The Declining Largemouth Bass Fishery in the Ocmulgee River, Georgia
The largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides) fishery in the Ocmulgee River, Georgia was studied to address concerns about overexploitation. A significant decline occurred over time in overall success, fished-for success, and average weight of largemouth bass in the creel. The annual exploitation rate was calculated to be 0.11 and was estimated in the year of low bass harvest. The annual survival rate was calculated to be 0.47. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov two sample test showed a significant decrease in the percent frequency of larger bass in electrofishing samples from fall 1976 to fall 1978. The...
