1 The Effect of Catch-and- Release Angling on the Parental Care Behavior of Male Smallmouth Bass C.D. Suski, J.H. Svec, J.B. Ludden, F.J.S. Phelan, and D.P. Philipp 2003 Transactions of the American Fisheries Society Aaron Shultz

2 Charleston Lake, Ontario Lake is very deep 91.1m, average depth 17.4 Oligotrophic

3 Major Questions Handling stress from catch and release fishing Smallmouth Brood predation How the above two factors influence parental care and nest abandonment for the smallmouth male fish

4 Experiment Setup Two control groups Angled and released Broods reduced manually Angling and brood reduction Brood additions

5 Major Findings Simulated catch and release and brood predation caused males to be less willing or able to defend their nests. Brood predation with or without angling caused these male smallmouth to be the least aggressive in defending remaining brood

6 Recommendations Regulations on angling should be put in place to reduce nest abandonment. Regulations –Seasonal closures (entire spawning period) –No-fishing sanctuaries

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