Electrofishing Practices Have Limited Effects on Largemouth Bass Feeding Behavior

Abstract Electrofishing is an effective fish capture technique used by many fisheries professionals. Despite the overall effectiveness of the technique, there have been reported negative consequences attributed to its use. We investigated the time to resumption of feeding for adult largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides subjected to electrofishing procedures compared with that for control fish across a range of sizes and water temperatures. Control fish fed immediately, whereas the resumption of feeding was delayed for a short period in electrofished largemouth bass. Time to resumption of feeding was not influenced by temperature but was influenced by largemouth bass size, with larger fish taking longer to resume feeding than smaller conspecifics. Although a single electrofishing event had limited effects on feeding behavior of largemouth bass, fisheries professionals should remain cognizant of other potential negative effects on fishes.