I’m guessing it’s not just me, but it sure seems like a lot of state record bass have been falling the past 6 months; largemouth, smallmouth and spots. Two in Oklahoma alone.
I was reading an article this weekend which mentioned one of the big advances in fishery science, the ability to analyze the DNA of a particular fish and determine if it is a pure bred fish, or has some degree of hybridization. The article in the Orlando Sentinel details the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (say that fast 10 times) to be certain that they are only stocking pure strain Florida bass in their lakes in order to protect the genetic integrity of their native bass population. As the article mentions, “researchers discovered a few years ago that Florida bass were crossbreeding with Northern bass, potentially compromising the trophy fish.” Very cool science and a worthy and respectable effort.
But I also remembered reading in a couple stories related to some of these new state record fish that they were going to have to get blood samples and do some testing. In particular, the “almost” new Tennessee state record largemouth bass stood out in my mind, as the W2F article on it mentioned that the fish was released, partly due to the fact that the efforts needed to validate the fish,  including “blood samples, certified scales, 2 witnesses, dorsal fin clippings, and more,” might likely result in the death of the fish.
What I’m curious about is now that we have the ability to determine even small amounts of genetic cross breeding, and since some degree of hybridization among basses is a very real possibility, what level of genetic introgression would invalidate a new state record? What percentages separate a meanmouth, from a smallmouth, from a spot in Missouri? If a new Tennessee state record spotted bass was caught, but it had some smallmouth genes in it, would it no longer be a record? If a new state record largemouth in Florida was caught, but it turned out to be some type of hybrid between the Northern and Florida strains, would it be a record with an asterick?
We now have the knowledge and ability to ask and determine the answer to these type of questions. With the spreading of bass across the entire country, and several species of bass in many waters, is this a controversy we’ll be hearing more about in the future?
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Chad Keogh
April 9, 2012 at 8:12 am
I think in waterbodies where hydridization is a possibility, they should ensure that the fish is a purebred. Otherwise you aren’t comparing “apples to apples”, but instead apples to naturally created Franken-fruit.
TA
April 9, 2012 at 1:32 pm
This is happening right now actually, with the potential N.C. record spotted bass tht Terry Trivette caught. They now think it’s a hybrid, and are conducting their own CSI episode on the fish. Here’s the full scoop: http://therockyriver.com/nc-spotted-bass-record-to-be-stripped/
Dwain
April 9, 2012 at 1:38 pm
I think the blood sample is too much to ask, the rules for a record should be such that killing a record fish is not necessary to get credit for the catch.
MattBass
April 9, 2012 at 5:55 pm
This is (probably) gonna get sticky before it all shakes out.
A few items (in no particular order):
1. Any largemouth should “count”. Genetics being what they are, you can’t make LM’s bigger by crossing w/ smallest or spots.
2. Florida vs. Northern? Who cares!?! If anyone catches another Dottie, it ain’t gonna be DQ’ed because it’s either or…
3. Any technique that
MattBass
April 9, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Oops! Hit “send” too early! Also, I HATE autocorrect: #1, above should read “smallies”…!
To continue:
3. Any technique that requires a “kill” shouldn’t be considered.
4. Does anyone know if current techniques are good enough to accurately quantify % genetic contribution in Micropterus? I know about dogs – the techniques are probably more refined in that species than any other (maybe horses?) and we’re just not where you could make a 51:49 % call.
But, the guy who submits a 19 lb mean-mouth as a smallie is gonna make Pandora look like a neophyte…
mlg
admin (mostly Jay)
April 10, 2012 at 8:42 am
I am still stuck at the word “intregression”
Brian
April 10, 2012 at 9:25 am
LOL – Don’t I get to keep some “science” words in the “science” piece? Makes it sound all official and smart-like. Typo corrected…
Today’s science word of the day is:
in·tro·gres·sion
n.
Infiltration of the genes of one species into the gene pool of another through repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parents.
Yeah, that’s it 🙂
Quick example – our state DNR has stopped their policy of stocking hybrid striped bass (created by mating a white bass with a striped bass), also known as “wipers”, into any lakes that have an existing population of white bass since the hybrids can potentially mate with the whites (parent stock) in the wild, thereby diluting/mixing the originally pure white bass gene pool.
Flip'N'Pitch
April 10, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Whoa fellas, slow it down off plane for a sec. Nature isn’t “purebred”. Nature is Chaos Theory mixed in with a little bit of human meddling. So if there happens to be some beneficial introgression, which is debatable, in a certain Micropterus sp. population in a certain body of water then so be it. If “Dottie” hadn’t been accidently foul hooked the last time she was caught (and over/close to 22-04) would we have put an asterisk by her name? I think not. Would the public outcry from other state DNR’s/F&G’s have been “No, wait, it’s not fair. CA has an uninterrupted growing season and an abundance of trout for the transplanted Florida strain bass to gorge themselves on so it shouldn’t count”? Well, okay maybe TX might whine a bit but that’s somewhat expected after their handling of Colt McCoy’s infamous shoulder injury debacle 😉 Anyway, the splitting of hairs with species, hybrids, and subspecies is a slippery slope that I don’t think anyone, especially hunters and fishers, really wants to travel down. Remember, Shaquille O’Neal and “Mini Me” are the same species. A Great Dane and a Teacup Toy Terrier are the same species. Are we going to start “asterisking” our way into oblivion a la the movie “Gattaca”? I hope not.