American Bass Anglers Study
To Improve Catch and Release

Results of delayed mortality
of tournament-caught bass show
high survival with use of
salt-dip procedure…

ATHENS, Alabama-Catch and release bass tournaments are recognized as a wise use of the resource, and widely practiced, but the question of "delayed mortality" is always of concern to fishery biologists.

Auburn University's Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture may have taken a big step toward answering the question. Working with the American Bass Anglers, Inc., a national tournament organization based in Athens, Alabama, the University's fishery department and the Alabama Fisheries Department conducted a controlled delayed mortality study following the ABA's National Championship, Oct. 9-11, on Wheeler Lake in north Alabama.

During the three-day tournament, the anglers weighed in 2,880 bass and tournament officials reported releasing alive 2,840 bass. A survival rate of 98.6 percent. That's high marks for any catch-and-release tournament. But, what's the bottom line: the delayed mortality issue?

That's the question the Auburn and Alabama state fishery folks wanted to determine. They collected 50 bass from the American Bass Anglers weigh-in and electro-fished 50 more bass as a control group. The 100 fish were transported to a state hatchery at Carbon Hill, Alabama. The electroshocked fish were tagged before release into the test pond.

After 10 days, the pond was drained and the bass alive or dead were collected. According to Jeff Slitke, a research associate at Auburn, the "results were extremely impressive."

Only three of the tournament-caught bass failed to survive. Slitke said, "This is about as good as you can get. Almost unheard of in catch and release tournament conditions."

The American Bass Anglers enlisted the assistance of an on-staff freshwater biologist, Jimmy Yarbrough, to develop a weigh-in system to insure the highest possible survival rate. Yarbrough has developed a set of guidelines for American Bass Anglers members as standards for proper fish care.

Yarbrough refined the ABA's weigh-in methods, and credits working with Gene Gilliland of the Oklahoma Fishery Research Lab and Hal Schramm of the Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit of Mississippi State University with the improved success. Both, Gilliland and Schramm, are recognized as contributing a measurable amount of research and study to the survival of catch-and-release bass.

A procedure recommended-the use of a salt dip immediately after weigh-in is believed to be one reason for the positive results of the Carbon Hill pond study. The "salt dip" is an old technique used by hatchery operators to increase survival when moving brood fish. To the ABA's knowledge, this was the first time for its use at a national tournament. According to Yarbrough, the salt dip stimulates the fish's mucus cells and causes the bass to secrete mucus and replenish their protective slime coat. The salt dip also kills parasites and fungi.

"Bass under stress in a livewell absorb water," said Gilliland, "and the salt dip dehydrates them and pulls out toxins."

The solution used in the salt dip is made by adding 3.5 pounds of un-iodized salt
to 15 gallons of lake water. The bass are placed in a basket and dipped in the salt solution for no more "than 10 to 15 seconds," explained Yarbrough. The bass are released immediately after dipping.

Besides the use of the salt solution, the American Bass Anglers weigh-in is set up to reduce as much stress as possible on the bass. Aerated tanks are located near the check-in area, usually no more than two minutes from taking the fish from the boat's livewell and transported in bags. The open bags are placed under jets of oxygenated water. Anglers move through a series of tanks before having their fish checked and then weighed, and carried promptly to the salt dip.

Gilliland and Schramm praised the ABA's efforts and hope the delayed mortality study results will encourage other tournament groups to use the salt dip procedure. For more information, contact the American Bass Anglers at 888-203-6222 or visit the ABA's website at www.americanbassanglers.com.

Before using the salt dip procedure, tournament organizers are asked to contact Jimmy Yarbrough at American Bass Anglers, Inc., in Athens, Alabama or consult with their local fisheries biologist.

Tournament caught bass have been recycled as a conservation practice, since 1972, when Ray Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), introduced the idea of "Don't Kill Your Catch."

In the early days, the tournament contestants struggled to keep the fish alive in homemade aerated coolers, fish bait wells and stringers before aerated livewells were installed by bass boat manufacturers. Today, Triton Boat's Max-Air System developed by T-H Marine is held as a standard, adding air to the live-well re-circulating system to maximize fish survival, according to Jimmy Yarbrough.

"Bass are a hardy species and a valuable natural resource that can be recycled and caught numerous times," said Ray Scott, "if they are properly handled by the tournament anglers and weigh-in officials. With the growing interest in bass fishing sport, catch-and-release is the future for bass fishing."

The American Bass Anglers tournament trail format is aimed at the weekend angler. The ABA operates in 39 states with more than 550 tournaments each year. The organization provides close-to-home competitions, low entry fees and qualifying for a national championship. The American Bass Anglers (Military Bass Anglers Association) was organized in 1975, and now operated by Morris Sheehan of Athens, Alabama.

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