You bring up some very good questions Rodney. I agree with you that not enough research has been done. When is it going to take place? Well I wanted it to take place early this month but because the other person organizing it does not live in the LM we are having scheduling conflicts. The reason for the cull is not to make a dent in the population of bass. It is to raise awarness of this species and the potential harm it can have on our native fish species. Actually we are not targeting one body of water. This is how it works we have a weigh in station at my sponsers tackle shop at around 6pm that day. Everyone gets into groups of 2-4 people and tries various Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley Lakes and sloughs untill they have culled their 4 fish. Once its 6pm everyone must be at the weigh-in station to weigh their catch. We are having various prizes for weights. I have fisheries on board and they would like a report on our findings. Here is the exact e-mail I received from Jim Roberts-Fisheries Bioligist
"Bryan.....
I was forwarded your email by Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
Fisheries staff in Victoria. On behalf of the Ministry, thanks for
contacting us and providing notification of your plans to hold a bass derby
on April 23rd in the Lower Mainland Region (Region 2).
As a fisheries biologist based out of the regional office in Surrey, I have
been actively involved in the study of non-native fish species in the Lower
Mainland Region since last summer. The main objective of my work is to gain
a better understanding of non-native fish distribution and ecology in the
Region, in particular within the Lower Fraser River watershed. Further to
this work, I would certainly be interested in receiving a report from you
about the results of your proposed bass derby.
In particular, any new information that you might be able to gather on bass
distribution in the Lower Fraser River watershed would be valuable. I can
provide a list of water features known by my Ministry to be inhabited by
largemouth bass, upon request.
Other information that would be of value would be catch per unit effort
(i.e. fish/hour, by angler), weight, and fork length of any retained fish.
If you have any questions and would like to contact me in advance of April
23rd, please don't hesitate to do so. My contact information is provided
below. Thanks.
Jim Roberts, R.P.Bio
Fisheries Biologist
Fish and Wildlife - Science and Allocation
Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
Lower Mainland Region