by other people I just do not have any that have been published yet and I want to have facts to back up my statement.

This article explains Lactic Acid

Lactic acid (IUPAC systematic name: 2-hydroxypropanoic acid), also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemical processes. It was first isolated in 1780 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, and is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3. It has a hydroxyl group adjacent to the carboxyl group, making it an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). In solution, it can lose a proton from the acidic group, producing the lactate ion CH3CH(OH)COO−. It is miscible with water or ethanol, and is hygroscopic.

Lactic acid is chiral and has two optical isomers. One is known as L-(+)-lactic acid or (S)-lactic acid and the other, its mirror image, is D-(−)-lactic acid or ®-lactic acid. L-(+)-Lactic acid is the biologically important isomer.

In animals, L-lactate is constantly produced from pyruvate via the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in a process of fermentation during normal metabolism and exercise. It does not increase in concentration until the rate of lactate production exceeds the rate of lactate removal which is governed by a number of factors including: monocarboxylate transporters, concentration and isoform of LDH and oxidative capacity of tissues. The concentration of blood lactate is usually 1–2 mmol/L at rest, but can rise to over 20 mmol/L during intense exertion.

Industrially, lactic acid fermentation is performed by Lactobacillus bacteria, among others. These bacteria can operate in the mouth; the acid they produce is responsible for the tooth decay known as caries.

In medicine, lactate is one of the main components of Ringer's lactate or lactated Ringer's solution (Compound Sodium Lactate or Hartmann's Solution in the UK). This intravenous fluid consists of sodium and potassium cations, with lactate and chloride anions, in solution with distilled water in concentration so as to be isotonic compared to human blood. It is most commonly used for fluid resuscitation after blood loss due to trauma, surgery, or a burn injury.

Basically as you can see chasing shad is a normal thing for fish to do with no to very little stress but a line with a hook jerking the fish out of water is added stress, not a normal activity. If one thinks that this a normal activty lets have you do nothing for a year then tell you to run 5 miles not normal. You have to build up to the 5 miles

Basically what lactic acid does in laymen terms is shut the Sodium Potassium pump down in the muscles, Which will basically paralyze an animal. Basically what you have to do to the animal is inject Calcium to get the pumps going again to where the animal can have access and the ability for there muscles to function again.

I will assure you that there are more fish that die after you release them and than we will know. I'm sure there are a lot of fish that die to predation, there are fish that die of old age. But I don't see how some one can sit there and say I catch and release there for I kill no fish.