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| FishTails |
 FLW Outdoors offers to help fund LMBV educational material for use by Wisconsin DNR
Offer comes after loss of bass in recent Wisconsin DNR study
26.Jul.2006
LA CROSSE, Wis. - FLW Outdoors, operating according to its philosophy of leaving a fishery in better shape than
it was found, has announced an offer to help fund largemouth bass virus educational material for use by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources following reports that 582 bass were found dead following a study conducted by
the DNR during a Stren Series tournament on the Mississippi River July 12-15.
"We are an organization dedicated to providing communities that host our tournaments with significant economic
benefits without ever causing the slightest bit of harm to our natural resources," said Charlie Evans, president
and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "Healthy fisheries are the lifeblood of our sport, and it causes us grave concern
to have bass, in any quantity, turn up dead following one of our events."
While FLW Outdoors and its tournament anglers work diligently to curtail stress on bass by minimizing handling
and using additives such as Rejuvenade and ice in well-aerated livewells and holding tanks, the fish caught during
the July 12-15 tournament were subjected to the elevated stress and handling of having holes punched in their tails
by DNR representatives conducting a study on mortality rates in bass-fishing tournaments. According to a DNR official,
most of the 3,061 bass released during the tournament had their tails perforated using a paper punch. A procedure,
DNR officials say, that is common and benign.
"We are not saying that the added handling by DNR officials or that the tail perforation caused the bass to
die, but it would be naive to discount these actions as contributing factors," Evans said. "What we've
learned the last two years, if anything, is that we still have a lot to learn about how to conduct these studies.
At some point in the process there is a tipping point - a point of no return - where fish will not survive. Unfortunately,
we've reached that tipping point with the handling of bass during the Wisconsin studies. The fact is, we conduct
more tournaments nationwide than any other organization, and we simply don't see fish dying off like this when
released. Yet in Wisconsin, something terribly wrong has happened each of the past two years."
During a 2005 study held in conjunction with a Stren Series tournament held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse,
the Wisconsin DNR reported an 86.8 percent mortality rate among largemouth bass held as a control group. This rate
exceeded the mortality rate the department reported for tournament-caught largemouth bass by more than 11 percent.
Both the 2005 study, which found a majority of the dead bass infected with the largemouth bass virus, and this
year's study were mandated by a 2003 Wisconsin law calling for an assessment of the economic, sociological and
biological impacts of catch-and-release programs in bass tournaments. Final results from the assessment, which
will reportedly include studies from numerous tournaments statewide, are expected in August.
"Given the wide disparity in results gathered in La Crosse from year to year, it is clear that further study
is required to make an accurate determination as to the effects of catch-and-release tournaments in this stretch
of the Mississippi River," Evans said.
The Wisconsin studies are not the first studies aimed at accessing the success of catch-and-release tournament
programs. FLW Outdoors has also recently worked with the Arizona Game and Fish Department on a study that showed
an extremely low 1.3 percent mortality. The study attributed this low mortality rate, in-part, to stringent FLW
Outdoors tournament regulations for holding and transporting fish and the skill of tournament operators in handling
fish.
In Wisconsin, however, the bass were subjected to additional handling by the Wisconsin DNR. The release locations
in the Black River were also dictated by the DNR despite concerns expressed by FLW Outdoors officials who had proposed
releasing the fish into the deeper, oxygen rich waters of the Mississippi River. No dissolved oxygen levels in
the Black River were recorded by the Wisconsin DNR.
It's important to note that, according to David Hobbs of the Wisconsin DNR, not all of the fish found dead in the
Black River had holes punched in their tails. If non-tournament bass died as well, it could be an indication of
poor water conditions in at least a portion of the release site.
"The bottom line is that there is a great deal more to learn about this subject and refinements that need
to be made in how we go about collecting data," Evans said. "As we move forward, all parties must be
diligent in protecting our fisheries, and FLW Outdoors intends to do just that by continually evaluating and enhancing
our industry-leading conservation practices."
As a separate part of the study, Wisconsin DNR officials held bass in three 12-by-12-foot pens tied to an inactive
fuel dock in the Black River downstream from the release site. One pen held 100 control bass (53 largemouths and
47 smallmouths) that were collected by electrofishing prior to the tournament. Of those fish, 13 percent of the
largemouths died and 6 percent of the smallmouths died for an overall mortality of 10 percent. A total of 212 bass
(180 largemouths and 32 smallmouths) collected on days one and two of the tournament were divided equally in the
other two pens. Of those fish, 27 percent of the largemouths and 37 percent of the smallmouths died for an overall
mortality of 28 percent. The difference between the two groups, control and experimental, indicates an overall
mortality of 18 percent. All of the fish were held in their respective pens, without food, for five days, and none
of the fish in the pens had their tails perforated. Dissolved oxygen levels in the area of the holding pens were
reported by the DNR at 6 to 12 parts per million. Five parts per million is generally accepted as adequate to maintain
a bass.
While pens like those used by the Wisconsin DNR are commonly used in studies of this nature, some debate exists
among biologists as to how many bass should be held in a pen. One hundred bass per 12-by-12-foot pen is pushing
the upper limits, particularly in hot-weather conditions, while 30 to 40 bass is considered closer to the ideal
number.
In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American
Sportfishing Association. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated more than $285,000 and helped to generate
more than $1.7 million for local conservation projects.
This year alone, FLW Outdoors has contributed more than $5,000 for FishAmerica Foundation conservation projects
at each of its FLW Tour events and has committed to donating an additional $14,000 on behalf of the National Guard
and leading FLW Tour pros before the end of the year. Additionally, Energizer will make a $25,000 donation to the
Children's Miracle Network during the FLW Tour Championship in Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 2-5 in honor of the tour
maintaining a live-release rate in excess of 98 percent this season. In fact, the tour's live release rate has
never fallen below 98 percent.
FLW Outdoors pros are proud to visit local schools during FLW Tour stops, meeting with children and spreading positive
messages on the importance of education, conservation and the need to protect our environment. FLW Outdoors also
promotes fishing skills and conservation through sponsorship of a "Master Angler" patch program for the
Boy Scouts of America.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers 12 tournament circuits
offering combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000. |
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