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Joined: Aug 2002
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I have not heard about there being a preponderance of female bass. However, a lot of male bass are being affected by pollution. A lot of the males are showing signs of "intersex." Intersex is a condition in which the male fish start growing eggs in their reproductive organs.
As is often the case, the most likely cause is environmental pollutants. It seems these pollutants appear to cause the hormone systems of these fish to go haywire. The affected bass are naturally born males; however, for some reason these fish begin developing immature eggs. If I recall correctly, fish affected like this were first found in 2003.
The pollutants are endocrine disruptors, certain contaminants that interfere with an animal's natural chemical signaling. In the case of the bass, the pollutants likely sparked some bodily processes that normally only become active in female fish.
That may be what I was referring to as it's been a while since I read the article. I'm starting to wonder if some of our freshwater fish can change sexes!  I'm draining a pond where I accidentally dropped in one male yellow perch last spring but I'm finding more males of that same size! I could have sworn i was more careful when I sexed them. The males are easy to sex this time of year as a little squeezing emits milt. However there are some females that look like males but may have underdevelped eggs in smaller specimens or may just be immature males. In the future I will wait later in the season to sex the fish when the females are massive with eggs! All my males are staying in a cage in the the trout pond from now on too. I had a female dangle a string of eggs off a piece of electrical tie on the outside egg of the cage last year. All it would have taken was some milt though the mesh.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 03/23/09 09:09 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Hall of Fame Lunker
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Nature finds a way, or something like that... Isn't that what was said in Jurrasic Park?
Last edited by CJBS2003; 03/24/09 12:54 PM. Reason: fat fingers
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