A Survey of Bowfishing Tournaments in Arkansas

Abstract

Bowfishing is an understudied method of fishing that appears to be legal throughout the United States. Therefore, species composition and harvest rates were determined at six bowfishing tournaments held in Arkansas at the lower White River, the Arkansas River at Lake Dardanelle, the Arkansas River at Piney Bay, Lake DeGray, Bull Shoals Lake, and Lake Ouachita between July 1999 and May 2000. A total of 3,280 fish were harvested at the six tournaments; of this total, 2,751 fish representing 19 species were identified. Total harvest per tournament ranged from 179 to 1,674 fish and from 6 to 12 species. Mean (±SD) harvest rate for tournament participants was 3.8 ± 1.1 fish/h; among tournament winners, the harvest rate was 7.7 ± 2.8 fish/h, which appears high compared with other sport fisheries (range = 0.28–2.59 fish/h). Five species accounted for 84% of fish harvested: spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus, common carp Cyprinus carpio, shortnose gar L. platostomus, spotted sucker Minytrema melanops, and smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus. Rank number of each species harvested at the tournaments was correlated (P < 0.05) for only 4 of 15 pairwise comparisons, which suggests that harvest often varies by tournament. Tournaments held at the Arkansas and White rivers had correlated harvest, as did spring tournaments held at the Ouachita River drainage reservoirs (i.e., Lake DeGray and Lake Ouachita). Harvest of fish smaller than published size‐at‐maturity estimates was generally not problematic but appeared to be of greatest concern for smaller‐bodied catostomid species. This study indicates that tournament bowfishers have higher harvest rates than traditional rod‐and‐reel anglers. Results of this survey should provide baseline information that may assist natural resource agencies with management of bowfishing.

Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity

“…Bomb 14 C tested Bigmouth Buffalo are labeled with their sample ID (Table 1). Bigmouth Buffalo are taken by bowfishers as small as 30 cm total length in Texas 26 …”

“…This is partly because Bigmouth Buffalo have long been unpopular with recreational anglers, as these pelagic filter-feeders rarely take a baited hook or lure and thus are seldom caught by hook-and-line. However, legislative changes in the past decade coincide with a sharp increase in the popularity of bowfishing 26 . Across the USA, bowfishing is now permitted at night; archers can shoot “rough fish” with a bow and arrow under powerful lights, despite little to no regulation or study of this new harvest method 27 .…”

Age and Growth of Spawning Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) in A North Central Texas Reservoir

“…Quinn (2010) lists 89%-100% of bowfishing captures in Ar kansas as exceeding published size-at-maturity estimates for multiple species, including longnose gar, and this study supports his findings. Bowfishing success depends largely upon location, season, and weather conditions (Quinn 2010), as well as skill of the collector, but this is true for all collection methods.…”

Oklahoma Bowfishing Values and Perspectives toward Nongame Fishes and Their Management

“…(Catostomidae) and gars (Lepisosteidae), indicates that these species are long lived, may recruit irregularly or episodically, and generally employ life history strategies requiring the maintenance of larger, older females in the stocks (Lackmann et al 2019(Lackmann et al , 2021Daugherty et al 2020;Snow et al 2020;Radford et al 2021). Mature female fish are often disproportionately targeted by bowfishing due to their larger size compared to males in most species (Quinn 2010;Kelley 2012;Stein et al 2019). Native species taken continue to be held in low social regard, subjected to wanton waste, and deemed undeserving of protections on take (e.g., bag limits or size limits: Orth 2017; Scarnecchia and Schooley 2020;Schooley and Scarnecchia 2021) that are routinely afforded to sport fish species as necessary for their long-term conservation (Rypel et al 2021;Scarnecchia et al 2021).…”

“…Fewer than 10 papers have appeared on the sport-nearly all of them localized within portions of individual states and limited in the scope of information sought and provided. Quinn (2010) reported on the take of bowfishing from six Arkansas tournaments and identified Catostomidae (buffalofishes and suckers), gars (Lepisosteidae), and the Common Carp Cyprinus carpio as the most common fish taken. Bowfisher values, attitudes, and preferences were not surveyed.…”