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Reproductive investment drives capture probability in fish: an interspecific comparison
Author(s) -
Sutter D. A. H.,
Shaw S. L.,
Allen M. S.,
Philipp D. P.,
Suski C. D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
fisheries management and ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1365-2400
pISSN - 0969-997X
DOI - 10.1111/fme.12073
Subject(s) - natural resource , investment (military) , fish <actinopterygii> , geography , fishery , ecology , political science , biology , politics , law
Sustainable use of fisheries resources requires knowledge of how exploitation interacts with life history. Often, life history characteristics within a species can change across latitudes, resulting in population-dependent variations in growth rates, maturation schedules, reproductive effort, parental care and mortality (Winemiller & Rose 1992; Yamahira & Conover 2002). Despite this interpopulation variation, species and species complexes with wide geographic ranges are often managed with common approaches, ignoring life history variation (Quinn 2002). Recently, proposals to liberalise spring fishing for Micropterus at the northern extent of their natural range have gained interest with regulatory agencies (Jackson & Brooking 2004; Pearson 2008; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 2012). Year-round fishing for Micropterus is common in southern jurisdictions, while northern jurisdictions often restrict spring fishing to protect spawning individuals (Quinn 2002). In an effort to understand better potential consequences for homogenising regulations across broad spatial scales through liberalising fishing regulations, the present study compared how reproductive characteristics influence vulnerability to angling during parental care in largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lac ep ede, and Florida bass, Micropterus floridanus (Lesueur), two phylogenetically related species (Near et al. 2003) inhabiting different latitudes. Brood size and nest defence behaviour were compared between nest-guarding male Florida bass from northern Florida [Lake Susan (30° N, 82° W) and Devil’s Hole (30° N, 82° W)] and largemouth bass from south-eastern Ontario [Lake Opinicon (45° N, 76° W) and Elbow Lake (44° N, 76° W)] sampled at the beginning of the spawning season (early March, 2011 at Florida sites, mid-May, 2011 at Ontario sites). All four populations inhabited lakes with similar trophic states previously described as oligotrophic to mesotrophic (Carlson 1977; Canfield & Hoyer 1992) and had similar angling history (D. Philipp and M. Allen, personal observation). Nests with brood-guarding males were located by snorkel surveys in the littoral zone and marked with individually numbered plastic tags. Male total length (TL) was visually estimated under water as described by Suski and Philipp (2004). Following nest detection, the number of