| The largemouth bass (LMB) Micropterus salmoides fishery at Sam Rayburn Reservoir is managed with a 356-mm minimum length limit (MLL). In 2001, 47% of anglers favored more restrictive LMB MLLs, assuming a resulting increase of fish. In 2003, 6,021 LMB were tagged to estimate total annual angling mortality (TAM) and explore potential benefits of more restrictive MLLs via population modeling. Due to popularity of tournament angling and high voluntary release rate at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, TAM estimates included non-tournament harvest, tournament mortality, and hooking mortality. Catch and harvest of tagged fish was estimated via creel sampling to avoid non-reporting uncertainty, adjusted for recruitment and tag loss, and expanded to estimate total annual tagged fish catch and harvest. Tournament and hooking mortality was simulated at rates of 10, 30, and 50% and 5, 10, and 15%, respectively. Population loss from non-tournament harvest was 6--14% and tournament and hooking mortality simulations both resulted in losses of 1--6%. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
