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Abstract
Palmetto bass (female striped bass Morone saxatilis × male white bass M. chrysops) are an important sport fish in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States. Because palmetto bass populations must be established and maintained by regular stocking, population assessments are necessary to evaluate and refine stocking plans. A commonly used metric for fish population assessment is the proportional size distribution (PSD). However, the value of this metric is limited for palmetto bass because the original lengths designated for the stock (8 in), quality (12 in), preferred (15 in), memorable (20 in), and trophy length categories (25 in) were based on the old world-record length of 31 in, which is much shorter than the current length of 39 in. Thus, new lengths of 10, 16, 20, 24, and 28 in are proposed for assessing palmetto bass populations via PSD indices. These proposed lengths more accurately reflect the maximal length and life history characteristics (i.e., fast growing, short lived, and seldom stunting) of palmetto bass than the current PSD length categories. With the proposed length categories, PSD estimates are likely to provide a more useful index of the growth, mortality, and recruitment of palmetto bass and improve communication among fisheries managers.
Received February 21, 2011; accepted May 8, 2011
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Don Gabelhouse, David Willis, Bob Betsill, Dan Ashe, John Dennis, and Marcos De Jesus provided editorial reviews. This research was supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration grant F30R to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.