THE
FRONT PAGE
dispelling misconceptions : it ’ s time to talk about ( selective ) bass harvest
By Steven Bardin
There ’ s been a rumbling among fisheries biologists for the past decade — something we ’ ve been discussing behind closed doors , writing research papers on and noting in our management reports . It ’ s reached a boiling point where you as an angler are now hearing about it on podcasts , seeing it in social media posts and maybe noticing it in your state agency regulations . The issue in question is : Are we harvesting enough bass ?
For some of us , this might seem like a crazy question ; harvesting bass might sound sacrilegious . But lake managers have been seeing an alarming trend over the past 20 years due to a lack of bass harvest , and many are starting to ring the bell of concern . Let ’ s unpack the whole harvest and regulation issue and discuss why you should be participating in these conversations .
regulations require harvest
To start with , you must know about the four primary regulation types : minimum length limits , maximum length limits , harvest slot limits and protected slot limits . Each of these are designed to reach a specific goal . However , they only work if anglers participate by removing the designated fish .
A minimum length limit and a protected slot limit are the two most popular and the ones you are likely familiar with .
MINIMUM LENGTH GUIDELINES : These limits allow for the harvest of a designated number of fish above a certain length . This is the form of almost all statewide regulations and is usually written as something like this : “ An angler can harvest five black bass with a length of 14 inches or greater .”
By design , this regulation allows for the maximum number of fish in the population to reach a specific size , usually tied to reproductive maturity . The idea is to get fish to spawn once or twice before they ’ re removed from the fishery . Over a long period of time , these regulations will inevitably lead to a fishery having a significant population of fish with a lower individual weight but maximize the potential for anglers to catch fish each trip .
SLOT LIMITS : The second-most popular regulation is a protected slot , where fish can be harvested below a certain length or above another length . This is often created with a rider that an angler can only have one fish over the protected slot . A protected slot would read something like this : “ An angler can harvest five black bass with lengths below 16 inches and above 20 inches , with only one fish exceeding 20 inches .”
These regulations are often used in fisheries that are classified as trophy fisheries — I ’ m thinking Lake Fork in Texas or Dale Hollow in Tennessee . The idea is to allow harvest at a smaller size where you have a high density of fish , protect
10 the reproductive size class and eventually allow for the harvest of a trophy-sized fish once it reaches an age where it ’ s in the latter stages of life .
The other two regulation types are more often used in private lake management , where harvest can occur and be controlled by limiting angler access . These regulations are designed to push fisheries to maximize their carrying capacity of larger fish .
MAXIMUM LENGTH LIMITS : The maximum length limit allows for the harvest of fish below a certain length and then creates lifetime protection for fish once they reach a specific size . This type of regulation would sound like , “ An angler can harvest five fish under 18 inches .” This regulation does assume that the fishery can grow a portion of the population beyond the harvestable size , which is not always the case .
HARVEST SLOT REGULATIONS : The last type of regulation is a harvest slot . This is likely the least used but offers the most benefits for new or recovering fisheries , where juvenile fish need to be protected and few trophy fish exist . The harvest slot prevents harvest below a specific length and above another but provides anglers the opportunity to take fish within a window .
This is often a temporary regulation , and the window changes over time , widening based on the maturation of the population . A harvest slot might sound like this : “ An angler can harvest five black bass between 10 and 16 inches in length .”
“ Catch and release is essential to preserve and protect fisheries , but harvest is also a management tool that at one time helped fisheries improve .”
how you can make a difference
The problem with all these regulation types is that they assume anglers are harvesting fish , and that simply is not the case today . Black bass anglers as a group do not harvest bass at a meaningful level — that ’ s a fact that every agency can see in their creel surveys . This fact has become so evident that you ’ re seeing some states making harvest regulations changes that liberalize harvest .
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation announced in 2022 that there would be no more statewide minimum length limit and that anglers can harvest six black bass , with one above 16 inches . Florida has a similar regulation , allowing anglers to keep five black bass of any length with only one over 16 inches . Louisiana has an even bigger
MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024