A Proposed Change to Palmetto Bass Proportional Size Distribution Length Categories

Abstract Palmetto bass (female striped bass Morone saxatilis × male white bass M. chrysops) are an important sport fish in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States. Because palmetto bass populations must be established and maintained by regular stocking, population assessments are necessary to evaluate and refine stocking plans. A commonly used metric for fish population assessment is the proportional size distribution (PSD). However, the value of this metric is limited for palmetto bass because the original lengths designated for the stock (8 in), quality (12 in), preferred (15 in), memorable (20 in), and trophy length categories (25 in) were based on the old world-record length of 31 in, which is much shorter than the current length of 39 in. Thus, new lengths of 10, 16, 20, 24, and 28 in are proposed for assessing palmetto bass populations via PSD indices. These proposed lengths more accurately reflect the maximal length and life history characteristics (i.e., fast growing, short lived, a...