Dead Bass 2024

Replica. reply :

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/07/22/news/00lead.txt

Any ideas of what caused this?

Other. reply :

Peta's robofish. The waves that repel the fish will also drive a fish mentaly crazy and have it kill itself. To bad peta has not realised that yet.

CJ reply :

Looks like we may be hereing more about this one.Looks like FLW needs to stay away from there if that many of those fish have LBV.

guest reply :

I'm not an opponent of tournament fishing, but I'm highly irritated over denials from tournament leadership. There you see a clear cut example of a large tournament at the root of immediate and delayed stress mortality, and immediate denial of tournament involvement. It's very likely all the bass there are infected with LMBV, which does reduce their vigor, but if that's what caused the die-off there should be daily die-offs until weather/water conditions change favorably. Instead the die-offs are directly related to large tournaments, that one identical to one like it last year.

I've been sent out no telling how many times to log die-off incidents. There's nothing to do about it except show concern before the public. Somebody has to admit there is a problem, so government workers end up holding the bag, while tournament anglers are safely returned home and to their jobs.

There are better solutions other than what's promoted by BASS, rules that could help dramatically. Keeping a bass in a livewell until culled is NOT truly catch & release. In fact some states require on certain lakes no culling because of the certified waste of too many culled fish and or spread of disease or parasites. Every minute a bass stays in there is another closer to immediate or delayed death. If it is LMBV free it won't be if sharing the box with a bass that has LMBV. I'd like to see an end to culling. I'd also prefer to see tournaments reward anglers with really significant hourly weigh-ins so that an angler coming in frequently could get extra points toward the day rather than staying out all day holding bass.

It seems to me it would be far better for the sport to reward largest bass of the hour rather than encourage culling all day to accumulate 60# of fish. A fellow coming in with the biggest bass a couple of times a day is to me a much better angler than one who has sifted through a couple schools of bass, culling out the runts. True C&R would not result in elevated mortality rates we're seeing all over the country in warm water months. It also seems to me say 80% of winnings ought to be for hourly big bass. An angler could then opt to skip an hour or two, culling up toward the 20% pot, or going in with what he thinks would be a competitive fish for a share of 80% of the pot. What would ya'll say to the top angler be the one with the most accumulated hourly weight? At the speeds modern boats can achieve each can be on 'good enough' water within 10 minutes. Let the guys who can't deliver Big Bass spend all day culling to fight it out over a couple of ounces among smaller bass. It all just seems to have gone completely backwards over the past 20 years.

Jim

senile1 reply :

Some good points, Jim. When I read the comments in the article about having no finger pointing, etc. I was a bit taken aback. FLW should respond quickly to this in a manner that isn't defensive, but that shows the spirit of wildlife conservation. Otherwise, all of angling suffers. Contrary to what some believe, some bass do die from the stress of being held all day during a tournament, even when LMBV isn't involved. I have seen a combination of heavy tournament pressure, heavy pleasure fishing, and LMBV nearly wipe out a wonderful bass population at Smithville Lake in Missouri during the 90s. The last couple of years the population is really starting to come back with tournament stringers over 20 lbs again. As anglers, we need to be aware of how our own behavior affects the health of bass.

Al Wolbach reply :

All of you have made good points. We all realize there is a very large problem that does not have an easy solution.

Jim, one problem with the frequent weigh-ins is the consuption of fuel. On some lakes the weigh in area may be 25-50 miles from a preferred fishing area. On smaller lakes this may be viable solution, but on lakes large enough to support an FLW event I don't believe so.

I don't believe there is one solution to this complex problem. However one partial solution may be adding oxygen injection systems to bassboats. Research I have read indicate this would help, although not solve this problem. An oxygen injection system can be added to a tournament bassboat for a few hundred dollars. It could be a factory option on new boat for far less. These systems will increase the disolved oxygen in the livewells and at least increase the chance of survival for bass. I believe you will see these systems on higher end boats in the near future.

Most bass fishermen do not see the problem. After their tournament they see the fish swim off and assume the survive. Local Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officers tell me many bass are dead within hours after being released alive and that all dead bass do not float to the surface as I would expect. They told me that they have sent divers down after major tournament fish releases to discover large numbers of dead fish on the bottom. I suspect that may be the reason B.A.S.S. started using a release boat some years ago after their tournaments to release the fish in other areas of the lake rather than at the weigh in site (only a guess).

I believe the use of these systems in bassboats at least may help with the problem. Just my opnion............................Al

RollONTwo reply :

FLWs weighin takes like 3 hours to complete. That is just stupid as well. I know the damage might already be done but I dont think they need to drive to the nearest Walmart and take all the money making time for Walmart and suspense to complete. Just weigh the fish and release. I like the hourly weigh in but also agree with Al. Lots of running and fuel usage for big tournaments.

RobDar reply :

Jim...

I am a bit confused at what the difference would be between weighing in every hour as far as fish contact with each other. If there are two fish in a live well one with LMBV and one without...does it matter that they have been exposed to each other for an hour or eight hours?

I supposed it is more likely that there would be just one fish in the livewell that hour...but that certianly would not always be the case.

and from what I have been told it is not so much the stay in the livewell that causes the stress as it is the struggle and the original capture that produces the stress.

Is it not true that the LMBV is transmitted through the mucus the fish produce as protection? Perhaps the FLW and large tourney's use of salt solutions to stimulate this protective mucus secreation is actually hurting them in instances like these. I will have to look that up now.

I agree that fish do die from stress. I have myself released sluggish acting keeper fish at a tournament hoping to spare them rather than keep them and have them die (not that it was any guarantee they did survive)...and yes we DO need to be aware of how our behavior effects the fish AND we need to do everything we can to ensure fish survival...from careful handling ( I hate it when I see the pro bring the fish into thier boat and let it flop around on the carpet etc etc) and livewell improvements ( recirculating pump and oxygen pumps as mentioned by AL)and additives...Proper cleaning and sanitation of both boat and livewell after each lake.

I think for the most part tournament fisherman...at least the ones I know...do have concern for the survival of the fish and do include conservation in their thinking. I agree there are problems...and it is not perfect.

Anyone with any suggestions on improving fish survival speak up...I am ALWAYS willing to listen to good ideas.

Now that the tournament fisherman have been criticized( perhaps questioned is a better term)...I will make a point on the performance of both Indiana and Illinios DNR near me...

While for the most part the officers are always VERY professional and a pleasure...I have been repeatedly stopped, checked, and otherwise "hassled" ( not a good word but it all I got right now) during tournaments...in FULL VIEW of shore fisherman keeping undersized fish by the dozens. I have made repeated calls...even told one officer that if he were to check one guys bucket just a hundred yards from where he stopped me he would find at least a dozens or so undersized fish... I was told he did not have time to check every bucket...yet he had time to check each and every tournament fisherman on the lake ( and found not a single violation I might add)

So niether system is perfect...not the DNR's enforcement nor the tournament clubs.

though I will say anytime I have had a question about this or other fish survival topics, both DNR's fish biology departments have been very forth coming and helpful.

RobDar reply :

somebody mentioned the long weigh ins at FLW tourneys...I agree...freaking stupid. But then if you ask me, anything to do with wal mart will involve a certian amount of idiocy. I am not at all a fan of Wal Mart!

I have long said...stop with the show and big production and just weigh the fish in already. I sat through two or three of these and thought to myslef...good lord guys get the heck on with it already! They need to do staggered weigh ins...go out and return in more staggered flights so that the fish do not have wieght in the live wells for all the hupla and goofiness.

and the driving to the nearest Wal Mart parking lot is a stupid thing...show Wal Mart cares about their PR more than the fish or conservation...it is all business with them.

I also think that if this was a BASS tourney there might be a better response about this ad occurance...but since Wal Mart is involved and apparently they can do no wrong...

well anyway I am ranting and my dislike of Wal Mart is not really the issue....

guest reply :

If anybody has more information about this please keep us posted. Thanks

GAMEOVER reply :

Quote
I'm not an opponent of tournament fishing, but I'm highly irritated over denials from tournament leadership. There you see a clear cut example of a large tournament at the root of immediate and delayed stress mortality, and immediate denial of tournament involvement. It's very likely all the bass there are infected with LMBV, which does reduce their vigor, but if that's what caused the die-off there should be daily die-offs until weather/water conditions change favorably. Instead the die-offs are directly related to large tournaments, that one identical to one like it last year.
I've been sent out no telling how many times to log die-off incidents. There's nothing to do about it except show concern before the public. Somebody has to admit there is a problem, so government workers end up holding the bag, while tournament anglers are safely returned home and to their jobs.

There are better solutions other than what's promoted by BASS, rules that could help dramatically. Keeping a bass in a livewell until culled is NOT truly catch & release. In fact some states require on certain lakes no culling because of the certified waste of too many culled fish and or spread of disease or parasites. Every minute a bass stays in there is another closer to immediate or delayed death. If it is LMBV free it won't be if sharing the box with a bass that has LMBV. I'd like to see an end to culling. I'd also prefer to see tournaments reward anglers with really significant hourly weigh-ins so that an angler coming in frequently could get extra points toward the day rather than staying out all day holding bass.

It seems to me it would be far better for the sport to reward largest bass of the hour rather than encourage culling all day to accumulate 60# of fish. A fellow coming in with the biggest bass a couple of times a day is to me a much better angler than one who has sifted through a couple schools of bass, culling out the runts. True C&R would not result in elevated mortality rates we're seeing all over the country in warm water months. It also seems to me say 80% of winnings ought to be for hourly big bass. An angler could then opt to skip an hour or two, culling up toward the 20% pot, or going in with what he thinks would be a competitive fish for a share of 80% of the pot. What would ya'll say to the top angler be the one with the most accumulated hourly weight? At the speeds modern boats can achieve each can be on 'good enough' water within 10 minutes. Let the guys who can't deliver Big Bass spend all day culling to fight it out over a couple of ounces among smaller bass. It all just seems to have gone completely backwards over the past 20 years.

Jim

Best thread in this whole topic I agree 100%

guest reply :

Bass tournaments are increasingly become the focus of a large number of researchers, and out of that comes mostly bad news, confirming a direct link between the current prevailing form of "C&R" having hours of delay between catching and releasing. For a couple of decades I've been among those left behind to deal with the people coming out to witness the advanced mortality, taking photos, videos, samples of dead fish, not for research seeking answers, but ammunition to stop all forms of hunting and fishing. I've posted this before and maybe it's best to repost this.

As a result of a really tough year for tournament bass PETA, Earth First, and other aggressive "environmentalists", a large campaign was launched including very troubling billboards along the highways here. That was in advance of a general election having a bill up for vote intended to ban the sports completely. It was defeated by less than 100 votes, with some dispute over the count, and I have no idea what the final tally was. It was way too close for a region with a huge percentage of outdoor sportsmen.

Most anglers I've talked to about it didn't know a thing about that, many taking advantage of a day off work for voting, going fishing instead. If we fail to face up to the problem it won't take much to end fishing and hunting at least until we could rally and out vote those folks and gain support of so many gullible voters not able to process the issue in a logical manner. Emotional appeals concerning "poor helpless dumb animals being ravaged by insensitive uncaring fishermen and hunters" find an ever-increasing open ear. It could come down to every angler and hunter being forced to plow a huge sum of money and work into keeping the sport we love, without end, the issue coming back up every year or two. We're already seeing more speed limits, banning of motors, restricted areas, and many forms of appeasing a very large voting block that's growing larger.

Jim

guest reply :

I'll comment on some points ya'll made.

The issue of using more fuel due to running back & forth to a weigh-in could be settled by an eventual banning of outboards, or limiting horsepower. I'd think most anglers would be wiser to accept the possibility the 50-100 mile river runs could become a thing of the past. Many tournaments are won within a couple of miles of a launch area anyway. Maybe we'd appear to be better stewards by keeping an event limited to 10 miles out. That would reduce noxious emissions, conserve fuel, and appeal to the majority of anglers not involved in tournaments. If bass die-offs only occurred in that reduced area then everyone would know the truth of whether tournaments cause those or the die-offs are part of something bigger lake-wide. Would most of us be willing to risk that? Well, if we don't deal with it in a very definite manner it might be decided for us by a world of non-fishermen aided by disgruntled non-tournament fishermen willing to cut their own activities to preserve the sport. How many weekend fishermen might be willing to fish with 50 HP or less, operate at less than 30 mph, and agree to keep fish without culling? You can ski at only 30 mph ya know, so recreational boaters could adapt too to keep their own sports.

DElee, I rarely see bank fishermen catching bass. There isn't as much pressure on DNR enforcers to guard non-game and small game species which tend to reproduce far better than bass. Bluegills spawn several times a year, while bass spawn during a small window of one season. Law is law and if they keep illegal game that's a bad thing, but abusing bass carries a higher priority.

As for bass innoculating other bass, there is a significant difference in infection probability given sufficient time to make enough physical contact, assured within a livewell for half a day. It might be looked at as like you being coughed on once by someone with a communicable disease compared to spending 3 days in their home caring for them. Livewell living conditions can never be as good as free range, no doubt increasing stress begun with the catching of a bass.

An hourly Big Bass sure seems better than 200 anglers bringing in 1500 pounds of bass in 3 days. Most of the fish caught by those 200 would be immediately released without boating, knowing it will take a certain size to have a chance. If one guy is bringing in 7# bass everyone soon realizes they had better put something like that in that livewell and scedaddle over to the weigh-in before something happens to it. I've always appreciated a big bass winner far mor than a guy that's really good at culling up from 15 to 30# of bass daily. That's more of a numbers game involving a lot of luck coming up on bigger bass. Someone will stumble on to them. You hardly ever hear an angler say he's found the biggest and will win an event, then do it. If he's found them probably someone else found the same ones. If it was mostly skill then the same highest skilled anglers would be winning most of the time. Winning Big Bass 1 time more than the next guy speaks to me of a more consistent skill. It would be a terrible decision to make in that hour. Assume you are only allowed to have one fish in the livewell at one time. Can I let this one go and catch one larger? I do believe it requires more total skill to confidently go after one large bass and take it in. The larger the bass the harder it is to catch, citing as proof the fact a bass gets large against all odds. They get large because they become better at feeding on the right stuff than their cousins while making the fewest errors of judgment.

Jim

George Welcome reply :

You all need to re-read the post by Hobbs. You focused on the opening paragraph it seems and forgot to read on:

"Stellner said the DNR's methods of conducting the study may have led to higher mortality rates.

The agency put about 100 fish a day in 8-by-8-foot holding pens near Northern States Power Co. on the Black River. An equal number of tournament-caught fish and fish the agency culled from the wild using electroshocking were kept there for a side-by-side comparison.

The pens didn't have proper current flow, which may lead to warmer water temperatures and poor oxygenation, Stellner said. In addition, the fish were held there for up to five days, another possible source of stress, he said.

But Hobbs, while confirming Stellner's account of the holding pens, said the electroshocked fish were not among those he collected because they did not have a clipped fin.

Longtime bass fisherman Bob Wateski, 59, said the die-off probably represents a typical summer kill due to low river flow and the recent higher-than-normal temperatures.

It's tragic that it happened, he said, but we need to learn from it. We can't point fingers.

jomatty reply :

jim,

while i think everything you say is very interesting it seems very unlikely to be to be practical. what your calling for is a complete change in the way fishing tournaments are run. i dont think BASS would ever go for that as they have invested too much acclimating people to their style of tournaments. also, from a tv perspective that sort of weigh in could be very confusing and not make the kind of dramatic television they are looking for.

is this a good reason not to go to this format if it would dramatically help fish populations? no in my opinion. Is it at all likely to happen? again, not in my opinion.

the idea of taking away outboard motors and completely overhauling the way tournaments are run has a lot of merit in my eyes, but i just think that it is very unlikely to be taken seriously by tournament organizers.

therefore i think some other solution is needed.

just my opinion and not intended to disagree with what was an informative and thought provoking post from jim.

matt

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

Long time Lurker first time poster here.

To me the massive die off only enforces what I have thought for years after seeing tournaments in the Potomac River and other local reservoirs during extremely hot months: tournaments kill fish. It is obvious to me that keeping a bass in a small container in extreme heat will harm the fish, even climate controlled live-wells with aerators are not natural environments for fish. We all spend hours on the water trying to figure out what these sensitive fish are biting at a specific depth/temperature/time and then we catch a big one and expect it to survive in a small cramped box with a vibrating gas engine a few feet from it so it can be weighed and eventually returned, it makes no sense. If the bass are that finicky about what they eat why would they be tough enough to survive hours in these conditions?

I understand the desire to make fishing competetive, it is in our nature; however, fishing should be relaxing. We shouldn't care about sponsors/prizes/exposure when the real reason we get on the water is to have fun and forget the rest of the world for a few hours. I hear people saying that the big weigh-ins are required in order to spread the popularity of the sport... well who wants more boats on their favorite water?!?! These tournaments are doing nothing to improve the fishing in our country, they only serve to stroke the egos of a select few and help the sales of the lure manufacturers.

If tournaments HAVE to continue, why not put an unbiased ref on each boat to weigh the fish with a certified scale and then have it returned immediately to the water? No harm done to the fish and tournaments can continue. The weigh-ins can still be done but with pictures/video of the fish and a scorecard.

Finally the results from tournaments not only affect the numbers of fish in the water, it affects the attitude of the anglers on the water. How many times have you seen guys fly in to one of your spots moments ahead of you only to "claim" it as their own? How many times have you seen guys with big bags of bass who refuse to tell you where or how they caught them? Fishing is a joy and we should share that joy with everyone angler on the water, we should not view them as someone who is trying to nab your fish.

Sorry if I am too opinionated for a first-time poster :-)

roadwarrior reply :

RockvilleMDAngler,

Welcome aboard!

The Arkansas DNR has addressed this issue as it applies to trout. If you bring it into your boat, you keep it!

I don't have an answer, catch-weigh-and-release isn't practical in competition.

I do think tournament fishing is detrimental to bass populations, probably more so than catch and eat.

guest reply :

The article didn't indicate how many 8x8 pens nor how many fish per pen, only that 100 a day were added to the pens. Without knowing about that it's inappropriate for the anglers to comment on the way the study was run. The whole point is we have tournament anglers making statements in the face of scientific studies, whether flawed or not. That's been an ongoing problem all along, anglers arguing with biologists, researchers, and cold raw data. The fact the dead fish were from the 2,000 marked at the release site proves at least 25% of released bass died. IF the number of dead fish had included a significant percentage of unmarked bass THEN maybe a decent assumption could be made about a general fishery problem at the root of the die-off. But the fact is the problem was directly related to the tournaments. The word "assume" can be written "***-u-me". Speculative assumptions often can make an *** out of you & me both. The men making those comments about the study and the problem did no good for tournament bassers, msaking their guesses equal to scientific data. Absurd!

I agree, I doubt any of my ideas will be implemented voluntarily. It'll take laws being passed, which I predict will come sooner than later. It's unfortunate that our society still has to resort to law-making to make all things "right" when all it takes is for reasonable people to just do the right things. Every time an incident like that one at La Crosse happens the misguided 'friends of the fish' get another notch in their gunstock, and they have all the more to convince voters the fate of wildlife is in the hands of non-hunters/fishermen.

Jim

George Welcome reply :

I agree that it is a tough situation when we have a fish kill for any reason.

However, without making an assumption, it is difficult to give complete credence to the report.

One would have to assume that the media was factual, (By DAN SIMMONS | La Crosse Tribune) and that nothing was taken or reported out of context. This could be a text book first for the Media.

I found it interesting that when I did a bit of research that there are no DNR biologists with the name of David Hobbs working for the state of Wisconsin, or at least they aren't claiming him. Further, even though the Wisconsin DNR has a news page available to the public they have nothing on this event.

Thus, I have to assume that I shouldn't get all worked up over this unless I can come up with some biologically sound and validated reasons for this occurence.

Jim, your statements of "fact" are in fact quantum leap assumptions. I agree with your ferverant desire to improve on current systems, but I don't agree with your assessment of this incidence.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

Quote
RockvilleMDAngler,
Welcome aboard!

The Arkansas DNR has addressed this issue as it applies to trout. If you bring it into your boat, you keep it!

I don't have an answer, catch-weigh-and-release isn't practical in competition.

I do think tournament fishing is detrimental to bass populations, probably more so than catch and eat.

Why is catch-weigh-and-release not practical? The tournament fisherman already have camera crews on their boats, why not add a ref and let the camera crews act as proof that the fish were actually caught and not hidden and picked up?

In regards to catch-and-eat there is little doubt that selective harvest helps the size of fish population. Tournaments cause far more damage then eating a few bass.

George Welcome reply :

Catch and release paper tournaments are very practical for clubs, however for those tournaments that are a business, they need the draw of the weighin to support their format.

Tournaments are all about money, and ironically, not money for the participants, but money for the organizers. As long as the cash flow is strong the organizers will keep organizing.

roadwarrior reply :

It could be implemented at the professional level, but not in other "money" tournaments.

nboucher reply :

I e-mailed the reporter about this thread, inviting him to read everyone's comments and address them, if he wishes.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

Quote
Catch and release paper tournaments are very practical for clubs, however for those tournaments that are a business, they need the draw of the weighin to support their format.
Tournaments are all about money, and ironically, not money for the participants, but money for the organizers. As long as the cash flow is strong the organizers will keep organizing.

I have watched my fair share of televised tournament fishing and rarely are there more than 200 people at the weigh in. At the Classic I have seen many more but that is a once-a-year evet. I don't see why a montage of the fish BEING caught along with an official weight is any less appealing than some fat guy holding up some fish.

Anyway I could honestly care less about the success of the FLW organizers. Wal Mart needs the funds from the tour like they need a hole in the head. Bass fishing is a great activity and one of my favorite things to do, but it is not a competetive sport and should not be a money-maker for anyone except those that sell and manufacture the gear, especially if it means that hundreds of fish die for no reason.

Chug Bug reply :

I agree somewhat with RockvilleMDAngler. I always thought the team type coverage of the ELITE series was a little over the top. Those classics where the pros enter the arena on their towed boat for the weigh-in seem ridiculous.

George Welcome reply :

Major contradictions on numbers, information supplied by Wisconsin DNR, and more..........................

LA CROSSE, Wis. (July 26, 2006) - FLW Outdoors, operating according to

its philosophy of leaving a fishery in better shape than it was found,

has announce an offer to help fund largemouth bass virus educational

material for use by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

following reports of 582 bass found dead following a study conducted by the

DNR during a Stren Series tournament on the Mississippi River July 12-15.

"We are an organization dedicated to providing communities that

host our tournaments with significant economic benefits without ever

causing the slightest bit of harm to our natural resources," said Charlie

Evans, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "Healthy fisheries are the

lifeblood of our sport, and it causes us grave concern to have bass, in any

quantity, turn up dead following one of our events."

While FLW Outdoors and its tournament anglers work diligently to

curtail stress on bass by minimizing handling and using additives such as

Rejuvenade and ice in well-aerated livewells and holding tanks, the

fish caught during the July 12-15 tournament were subjected to the

elevated stress and handling of having holes punched in their tails by DNR

representatives conducting a study on mortality rates in bass-fishing

tournaments. According to a DNR official, most of the 3,061 bass released

during the tournament had their tails perforated using a paper punch. A

procedure, DNR officials say, that is common and benign.

"We are not saying that the added handing by DNR officials or that

the tail perforation caused the bass to die, but it would be naive to

discount these actions as contributing factors," Evans said. "What we've

learned the last two years, if anything, is that we still have a lot to

learn about how to conduct these studies. At some point in the process

there is a tipping point - a point of no return - where fish will not

survive. Unfortunately, we've reached that tipping point with the

handling of bass during the Wisconsin studies. The fact is, we conduct more

tournaments nationwide than any other organization, and we simply don't

see fish dying off like this when released. Yet in Wisconsin, something

terribly wrong has happened each of the past two years."

During a 2005 study held in conjunction with a Stren Series

tournament held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, the Wisconsin DNR

reported an 86.8 percent mortality rate among largemouth bass held as a

control group. This rate exceeded the mortality rate the department

reported for tournament-caught largemouth bass by more than 11 percent. Both

the 2005 study, which found a majority of the dead bass infected with

the largemouth bass virus, and this year's study were mandated by a 2003

Wisconsin law calling for an assessment of the economic, sociological

and biological impacts of catch-and-release programs in bass

tournaments. Final results from the assessment, which will reportedly include

studies from numerous tournaments statewide, are expected in August.

"Given the wide disparity in results gathered in La Crosse from

year to year, it is clear that further study is required to make an

accurate determination as to the effects of catch-and-release tournaments in

this stretch of the Mississippi River," Evans said.

The Wisconsin studies are not the first studies aimed at accessing

the success of catch-and-release tournament programs. FLW Outdoors has

also recently worked with the Arizona Game and Fish Department on a

study that showed an extremely low 1.3 percent mortality. The study

attributed this low mortality rate, in-part, to stringent FLW Outdoors

tournament regulations for holding and transporting fish and the skill of

tournament operators in handling fish.

In Wisconsin, however, the bass were subjected to additional

handling by the Wisconsin DNR. The release locations in the Black River were

also dictated by the DNR despite concerns expressed by FLW Outdoors

officials who had proposed releasing the fish into the deeper, oxygen rich

waters of the Mississippi River. No dissolved oxygen levels in the

Black River were recorded by the Wisconsin DNR.

It's important to note that, according to David Hobbs of the

Wisconsin DNR, not all of the fish found dead in the Black River had holes

punched in their tails. If non-tournament bass died as well, it could be

an indication of poor water conditions in at least a portion of the

release site.

"The bottom line is that there is a great deal more to learn about

this subject and refinements that need to be made in how we go about

collecting data," Evans said. "As we move forward, all parties must be

diligent in protecting our fisheries, and FLW Outdoors intends to do just

that by continually evaluating and enhancing our industry-leading

conservation practices."

As a separate part of the study, Wisconsin DNR officials held bass

in three 12- by 12-foot pens tied to an inactive fuel dock in the Black

River downstream from the release site. One pen held 100 control bass

(53 largemouths and 47 smallmouths) that were collected by

electrofishing prior to the tournament. Of those fish, 13 percent of the largemouths

died and 6 percent of the smallmouths died for an overall mortality of

10 percent. A total of 212 bass (180 largemouths and 32 smallmouths)

collected on days one and two of the tournament were divided equally in

the other two pens. Of those fish, 27 percent of the largemouths and 37

percent of the smallmouths died for an overall mortality of 28 percent.

The difference between the two groups, control and experimental,

indicates an overall mortality of 18 percent. All of the fish were held in

their respective pens, without food, for five

days, and none of the fish in the pens had their tails perforated.

Dissolved oxygen levels in the area of the holding pens were reported by

the DNR at 6 to 12 parts per million. Five parts per million is generally

accepted as adequate to maintain a bass.

While pens like those used by the Wisconsin DNR are commonly used

in studies of this nature, some debate exists among biologists as to how

many bass should be held in a pen. One hundred bass per 12- by 12-foot

pen is pushing the upper limits, particularly in hot-weather

conditions, while 30 to 40 bass is considered closer to the ideal number.

In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the

FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing

Association. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated more than $285,000

and helped to generate more than $1.7 million for local conservation

projects.

This year alone, FLW Outdoors has contributed more than $5,000 for

FishAmerica Foundation conservation projects at each of its FLW Tour

events and has committed to donating an additional $14,000 on behalf of

the National Guard and leading FLW Tour pros before the end of the year.

Additionally, Energizer will make a $25,000 donation to the Children's

Miracle Network during the FLW Tour Championship in Birmingham, Ala.,

Aug. 2-5 in honor of the tour maintaining a live-release rate in excess

of 98 percent this season. In fact, the tour's live release rate has

never fallen below 98 percent.

FLW Outdoors pros are proud to visit local schools during FLW Tour

stops, meeting with children and spreading positive messages on the

importance of education, conservation and the need to protect our

environment. FLW Outdoors also promotes fishing skills and conservation through

sponsorship of a "Master Angler" patch program for the Boy Scouts of

America.

nboucher reply :

Too bad FLW and the state DNR can't work together better.

As a side note, I had an e-mail exchange with Dan Simmons, the reporter of the original story. He says he's not an outdoors reporter, but a general assignment reporter, and that he did not expect the story to cause such a stir. He says that more than 40 newspapers have picked up the story, including USA Today, and that both ABC and CBS have stories on this report up on their Web sites. No wonder everyone's getting defensive.

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

It seems to me like 5 days is an awfully long time to keep bass in a penn without food. What was the DNR thinking? The article doesn't even mention what the study was for, why were they keeping this many bass for that long of a period in that small of a container?

guest reply :

George, an article in that paper would be subject to scrutiny for accuracy for something that significant. I read newspapers and in general find the great majority to be factual, though most report with agendas in some areas of interest, particularly concerning controversial issues like politics and global warming for example. I think it's prudent to take the facts related there as facts from which, for the purposes of this discussion (about the article report of dead bass) stands as valid information until proved otherwise. I am commenting on what was reported. I made no assumptions, simply pointing out the inconsistencies of angler comments reported there compared to what was reported to have happened. Taking facts verbatim is not considered making an assumption. If I had writen I thught one of the anglers was probably a disgruntled tournament participant at odds with biologists, that would be an assumption.

Had I concluded the article is a hoax, I would be assuming, but that's a possibility. There have been similar confirmed events around the nation, that article representative of a trend, so can be taken in proxy of a real issue the focus of much research.

Jim

George Welcome reply :

Why is the DNR in Wisconsin doing such a study to begin with?

The reality is: the fish caught are legal fish. It is the tournament operator's decision to release the fish alive when possible, not the DNR's. As far as the DNR is truly involved, each fisherman could take his fish home and eat them. So I ask again: Why is the DNR in Wisconsin doing such a study to begin with?

Think about that for a bit!

CP Bass reply :

Rockville MDA,

While your statement of "If tournaments HAVE to continue, why not put an unbiased ref on each boat to weigh the fish with a certified scale and then have it returned immediately to the water?" does seem ideal, The huge problem is where to find scrutineers.

At last years "Renegade Classic" (my local series) we couldn't even find 30. Ended up with 12 which meant on day 1 there was a random draw, and on day 2 the top 12 got the scrutineers.

I think it would be impossible to find 400 (or even 50) volunteers for a couple days to act a scrutineers. I know this doesn't help the fish but, unfortunately, I believe it is true.

I have never heard of such a die off potentially related to tournament fishing. The local series has 85 teams, 5 fish limit on warm "shallowish" lakes. I have never seen a bass wash up or floating around let alone 5-600. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ignorant enough to think our tournament C&R is 100% successful but I really think there is more to this story.

Respectfully,

Drew.

RobDar reply :

Welcome RockvilleMD...

active weigh in....a rep on the boat to weigh fish immediately...is somewhat practical. Some of the redfish and large game fish ( Marlin, Shark ) tourney's do this already. The downside...corruption, pay off's...that kind of malarky.

I do think however that there IS ENOUGH MONEY involved in these tournaments that they should be able to find some solutions!

I agree, there are camera crews on the boats already....

In talking to an engineer friend of mine...we came up with this...a built in weigh in system on the boats. An auto tare scale on board...pull the fish from the water, remove the lure, weigh the fish...the weight is logged through a wireless modem and sent to both an onshore reciever and to module on the fish finder...the fish finder logs not only the weight but the location ( for GPS active units)...

this info could also be used by DNR to track fish population, size, and locations on lakes and rivers.

These guys spend so much money on their electronics anyway...

senile1 reply :

Quote
Welcome RockvilleMD...
active weigh in....a rep on the boat to weigh fish immediately...is somewhat practical. Some of the redfish and large game fish ( Marlin, Shark ) tourney's do this already. The downside...corruption, pay off's...that kind of malarky.

I do think however that there IS ENOUGH MONEY involved in these tournaments that they should be able to find some solutions!

I agree, there are camera crews on the boats already....

In talking to an engineer friend of mine...we came up with this...a built in weigh in system on the boats. An auto tare scale on board...pull the fish from the water, remove the lure, weigh the fish...the weight is logged through a wireless modem and sent to both an onshore reciever and to module on the fish finder...the fish finder logs not only the weight but the location ( for GPS active units)...

this info could also be used by DNR to track fish population, size, and locations on lakes and rivers.

These guys spend so much money on their electronics anyway...

Hmm . . . . . I'm a network engineer and I wouldn't trust a wireless connection through wireless access points on the lakes I fish. Truman lake is 55,000 acres plus and there are areas where wireless signals would be very poor to non-existent. Information would be lost and I can just see a tournament angler losing because his info didn't show up. However, if the information was logged on the fish finder, that's a good idea, but you would have to make sure no tech savvy anglers would manipulate the data. If you were going to send the info wirelessly to shore you're going to have to stategically place access points around the perimeter of the lake to make sure every location has access. Expensive!!!!

RobDar reply :

Quote
George, an article in that paper would be subject to scrutiny for accuracy for something that significant.

Not true...

I have family members who work for newspapers...

not all newpapers articles are reviewed in any other way than for grammar mistakes and/or for editorial preferences ( a kind euphamism for political agenda). Actually a small percentage of them are reviewed by anyone other than an unpaid intern working for the reporter. Many ARE NOT REVIEWED AT ALL prior to publishing and instead left to the "integrity of the responding journalist" as they say.

"subject to scrutiny" makes it sound like the checking is being done by some kind of professional...this is not the case.

I think there is alot more to this story than just the "facts". I think that the DNR did contribute to the stress of the fish...

I also feel that if they had such a concerning die off in 2005...they should not have issued a permit for another tourney this year.

perhaps not issued a permit for a tourney on a lake with infected fish.

DNR could have been more pro active.

They have some responsibility in this as well...

someone mentioned it is a shame that DNR and tourney circuts could not work together...

I agree.

It will be the only way a solution will be found.

MadGator reply :

This sounds like a pretty big mistake on both FLW and the WI DNR. Being a WI native I don't like to knock our DNR too much, they do a fantastic job considering the amount of fishing pressure in WI. However, they are currently studing the effects of tournament fishing in WI waters, which may be why they were studing this sample of bass from the tournament. Here is some more information on the research they are doing. http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2006/jun06/fishcon.htm The WI DNR has some of the best people in the country. We are the number two state for out of state license sales only behind florida. We also have much stricter regulations than many states when it comes to Bass fishing, such as 14" size limts and about 99% of tournaments are not allowed to cull. The other 1% are part of the tournment fishing study, with special privledges, such as the B.A.S.S. Lake Wissota E-50 tournament last year. How many fish (all species) do think were kept for food that day through out our state? I do feel that 600 dead bass is a large number, however, I don't think it will be detrimental to the fish poplations on the Mississippi river by any stretch. In general I think all states probably have more meat eater anglers than C&R anglers, although it's the C&R anglers that help to sustain our fish populations. Could things have been handled differently by both FLW and the DNR? Of course. Is this particular incident going to affect the Mississippi as a fishery? No. The state of WI needs fishing and needs tournaments its part of our culture and has a huge impact on our state economy in so many ways. The negative effect of, what I say, is overblown publicity of this one incident looks bad for Wisconsin and could have negative effects on our states economy.

guest reply :

Readers of newspapers are the ultimate reviewers, especially people whose names appear in their columns. I seem to recall the "retirement" of a prominent TV anchor over failure to scruntinize reporting over George Bush's military record. They can pay a high price reporting like that, as heads rolled at CBS. I've seen a lot of retractions printed in papers correcting errors. Some of that is to head off lawsuits. Retractions still don't totally immunize the media. Too many people that were there know the facts to let a lie stand that embarrasses their state. We need to hope some tree hugging TV reporter doesn't decide to do a documentary on bass tournament problems! It could be presented as some barbaric practice not fitting for this century.

Most state laws prohibit waste of wildlife. It is a high duty of any DNR to investigate losses like that one. Also, DNR officials would be far more pleased to see harvest and use of 582 bass rather than have the negative press and appearance of not doing their job well enough. Our own has seen too many losses like that here so a wildlife officer or technician is usually present, partly to collect questionaires for vital statistics on fisheries. If there was no ongoing problem I doubt the WI DNR would have been there doing what they did. Where there's smoke, fire is suspected.

Need volunteers? How about a tree hugger boarding your boat as an observer : It could happen, required by law! It would either be let them or go home. We would have plenty of those here if needed.

As for wireless videos, my intent was to satisfy the media hunger, allowing televising weigh-ins from multiple sites. It would only take a couple of officials at each site to properly witness and assure credit to all affected anglers. It isn't a big deal to video and transmit such things. The videos themselves wouldn't be the evidence of weights. The official weights would be on an official log at the scale table and posted on a big board easy to read on TV. If an angler wanted to be at a main site on live TV and in front of a crowd then he can weigh-in there. If he's just after the money he can go to a quicker weigh-in.

Jim

Keithscatch reply :

This is interesting to say the least. I have often wondered about holding bass in livewells all day. Some people just use the recirc water option and don't realize that all they are doing is recirculating the water that is already in the livewell. We need to pump new water in and old water out all the time. Some leave their livewell off thinking it makes too much noise and well forget that their livewell is off. (Mike Iconelli can explain that to you)

I would also like to see a filter system installed on new boats. Something like we use in an aquarium. Something with Charcoal and floss as a filter. The reason? To remove the ammonia that builds up from a fish that is stressed and being held in a tank. A filter pump system would remove that and make the livewell a heck of allot more condusive to keeping fish that way.

That is probably not the major problem though is certainly a major contributor. Others have mentioned the long weigh ins that to me is probably the majority of the problem. BASS used to be the worst offender of this back in the day when Ray Scott used to MC these events. I used to scream at the TV to put those fish in water and stop telling stories while holding them out of the water. Geez. Those fish never had a chance after that. Ray would ask them to hold the fish and then tell us your story son. So we would get to listen to pro anger tell us how he got into fishing, how he entered the tournament as a pro and then he told us how he caught his fish all the while the fish are turning blue in his hands (An analogy folks. I know fish don't turn blue) Thankfully they are not as bad about that now as they once were.

But, making a circus out of an event is a joke. Leaving fish in a livewell on recirc for a hour and a half waiting for those fish to be yanked out and held out of water for a few minutes while being weighed is a concern. However, if our livewells had a filter system on it then leaving fish in a livewell for a couple hours wouldn't hurt them at all. Except for like Jim said if they had the LMBV virus. But not all lakes have that problem. So for them this sytem would work.

Cut down on the time to weigh in fish, hold them out of the water for less time, add filters to the livewell and to me that would solve allot of the problems here.

senile1 reply :

I"m really enjoying this thread. These are the kind of conversations that will lead to solutions for whatever the problem was in this case. Let's hope the people who have the power and authority regarding these issues are having these conversations as well.

nboucher reply :

I've been a newspaper and magazine writer and editor for more than 25 years, and good editors at most newspapers and magazines ask writers probing questions to test their facts and, in the case of magazines, their logic and conclusions. That is pretty much the editors' jobs. Copyeditors are the ones whose job is to check grammar, etc. As in any profession, there are lazy editors and lazy writers, but also as in any profession, most people practicing this one are not lazy and are indeed careful to check their facts. I personally know at least two editors who have lost their jobs for not checking reporters' facts closely enough. In a daily newspaper all this is done very quickly and according to a rigid and merciless clock, so more errors tend to creep into daily reporting than, say, magazine writing, where factchecking is a more painstaking and detailed process.

As for studying the effects of bass fishing and tournaments on bass populations, I say, Study away! If what I'm doing as an angler is hurting the resource, I'll quit or fish differently. But I won't know that unless good, careful scientists are allowed to examine what's going on. On the other hand, if good science shows that bass fishing or bass tournaments are not hurting bass populations, then people should be allowed to do both. The question in this case is how good was the Wisconsin DNR study? That its results are different from studies done after other tournaments may be significant; why were the results different? Was the tournament conducted differently from others? Was this study flawed in some way? Or has this study stumbled onto something that others have missed?

Matt Fly reply :

The boats most use are top of the line with all the bells and whistles. so if there are better livewells being made, I'm sure every pro wants the best sponsorship boat he can buy.

All the evidence has not been presented. Still investigating, so final reports not in. So speculation on all the facts is useless.

Years ago, 10 fish limits came to the scales, no catch and release back then. Fish were filleted and fried.

We are miles away from where we started. Miles away.

God works in mysterious ways. How does he control over populated deer herds? Droughts and diease. They die off. I think its part of mother natures checks and balances. Only the strong survive. Sad, but true.

You might think how does human interference apply to mother nature.

We clear more land, push wildlife closer to public domain. Graze more livestock which competes with other wildlife. Put more pressure on waters by tearing up cover ( spraying to kill grass beds or tearing up cover with props), polluting waters with petroleum products and just over fishing some areas during stressfull times of the year....ie summer when oxygen levels gets depleated due to above normal heat.

Lots of factors comes into play, not just FLW/BASS tourneys, but every day lake use by people from all walks of life. Plenty of blame for all of us to bear.

guest reply :

Since only 2% of the dead bass collected were not among those marked at the release site, we could initially say those dead bass represent a base mortality, whether human or naturally caused. But that 2% of the 582 dead bass might also have been culled bass that stayed a little too long in livewells, not making it to a weigh-in. But since 98% of the dead bass WERE in the weigh-in that's a statistically significant and irrefutable evidence something went wrong with the handling of the tournament fish. If the other causes of mortality were significant then much more than 2% of the dead fish would have not had a clipped tail.

I think there was ample information in the article. Even if researchers come to another conclusion freeing the tournament from blame I doubt there would be a follow-up article. It just wouldn't be as interesting to readers as news of the die-off and the damning evidence tournament anglers were to blame. The damage was done and that will stick to us all. A few of us might see a follow-up in the FISHERIES journal, but that won't repair the damage. Most media outlets are going to take a stand on the side of preservation, tree hugging, stopping global warming (even though we can't stop or prevent a little tornado!) and other issues dear to environmentalists. Knowing that we need to be more vigilent and do our individual parts to not make news for them.

Jim

nboucher reply :

Quote
I doubt there would be a follow-up article.

Jim, I think you're correct on that. When I exchanged e-mails with the reporter, he made it clear that he didn't usually cover outdoors topics, but was a general-assignment reporter, which meant he would be going on to other subjects. It's extremely unlikely he would return to this one if a study later frees the tournament from blame. At best, I think the paper would have a one-paragraph brief following up, but even that is a stretch.

On the other hand, the article got an interesting discussion going on this forum, which has merit in itself. Anything that makes us more thoughtful and conscious about our sport is a good thing.

Quote
Most media outlets are going to take a stand on the side of preservation, tree hugging, stopping global warming (even though we can't stop or prevent a little tornado!) and other issues dear to environmentalists.

Jim, I've gotta admit that I am both a pretty dedicated angler AND a dyed-in-the-wool tree hugger. The stereotype that these two categories of outdoors people necessarily work at cross purposes just isn't accurate. I am an angler who counts many non-fishing tree huggers among his friends, and they (pretend to) enjoy hearing about my fishing exploits and seeing my fishing photos as much as my other friends. None of them has ever criticized my fishing ways, and I've even taken some of their kids fishing with me. There are fanatics out there, sure, just as there are irresponsible anglers who have no respect for the very fish they catch. But most tree huggers and most anglers want the same thing--access to nature and an end to its needless destruction.

Norman

guest reply :

Norman, for all practical purposes MOST outdoor sportsmen are somewhat "tree huggers" at least concerning obvious waste and damage to the environment. I would consider myself in your group. But it's the fanatics that spoil the true-hearted nature lovers' image. ALL users of lakes are put up as abusers just for being out there. The folks you aretalking about probably have little to say publicly, not influencing young impressionable voters.

A huge number of "environmentalists" want no less than removal of all dams, destruction of man-made lakes, restoration of natural flowage, and an end to harming any animal. I am not part of that group. Down here we have Earth First riding around in white pickups looking to harrass anglers. There's a fairly recent state law prohibiting that, but it isn't being enforced. Part of the problem is like people who live in glass houses learn not to throw stones. Anytime an angler presses charges he can expect some vandalism to his tow vehicle the next trip out. Those people have no fear of walking up to your boat and lifting a livewell cover. They've been known to grab fish and run dump them in the lake or follow an angler around a lake harrassing them with waves and noise, like banging on their boat in the cove you are trying to fish. What's one or two anglers going to do with 4 outraged citizens screaming at them? No angler wants charges of assault against them. The fanatics don't do physical harm, and what judge would fine them for releasing fish to the lake?

PETA and Earth First are allowed to speak to children in our public schools about how Daddy is being so cruel to animals if he hunts or fishes. When they told me I would not be welcome to address my perspective I was told it's a school, not a debate forum, and the students "need a perspective they won't get in a hunting/fishing home". That's when I yanked my kids out and put them in a private school at grades 10 & 11, too late. But the damage was done to one. I sent my oldest daughter off to college where fanatics roped her into Earth First where she now serves as a chapter secretary. She now must fund her own education with loans I will not pay off. She went from fishing and eating fish to hating outdoor sports in a matter of 6 short years. You would be highly alarmed about what they talk about in meetings, being very well organized and well financed. We are not organized nearly like they are, and if we needed to rally I doubt we could match their funding a penny on the dollar. We are mostly a silent majority, way outnumbering them, but they are heard by the voting public. So what news do we make for newspapers and TV specials? We're the consumers, whehter we eat fish or not. They are the "protectors" of the world.

Jim

guest reply :

Pretty soon we'll probably begin seeing the bill boards again along the highways intended to influence voters come November. The big favorites are two that made national news. One is "Jesus was a vegetarian. He wouldn't eat an animal." They ignore the fact Jesus ate of the Passover Lamb once a year and told Peter which side of the boat to lower the net to catch a huge school of fish, and was found cooking fish along the lake shore.

The other is the cute dog with a big fish hook in its mouth and a crazed looking Daddy on the end of the line landing it to the horror of his wife and crying children. "Would you be this cruel to your pet? Don't let Daddy fish or hunt."

What are our anglers doing about it? Never a thing. Spare money and spare time is only for baits, boat, beer and gas on the lake.

Jim

nboucher reply :

Jim, I am so sorry to hear that about your daughter. I have a 13-year-old daughter who's been camping since she was three and who also likes to fish occasionally, so I see your experience as an important warning. I hope for the best for both our girls; I hope that yours is going through a radical "phase" and that time will moderate her views. I was pretty radical in college, too, but it faded as I experienced more and more of "real life" through the decades.

I'm saddened, too, that PETA and the Earth Firsters you describe are wasting precious time that could be used combating runaway development and polluters who are truly damaging the natural world we are obligated to preserve during our turn at being alive. It does seem to me that these people must be more active where you are than up here in New England, where freshwater fishing is less visible perhaps.

Good luck,

Norman

Replica. reply :

I never thought I would say this, AMEN Jim!

guest reply :

Thanks, Norman. My wife strongly believes she will come to her senses later. I figure she'll wind up jailed for a destructive group activity, and that ought to break her of that. No way could she take a night in a jail. I wouldn't bail her out, but I'm assured frequently my wife would in an instant. The girl is just too idealistic and naive. One of her problems is she is a philosophy major and has genius IQ, way too much thinking and not experiencing and listening correctly. She's a good writer, winning contests, and writing for their EF newsletter. I HIGHLY recommend every angler visiting one of their meetings in apparent view of joining. Everyone here needs to experience one of those. It'll knock your socks off unless they suspect or recognize you.

The groups here like to go out to forests to spike trees marked for harvest. No logger would try cutting trees with railroad spikes driven into them. They set skidder tires on fire, destroy log trucks, put sugar in gas tanks of people they know will drive to work there. All that is one reason I built a double car garage, having been threatened several times due to openly opposing them publicly. Those groups are very similar in purpose to those that burned down several Forest Service headquarters buildings out West, and set some Hummers on fire at a dealership due to their apparent high fuel consumption. They are waging war similar to what we all recognize as obvious terrorist activity. Do yu remember a recent statement by the PETA president, how he would love to spread Mad Cow to every steer to stop eating of steaks? It's a mentality as wild as Nazi Party skinhead thinking.

Jim

RockvilleMDAngler reply :

Quote
PETA and Earth First are allowed to speak to children in our public schools about how Daddy is being so cruel to animals if he hunts or fishes. When they told me I would not be welcome to address my perspective I was told it's a school, not a debate forum, and the students "need a perspective they won't get in a hunting/fishing home". That's when I yanked my kids out and put them in a private school at grades 10 & 11, too late. But the damage was done to one. I sent my oldest daughter off to college where fanatics roped her into Earth First where she now serves as a chapter secretary. She now must fund her own education with loans I will not pay off. She went from fishing and eating fish to hating outdoor sports in a matter of 6 short years. You would be highly alarmed about what they talk about in meetings, being very well organized and well financed. We are not organized nearly like they are, and if we needed to rally I doubt we could match their funding a penny on the dollar. We are mostly a silent majority, way outnumbering them, but they are heard by the voting public. So what news do we make for newspapers and TV specials? We're the consumers, whehter we eat fish or not. They are the "protectors" of the world.

Go on with your bad self!!!

Lane reply :

I just registered on this forum to address the issues of tourament fishing, LMBV, delayed mortality

and fish disease in general. I am a microbiologist and work in the fishing industry. Some of the

readers may figure out who I am and what company I am associated with. There is a real need

for scientists like myself to educate both the angling and non angling public with the most accurate

information available.

In response to the LMBV virus, what we do know is that the virus replicates at temperatures over

80F. Studies have shown that holding infected bass at 76F or below halt the replication of the

LMBV (ranavirus). Studies have also shown that bass do develop antibodies to fight the virus.

Our studies have shown that the spread of various pathogens can be significantly reduced in the

livewell with the use of 3% hydrogen peroxide. The combination of cooler livewell temperatures

and 3% hydrogen peroxide will reduce the spread of pathogens including the LMBV.

In my professional opnion, todays livewells are not adequate for holding numbers of gamefish.

Livewell technology is still an evolving science, and more research is needed. Larger gamefish

do suffer in the current livewells. Anglers will need to make some hard choices about space, etc.

Larger tournaments are hard to operate during the dog days of summer. I would like to see smaller

tournaments that are WELL staffed during the summer months. Tournament organizers should also

be trained in basic bass biology. For instance if a bass is struggling and the gills are pink instead

of red then they should immediately be removed. They are beyond help and will die. The tournament

organizers and staff are the paramedics need to be able to handle a triage situation with the bass.

One member of the staff should be trained in survival techniques,etc. ALL tournament anglers should

be able to quickly and effectively decompress or "fizz" bass. It can be a valuable survival technique.

Tournaments can should exsist in my opnion, but if the objective is to release the fish to live on

then caring for the fish should be a priority and become a habit. Tournament organizers cannot save

fish that have been subjected to improper landing, handling and livewell conditions. It is the responsibility of the angler to make sure that he is educated and puts his knowledge into practice.

Anglers should also QUESTION those of us in the industry that support live release with products,etc.

Statements and products should be able to be backed up with scientific data.

Last but not least, anglers do need to work with the various DNR agencies. I have found most biologists

more than HAPPY to answer questions, after all your tax dollar is paying their salaries! In otherwords

that is part of their job. Hopefully, tragic tournament related fish kills will be a thing of the past.

It will take all of us who love the resource and the sport to take the effort to make a difference.

It starts with you!

buzzbaitfool12 reply :

I have not read every post so Im gonna respond to what I think..I apologize if this has already been said..I fished a few Jon Boat tournaments this year with most guys using a cooler for a livewell..I had installed my aerator incorrectly and it caused three of my fish at weigh to be already dead..I dont work for PETA but I dont like killing the fish just for the sake of a tournament so I fixed my problem..To me in a perfect world in the big tournaments with all the technology we have maybe there could be a way to have like a computer digital scale that immediately would weigh the fish and It would be sent to a headquarter computer to register..I know this seems James Bondish, but why do you have to keep the fish all day. Or in big tourneys you could log the fish in a computer with someone who is neutral and record the fish..In this day and age of technology it would seem quite simple..

But if all those fish died because of the tourney we should be ashamed..But what else is new..

guest reply :

Welcome to the board, Lane!

You brought up another issue about bass survival and LMBV. A problem we probably haven't seen emerge yet is mutation of the virus making antibodies useless against a new strain. A second strain of it could further weaken bass and make them even more susceptible to both immediate and delayed mortality. We really need to maximize best practices before such a thing comes along. It isn't that it might but when.

You guys have more of a responsibility to educate than anglers have to inquire of your knowledge. Most wouldn't have easy access to microbiologists in the field, seeing only enforcement officials....maybe. An example of carrying out that responsibility, besides your daily tasking, would be to attend tournament meetings to teach proper fish handling.

Another would be to come up with enough data to support a state law requiring strict enforcement of fish handling and installation of minimum required livewell enhancements. To date, wildlife officers here are not supported with specific regulations for citing an angler carrying a threatened fish, and they tend to leave tournament anglers alone due to the politics of interference.

I'd also like to see a permit system in which a promoter could be banned for allowing fish to come to weigh-in in poor condition after being educated about the issue. Most DNRs could at least offer an online course toward tournament operator certification.

I've not yet seen a stiff enough penalty for anglers bringing in even dead bass. It seems to me few take it all that seriously. I'll appreciate your comments. It's more like "Aw, gee, it's dead. That's too bad. We gotta deduct a few points. Sorry fella."

Jim

guest reply :

I caught a Bass today wearing a Jerry Garcia t-shirt Does that qualify for this thread?

Lane reply :

Bassangler you are right we DO have more of a responsibility to educate anglers with our

knowledge and expertise. As I mentioned in the previous e-mail I own and operate a PRIVATE

laboratory that manufactures products for the fishing industry. Sharing information in the

scientific community is critical to our efforts, and that includes sharing information with various

DNR agencies.

I can assure you that taking care of bass is not rocket science, but it does require dedication

on the angler's part. I do speak at both local and regional bass clubs and events on the basics

of bass care, and even have printed material available to the various clubs and organizations.

We are very strict with the tournaments that we sponsor and work with. We believe in GRASSROOT education.

Tournament trails must implement a TIMED weigh in that can be accomplished in 10 minutes or

less total time per angler. The timing starts when the angler reaches the first staging tank all the

way through to the final release tank or boat. Release boats cannot stock over 1lb of fish per gallon

and must add a component to remove ammonia when stocking densities reach that level. Most of

the grassroot trails welcome our help. Please keep in mind that the larger trails such as FLW have

their own staff, etc. The smaller trails are much easier to work with one on one and educate.

Stiff penalties DO WORK, we can vouch for that. When tourament organizers impose stiff penalties

for dead or DYING bass anglers pay attention. One of the trails that we work with DQ anglers if

their livewell temperatures register OVER 76F, and livewells are randomly checked with temp probes.

That is an extreme measure, but every angler has some form of ice in his boat and that is a good

thing.

The Wisconsin DNR Fisheries director did return my phone call, and the conversation was LONG.

He was not arrogant, and I really felt sorry for him and the situation at the end of the conversation.

I just want to make two points in reference to the conversation. Livewell temps were checked by

the Wisconsin DNR and several of the livewell temps registered between 83F up to a whopping 94F.

That my friend should NEVER HAPPEN! Anglers were required to walk their fish to the release boat

after weigh in and several stopped along the way to visit with their buddies, meanwhile the bass

were holding their breath. Please keep in mind that the mortality rates on the smallmouth bass

were MUCH HIGHER than the largemouth. To date the iridovirus family has not been found to cause

mortality in smallmouth bass. The DNR did not have the results from the PCR DNA test that was

used on the dead largemouth bass, but they were due back today. The US Fish and Wildlife Service

has possession of the dead bass and is the agency performing the LMBV PCR test. Their lab is

located in La Crosse.

As far as mutations go, yes there are several genotypes of the virus and some are more virulent

than others. But when temps are kept under 76F, they do not replicate. When puppies are born

with the DEADLY Herpes virus they are placed in an incubator with temps ranging between 86F

and 90F. The replication of the virus is halted and antibodies are developed by the immune system.

Human vaccines for the various viruses stimulate antibody production and that is why we do not

come down with symptoms of the disease. Virology 101 here. We possess the antibodies to recognize

and fight off repeated exposures. Mother nature does a great job of helping the fish fight infections,

but man can either help or hinder that process. Getting the picture?

The DNR agencies have their hands tied when it comes to regulations. They have lawmakers to answer

to. It is in ALL of our best interests to learn from these mistakes and do everything we can

to prevent a reoccurance. IT CAN BE DONE! We can't change the past but we can have a positive

influence in the future.

10584

Dead Bass 2024

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