Marine Fisheries—Fecundity by Julia Lightner

[jlaughlin72]

copied from wildlife and fisheries website.



Fecundity studies focus on the reproductive ability of a species and the coastal biologists of Wildlife and Fisheries are in-volved in this research. Most anglers in southern Louisiana know that the summer months are the spawning season for spotted (speckled) seatrout. Anyone who has cleaned a speck-led trout in January and then another in July can see the differ-ence in the size of the egg sac. Luckily for us, trout actually spawn every four to five days between the months of April and September. One of the most popular recreational species in Louisiana, speckled trout release millions of eggs each year. Not only that, the species begins to spawn at only one year old, which makes it very successful in reproduction.
This is some of the research that biologists with the depart-ment of Wildlife and Fisheries conduct every day. Speckled trout from our samples are thoroughly examined and many parts are removed for further evaluation. Each trout caught in a sample is measured and weighed, the stomach contents are examined, the otoliths (ear bones) are removed and during the
spawning season, the reproductive organs are removed, pre-served and examined. All of this information is used in the state’s speckled trout stock assessment, to determine the health of the population.
Most trout caught in coastal Louisiana are two year olds, which means that the trout in your ice chest have already spawned a few times before they are caught. LDWF biologists have studied the survival rates of trout caught on single hooks versus treble hooks, live bait versus artificial bait. Research shows most trout caught and released do survive.
What does all of this research have to do with the average angler? Trout over twelve inches are generally one year or older, have spawned several times, and if you catch an under-size trout and release it, there’s a pretty good chance it will survive to grow and spawn many times until it can be caught and kept legally. Releasing an undersize trout does benefit the fishery resource and can create trophy trout memories for anglers later on.

[shadow]

Thanks Johnny, some great information there.:D

[sneakypete]

That's good scoop, you all, but the title sure could have been re-worded so that Ms Lightner's child-bearing ability would not be spotlighted.
Pete