Dr. Phil Bettoli's study of Tx caught bass

[MadBomber]

I thought Dr. Phil's study deserved it's own thread.  Dan Cook did a fair job of summarizing the conclusion, but I thought many of us would like to see the whole process.  </p>



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Fishery Research Unit</p></div></td><td width="1">

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<font class="navlinks">BACK TO TTU HOME</font></p></td></tr><tr class="navlinks"><td class="navlinks"><p align="center"><</p></td><td valign="top"><div align="left"><font class="text" size="1">http://www.tntech.edu/fish/new/index.html</font><font class="text"><span class="navlinks">FISH HOME</span></font></div></td></tr><tr class="navlinks"><td class="navlinks" colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr class="navlinks"><td class="navlinks"><div align="center">•</div></td><td valign="top">Faculty and Staff</td></tr><tr class="navlinks"><td class="navlinks" colspan="2"><div align="center"><p align="left"> </p></div></td></tr><tr class="navlinks"><td class="navlinks" valign="top" colspan="2" height="14"><p class="text">Site Maintained by:
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Page update last: 1/17/07 </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="text"> </p></td><td width="11" height="9"></td><td valign="top" colspan="4" rowspan="13"><table height="2136" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="546" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="text" valign="top" width="538" height="2001"><p class="title" align="center">Physiology, Survival, and Dispersal of Tournament-Caught Largemouth Bass </p><p class="programtitles" align="left">Introduction </p><p align="left">The number of live-release fishing tournaments in North America has increased considerably since the 1970s, especially those targeting largemouth bass. Delayed mortality occurs after fish are weighed and released and can represent a considerable portion of total mortality associated with tournaments. Delayed mortality of largemouth bass through the 1990s in live-release tournaments was estimated to range from 10% to 23%.</p><table width="176" align="left"><tbody><tr><td bordercolor="#ece9d8"><div align="center">

</div></td></tr><tr><td><div class="text" align="left"><font color="#999999">Tournament Fishing </font></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

Initial mortality and delayed mortality rates are strongly influenced by water temperature. Mortality is particularly high at water temperatures above
25 ° C (77 ° F). Researchers documented depleted muscle energy stores and elevated lactate concentrations in largemouth bass when they monitored Canadian live-release tournaments. The weigh-in process in live-release fishing tournaments has been shown to cause a physiological disturbance due to lack of oxygen in transfer bags and air exposure during the weighing procedure. </p><table width="176" align="right"><tbody><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td><div class="text" align="right"><font color="#999999">Weighing In </font></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

In conjunction with researchers at Queens University (Ontario , Canada ) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the fishing tackle manufacturer Shimano, Canada, Ltd., developed the “Water Weigh-In System” (Shimano Water Weigh-in System) to reduce physiological effects on tournament-caught fish. This system is comprised of a series of troughs with aerated water. Each tournament angler receives a plastic tub with drain holes to hold his or her catch. The tubs and fish are submersed in the aerated troughs and fish are then weighed in a water basin on a scale that has been tared to discount the weight of the plastic tub, the basin on the scale, and the water. This new weigh-in method has been shown to reduce stress in tournament-caught fish because handling time and air exposure is minimized. </p><table width="129" align="left"><tbody><tr><td width="121">

</td></tr><tr><td><div class="text" align="left"><font color="#999999">Trough Weigh-in</font></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

The goal of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of a water weigh-in system in reducing stress and lowering delayed mortality compared to standard weigh-in procedures in Tennessee reservoirs. The specific objectives are to (1) compare the blood chemistry of largemouth bass caught in tournaments and subjected to either a water weigh-in system or a traditional weigh-in; (2) determine whether there is a relationship between the blood chemistry of tournament-caught fish and delayed mortality, and (3) describe dispersal and movements of largemouth bass after they are released from tournament weigh-in sites. We are conducting our research on J. Percy Priest Reservoir located in Davidson, Rutherford , and Wilson Counties , Tennessee . </p><table width="176" align="right"><tbody><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td><div class="text" align="right"><font color="#999999">Trough Weigh-in </font></div></td></tr></tbody></table><h1 class="programtitles" align="center"> </h1><h1 class="programtitles" align="center"> </h1><h1 class="programtitles" align="center"> </h1><h1 class="programtitles" align="center"> </h1><h1 class="programtitles" align="center"> </h1><h1 class="programtitles" align="left">Methods </h1><p align="left">We constructed three portable aluminum troughs (9' x 2' x 15”), which are transported to local bass club tournament weigh-ins at J. Percy Priest Reservoir. Each trough can accommodate five plastic tubs. Each tub has multiple drain holes, which allows water to drain quickly when the tournament angler reaches the weigh-in scale. Our water weigh-in troughs are also equipped with air-stones supplying bottled oxygen. </p><table width="144" align="left"><tbody><tr><td width="136">

</td></tr><tr><td class="text"><font color="#999999">Chad Holbrook at weigh-in station </font></td></tr></tbody></table>

We plan to monitor at least sixteen fishing tournaments (8 standard weigh-ins and 8 water weigh-ins) between March 2006 and June 2007. Fish subjected to a standard weigh-in procedure (i.e., fish are transported to the scale in bags containing water and then weighed in air) and the water weigh-in procedure are being randomly subsampled for the purposes of drawing blood and external radio tag attachment. At the conclusion of the study, we will have drawn blood from approximately 150 largemouth bass subjected to each of the two weigh-in procedures. Blood chemistry assays analyzing lactate, cortisol, and osmolarity will be conducted at Tennessee Tech
University . </p>

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</td></tr><tr><td><div class="style5" align="center"><div align="right"><font color="#999999"><span class="text">Largemouth Bass</span></font> </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

We will attach radio tags to about 40 fish from each of the two weigh-in groups. The radio tags have a lifespan of 7 months and are equipped with a mortality switch that will activate if the tag does not move for 12 hours. The tags are labeled with a message offering a $50 reward for returning the tag. Each tag is identified by a unique radio frequency between 30.001 and 31.999 MHz. Tagged fish will be tracked immediately upon release, four days in the first week, and three times in the second week to determine their status as dead or alive. The locations of tagged fish will be determined using a GPS unit and a GIS database will be created in order to determine dispersal patterns. </p>

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</td></tr><tr><td class="text"><font color="#999999">Fishing</font></td></tr></tbody></table>

The blood chemistry of bass will be compared between the two weigh-in systems using analysis of variance models. The relationship between delayed mortality, blood chemistry, and environmental variables will be examined using stepwise multiple logistic regression models. Ideally, our findings will allow us to predict the subsequent survival of tournament-released fish based on a few simple blood parameters. Such knowledge would be useful in evaluating the efficacy of the water weigh-in method compared to standard weigh-in techniques at tournaments throughout the southeastern United States . </p>

 </p><p class="programtitles" align="center">Suggested Reading </p><p align="left"> Bennett, D.H., L. K. Dunsmoor, R. L. Rohrer, and B. E. Rieman. 1989. Mortality of tournament-caught largemouth and smallmouth bass in Idaho lakes and reservoirs. California Fish and Game 75: 20-26. </p>

Edwards, G. P. Jr., R. M. Neumann, R. P. Jacobs, and E. B. O'Donnell. 2004. Factors related to mortality of black bass caught during small club tournaments in Connecticut . North American Journal of Fisheries Management 24: 801-810. </p>

Hartley, R. A., and J. R. Moring. 1995. Differences in mortality between largemouth and smallmouth bass caught in tournaments. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 15: 666-670.</p>

Neal, J. W. and D. Lopez-Clayton. 2001. Mortality of largemouth bass during catch and release tournaments in a Puerto Rico reservoir. North American Journal ofFisheries Management 21: 834-842. </p>

Schramm, H. L., Jr., P. J. Haydt, and K. M. Portier. 1987. Evaluation of prerelease, postrelease, and total mortality of largemouth bass caught during tournaments in two Florida lakes. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 7: 394-402. </p>

Suski, C. D., S. S. Killen, S. J. Cooke, J. D. Kieffer, D. P. Philipp, and B. L. Tufts. 2004. </p>

Physiological significance of the weigh-in during live-release angling tournaments for largemouth bass. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133: 1291-1303. </p>

Suski, C. D., S. S. Killen, M. B. Morrissey, S. G. Lund and B. L. Tufts. 2003. Physiological changes in largemouth bass caused by live-release angling tournaments in southeastern Ontario . North American Journal of Fisheries Management 23: 760-769. </p>

Taylor, J. B. 1990. Delayed mortality and physiological stress responses in tournament-caught largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ). MS thesis, The University of Tennessee , Knoxville . </p>

Wilde, G. R. 1998. Tournament-associated mortality in black bass. Fisheries 23(10): 12-22. </p><table width="424" align="center"><tbody><tr><td class="text" width="416">

</td></tr><tr><td><p class="text">J. Percy Priest Reservoir with Elm Hill Marina complex outlined in the northwest and Fate Sanders Marina complex outlined in the southeast portion of the reservoir. </p></td></tr><tr><td class="text">

</td></tr><tr><td class="text">Two bass released from Elm Hill Marina, coordinates for fish one are designated by a circle and the coordinates for fish two are designated by a triangle. Numbers represent days after tournament release. </td></tr><tr><td class="text">

</td></tr><tr><td class="text">Two bass released from Elm Hill Marina, coordinates for fish one are designated by a circle and the coordinates for fish two are designated by a triangle. Numbers represent days after tournament release. </td></tr><tr><td class="text">

</td></tr><tr><td class="text"><font color="#999999">Tag poster </font></td></tr></tbody></table>


</p></td></tr><tr><td class="text" valign="top" height="110"><hr /><span class="text">Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Tennessee Tech University
P.O. Box 5114
Cookeville, TN 38505
Phone: (931) 372-3094 Fax: (931) 372-6257
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[MadBomber]

I will try to get in touch with Dr. Bettoli to get his views on the stress caused by a simple catch and release, particularly catching a deep-water fish.  </p>

Here is the text of an e-mail I just sent him.</p><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Bettoli,</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">I'm sorry I couldn't stay at the commission meeting to listen to your presentation.  I had some family issues to get back to and it looked like the commercial fishing guys were loaded for bear!!</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">I read your report on the TTU website and took the liberty of posting it on www.chattanoogafishingforum.com.  We are now an almost 1800 member group and are becoming more & more conservation minded.</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Many of our group fish tournaments and are deeply concern about the high mortality rate of tournament caught fish in the summer months.  We recently lost an 11lb largemouth that was hauled around in the live well for several hours.  Despite ice in the water and continous operation of the aeration system, the bass was found floating the following day.</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">You conclusions are compelling, but one of our members wondered about the stress caused by simply catching a bass and fairly quickly returning back to the water.</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">My questions are:</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Are there any studies that show the effects of "catch & immediate release".  Or, in the case of a large fish, taking a couple of pictures and then releasing the fish?  Also, what are the dangers, in your opinion, of bringing a bass up from, say, 30 feet deep and then released?</font></div><div> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">We have had several forum discussions about "bleeding the air bladder" with a hypodermic needle to help a bass right itself.  What is your opinion of this practice?</font></div><div> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Any feedback you could provide will be greatly appreciated.</font></div><div> </div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Alan Witt</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">"The Spotted Bass creel limit guy"</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Chattanoga, TN</font> </div>

 

[Buoy-Master]

This is some great stuff Allen!!!!

 I'll have to study it more and see what his response is. If I had the means to transport such a method, I'd use it at my Txes.</p>

Only one thing missing though....where the fillet and frying pan for those Spawwwwtts!

</p>

 

[MadBomber]

Hey Billy,</p>

His study showed no advantage to the trough method vs. the bag method.  The key factor was water temp.</p>

 

[Fishin Fool]

MB thanks as usual! We really appreciate your input and the letter you sent.