FB107 SunshineBass and Florida Hatcheries

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    Florida Fish Busters BulletinNovember 2014

    FWC hatcheries delivering sunshines to anglers and3.5 mil lion freshwater fish

    By: Bob Wattendorf

    The Florida Fish and Wildlife

    Conservation Commissions (FWC) Division

    of Freshwater Fisheries Management

    operates two highly productive recreational

    fish hatcheries. They are on schedule to

    stock more than 3.5 million fish again this

    year, with most of them being custom-

    designed striped bass hybrids, including

    Floridas own sunshine bass.

    The Florida Bass Conservation Center (FBCC) is the larger hatchery and is

    responsible for production and release of various freshwater game fish throughout

    Florida. These include largemouth bass, sunshine and palmetto bass, black crappie,

    channel and white catfish, bluegill, and redear sunfish. The facility at Richloam

    Hatchery, in the Withlacoochee State Forest, Sumter County, has an observation

    area with informative displays that are open to the public during normal business

    hours. Fordirections and to learn moreabout when and where game fish are

    stocked go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select Stocking Locations/Info.

    early 3.5 million sport fish, most averaging

    about 1.5 inches in length, are delivered to

    ublic lakes and rivers via aerated haul boxes.

    (Photo courtesy of Bob Wattendorf, FWC).

    http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/
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    The other FWC production facility is at the Blackwater Research and

    Development Center. In operation since 1938, it is located in Blackwater River

    State Forest, in Santa Rosa County. Blackwater is lead by hatchery manager Dave

    Yeager.

    Blackwater had a great year in 2014 producing fish for stocking area lakes

    and rivers. Hatchery- and staff-produced largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid

    striped bass, channel catfish and several other species and stocked them for

    northwest Florida anglers.

    We know from previous releases

    these fish will be in the systems for years

    and provide lots of excitement to anglers,

    said Yeager. Last year this included a total

    of 1.4 million sunshines and 100,000 pure

    striped bass.

    The first hybrid striped bass were

    produced in South Carolina by crossing

    female striped bass with male white bass.

    Named palmetto bass, they provided a fast-growing sport fish suitable to ponds and

    lakes. However, in 1971, a few Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (the

    predecessor to FWC) biologists, lead by Forrest Ware, Chuck Starling and Harrell

    Revels, conducted a successful fish-breeding experiment at Richloam, resulting in

    the sunshine bass. Sunshine bass have white bass mothers and striped bass

    fathers, so are also called reciprocal hybrids. This provides an advantage in Florida

    because of the timing and availability of brood fish and the greater warm-water

    These striped bass broodfish were stocked byFWC as fingerlings up to 10 years ago.

    Cradling these fish are biologists Matt

    Szatkowski, Bob Demauro (holding a 27-

    ound female), and David Yeager. (Photo

    courtesy of FWC).

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    tolerance of sunshine bass, allowing fisheries biologists to use them throughout the

    state. The original intent for stocking sunshine bass was twofold: Provide a natural

    control mechanism for over-abundant forage fish populations like shad, and create

    an exciting new fishery.

    Currently, all striped bass hybrid fry

    are produced at Blackwater. Biologists start

    each season making sunshine bass

    because ripe white bass females become

    available first, usually mid- February to

    early March. The first sunshine bass fry

    (baby fish) are shipped to Richloam and

    Welaka (a cooperating U.S. Fish and

    Wildlife Service hatchery), since they are in

    warmer climates less subject to late freezes that may kill fry in the Panhandle. Also,

    since south Florida lakes warm up quicker than northwest Florida waters, fingerling

    stocking survival increases if southernmost lakes get fingerlings first. Because

    numbers requested each year exceed the capacity for sunshine bass, when striper

    females become ripe, Blackwater staff spawn them to create palmetto bass.

    These stocking strategies have worked particularly well in hypereutrophic

    (nutrient rich) lakes with abundant shad, and in smaller urban ponds and fish

    management areas that have lots of anglers. Supplemental stockings of hybrid

    striped bass, especially when fish feeders are available, creates excellent

    recreational fisheries in urban areas and two kinds of fish that are great eating and

    fun for kids to catch.

    female striped bass is manually striped to

    help remove the eggs to be fertilized. Eggs are

    collected in a pan, then 2-3 males are striped

    and water is added resulting in the eggs being

    fertilized. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Basino,

    FWC).

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    The process of creating striped bass involves

    mixing eggs and milt by hand and placing fertilized

    eggs in hatching jars, with constantly roiling water to

    keep eggs from settling. This simulates the way

    fertilized striped bass eggs normally float in running

    water until they hatch, keeps them aerated to

    reduce fungal infections. Once hatched, fry use their

    natural yolk-sac for nutrition, but then must be

    transferred to specially prepared ponds, with

    abundant microscopic insects (called zooplankton)

    for them to eat, until they become approximately

    1.5-inch long fingerlings, ready for stocking in public lakes. (See

    FloridaWildlifeMagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.html for a great article by

    Brandon Basino about this process and to subscribe to FWCs e-magazine). These

    hybrids do not spawn naturally, so FWC hatcheries continue to produce and stock

    all hybrid striped bass.

    Carefully tended by biologist Bob

    Demauro, striped bass or hybrideggs hatch in about two days, and

    the baby yolk sac fry flow over into

    aerated aquaria. (Photo courtesy of

    Brandon Basino, FWC).

    http://www.floridawildlifemagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.htmlhttp://www.floridawildlifemagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.htmlhttp://www.floridawildlifemagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.html
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    Hybrid striped bass frequently have

    broken stripes on the front half of the body

    and straight lines on the rear half. They

    tend to be deeper bodied relative to their

    length than pure stripers. Biologists often

    examine the tooth patches near the

    midline towards the back of the tongue to

    make a final identification. White bass have

    one patch and striped bass have two distinct patches. Typical of a hybrid, they have

    intermediate characteristics to their parents, so sunshines and palmettos have

    tooth patches that are either very close together or joined like a figure-8.

    Distinguishing between the two types of striped bass hybrid can only be done by

    genetic analyses or knowing the stocking history.

    Hybrid striped bass are voracious feeders and consume small fish including

    threadfin and gizzard shad. Younger fish also feed on mayflies and crustaceans.

    Sunshines travel and feed in schools, with peak activity in early morning or

    evening.

    Live threadfin shad or shrimp are effective baits, but artificial lures such as

    crankbaits, bucktail or feathered jigs, spinners and spoons also do well. In urban

    lakes, shrimp, squid and even cut-up pieces of hot dogs will attract sunshine bass

    that readily concentrate around mechanical feeders. A sunshine bass heavier than 5

    pounds or longer than 20 inches is considered a quality catch and qualifies for a Big

    Catch certificate. (SeeBigCatchFlorida.com;where you can also map where these

    fish are caught).

    The top fish is a striped bass hybrid. Note the

    broken lines. The lower fish is a pure striped

    bass. (Photo courtesy of FWC).

    http://www.bigcatchflorida.com/http://www.bigcatchflorida.com/http://www.bigcatchflorida.com/http://www.bigcatchflorida.com/
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    The Blackwater Hatchery supports fishing in

    major rivers in north Florida by actively releasing

    Gulf striped bass (Ochlockonee, Blackwater and

    Yellow Rivers), in addition to hybrid striped bass.

    Gulf striped bass are a unique but naturally evolved

    form of striped bass that are primarily land-locked

    and adapted to the warmest temperatures in which

    any striped bass can thrive. While the native Gulf

    race of striped bass were once found in all northwest

    Florida rivers, the species virtually disappeared from

    the Blackwater and Yellow rivers for reasons that are

    not fully understood. However, the FWC has stocked

    both rivers annually with small stripers since 1987, under a cooperative agreement

    with Alabama, Georgia and the USFWS to re-establish the Gulf race. Today a

    healthy striper population exists, and anglers catch stripers in excess of 20 pounds

    from both rivers. Those heavier than 12 pounds or longer than 30 inches qualify for

    the aforementioned Big Catch angler recognition program.

    To learn abouttop Florida destinationsfor striped bass, white bass or

    sunshine bass, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select Fishing Sites/Forecasts. FWC

    biologists update this list annually, and there are quarterly forecasts and fishing tips

    posted for specific water bodies. You can learn more about FWC stocking programs

    atFloridaSportsman.com/blogs/by picking the FWC Freshwater Fisheries blog

    and following the Hatchery Tracker.

    Stocking signs at boat rampsidentify many of the locations

    where fish are stocked. A QR code

    can be scanned with a smartphone

    to go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and

    find detailed stocking info. (Photocourtesy of Bob Wattendorf, FWC).

    http://www.myfwc.com/Fishinghttp://www.myfwc.com/Fishinghttp://www.myfwc.com/Fishinghttp://www.floridasportsman.com/blogs/http://www.floridasportsman.com/blogs/http://www.floridasportsman.com/blogs/http://www.floridasportsman.com/blogs/http://www.myfwc.com/Fishing
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    Next time you wet a line in Floridas fresh

    waters, remember that most fish you catch are

    naturally spawned and depend on quality habitats,

    including clean, abundant water and healthy native

    aquatic plant communities, but some, especially

    sunshine bass and stripers, are brought to you by hard

    working FWC biologists and technicians.

    Instant licenses are available atLicense.MyFWC.comor by calling888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting [email protected]. VisitMyFWC.com/Fishingand select more news,orbit.ly/FishBustersfor more Fish Busters Bulletins. To subscribe toFWC columns or to receive news releases, visitMyFWC.com/Contact.

    ####

    Sunshine bass are often

    stocked in urban ponds withfish feeders, making them a

    excellent fish for kids, and they

    make tasty table fare! (Photo

    courtesy of Phil Chapman,

    FWC).

    http://license.myfwc.com/http://license.myfwc.com/http://license.myfwc.com/http://www.myfwc.com/Fishing/http://www.myfwc.com/Fishing/http://www.myfwc.com/Fishing/http://bit.ly/FishBustershttp://bit.ly/FishBustershttp://bit.ly/FishBustershttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/subscriber/newhttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/subscriber/newhttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/subscriber/newhttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/subscriber/newhttp://bit.ly/FishBustershttp://www.myfwc.com/Fishing/http://license.myfwc.com/