Growth Of Largemouth Bass Research Articles

Growth of Largemouth Bass in Low-Salinity Environments

Abstract We evaluated age and growth data for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides inhabiting either a brackish marsh or a freshwater oxbow lake in south-central Louisiana. Marsh fish exhibited small size and reduced length at age. However, growth rates of older marsh fish equaled or exceeded those of freshwater largemouth bass. Relative weights of marsh fish indicated excellent condition during all seasons, whereas freshwater fish exhibited reduced condition in early spring and fall. Laboratory trials consisting of 120-d exposure of marsh and freshwater largemouth bass to four salinity levels (0, 4, 8, and 12‰) indicated a significant decrease in growth rate of freshwater largemouth bass with increasing salinity level up to 8‰. No such decrease was observed for marsh largemouth bass. All fish held at 12‰ stopped feeding within 1 week after the experiment began and died before the experiment ended. Sheared principal components analysis indicated differences in body shape between marsh and freshwater larg...

Effect of Air Temperature on Growth of Largemouth Bass in North America

Abstract We examined the relationship between air temperature and growth for geographically disparate populations of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides by use of published data in conjunction with climatological records. The thermal component of climate best correlated with growth was accumulated day-degrees over 10°C. This measure ofclimate was suggested by a simple model in which growth rate is proportionate to temperature in excess of 10°C. Correlations (0.79–0.84) between total mean lengths each year (years 3–8) and accumulated day-degrees were significant, and indicated that more than half the variability in growth may be attributed to environmental temperature. Theoretical growth curves reconstructed from these regression lines agreed well with those observed for natural populations.

Management Brief: Evaluation of Largemouth Bass Growth Estimates Obtained from Angler-Collected Scale Samples

Abstract Estimates of mean length at age back-calculated from scales obtained from fish collected by angling, compared to estimates obtained from scales of fish collected by electrofishing, provided similar estimates of growth for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in three Connecticut lakes. Use of a restricted number of age-classes (recruitment age plus one or two beyond) to estimate mean back-calculated length at age provided the same estimates of growth as use of an unrestricted number of age-classes.

Thermal enrichment of a reservoir and the effects on annulus formation and growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides

Analysis of largemouth bass scales, including those from 48 tagged and recaptured fish, revealed that many scales had more ‘annuli’ than possible for the age of Flint Creek Cooling Reservoir. The mark‐recapture data indicated the formation of one supernumerary annulus per year for most bass. Time of formation of true and supernumerary annuli and the causative factors are discussed.Growth of bass from this reservoir greatly exceeded that reported for thermally unaltered reservoirs of Northwest Arkansas, due to the existence of a nearly year‐round growing season, a result of thermal enrichment. The relationship between the ratio of electric power output to reservoir surface area and growth offish was evaluated with reference to published data on cooling reservoirs.

Feeding Largemouth Bass during Cool and Cold Weather

Abstract Feeding activity and growth of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were studied in Colorado and Texas during the fall and winter. In Colorado, four graded groups of fish, initially averaging 1.6, 4.6, 7.2, and 18.2 g, were fed a semimoist pelleted feed until water temperatures were consistently below 10°C. Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were then stocked into most ponds for winter food. Largemouth bass in ponds not receiving fathead minnows were either continued on the semimoist pelleted feed or were fasted. In Texas, fish, initially averaging 150 g each, were fasted or, three times per week, fed a semimoist pelleted feed at 1.3% body weight or allowed to feed ad libitum on semimoist pellets up to 2.6% body weight. Water temperature affected the amount of feed consumed by largemouth bass; as temperatures decreased, feed consumption decreased. Feed consumption was also greatly reduced when the fish were subjected to rapid temperature drops. It is recommended that largemouth bass be fed ...

Comparative Growth of Northern Largemouth Bass and F1Hybrid Largemouth Bass through Three Growing Seasons

Abstract A 3-year study was conducted of growth and condition of northern largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides salmoides and F1 hybrid largemouth bass (male northern smallmouth bass M. dolomieui dolomieui x female largemouth bass) stocked together in diverse pond treatments. Six drainable 0.4-hectare ponds in southern Illinois were initially stocked with similar numbers of half-sibling largemouth bass and F1 hybrid larvae produced in the laboratory. Most populations were censused and restocked each spring and fall through three growing seasons (1979–1981). Supplementary data were generated by introducing age-1 largemouth bass and F1 hybrids into two larger ponds containing mature populations dominated by largemouth bass and bluegills. Growth of pure largemouth bass was significantly faster than that of half-sibling F1 hybrids in all populations studied each year, regardless of treatment, although third-year growths in the 0.4-hectare ponds were complicated by a differential response to tagging. After the...

Importance of Body Size to the Recruitment Process in Largemouth Bass Populations

Abstract Results of pond studies indicated that the number of young-of-the-year (age-0) largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides that grow to 15 cm or longer depends on the presence of suitable prey such as bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum. Prey availability, which influences growth and length distributions of young largemouth bass, may be a major determinant of recruitment to adult stock. On the premise that large age-0 fish have lower mortality rates than small members of the same cohort, we applied a model of size structure to the problem of forecasting eventual recruitment from cohorts of young largemouth bass. The model confirmed that length distributions of age-0 fish can have important influences on subsequent recruitment; good first-summer growth may mitigate, in part, such detrimental events as water-level fluctuations. The model may be a more refined predictor of recruitment than density of age-0 fish. Received March 20, 1984 Accepted February 23, 1985

The growth and feeding behaviour responses of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposed to PCP

The growth and feeding behaviour of individually held underyearling largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides) exposed to 50 μg/l pentachlorophenol (PCP) was monitored over a 7-day period which followed a 7-day acclimation period to the experimental conditions. Exposure to PCP reduced food conversion efficiency (g of growth/g of food) by 30% as well as the amount of food consumed. Feeding efficiency (capture to strike ratio) was also lowered by PCP exposure. Our experiment not only documents growth related responses to a toxic substance but demonstrates that the effects of a toxic substance can be readily determined with a carefully executed short term experiment.

Use of Otoliths to Determine Age and Growth of Largemouth Bass in Florida

Abstract The annual formation of otolith annuli was validated through age 5 for Florida largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus. Sectioned otoliths (sagittae) gave more reliable ages than whole otoliths. Beginning at age 2, at least one annulus was obscure in some whole-otolith mounts, a problem that worsened with fish age. By age 5, over 20% of the whole otoliths gave under-estimates of true age; otoliths producing these errors came from fish with slower than average growth rates. Sectioned otoliths gave poorer regressions (lower coefficients of determination) of otolith radius on body length than intact structures because the sectioning plane varied slightly among otoliths. Nevertheless, back calculations of fish size and growth from sectioned and correctly aged whole otoliths were equally accurate. Otolith sectioning is the procedure of choice for age-and-growth analysis of Florida largemouth bass. Whole otoliths, however, require much less time for analysis than sectioned ones and may be used...

Age and Growth of Largemouth Bass in a Thermally Altered Reservoir, as Determined from Otoliths

Abstract Comparative growth rates of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from heated and ambient areas of Coffeen Lake, Illinois, were estimated by back calculation of lengths at annuli using transverse sections of otoliths and by recovery of marked fish after one growing season. Calculated lengths at otolith annuli were judged to be representative of the population growth, indicating that this technique was a reliable approach to obtaining growth information on largemouth bass from thermally affected environments. Growth of the Coffeen Lake population was more rapid than most other midwest populations. Fish recaptured in heated areas generally exhibited greater annual growth increments than those recaptured in ambient areas. Young largemouth bass (ages 1-4) from heated areas had significantly greater (P < 0.05) mean lengths than those from ambient areas according to back-calculated estimates. This was attributed to a longer growing season and earlier hatching time in thermally affected areas.

Growth responses of fish to changing environmental conditions in a South Carolina cooling reservoir

Significant changes in growth of bluegills,Lepomis macrochirus, largemouth bass,Micropterus salmoides, and black crappies,Pomoxis nigromaculatus, were observed in Keowee Reservoir, South Carolina, during the 10 years (1968–1977) following impoundment. During this period the reservoir filled, water temperatures were increased by heated effluent from a nuclear power plant, and threadfin shad,Dorosoma petenense, were stocked. Growth was apparently regulated by abundance and size of prey eaten by fish; elevated water temperatures had no measurable effect.

The growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede), under constant and fluctuating temperatures

Growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, was tested under constant (15° C, 29° C) and cyclic (18 h at 15°C, 6 h at 29° C) temperature conditions. Six groups of 10 fish each were tested; one group under each constant condition, and four groups in the thermocycles. The four latter groups differed in the timing of their feeding; one group each was fed at the start and middle of the warm and cool periods, respectively. All groups were fed to near‐satiation. The fish fed at the start of the warm cycle and start cool group grew most rapidly, followed by the constant warm, mid warm, mid cool, and constant cool groups. These data were evaluated in relation to vertical migrations of fish to test the physiological enhancements that may be important to vertical migrations. Apparently thermocycles allow more rapid consumption of food than constant cool conditions and lower metabolic rates than constant warm conditions, which allows some fish to grow more rapidly under thermocycles than under constant conditions at either extreme of the cycle. However, the timing of feeding in relation to temperature in the thermocycle is important in the degree of growth enhancement.

Growth in a natural population of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lacepede, as determined by physical measurements and [14C]‐glycine uptake by scales

Growth of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, in Lake Rebecca, Minnesota began in July and was associated with increased food consumption. Decreased maintenance levels and increased food consumption combined to produce maximum growth in September. Body growth and in vitro [14C]‐glycine uptake by scales varied similarly after the onset of growth; however, during the pre‐growth period, fluctuations in glycine uptake may have reflected physiological changes that were not detected by measurement of scale and body growth, but did relate to feeding activity. Patterns of glycine uptake and scope for growth were positively correlated (r= 0.74, P&lt;0.05), which suggested that uptake may be related to general nutritional state.

Evaluating the constraints of temperature, activity and consumption on growth of largemouth bass

We present a bioenergetics model for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) which simulates growth as a function of body size, temperature, activity and consumption level. We apply the model to investigate seasonal changes in condition factor exhibited by bass in Par Pond, South Carolina, a reservoir receiving heated effluent. Previous authors have suggested that these changes occur due to bioenergetic constraints, primarily the effects of heated effluent on metabolic rate. Model simulations were used to evaluate the hypotheses that seasonal changes in condition factor were caused by the heated effluent, seasonally variable activity, seasonally variable consumption, or reproductive costs.

Growth and Survival of Largemouth Bass in Newly Stocked South Dakota Ponds

This study evaluated the growth and survival of age 0 and age I largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in South Dakota ponds relative to five stocking combinations and various environmental parameters. Species stocked with largemouth bass included golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), black bullhead (Ictalurus melas), and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Stocking of largemouth bass only also was evaluated. Differences in first-year growth among four geographic regions of the state were significant (P < 0.05). Analysis of variance indicated no significant difference (P > 0.05) in first-year largemouth bass growth due to the combinations stocked. Young-of-the-year growth rates in 34 ponds ranged from 101 to 196 mm, with a mean of 153 mm. Relative Weight (W.) values for largemouth bass ranged from 100 to 135, with a mean of 114. No significant differences in Relative Weight (P > 0.05) were observed among regions or combinations. First-year survival values for 16 eastern South Dakota ponds ranged from 0 to 100%, with a mean of 50%. The highest largemouth bass survival occurred in ponds stocked with largemouth bass only; survival of largemouth bass stocked with bullheads was the lowest. Stepwise multiple regression of selected chemical, physical, and biological parameters indicated that the number of growing days, turbidity, presence or absence of fathead minnows, and salinity were significant (P < 0.05) factors influencing first-year largemouth bass growth in South Dakota.

Structuring of a Predator Population Through Temperature-Mediated Effects on Prey Availability

Temperature can control the structure of a predator population by regulating the abundance and size availability of prey. Relatively small differences in winter temperatures between years can have a major influence on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) population structure because of the threshold relationship between temperature and the lower lethal limits of shad. The relationship between prey availability and predator growth and mortality was established through field measurements of consumed energy. Growth and consumption of largemouth bass in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee, was lower in 1979 than in 1980 as a result of lower winter water temperature in 1979, which reduced the abundance and availability of adequate-sized prey. Depending on the severity of the winter, bass that do not attain 25 ± 5 cm by the end of their first growing season do not survive to annulus I formation because of the unavailability of appropriate-sized prey in the spring and the inability of small bass to store sufficient energy reserves. Selective mortality favoring survival of larger individuals in an age-class is operating in the Watts Bar largemouth bass population. This has significant implications for predator growth in ecosystems that experience large seasonal fluctuations in prey availability.Key words: predator population structure, prey availability, reservoir temperature, energy consumption, growth, largemouth bass, selective mortality, shad

Growth and Survival of Largemouth Bass Tagged with Floy Anchor Tags

Abstract The growth and survival of 50 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) tagged with Floy anchor tags (FD-68B) and marked with a pectoral fin clip were compared to a control group of 50 untagged and unmarked bass during a 191-day study period in a 0.08 hectare pond. Survival of the experimental and control groups was 100 and 98%, respectively. There was no significant difference (P = 0.05) between the total lengths, weights, or condition values of fish in the experimental or control groups at either the start or end of the experiment. These results indicated that the use of Floy anchor tags in conjunction with an accessory mark had no significant effect on survival or growth of largemouth bass under the controlled conditions of this study and suggested that this tagging and marking combination could be used to provide reliable estimates of vital fishery statistics for this species.

Effects of a Diet of Bullfrog Larvae on the Growth of Largemouth Bass

Abstract The effects of a diet of bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) larvae versus a diet of minnows and suckers on the growth of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were compared. The dry weight intake of bass fed the tadpole diet for 25 days was similar (x = 1.41 g/ day) to that of bass fed minnows and suckers (x = 1.57 g/day), but those fed tadpoles had a significantly smaller change in condition factor (x = 0.04 and 0.11, respectively). The diets were then reversed (bass previously fed tadpoles were fed minnows and suckers, and vice versa) for 14 days. During this period the daily intake of the group fed minnows and suckers was significantly larger (x = 1.81 g/ day) than that of the group fed tadpoles (x = 0.81 g/ day). The condition factor of bass on the fish diet improved, whereas bass on the tadpole diet lost weight. It is suggested that bullfrog larvae are suboptimum forage items for largemouth bass.

Early Growth and Mortality of Largemouth Bass in West Point Reservoir, Alabama-Georgia

Abstract Early growth and mortality rates for the 1977 year class of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were estimated and compared to the initial year class of largemouth bass after impoundment of West Point Reservoir in 1975. The population fecundity was estimated before spawning to be 422,000 mature ova per hectare in littoral areas. The number of young of the year ranged from 1,138 per hectare in May to 20 per hectare in August. Monthly instantaneous mortality rates for the 1977 year class were 0.872 between June and September 1977 and 0.213 between May 1977 and August 1978. Survival was estimated as: 0.22% from spawning to brood dispersal; 5.88% from brood dispersal in early June to early September 1977; and 0.002% if the estimate for population fecundity is used as the number of eggs spawned surviving to August 1978. The monthly instantaneous growth rate was 1.645 between May and September 1977. The observed biomass of young-of-the-year largemouth bass in September was 5.83 kg per hectare. Greate...

Differential Growth of Largemouth Bass in West Point Reservoir, Alabama-Georgia

Abstract Growth of the 1977 year class of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, at West Point Reservoir was highly variable. A clearly bimodal length-frequency distribution evident by fall 1977 was not a result of disruption of spawning by temperature or water level fluctuations. The abundance of fish as prey was inadequate for small young-of-the-year largemouth bass after June 1977, but was adequate for the larger, fast-growing largemouth bass of the same year class. This difference in availability of suitable food was apparently instrumental in creating the growth disparity. Fry of gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, were collected in littoral areas with small largemouth bass but were not important as prey until the largemouth bass were longer than 25 cm. Although bluegills, Lepomis macrochirus, were the most abundant young of the year in littoral areas, they were not selected as food in proportion to their abundance.