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A Bioenergetics Simulation of the Potential Effects of Angler Harvest on Growth of Largemouth Bass in a Catch‐and‐Release Fishery
Author(s) -
Perry William B.,
Janowsky William A.,
Margraf F. Joseph
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<0705:absotp>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - micropterus , bass (fish) , fishery , fishing , forage fish , bioenergetics , biology , predation , juvenile , foraging , forage , population , catch and release , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , recreational fishing , demography , sociology , mitochondrion , microbiology and biotechnology
Catch‐and‐release regulations in warmwater fisheries have the potential to limit growth and reduce the average size of harvestable fish as a result of density‐dependent interactions. We assessed the effect of angler harvest on growth of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in Stonewall Jackson Lake where fishing for black bass Micropterus spp. was regulated with a no‐harvest restriction. Using bioenergetic simulations, we estimated the amount of prey that would be made available for growth of remaining fish at harvest rates of 28.4 and 56.8% of the population. Simulation results indicated that consumption by age‐ 1 through age‐6 largemouth bass in Stonewall Jackson Lake was 41 metric tons of forage in 1990. Juvenile largemouth bass (ages 1–3) consumed 57% of the forage eaten. Except for brief time periods for age‐4 fish, foraging success for all age‐classes of harvestable largemouth bass was relatively low; consumption rates were below 50% of maximum potential. Modeling showed that increasing fishing mortality would result in an increase in forage availability. Consumption of the forage by surviving age‐3–6 largemouth bass would result in weight increases of 24–38%.