Mobility of Riverine Smallmouth Bass Related to Tournament Displacement and Seasonal Habitat Use

1. Mobility of Riverine Smallmouth Bass Related to Tournament Displacement and Seasonal Habitat Use Christopher M. Bunt, Steven J. Cooke and David P. Philipp 2002 American Fisheries Society Smposium 31:545-552

2. Introduction • Most smallmouth bass are mostly sedentary, meaning home range is small and movement is limited • Tournaments coincide during times when bass are sedentary, usually midsummer • Most release of bass after tournaments occur in areas far from original habitat

3. Study Design • Hypothesis: Displaced smallmouth bass are not likely to disperse more than bass released at original capture locations • Use radiotelemetry and tagging to study the dispersal and movement of displaced bass and bass released at original capture locations

4. Study Area and Methods • Grand River, Ontario • Location of capture and weight were recorded for bass caught in tournaments, then tagged and released in 1996, 1997 and 1998 • In the final year fish were radio tagged and movement was tracked • Recapture locations of tagged fish were recorded to measure movement and displacement

5. Results • All bass remained within 1 km of release site for 1-11 months • Past studies have shown that some displaced bass will travel to original capture sight, but occurrences are uncommon • Season and age may determine movement • Some displaced fish moved more than nondisplaced fish, however most bass did not show significant movement from release sites during the first weeks of release

6. Discussion • By concentrating large smallmouth bass in areas with easy access (tournament release sites) the availability of fish to anglers increased • Behavior of bass after tournament release may increase vulnerability to angling following tournaments • Suggestions: tournament-released bass should not be released in areas with high access to anglers

7. ??Questions?? Thank you and have a nice day