Stocking Fingerling Largemouth Bass to Alter Genetic Composition: Efficacy and Efficiency of Three Stocking Rates

Abstract

Abstract The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has stocked Florida largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus to alter the genetic composition of largemouth bass populations since 1972. Because most stocked fingerling largemouth bass remain within 1 km of their stocking site, TPWD's current stocking procedures and standard stocking rates of 10–41 fingerlings/surface ha typically yield 10,000–100,000 fish/stocked site (i.e., 2 km of shoreline). The efficacy and efficiency of these stocking rates are unknown. We determined the percent contribution of stocked fingerling (28–66-mm) Florida largemouth bass to the age-0 cohort in Toledo Bend Reservoir, Texas, when the fish were stocked at three rates (1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 fish/site) as well as the associated production and stocking costs. Three weeks after stocking, stocked fish increased the proportion of largemouth bass that were homozygous for alleles characteristic of Florida largemouth bass at all treatments (P < 0.013). Thus, stocking...