A Conservation Conversation- Behind the scenes at B.A.S.S. tournaments

    As graduate students, we are afforded opportunities to work and collaborate with a range of people in fisheries and conservation sciences. In one of those instances, we had the pleasure of having dinner with Bass Anglers Sportsman Society’s (B.A.S.S.) own Noreen Clough (the recently retired B.A.S.S. conservation director and a former US Fish and Wildlife Service regional director). Over dinner we discussed the pros and cons of tournament fishing. Coming from B.A.S.S., Noreen told us why black bass conservation mattered so much to bass fishing organizations.

Figure 1 - Sportfishing for largemouth bass

    B.A.S.S. annually sponsors dozens of bass fishing tournaments nationwide. These include large opens like the 2013 Southern Open, a three-day event hosted at Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida. These Opens draw hundreds of amateur and professional anglers. For the first two days, each professional angler strives to catch their five-fish bag limit (the final day of fishing pits only the top-12 per class against each other). In the first two days of fishing up to 1,500 largemouth bass can be caught per day! To non-tournament anglers, these intensive collection events can be alarming. “Aren’t you killing or harming all those fish?” is a question that might be asked. To help answer this question and cast more scientific eyes towards these tournaments, Noreen invited us down to watch fish-handling practices at the 2013 Southern Open.

What’s in a lake? Exploring Florida’s diverse lakes: Part 2

Last time, we detailed how different hydrogeological processes influence the trophic state of some lakes.  The processes that created northern lakes also contributed to their clear bluewaters and in part contributed to a backbone (and stereotype) in how people perceive and use their lakes.

In this entry, Chris and I help describe the processes that affect Florida lakes and what makes them different, both ecologically and in human perception, compared with northern lakes.

What’s in a lake? Exploring Florida’s diverse lakes: Part 1

Not all lakes are created equal

Florida lakes can be quite different in shape and water quality than their northern counterparts.  Limnologists (i.e., scientists that study lakes and reservoirs) group lake types together based on ecologically-relevant criteria known as ‘trophic state’.  Some of the most useful determinants in lake quality (ultimately how people use and evaluate their lakes) are the amounts of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, in the water column of a lake. Nutrient concentrations are often the limiting factors regarding lake productivity.  These ‘limiting nutrients’ are required by plants and phytoplankton to grow. The growth and proliferation of these primary producers enhance fish and wildlife populations in lakes.

The hydrilla monster– a murky mystery

It came from beneath the deep

From a far off, foreign land comes a plant that dominates lake ecosystems, changes animal habitats, ensnares boat propellers, and corrupts anglers’ willpower…  Then again, maybe it’s not so bad.  The truth appears murky.

Prepare for the invasion!

Hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata invaded Florida from Sri Lanka and India in the 1950’s, most likely through the aquarium trade as it makes for a nice aquarium plant for fish.  It’s a submersed aquatic plant that forms a dense canopy near the surface, kind of like a mushroom or rainforest.