Do bass exhibit genetic memory?

[BigAngus752]

I know there have been a lot of posts (contentiously debated posts) about bass' ability to "remember" lures and so forth.  I'm curious if bass ever exhibit a genetic memory (racial memory).  

 

I started fishing a new lake this year and it's an outstanding bass fishery.  It's man-made, created in about 1977.  While doing some research I discovered that there is a specific cove which was dredged and lined with riprap down the middle and then isolated with a temporary dike for several years.  This was the original bass nursery.  I can't say exactly when, but at least several years after 1977 once the bass in the "nursery" were established the dike was removed and the bass were free to roam the rest of the lake.  

 

This former nursery is also in a unique location.  It is at the far west end of the impoundment (this lake is fed by two feeder streams, one west and one east) and it is separated from the main lake by a large NO BOATS zone (it's a cooling lake for a nuclear power plant).  This entire navigable section is NO WAKE and it has a boat ramp but because it's small and no wake it doesn't get much attention.  

 

I'm curious if that decades-old nursery is a hidden gem in the spring.  Do bass exhibit a genetic memory like so many other animals that go back to the same locations generation after generation to mate, birth, or die?  Is the original genetic line of the bass from the nursery going back to the same cove to spawn each spring?  What do all of you much more experienced fisherman think?  I know I'm going to find out for myself next spring but I'd like to know if I'm onto something or if I'm overthinking.  Thanks in advance.  

[Dirtyeggroll]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938417302354?via%3Dihub

 

Short answer, possibly... likely...

 

In the linked study the authors gave one group of pre-spawn female bass a high dose of cortisol, a stress hormone and a control group a sham solution. Bass born from the females that got cortisol had increased fear responses, as well as reduced anxiety, boldness, aggression and potentially exploratory behavior.

 

Its well-established in the literature that a caught fish produces a high amount of cortisol during the fight (and the amount is related to the length/strength of the fight). Its not unreasonable to think that (and I would guess there are data somewhere supporting) that bass can be classically conditioned to produce a stress response to a lure. Thus, its possible that seeing a recognizable lure could spike a cortisol response in a bass and this cortisol response could be transferred epigenetically to the offspring.

 

I would also guess, that there are genetic/epigenetic profiles of bass that are adapted to environmental cues that dispose a lineage of bass to a location.

[Sam]

The literature has information about bass being caught, released, and then finding their way back to the area where they were originally caught.

 

We had such a study posted in the Forums a few years ago so you may be able to find it with the Forum search engine.

 

I read an article about tagging bass after a tournament and a few did head back to their original location, about 13 miles up-lake.  Not all bass did this but a few attempted the journey and I believe at least one made it.

 

Maybe the guys and gals on the Forum remember the post.

 

 

[BigAngus752]

9 hours ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

 

In the linked study

Thanks for that article.  That was a really unique and creative study...but when you think about it, it makes sense.  We see that genetic "prey response" behavior in other animals all the time.  But this time, we (our lures) are the prey.  

[Catt]

How do Salmon know migrated from the ocean, swim to the upper reaches of rivers where they spawn on gravel beds?

[J Francho]

33 minutes ago, Catt said:

How do Salmon know migrated from the ocean, swim to the upper reaches of rivers where they spawn on gravel beds?

Great question.  I don't think we've figured out how they find the river or creek mouth, but once there, olfactory is what leads them upstream.

[Team9nine]

I'm going with yes and no  

 

Yes, because there is ample evidence from several studies documenting nesting site fidelity in both largemouth and smallmouth. Some studies show within the same cove, while others literally have it down to the same nest site.

 

No, because I've seen nothing to suggest that bass return to the exact same area they were born. They aren't migratory in the same sense of, say, salmon. Now, in waterbodies with very limited areas of suitable spawning sites, by default, they may end up back there. Similarly, in the case of smaller bodies of water, I'd again guess the likelihood increases. But in larger bodies of water where fish have room to move about,  and ample areas for nesting throughout, I'd say the jury is still out.

 

There is some evidence that juvenile largemouth in their first year tend to stay within the cove or embayment where born, but as they get older, diet changes to piscivory (fish)  may require them to move considerably to find sufficient forage, especially in pelagic fisheries containing shad (threadfin and gizzard) and alewife. Whether those fish ultimately return to where they were born, or instead simply nest somewhere near where they are when they finally mature some years later, I don't think we know for certain.

 

Personally, I wouldn't count on  there being some ancient magic spawning ground that has been lost to the masses over all these years.

 

Maybe @Paul Roberts can add some insight.

[NHBull]

I will try to find the article and not sure how relavant it is to the OP’s question, but my take away was that fish caught on plastics were likely to re-hit another plastic in about 20 minutes, whaile bass biting a hard bait can be shy for over a day.  Will do some digging this afternoon 

[Glenn]

This video answers a lot of questions:

 

 

[WRB]

I can tell you largemouth female bass tend to spawn in the same areas each year if the water levels allow returning to those areas. I see the same big bass each year within a 100' around bed sites and this can be a problem for these bass, the locations are not a secret. 

Thinking the same areas are a home zone for these big bass doesn't seem to be true as the bass move out after recovering for the spawn to different locations, sometimes a few miles away.

Tom

[Tennessee Boy]

15 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

II'm curious if that decades-old nursery is a hidden gem in the spring.  Do bass exhibit a genetic memory like so many other animals that go back to the same locations generation after generation to mate, birth, or die?  Is the original genetic line of the bass from the nursery going back to the same cove to spawn each spring?  

I agree with @Team9nine .   I've seen nothing to suggest that bass have an innate genetic drive to spawn in the same place they were born.  We know Salmon do have this drive so it's not unthinkable that bass could also have it to a lesser degree.  I thinks it's best to reject a theory until there is some evidence to support it.  Your old nursery my be a hidden gem for the other reasons you described.  It's probably just a good place to spawn so bass return there year after year.

[Catt]

 Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has research in this area along with  a groundbreaking bass tournament impact study that involved tagging and monitoring over 6,000 fish in one year, lead by fisheries management biologist Todd Driscoll.

 

I'm having difficulty finding links to that research ?

[WRB]

It's hard to believe salmon migrate from the open ocean to the same river and then up the same tiny streams or creeks they were spawn at. The salmon spawn return is undisputed fact. I don't believe bass have anywhere near similar homing instinct.

The bass I have observed caught and a few fish tagged definitely relocate from thier winter/pre-spawn areas to preffered spawning areas often passing up other good active spawning areas in the process. Why some these bass do this is unknown.

The most precise homing instinct is deplayed by some birds that travel great distances to nest exactly at the same nesting spot year after year. Some things we need to accept based on observation, the how and why may never be fully understood.

Tom

[islandbass]

4 hours ago, Catt said:

 Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has research in this area along with  a groundbreaking bass tournament impact study that involved tagging and monitoring over 6,000 fish in one year, lead by fisheries management biologist Todd Driscoll.

 

I'm having difficulty finding links to that research ?

I think it is amazing and quite frankly awesome that they do that. Fish and Wildlife in my state only support salmon and trout.  Some out here think that our green and brown buddies are "trash" fish. All "warm water fish," as they are called here are entirely on their own. Hope you find the links. That would be a great read.

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I thinks it's best to reject a theory until there is some evidence to support it.

 

7 hours ago, Team9nine said:

I'm going with yes and no  

 

56 minutes ago, WRB said:

I don't believe bass have anywhere near similar homing instinct.

 

8 hours ago, J Francho said:

Great question.

I guess the only thing that really matters is if that particular location is an ideal place to spawn.  But if I catch a bunch of fish in there next spring I'm just going to assume that I'm brilliant. ?

[Paul Roberts]

On 9/6/2018 at 8:01 PM, BigAngus752 said:

I know there have been a lot of posts (contentiously debated posts) about bass' ability to "remember" lures and so forth.  I'm curious if bass ever exhibit a genetic memory (racial memory).  

 

I started fishing a new lake this year and it's an outstanding bass fishery.  It's man-made, created in about 1977.  While doing some research I discovered that there is a specific cove which was dredged and lined with riprap down the middle and then isolated with a temporary dike for several years.  This was the original bass nursery.  I can't say exactly when, but at least several years after 1977 once the bass in the "nursery" were established the dike was removed and the bass were free to roam the rest of the lake.  

 

This former nursery is also in a unique location.  It is at the far west end of the impoundment (this lake is fed by two feeder streams, one west and one east) and it is separated from the main lake by a large NO BOATS zone (it's a cooling lake for a nuclear power plant).  This entire navigable section is NO WAKE and it has a boat ramp but because it's small and no wake it doesn't get much attention.  

 

I'm curious if that decades-old nursery is a hidden gem in the spring.  Do bass exhibit a genetic memory like so many other animals that go back to the same locations generation after generation to mate, birth, or die?  Is the original genetic line of the bass from the nursery going back to the same cove to spawn each spring?  What do all of you much more experienced fisherman think?  I know I'm going to find out for myself next spring but I'd like to know if I'm onto something or if I'm overthinking.  Thanks in advance.  

Thanks for the head's up, Brian.

 

Do bass have a behavioral memory for previous spawning areas? In the fisheries biology world this is called "site fidelity". Apparently, bass do show site fidelity; Smallmouths apparently more so than LMs. But neither as strongly as some other fish species, as others mentioned above.

 

Bass have been shown to be reasonably good at finding their way back to established home ranges, even across fairly large areas, when captured and then released away from the home range. But not all individuals do so. The reasons could be due to personality traits (exploratory vs reclusive individuals) or ecologically motivated (resulting in home bodies vs roamers); Likely both play a role.

 

It's also been shown that in LMs anyway (and presumably all bass), olfaction is the most important sensory mode used in locating spawning sites; Or at least in re-locating them as this was determined through a study in which bass were removed from established spawning sites, altered (non-invasively to block various senses), and released away from their spawning sites.

 

The area you describe sounds like very good spawning habitat -a "protected area" off the main lake: good heating, and calm water away from wind which can destroy nests by siltation and cavitation, and temperature changes. If an area successfully produces bass, you can expect bass to return there. If an area fails repeatedly, not so much.

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Thanks for the head's up, Brian.

 

Do bass have a behavioral memory for previous spawning areas? In the fisheries biology world this is called "site fidelity". Apparently, bass do show site fidelity; Smallmouths apparently more so than LMs. But neither as strongly as some other fish species, as others mentioned above.

 

Bass have been shown to be reasonably good at finding their way back to established home ranges, even across fairly large areas, when captured and then released away from the home range. But not all individuals do so. The reasons could be due to personality traits (exploratory vs reclusive individuals) or ecologically motivated (resulting in home bodies vs roamers); Likely both play a role.

 

It's also been shown that in LMs anyway (and presumably all bass), olfaction is the most important sensory mode used in locating spawning sites; Or at least in re-locating them as this was determined through a study in which bass were removed from established spawning sites, altered (non-invasively to block various senses), and released away from their spawning sites.

 

The area you describe sounds like very good spawning habitat -a "protected area" off the main lake: good heating, and calm water away from wind which can destroy nests by siltation and cavitation, and temperature changes. If an area successfully produces bass, you can expect bass to return there. If an area fails repeatedly, not so much.

Thank you!

[Shaners]

I saw a video on YouTube awhile back and a fish biologist said largemouth have a 15 minute memory span.