Handling Information Requests

Upon the closing of our tournament season and in preparation for the up and coming one, our BASS National Conservation Director, Noreen Clough and BASS National Conservation Manager Chris Horton have developed a set of guidelines for individuals who request information from BASS events. These requests have become more and more frequent and we should all be prepared in such a case. Tournament directors take notice. Stick a copy of this in your tournament log book to keep it handy. The guidelines are laid out as follows:

BASS-sponsored tournaments are often perceived as opportunities to conduct biological and other research on fish caught by tournament anglers. Therefore, you need to be prepared to respond to requests from state or federal fisheries biologists, university personnel, graduate students, contractors and others, who want to collect a variety of data.

In cases such as requests by state fisheries personnel, we are legally obligated to cooperate, since we are benefiting from a public resource. At the very least, we want to be helpful and cordial to all requestors, conveying the message that we are concerned about the resource and that we want to do our part in protecting and improving our bass fisheries.

Typically, the information researchers want to collect falls under two categories: (1) general population/individual fish data, or (2) tournament related impacts on the fishery.

General information studies may include taking lengths and weights of individual fish to determine condition factors, collecting scale samples for age and growth analysis or taking several fish for largemouth bass virus or other fish health analysis. In these cases, we should be fully cooperative, as the results of their analysis will generally provide a better understand of the state of a given fisheries resource, leading to better overall fisheries management.

Tournament related studies focus principally on mortality. Again, we want to be in a position to demonstrate our concern for the resource. With good weigh-in practices and angler handling of the fish (such as those outlined in Keeping Bass Alive), significant tournament mortality should not happen, except during late summer tournaments, which are generally discouraged. However, the issue of mortality in and of itself carries with it the potential to result in negative publicity if taken out of context.

The following protocols are designed to help you determine your course of action, should you be asked either in advance, or, as sometimes happen, by a researcher who shows up on site unannounced.

If approached by a state fisheries biologist or wildlife enforcement officer (game warden): Be fully cooperative and ask how we can be of assistance. Get their name and contact information, and thank them for the opportunity to participate. Ask them if it would be possible for the BASS Conservation Department to obtain a copy of their study results. After the initial contact, please call the BASS Conservation Department and provide the person’s contact information and any details of the study.

If approached by a graduate student or a private research company: Get their name, contact information, purpose of the study, and the funding source. Tell them that you would like to cooperate, but that you first need to check with BASS headquarters. Call the BASS Conservation Department, or, if on a weekend, call Chris Horton at 334-300-3092 (cell) or 334-285-2831 (home). We will then determine the legitimacy of the study and get back with you on our decision to participate.

If you ever have any questions, please contact the Conservation Department