Evaluation of Prerelease, Postrelease, and Total Mortality, of Largemouth Bass Caught during Tournaments, in Two Florida Lakes

Eleven fishing tournaments for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides floridanus, held on two Florida lakes during July 1984-June 1985, were studied to quantify fish mortality and to evaluate associations between mortality and environmental and tournament conditions. Post-release mortality was determined by holding largemouth bass in floating mesh cages for 14 or 21 d. Prerelease, postrelease, and total mortality averaged 18.6% (range, 0.8-42.8%), 10.0% (2.2-26.7%), and 26.7% (5.2-47.8%), respectively. Prerelease and total mortality were significantly (P ≲ 0.05) related to water temperature but not significantly related to air temperature, cumulative radiation, number of teams, mean catch per team, or mean weight per fish. Postrelease mortality was not significantly related to any measured variable. Most postrelease mortality occurred during the first 6 d after the tournament, and the greatest single-day postrelease mortality occurred within 24 h. We observed no gross pathology among the fish held in the cages. Comparison of our results with previous studies indicated the survival of largemouth bass caught in tournaments has increased since the inception of live-release bass tournaments. Because of the relatively high survival of fish caught in tournaments, live-release bass tournaments may, on some waters, provide a means for reducing angler exploitation of largemouth bass. The variation in mortality suggests that further improvements in survival of largemouth bass caught in tournaments can be attained.