BFHP Bass Articles
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BFHP Bass Articles |
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by
Ralph Manns
Every year we experience fish kills, and every year anglers become very concerned. Sometimes, when the kill is due to a new factor like the largemouth bass virus (LMBV), or pollution, anglers need to become concerned. But, all anglers should understand a few basic facts about lakes and fish kills.
There are many adverse chemicals, water conditions, and diseases that might kill bass. Any one of the diseases will cause an epizootic if conditions become particularly favorable. An epizootic is the fish equivalent of an epidemic among humans.
Minor fish kills are normal and periodic in fisheries. The fact that an angler loves a particular lake and likes to fish there doesn't modify this fact.
Conditions that create greatly increased stress among fish favor epizootics. Fish kills are more likely when we have overly warm water, unusually heavy ice-overs, careless fish handling before release, poor livewell treatment procedures, some kinds of algal blooms, and the new diseases like the LMBV are introduced.
Increased fish population density increases the inter-contact of fish and helps spread communicable diseases, just as city living, crowded slums, and prison camps often spread disease among humans. Thus, the better fishing lakes are the waters most likely to experience fish kills due to epizootics. Special limits that create near capacity populations and great C&R bassing, also create conditions favorable to fish kills. It goes with the territory.
Anglers and businesses fortunate enough to live or function near or on lakes with strong management policies that prevent overharvest, should expect natural processes to periodically pare-down the gamefish population via disease, toxic algae, oxygen deficiencies, or sudden food shortages. About the only factors within human control are the reduction of pollutants and the ways captured fish are treated . Nature acts to prevent overcrowding.
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copyrighted: reusable only with permission ralph.manns@charter.net
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