Survival of Largemouth Bass from Populations Infected with Largemouth Bass Virus and Subjected to Simulated Tournament Conditions

Abstract

Mortality was measured for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in simulated tournaments conducted at 26°C to determine whether an easily accomplished live-well management protocol reduced mortality. Treatment fish, which received the live-well management protocol, were held for 8 h in live wells at 23°C with water containing more than 5 mg of dissolved oxygen/L and 0.3% salt (NaCl). Control fish, were confined for 8 h in live wells at 26°C (ambient temperature) with dissolved oxygen fluctuating from 3 to 5 mg/L and no salt, which simulated the live-well management practices used by largemouth bass tournament anglers. Mortality after live-well confinement was 0% for both treatment and control fish, and mortality during the first 24 h after the simulated tournaments was 2.5%. Mortality of fish observed for up to 5 d after the simulated tournaments was high for treatment fish (mean = 75%; SE = 16%) and control fish (mean = 85%; SE = 11%), and we conclude that the treatment conditions did not reduce postrelease mortality. We suggest that the unusually high posttournament mortality was related to largemouth bass virus infections.