WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FISH CAUGHT IN THE BASSMASTER CLASSIC?
|
LDWF Director of Inland Fisheries Mike Wood reviews the intense preparations that took place many months in advance of this year’s Classic event and will repeat for next year’s Classic on the Red River near Shreveport.
Please know that we at LDWF are keenly aware of the Bassmasters Classic as a national stage. For that reason, our department began preparations many months in advance of this year’s event to ensure that Louisiana (our fisheries resource and yes, LDWF as well) were cast in the most favorable light. One component of the preparation was directed at fish handling. Naturally we wanted to have the lowest possible fish mortality, but because of the high public exposure, the Classic was also an opportunity to teach by example. In one such instance, LDWF and BASS agreed that the best course of action for fish caught by the college anglers from Lake Verret was to return them to Lake Verret. The effort was considerable for such a small number of fish, but worth it in our opinion. It’s important for our anglers to know that transporting fish between waterbodies is a bad idea.
The results speak for themselves.
- Our release survival was 100% for bass that were brought to us in good condition (only a couple of fish were not).
- We were successful in returning all bass to public waters.
- We also contributed in the development of the exceptional fishery and were successful in promoting it to an international audience.
The following are our considerations for the release of bass from the 2011 Bassmasters Classic:
1. Handling care and post-release condition
a. To ensure proper handling procedure, LDWF hatchery personnel and fisheries biologists were exclusively used for fish handling
b. Safeguards regarding equipment were implemented. For example, to ensure adequate hauling space, daily limits for all anglers were assumed. Fish hauling equipment to accommodate even more than that were in place to ensure effectiveness.
2. Release site selection
a. The site must be accessible to the extent that fish handling is reduced to a minimum. The hauling truck was to be able to get in close proximity to the release site. Handling with dip nets was to be reduced as much as possible or preferably eliminated.
b. The site was to have good water quality and allow for passage of fish to points beyond the release site.
c. The site was to be located so that all released fish were returned to the tournament waters.
d. The release site locations were not to be made publically available. The decision not to release the location of release sites may seem mysterious, but there was good reason. LDWF made considerable efforts to not be a factor in the outcome of the tournament. Withholding the release site locations from all (tournament participants and spectators) was necessary to ensure the integrity of the Classic. We made sure that the tournament was not won with newly released bass.
I’m very proud of our participation in this year’s Bassmasters Classic. Our plans are to repeat much of the same for next year’s Classic on the Red River near Shreveport. Of course there’s always room for improvement. To that end, please feel free to extend my invitation to your audience for their suggestions to be forwarded to me. My contact information is provided below.
Mike Wood
Louisiana Dept. Wildlife & Fisheries
Director, Inland Fisheries
2000 Quail Drive
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70898
Phone: 225-765-2331
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it