Author(s)

Matthew J. Ward¹, Steven R. Chipps²

¹South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Blue Dog Lake State Hatchery, Waubay, USA.
²U.S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, McFadden Biostress Laboratory, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA.

Adjustments to rearing practices should be justified with increases in production, stocking success, or angler satisfaction. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) production was assessed between hatchery ponds where fish were restricted to an invertebrate diet or received supplemental fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) forage during 2015. At harvest, age-0 bass yield was 4.5 times greater and average fish length was 38 mm longer, in the pond that received fathead minnow. In 2016, a second study evaluated the timing of minnow supplementation that included earlier stockings of small fathead minnow (<30 mm) compared to delayed supplementation with larger (>30 mm) minnows. With earlier supplementation, bass yield was 2.3 times greater and fish averaged 14 mm longer at harvest. Bass survival was approximately 38% higher during 2015 when supplementation occurred and 25% higher during 2016 when minnow supplementation began earlier. Our findings show invertebrate forage was probably limiting bass production in hatchery ponds and supplementing with appropriately-sized fathead minnows increased age-0, largemouth bass production.

Largemouth Bass Culture, Pond-Rearing, Fathead Minnow Stocking

J. Ward, M. and R. Chipps, S. (2020) Availability and Timing of Fathead Minnow Supplementation Influence Largemouth Bass Survival and Production in Rearing Ponds. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 10, 337-345. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2020.103020.