Fish Community Response to Hybrid Striped Bass Introduction in Small Warmwater Impoundments

Abstract

Abstract The popularity of hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis × white bass M. chrysops as sport fish in large reservoirs has increased interest in using these fish to diversify small-impoundment fisheries. We examined the potential impacts that hybrid striped bass competition and predation could have on existing fish communities in farm ponds. Two sizes of hybrid striped bass (phase 2 mean weight = 42.9 g; phase 3 mean weight = 307.2 g) were stocked at a density of 62 fish/ha (40 phase 2 and 22 phase 3) into three ponds (2.4–6.5 ha). Hybrid striped bass diet analyses revealed that piscivory was seasonal and highly size-specific. More than 97% of fish prey recovered from stomachs were larval centrarchids (primarily sunfish Lepomis spp. and black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus) less than 15 mm in total length (<0.10 g). Using bioenergetics simulation, we estimated annual fish prey consumption by hybrid striped bass to be 96.9 kg/ha, equivalent to a minimum of 969,000 larval centrarchids (<0.10 g) per hec...