| Does a 19-inch bass weigh less in MA than in Texas? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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a recent conversation spawned this poll question:
Does a 19-inch bass in Massachusetts weigh less on average than a 19-inch bass in Texas?
(the specific size mentioned is merely an example and purely arbitrary)
We're not talking 'top end weight' here, and we can't include age in the equation because the growing season is shorter this far up north, so a 3 year old fish up here WILL be smaller than one the same age down south.
Then there is the Florida-strain largemouth, which are often cross-bred with northern strain largemouth, creating fish with 'hybrid vigor' for stocking in various places down south(they won't survive up here)- but there's just no way to figure that in short of DNA testing! LOL
I just don't know the answer, so I did not vote yet** - it's certainly something to ponder... (and research!)
What do YOU think?
***EDIT - see my post below for updated information
Last edited by tony93 on Fri Apr 02, 2010 8:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
Does a 19-inch bass in Massachusetts weigh less on average than a 19-inch bass in Texas?
(the specific size mentioned is merely an example and purely arbitrary)
We're not talking 'top end weight' here, and we can't include age in the equation because the growing season is shorter this far up north, so a 3 year old fish up here WILL be smaller than one the same age down south.
Then there is the Florida-strain largemouth, which are often cross-bred with northern strain largemouth, creating fish with 'hybrid vigor' for stocking in various places down south(they won't survive up here)- but there's just no way to figure that in short of DNA testing! LOL
I just don't know the answer, so I did not vote yet** - it's certainly something to ponder... (and research!)
What do YOU think?
***EDIT - see my post below for updated information
Last edited by tony93 on Fri Apr 02, 2010 8:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
I think you need to get out of the house and go fishing, lol your cooped up.
I do agree with the different breeds so to speak around the country, for example it has been said that the crawfish in texas are of mutant size and are as healthy for the bass as anyhing, and that contributes to their size...... all I know for sure is in weighing, 5lbs is 5lbs
I do agree with the different breeds so to speak around the country, for example it has been said that the crawfish in texas are of mutant size and are as healthy for the bass as anyhing, and that contributes to their size...... all I know for sure is in weighing, 5lbs is 5lbs
HAHAHAHA I am permanently disabled, so yeah - I have alot of free time.
if anybody cares, I DID find a "Genetic Analysis of Northern and Southern Strains of North American Yellow Perch" - fish DNA tested were from both Wisconsin(wild and cultivated) and South Carolina(cultivated).
Both of the groups of Northern perch were virtually identical in their number of 'alleles', which is related to genetic diversity, with the cultivated group very slightly greater in number.
The Southern perch's alleles numbered nearly double(just slightly under) from that of the wild Northern perch...
In a nutshell(this study was pretty in-depth and 'tech-y', so I'll sum it up), even though the fish are genetically-speaking the SAME species, the fish in the Southern climate adapt to their environment even at the DNA level. Greater genetic diversity results in healthier populations, no matter the species, be it fish or people.
Prior to this, I didn't think it made any difference - but based on this information, my guess(now) is that a 19-inch largemouth bass in Texas probably WILL weigh more than a 19-inch bass in Massachusetts.
I am permanently disabled, so yeah - I have alot of free time.
if anybody cares, I DID find a "Genetic Analysis of Northern and Southern Strains of North American Yellow Perch" - fish DNA tested were from both Wisconsin(wild and cultivated) and South Carolina(cultivated).
Both of the groups of Northern perch were virtually identical in their number of 'alleles', which is related to genetic diversity, with the cultivated group very slightly greater in number.
The Southern perch's alleles numbered nearly double(just slightly under) from that of the wild Northern perch...
In a nutshell(this study was pretty in-depth and 'tech-y', so I'll sum it up), even though the fish are genetically-speaking the SAME species, the fish in the Southern climate adapt to their environment even at the DNA level. Greater genetic diversity results in healthier populations, no matter the species, be it fish or people.
Prior to this, I didn't think it made any difference - but based on this information, my guess(now) is that a 19-inch largemouth bass in Texas probably WILL weigh more than a 19-inch bass in Massachusetts.
