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Stocking Fingerling Largemouth Bass to Alter Genetic Composition: Efficacy and Efficiency of Three Stocking Rates
Author(s) -
Buckmeier David L.,
Schlechte J. Warren,
Betsill Robert K.
Publication year - 2003
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(2003)023<0523:sflbta>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - stocking , bass (fish) , micropterus , fishery , biology , zoology
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has stocked Florida largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus to alter the genetic composition of largemouth bass populations since 1972. Because most stocked fingerling largemouth bass remain within 1 km of their stocking site, TPWD's current stocking procedures and standard stocking rates of 10–41 fingerlings/surface ha typically yield 10,000–100,000 fish/stocked site (i.e., 2 km of shoreline). The efficacy and efficiency of these stocking rates are unknown. We determined the percent contribution of stocked fingerling (28–66‐mm) Florida largemouth bass to the age‐0 cohort in Toledo Bend Reservoir, Texas, when the fish were stocked at three rates (1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 fish/site) as well as the associated production and stocking costs. Three weeks after stocking, stocked fish increased the proportion of largemouth bass that were homozygous for alleles characteristic of Florida largemouth bass at all treatments ( P < 0.013). Thus, stocking was effective in altering genetic composition in the short term. About 5 months after stocking, stocked fish continued to contribute to the age‐0 cohort in the 10,000‐ and 100,000‐fish treatments; however, their contribution was no longer detectable in the 1,000‐fish treatment. The average contribution of stocked fish was 5.4% at sites stocked with 10,000 fish and 14.9% at sites stocked with 100,000 fish. On a per‐site basis, the total costs associated with the 10,000‐ and 100,000‐fish treatments were US$3,122 and $21,122, respectively. A stocking rate of 10,000 fish/site was more efficient in altering the genetic composition of Toledo Bend Reservoir's largemouth bass population because at that rate we observed a 1.7% contribution for every $1,000 spent, compared with only 0.7% at sites stocked with 100,000 fish.