A double whammy: stress and virus killing tournament fish
LA CROSSE, Wis (AP) _ Hundreds of dead bass have been collected from La Crosse-area river waters, days after a major fishing tournament was held in the region, a state official said.
Nearly all of the 582 bass were marked with a clipped tail fin, evidence they were caught and released during a bass-fishing tournament from July 12-15, said David Hobbs of the state Department of Natural Resources.
This is the second year that higher-than-normal fish deaths were reported in the area following the Wal-Mart FLW Stren Series Bass Fishing Tournament, which attracted 400 anglers.
Last year, most of the dead fish tested positive for largemouth bass virus, which can cause death when the fish is stressed.
The majority of the fish Hobbs collected this year were largemouth, and he said the stress of being caught, held in a livewell and released might be a factor in their deaths.
Tournament official Dave Washburn of FLW Outdoors, based in Benton, Ky., didn’t immediately return calls by The Associated Press to his office over the weekend.
As part of an ongoing study, the DNR clipped the tail fins of the more than 2,000 bass caught and released during the four-day tournament. The research, conducted by the DNR and fishery biology researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, focuses on mortality rates in bass-fishing tournaments.
Although I have fished many in the past I am not a big advocate of tournaments. I do know that MANY bass tourneys are fished in that area all year. With the equipment in those boats today, to have such a large fish kill seems sort of suspicious.
Not saying that it did’nt happen, just that I would be more inclined to believe that this is the work of PETA or some other group trying to make a point.
The same thing happened down here in Florida after a redfish tourney! :evil:
The suspected cause in our case: too hot to be keeping fish in live wells for hours waiting to be weighed in…and then releasing the fish into hot, shallow water.
We got some action by emailing/mailing the local fish and game and Wal-Mart and if your local newspaper outdoors writers pick up the cause, you might effect a change. That’s what we did and the fish and game is now at these tourneys and it became clear that Wal-Mart does not want the bad press.
if it truly is caused by the stress of the livewell stay then some changes need to be made ASAP. But they do need to look into it thoroughly and determine the true cause before pulling any triggers. Whatever the cause I hope they sort it out and get a handle implemented.
It certainly is a shame to lose that number of fine fish to a combination of heat and disease. But in fairness to the bass fisherman, this is the exception rather than the rule. My home lake, Hartwell in SC, hosts many tournaments each year and we have never had a fish kill of this type. Personally, I dont care for these events but the bass guys really do make an effort to return fish alive and in good condition. Just my opinion and I’m sure others will disagree. 8T
:roll:
I have seen Bass Tournaments where the participants kick the fish into the water after the weigh in. I am not saying all Bass tournaments are bad just that they need more supervision and review. The resource is not just for one group of people it is for all to share.
“As mama used to say; Can’t we all get all along and play nice”
Enjoy what you got before they put up a parking lot.
IMHO, the issue isn’t whether or not there should be tournaments, the issue is how well they are regulated. You guys are right, bass tournaments do it right and go to great strides to make sure fish survive the events.
However, these events are big $$$ events and likewise politics, cheating, folks looking the other way, etc. follows. We outdoorsmen/women need to make sure that our Fish and Game folks aren’t forced into being a rubber stamp by the powers that be. (The only power the Fish and Game folks really have is public concern. Silence = nobody cares.)
In Florida, tournament permits are granted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. That permit should mean something more than a piece of paper that states, “OK, let us know what you catch and good luck!” It should mean that lake is sampled prior to the tournament to make sure the fish (and the lake) can handle the increased pressure. It should also mean that biolgists and law enforcement will attend and oversee the tournament while it is in progress. Finally, and most important, it means the Fish and Game folks can pull the plug on the event if necessary.
