CONSERVATION
Chasing Black Bass Diversity Dr. Andrew T. Taylor Introduction I grew up with a fishing pole in hand and plenty of lakes and ponds within a walk or short drive. Raised in northwest Georgia, my father would take me fishing for sunfish (locally, we call them “bream”), crappie, and bass. Fishing became our evening ritual after my dad returned home from work, and I will always be grateful for those times we spent together. As I grew older, I set my sights on catching trophy bass, but it wasn’t until my high school years that a neighbor told me about the Redeye Bass which could be caught in a nearby creek. Soon, a different type of water beckoned me. Flowing waters, and the unique species of bass that inhabit them, sparked a life-long passion of fishing and set me on a path to my current career as a fisheries scientist and university professor. Early on, I struggled to expand my knowledge of the different black bass species and how to fish for them. At that time, kayak fishing for river bass was in its infancy, and there were only a few internet forums that discussed fishing for bass in streams. In this
article, I hope to expand on the stillrelatively scarce resources available to anglers. In presenting a crash-course on black bass diversity, detailing the different species currently recognized by scientists, their native distributions, and information on their habitat use and diets, I hope to inspire appreciation for the diversity among the genus Micropterus—the black basses—and the wonderfully dynamic, scenic waters they inhabit.
Diversity and Distribution In 1881 Dr. James Henshall’s “The Book of the Black Bass” concluded there were but two types of black bass: the Largemouth Bass and the Smallmouth Bass. Today, we know that Dr. Henshall’s view was a bit too simplistic, but scientists are yet to agree on the exact number of distinct species within the genus. This is partly because scientists are continuing to apply more advanced genetic methods that can uncover previously-hidden diversity. As new genetic lineages are uncovered, a great deal of scientific effort and review is required before a new species is given
formal recognition. For those reasons, the number of formally described species remains in flux. All that aside, the peer-reviewed scientific literature recognizes an astounding 19 unique “forms” of black bass (Table 1), and there may be more forms introduced in the near future! Black bass diversity mirrors freshwater fish species diversity in general, with the highest variety concentrated within streams and rivers of the southeastern United States. A few of the more well-known species, including the Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Spotted Bass, have relatively-wide native distributions and tend to occur in both rivers and lakes. However, most of the black bass forms are considered endemic. Endemic black basses are limited to just one, or a few, river drainages, and tend to rely on flowing waters for reproduction or other aspects of their lifecycle. These riverine endemic forms function as important top-predators in the ecosystems they inhabit while also displaying incredible ecological diversity.
Dr. Andrew T. Taylor Dr. Andrew T. Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in fisheries management from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in fisheries and aquatic ecology from Oklahoma State University. You can learn more about his research at http://andrewtaylor.fish or by following his social media outreach efforts on Facebook (https://facebook. com/AFS.black.bass) and Twitter (@TaylorFishLab1). 38
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