Growth of largemouth bass in a dynamic estuarine environment: an evaluation of the relative effects of salinity, diet, and temperature

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Glover ◽  
Dennis R. DeVries ◽  
Russell A. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Freshwater Inflow ◽  
Estuarine Environment ◽  
Spatial And Seasonal Variation ◽  
Maximum Water Temperature ◽  
Incremental Growth

Some freshwater fishes occur regularly in estuarine areas that experience spatial and seasonal variation in marine influence. These dynamic abiotic and biotic conditions potentially influence food consumption and growth. We found that effects of an estuarine environment on the growth of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Alabama's Mobile–Tensaw River Delta depended on body size, distance from the marine source, and amount of freshwater inflow. Incremental growth analyses demonstrated that young largemouth bass (<age-3) grew more rapidly downstream in the estuarine environment declining with distance upstream; this relationship was reversed for older fish with faster growth in fresher, upstream areas. The magnitude of freshwater inflow influenced the relationship between age-specific growth and proximity to Mobile Bay. Bioenergetics simulations suggest that interactions among size-specific metabolic cost of salinity, maximum water temperature, and spatial differences in both salinity and prey energetic content can explain these growth patterns. The cost–benefit of the estuarine environment to largemouth bass is not only dynamic seasonally, but also changes ontogenetically because of shifts in salinity tolerance and prey use.

Black Bass Diversity: Multidisciplinary Science for Conservation

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Population Demographics ◽  
Bioenergetics Modeling ◽  
Black Bass

<em>Abstract.</em>—Largemouth Bass <em>Micropterus salmoides</em> is typically thought of as a freshwater species, but populations occur in oligohaline portions of estuaries throughout the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, often with popular fisheries. These coastal populations must deal with the physiological stresses associated with salinity variation and may be isolated from inland freshwater populations, increasing the potential for differentiation. To understand factors important to the ecology and management of these coastal populations, we quantified individual- and population-level parameters for Largemouth Bass across a natural salinity gradient in the Mobile-Tensaw River delta in southwestern Alabama during 2002–2009 (including population demographics, feeding ecology, movement, recruitment, and bioenergetics processes). Combining traditional mark–recapture and telemetry techniques with otolith microchemical analyses, we demonstrated that Largemouth Bass of all ages moved very little, even in response to increasing salinity (up to 15‰) in downstream areas. Large individuals were rare in our sampling across both fresh and brackish habitats (only 7 out of 9,530 individuals were >2.27 kg), and fish body condition increased downstream with increasing marine influence. Growth responses for fish across the estuary were more complex, varying with both fish age and salinity. Faster growth was observed in the brackish, downstream areas for fish ≤age 2, while growth of older fish was faster in freshwater upstream sites. Using bioenergetics modeling, we demonstrated that a complex combination of spatial variation in water temperature, prey energetic content, and metabolic cost of salinity was responsible for age-specific spatial variation in growth. Preliminary genetic analysis suggests that these coastal Largemouth Bass may differ genetically from inland fish. Coastal Largemouth Bass populations face a number of potential conservation concerns, and their management will require different approaches compared to their inland counterparts, including different goals and expectations, likely even requiring consideration as unique stocks.

Growth response of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to catch-and-release angling: a 27-year mark–recapture study

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Cline ◽  
Brian C. Weidel ◽  
James F. Kitchell ◽  
James R. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Catch And Release

Catch-and-release angling is gaining popularity worldwide and plays an increasingly important role in both fisheries management and conservation. Mortality from catch-and-release angling is well documented across species, but the sublethal effects have not been evaluated in a natural setting. Laboratory studies have yielded mixed results regarding catch-and-release impacts on fish growth. These studies do not adequately capture the scales of stress and variability of a natural system. We used a 27-year mark–recapture study of 1050 individually tagged largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to determine the effects of catch-and-release angling on the growth in a natural setting. Individual bass were angled one to six times per season. Recapture intervals ranged from 1 to 98 days. Largemouth bass exhibited a post-release period (~6 days) of weight loss. Following this weight loss, we observed a subsequent period of compensatory growth facilitating recovery to normal weight. We found that catch-and-release angling had little impact on the overall seasonal growth patterns of largemouth bass and therefore should have limited adverse effects on growth-dependent ecological functions.

Pathogeny of disease characterized by swollen liver and spleen in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongmei MA ◽  
Guocheng DEND ◽  
Junjie BAI ◽  
Shengjie LI ◽  
Xiaoyan JIANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides

Assessment of caudal fin clip as a non-lethal technique for predicting muscle tissue mercury concentrations in largemouth bass

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ryba ◽  
J. L. Lake ◽  
J. R. Serbst ◽  
A. D. Libby ◽  
S. Ayvazian
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Caudal Fin ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Fish Consumption Advisories ◽  
Relationship Of

Environmental context. In the development of fish consumption advisories, fisheries biologists routinely sacrifice fish and analyse muscle fillets in order to determine the extent of mercury contamination. Such lethal techniques may not be suitable for endangered species or limited fish populations from smaller-sized water bodies. We compared the measured total mercury concentrations in tail fin clips to that of muscle fillets and illustrated that tail fin clips may be used as an accurate tool for predicting mercury in muscle tissue. This is the first study on the use of tail fin clips to predict mercury levels in the muscle tissue of largemouth bass with minimal impact on the fish. Abstract. The statistical relationship between total mercury (Hg) concentration in clips from the caudal fin and muscle tissue of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 26 freshwater sites in Rhode Island, USA was developed and evaluated to determine the utility of fin clip analysis as a non-lethal and convenient method for predicting mercury concentrations in tissues. The relationship of total Hg concentrations in fin clips and muscle tissue showed an r2 of 0.85 and may be compared with an r2 of 0.89 for Hg concentrations between scales and muscle tissue that was determined in a previous study on largemouth bass. The Hg concentration in fin clip samples (mean = 0.261 μg g–1 (dry)) was more than a factor of twenty greater than in the scale samples (mean = 0.012 μg g–1 (dry)). Therefore, fin clips may be a more responsive non-lethal predictor of muscle-Hg concentrations than scale in fish species which may have reduced Hg concentrations.

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