Differences in Mortality between Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Caught in Tournaments

Abstract

Abstract We monitored nine tournaments on three lakes in Maine between June and October 1989 to determine initial and delayed mortality rates of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu. Initial mortalities were defined as fishes that were dead at the weigh-in, whereas delayed mortalities were fishes that died during a 48-h holding period after the tournament. Total mortalities (initial and delayed) for both species ranged from 0 to 19.5%. Mortalities were lowest in tournaments that minimized both the number of steps and the time elapsed between the removal of a fish from a live well and the subsequent release of the fish into the lake, We estimated that 8.9% of smallmouth bass and 3.2% of largemouth bass died during tournaments; the probability of either species dying in a large tournament was significantly higher than in a small tournament.