Evaluating the potential for spatial redistribution of black bass Micropterus spp. by tournaments at Neely Henry Reservoir, Alabama

Abstract

Tournaments for black bass species (Micropterus spp.) are popular throughout the United States. At these events, fish are typically caught and moved long distances from their capture location where they are subsequently weighed and released by tournament organizers, typically near a boat ramp. The short-term consequences of this spatial redistribution of black bass by tournaments have been documented; however, the long-term magnitude of this redistribution is not understood. I quantified the accumulation of black bass around Coosa Landing boat launch, the primary site of tournament releases (73% of all weigh-in releases) at Neely Henry Reservoir, Alabama, U.S.A. I accomplished this by combining estimates of instantaneous capture and natural mortality rates from an angler tag-return model as well as dispersal probabilities obtained from a Kaplan-Meier curve fitted to telemetry data obtained from tournament released fish. The results from the tag-return model and Kaplan-Meier analysis were then integrated into a simulation model that tracked the proportion of the black bass population within 3 km of Coosa Landing over time. The simulation model predicted 12 – 22% of the Neely Henry Reservoir black bass population would accumulate around the Coosa Landing release site due to tournament relocations, which is an area that comprises only 3% of the total surface area of the reservoir. This study provides evidence that the long-term magnitude of accumulation by tournaments around popular boat launches may be higher than previously thought. This may warrant future investigation into the ecological impacts of this spatial redistribution of black bass by tournaments, especially on reservoirs with high rates of tournament weigh-in capture.