1. Effects of Common Angler Handling Techniques on Florida Largemouth Bass Behavior, Feeding, and Survival
- Author
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Stephanie L. Shaw, Jordan Skaggs, Micheal S. Allen, Michael Matthews, Nicholas A. Trippel, and Yasmín Quintana
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,food.ingredient ,Ecology ,biology ,Hook ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Fishing ,Micropterus ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Aquatic Science ,biology.organism_classification ,01 natural sciences ,Game fish ,Trophy ,Fishery ,Bass (fish) ,food ,Black bass ,040102 fisheries ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,sense organs ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Catch and release - Abstract
Black bass Micropterus spp. support popular freshwater sport fisheries in North America. Bass anglers commonly adopt catch and release as a conservation practice, and frequently over 75% of angled black bass are released back into the water. If fish survive the angling event, the practice of catch and release as an alternative to harvest reduces direct mortality, but it has the potential to affect the postrelease feeding behavior and survival of the fish. The act of lifting black bass for handling, hook removal, and photograph opportunities may cause stress and injury, and the degree of injury sustained could be influenced by fish size. Holding fish in a tilted grip by the jaw has raised concern among anglers about potential damage to jaw musculature and tendons, as they may not support the fish’s body weight out of water, particularly for trophy bass. We conducted an experiment with Florida Largemouth Bass M. salmoides floridanus to evaluate the relative differences in survival, jaw mechanics, an...
- Published
- 2017