David L. Armstrong, Jr.

The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is an 8231-ha oligohaline, tidal estuary that supports a popular largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fishery. This system is productive, with an abundant bass population and above-average recruitment to age-1. But recruitment of the 2004 year-class was poor post-Hurricane Ivan, prompting angler concerns about the population. We considered improvements in the fishery were most likely achieved by stock- ing advanced-size fingerlings. Larger, older fish reared on live food were expected to provide a competitive advantage over native fish and exhibit higher survival...

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a popular recreational sport fish in estuarine environments like the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. However, catch rates of large largemouth bass are often low in these coastal systems. Larger largemouth bass (≥2,268 g) are sometimes thought to move upstream to less saline locations when salinity increases. We combined three approaches to explore movement of adult largemouth bass in relation to salinity and angler displacement: external tagging, acoustic telemetry, and fish releases at tournaments. Movement patterns were more varied at downstream sites than...