George I don't know. First I have a mix of Flas, northerns, F-1s and all % mixes in our ponds so I don't have a vested interest in the outcome. I further know that Fla males are small (smaller than northern males and rarely get to 20 in.). So half of the Flas do not fit the conclusion/basis for that guy's statement that catchability is based on the need for growth.

I know plenty of Fisheries Scientists from all over the south as well as hatchery owners who are not PB folks. They were using Fla LMB long before TX started. They started getting calls from the pond owners they helped stock Fla LMB over 20 years ago about the catchability problem. This was before hatcheries started development of F-1s. In fact F-1s started about 15 years ago as a response to the problem. That many people did not dream up a problem just so they could restock their lakes. I know of a couple of club lakes run by fisheries scientists who drained the Fla LMB lakes down, sold the Flas, and started over with F-1s and northerns at no small cost to themselves and the club members. Those 8 year old lakes had very big Flas that could not be caught with normal angling methods. They are happy with the results from the change. They were very unhappy with the catch rates of the Flas for 6-8 years and demanded that the hatcheries do something. A least as to this area he is wrong about the fish farms not wanting to change and dreaming up the catchability problem, as they were the ones who started the change due to pond owner demands.

Some of the TPW folks were the earliest writers on the Fla LMB catachability problem so are they now admitting they were wrong or are they wrong this time?

"Provine knows adult Floridas are easier to catch because catch rates reported by anglers are highest at lakes such as Falcon, Amistad and Choke Canyon." Those are not ponds they are huge lakes, and we know ponds are different wrt environment as to predators. How does he know that if the original studies were continued on for more years the results would change as the fish age. In addition they don't know what % of Fla genes those LMB that the anglers caught contained and admit they are %s not pure. A lot of questions here . Keep in mind that TPW has several fortunes invested in Fla LMB stocking programs -- jobs and politics. I say show me the peer reviewed scientific proof one way or the other , not just some anticdotal conclusions from 3 very large lakes (50,000 acres +) and obviously flawed logic. How is that for stirring the pot? \:\)