Fish Mortality
Tuesday September 9, 2008
Jim Shepherd discusses fish mortality and how tournaments contribute to it. He looks at circle hooks as opposed to "J" type hooks and links to an study of striped bass mortality. What kind of hooks do you use? Have you tried circle hooks when planning on releasing fish?
Fish Mortality
Fish Mortality
Comments
Because of fish mortality at catch & release tournaments I have never participated, so not having any first hand experience at keeping fish alive for that lenght of time I have a question. Many tournaments have a lot at stake, large sums for prize money, motors, boats, etc. why aren’t observers put into each boat to record each catch, and immediate release? This would further limit mortality. Is there a lack of manpower? The clubs I am familiar with seem to have no lack of volunteers for any event they sponsor, especially if any or all of the procedes go to a charity. The only thing I, myself see as a problem is the old saying “All fisherman are liars except you and me….”
You can get observers to ride with pros in major tournaments just to get to watch them - don’t think many will volunteer to ride around in a boat for 8 to 10 hours just to watch a club fisherman.
Although there is some fish loss from tournaments, all tournaments I am familiar with have lower limits than the state limit, so those fishermen could actually legally kill many more fish if they wanted to.
We have had tournaments here in Georgia and many other states for over 40 years now - they have not seemed to hurt the bass populations.
I noted recently your request for rare/unknown fish species. I was raised on Moon lake, near Lale Apopaka, near Groveland, Florida. Out of this very clear spring like lake I took hundreds of Large Mouth Bass, many Chain Pickrel, Warmouth and Sunfish Species and “ONE ” Bass that resembled most closely what the Boy Scout Merit Badge Book ca. 1960-65 described as a Kentucky Bass (large and small mouth the only other Bass species illustrated).
In the many years, I fished this lake I did note this; a huge “bloom” thousands and thousands” of silver dollar sized jellyfish Translucent and in Fresh Clear Water Lake.
Any comments?
Has any else seen this phenomena?
One
Up north we have freshwater jellyfish and freshwater sponges in many lakes. Lake Michigan a prime example. Even though many people mistake them for an invasive species, one of our worst problems, they are a sign of a healthy system. I would keep going to that lake and not tell anyone where my panfish dinner comes from.
Interesting on the freshwater jellyfish - I have seen them one time on a local lake here in middle Georgia.
The bass you talk about is probably a spot - also called Kentucky bass. There are actually two strains - Alabama and Kentucky spots. The one you saw is most likely a Alabama spot. Or it might be a Swanee bass - found in just a few places in south GA and Florida.