So my wife and I were having lunch at the sushi bar yesterday when the chef starts filleting a very interesting fish. I knew what it was, but asked him just to see what the restaurant name would be, and he replied "sea bass". OK, technically I suppose it could be called a sea bass in a genetic sense, but very doubtful this fish came out of saltwater. Much more likely out of a pond or tank somewhere in the Southeastern US. Or, possibly much closer to home?
The fish was a 2-3lb hybrid striped bass. Besides being a very attractive, and delicious fish, they are a popular aquaculture species since they grow quickly, are tolerant of a wide range of water quality conditions such as temperature, salinity and Ph. They are also more disease resistant than either of the parent species, usually male white bass and female striped bass. Having caught white bass in the mid-west when I was a kid, I can attest that they are a ton of fun. Even more so with the hybrids which can exceed 15lbs.
At this point some of you may guess where I'm headed with this. Before you break out the torches and pitchforks, let me make a few preemptive statements. First, I generally find put-and-take type fisheries to be aesthetically (and economically) offensive with the exception of limited pellet-head trout fishing for the benefit of kids and families in easily accessible bodies of water that are isolated from any watershed (planting fry in productive lakes not part of a watershed does make sense to me however). Second, I am steadfastly against introducing non-native species that have the potential to become a self-sustaining population that could impact native species.
All that said, given the increased fishing pressure and degradation of anadromous runs, it's clearly time to think outside the box a bit with regard to angling opportunities. Many are already doing this by pursuing species such as carp, bass, panfish, and of course, the nearly endless options in saltwater. Unfortunately there are limitations with every species and fishery. Carp, while a challenging sport fish, have zero value as table fare for those of us who actually like to eat fish. Bass are already reaching a saturation point with angling pressure - mostly because they are so structure oriented. I mean, how many shoreline logs, docks, and rocks can a lake have. Panfish are great sport, good eating, and actually benefit from some harvest, but let's be honest - you're never going to see your backing fishing for bluegills or perch.
Pitchforks ready? Here we go... Why not plant hybrid striped bass fry in some select PNW lakes?
Or "Wipers" as they are called elsewhere for their reputation of wiping out standard bass fishing gear. These fish are sterile (with some rare exceptions of interbreeding with existing populations of white bass - which we don't have). They also utilize open water habitat that warm water game species such as LM bass generally ignore. Habitat with not only greater productive capacity, but also vastly greater in spatial terms as a sporting venue.
So assuming there are PNW lakes with suitable conditions for them, it seems to me there is little to no risk of them being established as a invasive species. Potentially creating new, exciting, and productive open-water fisheries on select lowland lakes which may be too warm for trout, but with limited structure for LM or SM bass.
Anyway, it's just an idea. I think we're past the time to start looking for alternate fishing opportunities. This one might be horrible, or a complete flop in reality. Don't shoot me for trying.
If anyone has better ideas I'm all ears.
The fish was a 2-3lb hybrid striped bass. Besides being a very attractive, and delicious fish, they are a popular aquaculture species since they grow quickly, are tolerant of a wide range of water quality conditions such as temperature, salinity and Ph. They are also more disease resistant than either of the parent species, usually male white bass and female striped bass. Having caught white bass in the mid-west when I was a kid, I can attest that they are a ton of fun. Even more so with the hybrids which can exceed 15lbs.
At this point some of you may guess where I'm headed with this. Before you break out the torches and pitchforks, let me make a few preemptive statements. First, I generally find put-and-take type fisheries to be aesthetically (and economically) offensive with the exception of limited pellet-head trout fishing for the benefit of kids and families in easily accessible bodies of water that are isolated from any watershed (planting fry in productive lakes not part of a watershed does make sense to me however). Second, I am steadfastly against introducing non-native species that have the potential to become a self-sustaining population that could impact native species.
All that said, given the increased fishing pressure and degradation of anadromous runs, it's clearly time to think outside the box a bit with regard to angling opportunities. Many are already doing this by pursuing species such as carp, bass, panfish, and of course, the nearly endless options in saltwater. Unfortunately there are limitations with every species and fishery. Carp, while a challenging sport fish, have zero value as table fare for those of us who actually like to eat fish. Bass are already reaching a saturation point with angling pressure - mostly because they are so structure oriented. I mean, how many shoreline logs, docks, and rocks can a lake have. Panfish are great sport, good eating, and actually benefit from some harvest, but let's be honest - you're never going to see your backing fishing for bluegills or perch.
Pitchforks ready? Here we go... Why not plant hybrid striped bass fry in some select PNW lakes?
Or "Wipers" as they are called elsewhere for their reputation of wiping out standard bass fishing gear. These fish are sterile (with some rare exceptions of interbreeding with existing populations of white bass - which we don't have). They also utilize open water habitat that warm water game species such as LM bass generally ignore. Habitat with not only greater productive capacity, but also vastly greater in spatial terms as a sporting venue.
So assuming there are PNW lakes with suitable conditions for them, it seems to me there is little to no risk of them being established as a invasive species. Potentially creating new, exciting, and productive open-water fisheries on select lowland lakes which may be too warm for trout, but with limited structure for LM or SM bass.
Anyway, it's just an idea. I think we're past the time to start looking for alternate fishing opportunities. This one might be horrible, or a complete flop in reality. Don't shoot me for trying.
If anyone has better ideas I'm all ears.