Education is the key to understanding why and what should be done for fish obviously in the state of hyperbuoyant.  Dr. Hal Schramm is leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University. Dr. Schramm explains, “When bass and other sport fish, like crappie and walleye, are rapidly brought from deep water to the surface, atmospheric pressure is quickly reduced, the air in the swim bladder expands, and the fish is unable to maintain an upright position and swim back to deep water.  This condition is called hyperbuoyant and excess pressure can be relieved by depressurizing or repressurizing.”

It has been said that water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. Owners of ranches know this well and have taken many steps to protect the waters on their land. Some of the most innovative progress in conservation of water has been occurring on private property, in which owners are realizing the many benefits of revitalizing the waters on their lands. The recent surge of private conservation efforts has been a result of developing sporting opportunities.

The state of Texas began stocking largemouth bass in 1941 back when TPWD was known as Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission. From 1941 through 1971 only northern strain largemouth bass were stocked into Texas public waters. In 1972, TPWD began stocking lakes with Florida largemouth bass and since then has stocked 325 public lakes. TPWD stocks Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn almost every year with Florida largemouth bass. Florida largemouth bass are stocked to either increase the allele frequency (number of Florida largemouth bass genes) of the existing population, to supplement limited recruitment, or help recover from a catastrophic loss of fish. Florida largemouth bass are capable of growing more rapidly and reaching larger sizes than northern largemouth bass. TPWD has been successful in altering the genetic composition of bass populations through its stocking program. TPWD stocks most of its Florida largemouth bass not to increase the overall number of fish in a lake but to increase the Florida allele frequency in order to provide a population of bass capable of growing to larger sizes. In 2006 there was nearly 15 million bass requested by the TPWD management districts, with just 6 million fish actually produced and stocked. Having shortfalls between what is requested and what TPWD hatcheries can realistically produce is typical for most years. It is because of these shortfalls and total cost, that TPWD must become more efficient with its bass stockings and still obtain our objectives.  

One of the more enjoyable duties of being a biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife is getting calls from people wanting to know about some “strange thing” they have caught or have seen. I enjoy these calls because it is usually about something I know a little about but not much, and it forces me to learn more about a species or group of animals that I probably wouldn’t think much about otherwise. Most people who call are avid outdoorsmen that know quite a bit about what is in the environment they spend time in, and what they may find strange or odd is most often something we biologists don’t come across very often either. I got a call about lampreys not too long ago from a gentleman that had caught a white bass (sand bass) that had a lamprey attached to it. As I mentioned earlier most people that spend a lot of time outdoors usually know what they’re dealing with and this fellow was no different. He knew that he had a lamprey but didn’t know that lampreys were suppose to be in Texas and to be honest I didn’t either. I knew there were freshwater species of lampreys but that was about all. So I went to find out what I could so I could answer this gentleman’s question and this is what I have learned.