Catch‐and‐release (C&R) angling is often used to maintain high catch rates but fish vulnerability to capture may decrease following hooking, thereby decreasing angler catch per unit effort (CPUE) (hyperdepletion). To determine if fish post‐capture response affected recapture probability and population‐level CPUE, individual capture histories of Largemouth Bass in two lakes were compared before and after doubling angling effort in a Before‐After Control‐Impact (BACI) analysis. Previous capture and day‐of‐season both affected recapture probability. Counteracting effects of previous capture and reduced late‐season catch rates caused no hyperdepletion of angler CPUE. Our results highlight the complexity of fish behavioral responses to angling and suggest that hyperdepletion of angling catch rates may not be an issue in C&R fisheries.
In aquatic systems, refuge habitats increase resistance to drying events and maintain populations in disturbed environments. However, reduced water availability and altered flow regimes threaten the function of these habitats. We conducted a capture–mark–recapture study, integrating angler citizen science. Our objectives were to quantify variation in survival of Florida Largemouth Bass
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10449285
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Volume:
- 150
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0002-8487
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 435-451
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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