ESPN

''Like other tools in the fisheries management toolbox, bass stocking has its limitations. First, it's expensive to do and needs to be effective in order to justify its use. Why doesn't this tool work better? In our state there are severe limitations of habitat, predation and overwinter survival. We have not been able to improve success by manipulating size of fish or time of stocking. Our reservoirs are rapidly aging, further diminishing their ability to produce bass. While stocking bass has seductive social or political benefits, the responsible route is to continue to focus on habitat issues.''

— Gary Isbell
Executive Administrator
Ohio Division of Wildlife

''Stocking bass on top of bass in an established population most often produces no significant results in increased catch. The population of a particular fish in a water body balances out according to the surrounding environmental conditions and the relative abundance of other species. However, stocking or restocking can serve a useful purpose in certain situations. For example, to establish Florida largemouth bass genes for production of larger bass requires stocking. We also stock newly constructed or renovated reservoirs to initiate and enhance the development of desired fish populations.''

— Bennie Fontenot
Inland Fisheries Administrator
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

''The answer depends on how you define 'enhancing.' If enhancing means improving the growth or trophy potential of a bass population, then stocking Florida largemouth, for instance, would be the best policy. If enhancing means increasing numbers or improving size distributions or age structure, then stocking in combination with appropriate harvest restrictions and a good habitat enhancement program would be the best policy. In Texas we use both practices.''

— Phil Durocher
Chief of Inland Fisheries
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

''Bass populations may be limited by many factors, only a few of which can be remedied by stocking. Often, bass numbers are limited by competition among themselves or with other species for insufficient resources. Stocking additional bass in these situations increases competition, and this subsequently can degrade rather than enhance the bass population. So, considerable care must be given to identifying the factors limiting bass numbers before remedial actions are taken. Neither anglers nor managers want to take actions that make a bad situation worse.''

— Fred Harris
Chief Deputy Director
North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission

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