Impacts of competitive angling on largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) populations

Many aspects associated with traditional angling tournaments can potentially negatively impact fish. Traditional live-release tournament practices include several components that create concerns surrounding displacement, habitat selection, stockpiling, and mortality. The overall goals of my thesis were to 1) define the influence of angling tournaments, with an emphasis on post-release behavior, and 2) quantify water temperatures in live-release tournaments across multiple seasons and then use this information to quantify the impacts of livewell conditions on largemouth bass. The first goal of this study was to quantify dispersal, habitat selection, and mortality of largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) caught in live-release tournaments across multiple seasons. The results indicated the duration of short-term stockpiling at the release point was impacted by the season in which the tournament occurred. Observed mortality rates were also impacted by the season, with a nearly 12-fold increase in mortality for late-season tournaments. To determine common livewell conditions and the influence they have on individual largemouth bass, a series of complementary field and laboratory studies were conducted. The field study quantified the temperature of livewells in several live-release angling tournaments using small sensors that logged temperature every few seconds. The laboratory study used the temperature data from the field to simulate holding conditions and subsequently quantify the physiological changes in largemouth bass induced by the holding conditions. My results identify thermal variability across anglers and provide increased support for the negative consequences of excessive thermal variation in livewells. Given the intense tournament pressure in this system and throughout North America, my results identify key points where management actions would mitigate tournament impacts to preserve future angling opportunities and support ecosystem processes.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Hay, Allison

Contributors dc:contributor

• Suski, Cory D

• Fisheries
• Tournaments
• Spatial Ecology
• Physiology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Allison Hay

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125642

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125642