Effects of Tournament Compared with Catch and Release Angling on Nest Abandonment of Largemouth Bass

Abstract

The popularity of tournament angling for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides remains high, leading to concerns about the effects on populations. Catch‐and‐release angling and its effects on nest abandonment have been well documented, but few studies have examined the effects of competitive angling on nest abandonment. Nest‐guarding male largemouth bass were subjected to one of three treatments: no angling (controls), catch‐and‐release angling, and simulated tournament angling. Abandonment rates were assessed at 24 h following angling. Both angling treatments experienced higher abandonment rates than the control group (3%) with tournament‐angled males abandoning their nests at a higher rate (90%) than catch‐and‐release males (33%). Additional research will be required to determine the population‐level consequences of these angling practices. Until then, a conservative recommendation would be for organizers to consider alternative tournament formats during the reproductive season for largemouth bass. Received November 30, 2011; accepted May 9, 2012

The Effect of Water Temperature, Angling Time, and Dissolved Oxygen on the Survival of Largemouth Bass Subjected to Simulated Angling and Tournament Handling Procedures

“…; Diana et al. ), reflex impairment was not related to fight intensity or duration for angled Largemouth Bass (Brownscombe et al. ; Cooke et al.…”

“…The capture process is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise that can often occur for extensive periods of time (Schreer et al 2005;Thompson et al 2008), and the duration of exercise experienced by fish during angler capture has been found to affect the magnitude of physiological stress response and time of recovery after exercise in Largemouth Bass (Gustaveson et al 1991;Suski et al 2004). Although angling has been identified as SURVIVAL OF LARGEMOUTH BASS AFTER SIMULATED ANGLING impairing fish behaviors, such as feeding (Siepker et al 2006), movement (Thompson et al 2008), and parental care (Philipp et al 1997;Diana et al 2012), reflex impairment was not related to fight intensity or duration for angled Largemouth Bass (Brownscombe et al 2014;Cooke et al 2016), and survival (immediate and 24 h later) was 100% when Largemouth Bass were subjected to simulated angling times of up to 3 min (White et al 2008). However, assessments were conducted at temperatures considered moderate for the species (≤27°C; Coutant 1977) and near or below the temperature at which mortality of tournament-caught Largemouth Bass sharply increases (Wilde 1998).…”

Global Patterns in the Motivations and Behaviors of Tournament Anglers Targeting Bedding Bass

“…Retention of bass captured from beds for extended periods (as in tournaments) has been shown to increase the likelihood of nest abandonment relative to immediate catch and release (Diana et al. ). Tournament anglers are considered to be more specialized and more likely to be motivated by goals such as the capture of a trophy fish (Wilde et al.…”

“…One management question that the current study failed to address is whether the impacts of bed-fishing are equally likely to result from tournament versus nontournament angling. Retention of bass captured from beds for extended periods (as in tournaments) has been shown to increase the likelihood of nest abandonment relative to immediate catch and release (Diana et al 2012). Tournament anglers are considered to be more specialized and more likely to be motivated by goals such as the capture of a trophy fish (Wilde et al 1998) and thus may have disproportionate impacts on fishery resources (Zischke et al 2012).…”

Angling‐Induced Impacts on Recruitment and Contributions to Reproduction in Florida Bass

“…Snorkelers swam the length of the pond seven times to visually inspect each brush pile, shoreline, concrete block, and benthic surface between the shore and the center of each pond. Each nest located was classified as active if eggs or nonswim-up fry were present or as inactive if neither eggs nor fry were detected in or over the nest (Suski et al 2003;Suski and Philipp 2004;Hanson et al 2007;Parkos et al 2011;Diana et al 2012). Active nests were uniquely identified, recorded on a map of the pond, and marked with a fishing bobber attached by monofilament line to an anchoring weight.…”