Investigating Interactions between Walley and Black Bass in Northern Wisconsin Lakes
File(s)
Date
2012-01Author
Repp, Andrew J.
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Walleye and black bass are popular game fish, walleye being the most intensively
stocked and harvested fish species in Wisconsin, while black bass are the most popular
game fish species in the nation. Current management practices in Wisconsin often seek to
simultaneously enhance populations of these species in likes where both occur. Past
studies have indicated that this may not be a feasible goal, because the species may
interact negatively. My objective was to determine if available evidence supported the
conclusion that walleye and black bass interact in northern Wisconsin lakes. I used data
collected from 1,862 northern Wisconsin lakes over 74 years to create indices of
abundance, growth, population size structure, and recruitment. I used rank correlation and
measurement error ratio regression to test for relationships between these population
demographics to determine if black bass and walleye populations may interact. I
determined whether a high abundance of one species is significantly related to any
population demographic of the others. I found a significant negative relationship between
largemouth bass abundance and walleye abundance, a significant positive relationship
between largemouth bass abundance and walleye growth and size structure, and a
significant negative relationship between largemouth abundance and walleye recruitment.
These results may be indicative of largemouth bass preying on juvenile walleye. I found
no clear or consistent relationship between walleye and smallmouth bass. These findings
suggest that management practices for all three species may need to be changed to account
for the impossibility of enhancing populations of walleye and largemouth bass in one lake
simultaneously. I recommend further study to more precisely determine the extent of the
interactions between walleye and largemouth bass.