BASS across North America

Arizona Game and Fish Department (GFD) biologists are conducting a study at Lake Pleasant using the newest leading edge technology to find out the effects striped bass are having on the very popular sportfish community. Striped bass invaded Lake Pleasant via the Central Arizona Project, or CAP, canal system. The concern now is that the striped bass may compete with other sportfish in the lake, such as largemouth and white bass, for their main food source, which is threadfin shad. The GFD has embarked on an intensive three year evaluation of Lake Pleasant to determine if the growing striped bass population is indeed a cause for concern, and to identify ways to properly manage the reservoir so the striped bass population can coexist with other predators in the lake. Last month, biologists began gill netting and electrofishing surveys to get information on the lake's fish populations, such as their diets, ages, and size. In order to identify if striped bass are reproducing in Lake Pleasant, biologists will sample for larval fish and fish eggs using light traps and net tows. Early next year the GFD will begin the process of estimating predator and prey fish population sizes using hydroacoustics. This procedure uses sound energy that is sent through the water. When the sound hits an object with a different density from that of the water, such as the air bladder of a fish, the sound is reflected back. This is a very high-tech way for biologists to estimate the numbers and sizes of fish. Biologists will also begin early next year implanting radio tags in the abdomen of striped bass to determine seasonal migration and spawning movements.

Username:	Password:

Forgot your account info?

Not a BASS Insider? Click here for Free Trial

Click here to JOIN BASS!