combined efforts between redcrest and minn kota projects
383
Total number of individual habitats provided by FMD .
29,910.97
Total square feet covered by habitats .
$ 93,599.26
Total value for habitats that went into six fisheries in four states . college anglers during their group off day to help clean up the Lake of the Ozarks .
The James River cleanup saw a large volunteer crew including Miles Burghoff , Randy Despino , Takayuki Koike , Terry Luedtke , Jimmy Reese , Skeet Reese and Gary Klein .
The Lake Champlain cleanup had a volunteer crew consisting of Dakota Ebare , Cole Hewett , Robby Lefere , Terry Luedtke , Jeff McClain , Jimmy Reese , Skeet Reese , Scott Towry and Gary Klein .
The final cleanup took place at Lake Cayuga with Bass Pro Tour anglers Dakota Ebare , Alton Jones , Michael Neal , Kevin VanDam and Gary Klein .
We want to thank all our angler volunteers this year for their commitment to our conservation efforts .
diving through data to improve bass populations
Outside our projects at events , the FMD continued to lead research efforts to track , log and provide data for every fish caught on the Bass Pro Tour to state agencies . This season , we were able to log 11,054 fish into the MLF DataTracker , which includes the weights , GPS location and habitat type for 7,236 largemouth bass , 2,320 smallmouth bass and 1,498 spotted bass . Our research into largemouth bass genetics continued with our Bass Pro Tour officials and the Tackle
Warehouse Pro Circuit release boat crews collecting DNA samples from 102 largemouth bass over 7 pounds .
We are anxiously awaiting those results from Auburn University ’ s Fisheries DNA lab .
The FMD continued its collaboration with universities to study Largemouth Bass Virus by donating 17 largemouth bass and 13 Alabama bass to Auburn University Graduate Research . We were able to announce the results of our 2021 collaboration with Michigan State University to assess the prevalence of LMBV in smallmouth bass at Lake St . Clair . They found more than 75 percent of the smallmouth sampled were positive for LMBV .
If you haven ’ t seen the article , visit the FMD page and click the “ Research ” tab to learn more on that project and the results .
continuing education on the fmd website
While you ’ re visiting the FMD site , there are reccurring articles under the “ Education ” tab that you might be interested in . The first to launch this year is the “ Major League Fishing Anglers Guide to Aquatic Plants .” In this series , we showcase a specific plant , how to identify it and advice from our anglers on their favorite ways to fish it . The second series is our “ Meet Your Biologist ” interviews .
In these articles , you ’ ll meet local biologists who manage legendary fisheries , conduct fisheries research and design better products to maximize catch rates .
The FMD has conducted an internal angler survey to ensure that we continue to focus on conservation efforts that our anglers feel are most important to them . This data was shared with state agencies as well during the first FMD , Berkley Labs and state agency virtual summit .
The 2023 schedules for the Bass Pro Tour and MLF Invitational events offer us the opportunity to continue building on the progress from 2022 while exploring new projects . fish logged into the MLF DataTracker
Total Largemouth Smallmouth
Spotted
1,498
2,320
7,236
11,054
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 17