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Evaluation of Management Options for a Reproducing Striped Bass Population in the Santee–Cooper System, South Carolina
Author(s) -
Bulak James S.,
Wethey David S.,
White Miller G.
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.1577/1548-8675(1995)015<0084:eomofa>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - stocking , morone , bass (fish) , overfishing , biology , population , leslie matrix , fishery , morone saxatilis , ecology , demography , fishing , sociology
Life history and harvest characteristics of a reproducing population of striped bass Morone samailis in the Santee–Cooper system, South Carolina, were assessed to determine the relative merits of selected management strategies. Equilibrium yield and Leslie matrix analysis were the primary analytical tools. The analyses indicated that. without stocking, recruitment overfishing would occur al the current harvest rate, causing population decline. Restricting harvest until age 4 or greater produced population growth under a wide range of mortality rates. Current stocking levels stabilized or stimulated population growth. The magnitude of the effect of stocking was dependent on the level of' harvest restriction. A combination of a 2‐year stocking pulse and increased harvest restriction provided short‐term numerical benefits and reduced the long‐term risks of genetic swamping.