Black Bass Diversity: Multidisciplinary Science for Conservation

Managing Black Bass in the 21st Century: Staying Relevant

Fred Harris

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874400.ch11

In these early years of the 21st century, black basses continue to be the most sought-after group of freshwater fishes by U.S. anglers (U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2011). That statistic is tempered by a general decline in the overall number of anglers in the United States. Although a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey (U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2011).) showed a rather strong increase in angling participation in 2010, it remains to be seen if that represents a reversal of declining participation or an anomaly in a long-term trend. While I hope we have achieved a reversal of the decline, I fear the downward trend may still be in place for fishing generally and bass fishing specifically. Whether a continuing decline proves to be reality or fantasy, the question of the relevance of black bass conservation to society seems worth considering.

As we think about the future of bass management we need to consider where we are and how we got here. Fortunately I do not need to dwell on where we have been in bass management as other papers in this volume address the history of bass management. I will summarize my view of past management by noting that we have emphasized regulation, fish stockings, population assessments, and, recently, genetics and habitat manipulation. Often this work was accomplished to improve recreational fishing and frequently concluded with fishery management recommendations. A review of the papers in this volume shows that bass management is evolving toward greater emphasis on the less common black basses (i.e., those other than Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and Smallmouth Bass M. dolomieu), genetic considerations in management, influence of habitat on ecological and physiological processes, and understanding bass populations at a watershed level. Recreational fisheries are still a strong emphasis, but the evolution seems to be moving toward a greater understanding of basses as members of biological communities. I view this as a positive development.

The 2011 national survey estimates that there were 28 million freshwater anglers greater than 16 years of age in the United States in 2010. These anglers represented about 12% of the population. Of those 28 million anglers, about 11 million, or 40%, were bass anglers. Simple arithmetic reveals that bass anglers make up less than 5% of the U.S. population, compared to 20 years ago when there were 13 million bass anglers making up more than 6% of the population.

A particularly disturbing statistic is the number of anglers less than 16 years of age. Young anglers did not exhibit the increase observed for adult anglers, including bass anglers, in the 2011 survey. Rather, this group continued the downward trend by dropping to a 20-year low of 11.4 million anglers.

Given that none of the future is foreseeable, what might we reasonably speculate about the future of bass management in the United States? First, the 2011 national survey’s participation estimates should give us pause. One interpretation (mine) of the data is that bass management is directly relevant to about 5% of the population, and thus I conclude that bass management is likely irrelevant to more than 90% of our population. Furthermore we are directly relevant to a smaller number and percentage of the population than we were 20 years ago. The continued decline in the number of young anglers does not bode well for a reversal of this trend. If the funding base (i.e., anglers) declines and the general population has no compulsion to add bass conservation to the lengthy list of societal needs that require funding, then it seems to me that we, as bass fisheries managers, may also become irrelevant to society.