Two-Steps Forward: Protecting the Genetic Integrity of Florida Bass Micropterus Floridanus Populations in Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has applied the guidelines outlined in its Genetic Policy for the Release of Finfishes in Florida to the conservation and management of Florida bass Micropterus floridanus.  A statewide genetic study was initiated after inter-specific hybrids with largemouth bass M. salmoides were found in 10% of a bass sample collected in 1999 from Lake Parker, which is located 150 km south of the previously recognized intergrade zone.  Genetic structure was resolved among 48 widely distributed populations of bass across Florida, some containing pure Florida bass, others intergrades with largemouth bass, using allozyme polymorphisms, mitochondrial DNA RFLPs, and microsatellite genotypes.  FWC defined four geographic regions of Florida as Genetic Management Units and prohibited government agencies from moving Florida bass, largemouth bass, or hybrids between regions.  All brood fish at the state’s Florida Bass Conservation Center hatchery are now genetically certified as pure Florida bass prior to spawning, and wild fish are regularly added to the spawning stock to avoid the accumulation of domesticated traits.  A large effective population size (about 100 or more breeders per spawning group) of hatchery brood fish are kept at the hatchery to maintain adequate genetic diversity of production fingerlings.  A Florida statute was created making the non-native largemouth bass and their hybrids a ‘conditional species’ south and east of the Suwannee River, so that now it is illegal to possess them within the native range of Florida bass without a FWC permit.  Standards were developed to genetically authenticate and manage the brood stock from private fish hatcheries that intend to get a FWC permit to possess, sell, or transport cultured Florida bass within the regulated region of the state.  Similar guidelines were developed for private pond management companies and other organizations that intend to obtain a permit to relocate and stock wild bass in Florida.  The FWC has taken two important steps forward in protecting the genetic integrity of Florida bass: (1) developing genetic markers and applying them to bass conservation and management (particularly the genetic testing of brood fish), and (2) enabling fishery managers to develop and implement the rules and practices necessary for conservation of Florida’s bass populations.