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Effect of Commercial Harvest of Sport Fish on the Black Crappie Population in Lake Okeechobee, Florida
Author(s) -
Schramm Harold L.,
Shireman Jerome V.,
Hammond Dennis E.,
Powell Duncan M.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1985)5<217:eochos>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - lepomis macrochirus , fishery , standing crop , overfishing , micropterus , fish <actinopterygii> , lepomis , bass (fish) , fishing , centrarchidae , population , environmental science , biology , ecology , demography , biomass (ecology) , sociology
Commercial harvest of black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), and redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) was conducted in Lake Okeechobee, Florida during 1976‐1981. This fishery removed an annual average of 56 and 24% of the estimated standing crop of harvestable‐size black crappie and sunfish (bluegill and redear sunfish combined), respectively. Including the sport harvest, the annual exploitation of black crappie was estimated at 65%. This high exploitation rate resulted in significant increases in growth rate and condition factor of black crappie. The results suggested that the commercial harvest of sunfish also improved the growth rate of young black crappie. Fluctuations in the quality of the black crappie sport fishing were related primarily to hydrologic factors, and the population did not show signs of overfishing. Revenue generated by this commercial fishery exceeded $27 million.