Photo By Michael Ariola | Christopher Nelson, natural resources manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,...... read more read more
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Richard B. Russell Lake, commonly referred to as Russell Lake, is situated between the states of Georgia and South Carolina. In a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Resources Division, juvenile largemouth bass were recently introduced into the lake to combat ecological damage from invasive fish species.
The juvenile bass were reared at the Georgia DNR warm-water hatchery and transported to the lake by truck, where they were off-loaded into hauling tanks on a USACE pontoon boat and carefully transported to select locations around the lake.
“The largemouth bass were stocked in areas of the lake where native shoreline aquatic vegetation had been planted and established to ensure optimal conditions for survival,” said Christopher Nelson, a natural resource specialist with the Savannah District.
An estimated 6,100 intermediate sized largemouth bass were released into the lake. These bass were approximately five inches in length and five months old.
The District and Georgia DNR had previously released an estimated 500,000 largemouth bass fingerlings into Russell Lake this past spring. These fingerlings were approximately one inch in length and one month old.
These stocking initiatives support the agencies’ primary goal of shifting the black bass composition of the lake back to its historical norm, where largemouth bass predominated before the illegal introduction of Alabama spotted bass.
“By stocking larger largemouth bass fingerlings and intermediates, especially earlier in the season, the largemouth bass have a competitive size advantage over naturally spawning Alabama spotted bass,” explained Nelson. “The largemouth bass can then outcompete the Alabama spotted bass for food and habitat resources, thus limiting the expansion of the Alabama spotted bass populations.”
Efforts to limit Alabama spotted bass populations in the Russell Lake are beneficial to the overall ecosystem because the fish are a nonindigenous and invasive species.
“Alabama spotted bass are invasive because they can cause a variety of issues to native fish populations, such as outcompeting them for vital resources, and hybridizing with native bass, leading to a loss of genetic integrity, said Nelson.”
The stockings will increase the total population of largemouth bass, and likely also increase the average size of the largemouth bass at Russell Lake. As an additional benefit, this will enhance the overall fishing experience for anglers, as largemouth bass are the most popular sportfish in the lake.
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2024 14:42 |
| Story ID: | 482127 |
| Location: | GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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