Examining the consequences of angling tournament culling practices on Largemouth Bass

Abstract Objective Largemouth Bass Micropterus nigricans are targeted in competitive angling tournaments. Cull tags are a common tournament practice intended to assist anglers in quickly identifying fish by size for “high grading.” Currently, the impacts of cull tags on fish held in typical tournament conditions have not been evaluated thoroughly. This study aimed to quantify the extent and magnitude of injury, reflex impairment, and mortality for Largemouth Bass due to cull tags commonly used in live-release angling tournaments. Methods Largemouth Bass were collected via electrofishing, assessed for preexisting injuries, and then outfitted with one of several commercially available cull tags before being placed in a live-well simulation for 6 h. After live-well holding, fish were assessed for reflex action mortality predictors and injury and were then placed in a net-pen for 3 days to assess latent mortality. Reflex impairment was assessed again prior to release. Result Tag site injury scores increased after live-well confinement, with stringer-style tags having the highest increase in injury score. Reflexes remained unimpaired after live-well holding and after 3 days of net-pen confinement. No mortalities were observed 3 days after the tournament simulation, indicating that reflexes and mortality are unimpaired by cull tags. Conclusion Although our sample sizes were limited (≤10 fish per treatment), stringer-style cull tags appear to cause increased injury rates after simulated tournament live-well holding. Taking a precautionary approach with stringer-style cull tags may help reduce injuries in Largemouth Bass during tournament holding.