Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center!!!

The Texas Share a Lunker program is the only state operated genetic engineering bass development program that I know of. The fisherman receives a plastic mount replica of the bass he donates and I believe the bass is returned after stripping eggs, if the fisherman stipulates that, otherwise the bass remains in captivity. The Texas program operates on a grant and funded by taxes at a cost a several million dollars, most states have a difficult time just maintaining their state wild life management programs.
The Share a Lunker program is genetically engineering bass to maximize growth to grow a new world record and is contraversal among fisheries management professionals. There are private funded programs doing similar studies at universities and by individuals.
California was not the first state to transplant bass from Florida, however was the most successful in regards to achieving giant growth rates, which by the way was not the goal. San Diego city lakes manager Orville Ball initiated the program back in 1959, which was managed by Jim Brown, to introduced the Florida strain bass into San Diego's city lakes, to improve bass fishing over all. San Diego biologist Larry Botroff studied the impact of introducing Florida strain LMB for over 35 years in San Diego's lakes. The Florida's proved to be more difficult to catch and the catch rate per man hour went down when compared to native northern strain bass catch rates. Survival rates in lakes the had freezing temperatures was poor for the Florida strain, therefore biologically the Florida bass introduction was considered a failure. The fact that bass were growing to giant size in San Diego's lakes and the lakes became world famous as a result was a secondary issue. The Florida strain LMB were planted in several California reservoirs because of their growth rate and the results are now a matter of record. California's bass are not been managed beyond initial stocking, other than population management, and no genetic engineering has occurred to these bass other than natural selection within the lakes environment. California Fish and Game department does not stock Florida strain bass or restock any bass after the initial stocking program, the bass populations are self sustaining.
Tom

oldschool said:

So farTexas has not been successfull in improving on the growth rate of Florida strain LMB.

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Where did you get that information from.  They have taken bass and increased there growth tremendioulsy.  If they didn't then we wouldn't have the funding for this program.  We have produced MANY bass over the 15lb mark which was unheard of many years ago for the state of Texas.  And then we are still surviving from the "bass virus."  We may not be producing world record bass right now but just wait and see. 

Maybe we should do what California does and allow or bass to benifit off of trout.  Between trout and genetics (DNA), we could have a 25-26 lb bass.  LOL

We have to realize that without the tech. and other factors that we have today we would never come close to Perry's record bass. 

I don't think Texas is looking to make the new world record bass.  I think they want a big bass that can produce big if not bigger bass.  I'm sure they would love to become the new state that would hold the record but I don't think it is there sole purpose.  If so they could have already done it.

Ok there seems to be some misinformation so I hope to clear some of it up. I used to live in Texas and have my own opinions about the ShareLunker program.

For one they do not give a "plastic" replica but a fiberglass replica made by Lake Fork Taxidermy. They are excellent quality. Also, they will keep the fish for as long as it takes to spawn. Sometimes that takes 2 years. Then after the fish has spawned they will give the angler who caught it a chance to return that same fish back to the lake he caught it or keep it and eat it (ahemm Bobby ) and or release it in a private lake he owns. Basically the fish can be done with whatever the angler wishes.

Now this is my opinion on the matter. I have looked at this for a long time and facts are facts. Every year 20-30 lunkers are submitted into this program and only a handfull ever make it back to the lake they came from. Most are donated to the program where they spend the rest of their lives and some are eaten or released in a private pond or even donated to BPS tanks. Case I am making is every year there are dozens of 13+ lb bass that are REMOVED from the lakes in Texas. It takes a long time to grow bass that big so every year Texas takes a step backward with respect to teen fish. Yes new fish take their place but that is it. We are not seeing the 17lbers or 18lbers like they used to back in the late 80's early 90's. Incidentally that was when the SHareLunker program began. So has it grown bigger bass? NO!!!!

It has hampered the true giants that Texas would have seen without this program. This is why in my opinion California manages their lakes better then any other state. They are the strictest, and have the most difficult rules on how to catch and when to catch etc. Plus, people there are extremem catch and release. In Texas like most everywhere else allot of good ole boys like to keep bigger bass for some strange reason.

Maybe the ShareLunker program is helping future generations and I will give it that. But it is not helping them achieve a world record bass. Which is why they initiated this program in the first place. Too many are removed and thus the lakes have to start all over again each year. By leaving those 13lbers in the lake by the following year now you have 14 and 15lbers swimming around.

I like the concept of giving the angler a replica but my twist on it would be we will give you a replica so that you can turn the fish loose so this fish can get bigger and not hang on someone's wall whre IT DOESN'T BELONG!!! Let the fiberglass replica hang on the wall they look better anyway and last longer. I have one. Made by the same folks at Lake Fork Taxidermy. They do great work.

Just my 2 cents. Oh Allen Henry has contributed to this program more then just last year. It is now the top lunker lake in all of Texas. But like Fork all those teen bass are being removed each year so it won't produce any 17, 18's or 19lbers because of it.