Nanticoke River Bass - transfer of fish between water bodies

[Basscat7]

Hello all,



Tournament season is underway and hopefully shaping up to be a good one.  I recognize all the conservation measures that are taken by bass anglers to ensure healthy viable bass populations.  Thank you for being valuable stewards all of these years. 



We periodically monitor Nanticoke River Largemouth Bass for bacterial infections, Largemouth Bass virus (LMBv), and contaminants. Luckily the population has been relatively healthy.  Because pathogens and disease processes can emerge quickly, evolve, or not be detected right away, it is important to avoid mixing bass populations that would otherwise not intermingle on their own.  The Division of Fish and Wildlife strongly discourages transferring fish between the Nanticoke River and other tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, such as the Wicomico River, Potomac River, and Patuxent River.  LMBv has been detected in multiple Chesapeake Bay tributaries and so has motile Aeromonas bacteria which causes skin lesions in fish.  Please continue to implement conservation measures during tournaments including:

Do not mix bass populations that otherwise would not intermingle
Clean your boat, livewell, trailer, and associated equipment thoroughly to avoid transporting pathogens between water bodies
Transferring fish between water bodies can also contribute to the spread of other black bass species which hybridize with Largemouth (and Smallmouth) Bass and pose a threat to the existing fishery.  Alabama Bass Micropterus henshall were illegally introduced into Chesapeake Bay tributaries in Virginia and may continue to spread.  The hybrids produced when Alabama Bass cross with other black bass species are not always easy to distinguish.  Alabama Bass and  their hybrids have undesirable traits -  they do not grow as big as Largemouth Bass, they outcompete other black bass for resources, and genetically pollute Largemouth and Smallmouth bass populations.  The best defense is prevention, which includes not transferring black bass among water bodies and knowing how to identify Alabama Bass.   


Information and Identification tips: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/fish/alabama-bass/
Risk assessment conducted by Maryland DNR:  https://dnr.maryland.gov/Invasives/Documents/Alabama-Bass-Risk-Assessment.pdf


I recently joined the Northeast Fish Health Committee, so there may be more information to come! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let me know. 

Sincerely,

Edna

______________________________________

Edna Stetzar
Fisheries Biologist IV
Division of Fish & Wildlife
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
3002 Bayside Dr., Dover, DE 19901
(302) 735-8654
Edna.Stetzar@delaware.gov