Impacts of Angling on Nesting Bass

Long-term studies in Ontario, Canada of several populations of smallmouth and largemouth bass clearly demonstrate that lake-wide recruitment (i.e., annual year-class strength) is directly related to the reproductive success of the population.  In addition, these studies have also documented that angling nesting males (both catch-and-harvest and catch-and-release) has negative impacts on the reproductive success for the captured individual.  Unfortunately, the male bass that are the most capable of having the greatest relative contribution to the year class are also those individuals that are the most vulnerable to angling.  As a result, angling for nesting bass results in selection against those males that are the most valuable for population level sustainability.  The long-term impacts of angling bass during the reproductive season is presented in the form of a conceptual model, which then serves as the basis for recommendations on what management changes are needed to assure long-term sustainability of wild populations.