Question:
I am looking for lakes or other waters (ponds, warmwater rivers, etc.)
where catch and release or trophy minimum limits have been implemented for
bass (largemouth or smallmouth), with particular interest in (1) the
changes in the sizes and numbers of fish (if any; anecdotes accepted), (2)
the changes in the kinds and numbers of anglers and (3) the problems of
enforcement.
Answer:
For one, check w/ Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission about the
Everglades. Almost all Everglades bass fishing is catch-and-release
because of mercury contamination in the bass. GFC runs regular creel
surveys in-season so there is plenty of quantitative data. Creel limits
are five fish total, only one over 14". There's plenty of bass
tournaments in season and bass fishing is a money-maker around Holiday
Park west of Miami.
Incidently, the mercury contamination is the result of small amounts in
the lowest part of the food chain, which is not excreted and accumulates
in each higher level until it reaches the top of the food chain, bass
and gar. The mercury source is not clear, but latest thinking is that
it may come from power generation stations from all over the world,
carried by prevailing winds. Power plants in India may be a factor in
the mercury contamination in Florida! Now there's a possibility that
ought to make every sportsman pause and think about the environment and
appropriate world-wide regulations.
