Premium
Stage‐Structured Simulations Suggest That Removing Young of the Year Is an Effective Method for Controlling Invasive Smallmouth Bass
Author(s) -
Loppnow Grace L.,
Venturelli Paul A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1080/00028487.2014.920724
Subject(s) - micropterus , bass (fish) , invasive species , fishery , biology , population , ecology , medicine , environmental health
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu is an invasive fish for which few control methods have been developed or tested. Adult removal is most common, but this strategy is labor‐intensive and can result in an increase in population abundance (i.e., overcompensation). Using a stage‐structured matrix model, we tested removal of young of the year as a control method, both alone and in combination with three supplemental removal strategies. Our results suggest that young of the year removal alone does not lead to overcompensation and can be expected to control some populations of Smallmouth Bass in a reasonable timeframe (e.g., 75% reduction in abundance after 10 years at 68% removal). Lower rates of removal of young of the year are required if this method is combined with supplemental removal strategies (especially those that also target immature bass). Where feasible, we recommend that managers include young of the year removal as part of their control plans. Future research should focus on incorporating more biological realism into simulation models and testing this method in the field. Received January 15, 2014; accepted April 24, 2014