THE
FRONT PAGE By Steven Bardin and Gary Klein
mlf fisheries management division projects well underway
HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO GROW trophy-sized bass in aging fisheries ?
What are the impacts of an increase in angling pressure on fisheries ? What can we do to stop the spread of invasive exotic species ?
These questions and so many more are everyday coffee talk for biologists across the country . The Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division ( FMD ) has tasked itself with helping answer these questions through both independent research and collaboration with state agencies . In this issue , we ’ re going to break down our second FMD pillar , “ Research ,” and provide you with a behind-the-scenes look into our current projects and future areas of interest .
MLF LUNKER BASS INITIATIVE – DNA SAMPLING
Our pilot project and the one you may be most familiar with is the MLF Lunker Bass Initiative . At its core , this project is a way for us to gather DNA samples from largemouth bass across the country and look for trends in their genetic composition . We decided to target fish weighing 7 pounds or more (“ Major League Lunkers ”), as this is a threshold where we can ensure the fish are all females and that they have the potential to continue to grow into trophy-sized fish .
Traditionally , DNA is collected from a fish by taking either a small fin clip or scale samples . For our process , we wanted to take a minimally invasive approach that ’ s also extremely quick to complement the catch , weigh , immediate-release format of the Bass Pro Tour . Luckily , Auburn University ’ s Aquatic DNA lab had the technology available for us to do a simple mucus swab from the mouth of the fish . When you watch a Bass Pro Tour event , what you see is after a fish over 7 pounds is weighed , the angler takes possession of the fish , the official then uncaps a mouth swab and swabs the fish ’ s tongue for about 10 seconds . These samples are then collected and shipped to a lab for analysis .
The results from these samples provide us with the number of genetic markers each fish has that correlate to Florida , Northern and hybrid genetics . We also get a complete breakdown of the genotype sequencing .
Our hope is that with enough samples we can answer three basic questions : 1 ) Where do Florida genetics currently exist in the U . S .? 2 ) Is there any correlation between geographic location , Florida-strain percentage and 7-pluspound growth ? 3 ) Finally , are there any trends to indicate the genetics that determine the overall growth potential of an individual fish ?
With this data , we believe we can make much stronger stocking decisions and possibly selectively breed for trophy genetics based on the eventual location the fish will be stocked .
The first fish ever sampled for this project was Bryan Thrift ’ s 7-pound , 1-ounce fish caught Feb . 22 , 2021 during REDCREST on Lake Eufaula . Since that time , we ’ ve collected samples from 46 fish in five states and 10 fisheries . Although it ’ s way too soon to start drawing any conclusions , we ’ re very excited about the potential of the results we ’ re already seeing . In the coming years , we have plans to expand this sampling beyond the Bass Pro Tour . Expect to see it at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit events in 2022 and eventually at all BIG5 events where we have an official MLF release boat and staff .
OUR BASS PRO TOUR DATA COLLECTION
Most anglers are not aware that currently your state ’ s fisheries biologist likely spends several hours each year combing the internet for tournament results on the fisheries they manage . They look for results from larger events like the Pro Circuit all the way down to any local club event or weekday night tournament . This tournament data can be useful for the biologist to validate their survey results , fill in holes in their data for difficult-to-survey fish and help them understand the value of the fishery .
The challenge with using tournament data is that the biologist must infer individual fish weight because the weights that are reported are ( typically ) five-fish bag weights . The Bass Pro Tour , therefore , can provide invaluable information about a fishery because every fish is weighed and verified by both
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON the angler and official .
The data we collect doesn ’ t end with the fish weight . If you ’ ve signed up for SCORETRACKER ® Insider , you ’ ve seen a taste of what types of other data the officials collect on the Bass Pro Tour . For those of you who haven ’ t looked at this feature : When an angler catches a scorable fish , the official
20 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021