Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: New York
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

In order to properly manage black bass in New York State, the Bureau of Fisheries requires up to date knowledge of population parameters and fishery characteristics; however, it has been nearly 30 years since the last comprehensive statewide bass investigation and building a foundation of new information is now necessary. The bass population study will initially be comprised of consolidating data from various sources (Oneida Lake, Lake Erie, Statewide database, Finger Lakes, creel surveys, angler diary programs, etc.) to determine a Statewide baseline assessment of current conditions. Appropriate population and fish community metrics (e.g., growth rates, Wr, length indices, relative abundance, etc.) will be determined and other environmental criteria (e.g., water chemistry, physical parameters, etc.) will be incorporated in the assessment. Data will be compared among water body types, geographic areas, and time. Baseline parameters for specific areas/water body types will be established.