Management largemouth bass fishery responses to length limits.

Content Provider	CiteSeerX
Author	Wilde, R.
Abstract	I compiled quantitative information from published and unpublished studies that evaluated large-mouth bass fishery responses to minimum-length and slot-length limits. My data set includes results from 91 evaluations conducted on 88 lakes located across the United States. Forty-nine evaluations were of minimum-length limits, and 42 were of slot-length limits. The most commonly evaluated regulations were 12- (n = 13) and 14-in (n = 14) minimum-length limits and 12- to 15-in slot-length limits (n = 23). I constructed and tested six hypotheses about largemouth bass fishery responses to minimum-length and slot-length limits. Minimum-length limits increased largemouth bass population size when all minimum-length limits were included (P = 0.034) but not when 12-in minimum-length limits were excluded. Minimum-length limits failed to increase the proportion of larger fish (proportional stock density, relative stock density) and the number and weight of fish harvested by anglers, but did increase angler catch rates (P = 0.033). Slot-length limits were suc-cessful in restructuring largemouth bass populations by increasing population size (P = 0.018) and the proportion of larger fish (proportional stock density, P = 0.025; relative stock density, P = 0.056) but did not increase angler catch rates or harvest. Limitations in the studies reviewed demonstrate
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Subject Keyword	Minimum-length Limit Slot-length Limit Length Limit Management Largemouth Bass Fishery Response Proportional Stock Density Relative Stock Density Large-mouth Bass Fishery Unpublished Study 15-in Slot-length Limit Quantitative Information Largemouth Bass Fishery Largemouth Bass Population Largemouth Bass Population Size Population Size Angler Catch Rate Forty-nine Evaluation 12-in Minimum-length Limit Evaluated Regulation
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