Eric,

You didn't expand on why you find that interesting. I did notice that you highlighted the predicted maximum lengths reported by various author based on their measurements of gape. The authors of this paper never objected to these findings of "estimated maximum lengths" as these lengths are approached, thought not realized, in the evidence they evaluated. In the practical sense, the "realized prey lengths" are just what the predators were doing going about their daily lives of being a predator. The realized prey lengths were remarkably similar across a broad number of predators and for individual predators across a broad range of predator sizes.

What I found interesting is that the smaller prey dominates the samples and I took it to mean that the predators were gaining benefit from them. This could be important. First because a BOW can produce a greater weight of smaller fish annually as forage, but also for other management decisions. For example they mentioned in the paper how a DNR was using their findings to determine the optimum size to stock Walleye in waters with bass predators.

Tracy,

To truly understand what effects >6" BG harvest may have on a BOW, we would need a situation where a BOW had plentiful >6" BG and the owner has been keeping a detailed ongoing record of LMB catches and weights. A good candidate would be a BOW with a continuing decline of > 20" LMB RWs. If harvesting >6" BG were to increase forage availability to 20" LMB then RWs might be expected to increase. To be sure, it isn't a trickle down effect, rather, it is a trickle up effect where the largest predators get what survives their smaller neighbors. An increase in all LMB RW's would be significant supporting evidence that more forage was provided. If the largest LMB are benefited by removing >6" LMB then one can only conclude that more plentiful <6" forage was a greater benefit to them. If however, the >20" LMB condition worsens significantly, I would have to wonder if the harvest of >6" BG took food away from them.

***Bump***

Tracy one other means of determining optimum adult BG biomass has occurred to me. From the perspective of an experiment ... one approach might be to stock total weight of BG adults with a specific weight of LMB (say 4 lb LMB at rate of 100 _lbs/acre). Allow a growing season from May to November. The optimum Adult BG Biomass might indicate the carryover you need to optimize forage production.

Last edited by jpsdad; 12/07/18 03:50 PM.

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers