7.4.5 Largemouth bass

Main commercial type:
Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Description

Largemouth bass are native to North America but are widely spread throughout the world, occurring in many water bodies and ponds (Figure 7.11). They belong to the

FIGURE 7.11
Line drawing and photograph of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

order Perciformes (perch-like fish) which also includes striped bass, Australian bass, the black sea bass, the European sea bass and many others.
Largemouth bass tolerates a wide temperature range as growth will only cease at less than 10 °C or more than 36 °C; they will stop feeding at temperatures less than 10 °C. The optimal growth temperatures are in the range of 24-30 °C for all fish stages. They tolerate low DO and pH, although for a good FCR the optimal DO is above 4 mg/litre.

Largemouth bass prefer clean water with a concentration of suspended solids less than 25 mg/litre, yet growth has been observed in ponds with turbidity as high as 100 mg/ litre. As with trout, largemouth bass are carnivorous fish, demanding high protein diets; thus size cohorts should be separated to prevent the consumption of fry and very small juveniles by larger fish. Growth rates are highly dependent on temperature and quality of feed; in temperate climates most of the growth is obtained during the warmer seasons (late spring, summer and early fall). Given their high tolerance to DO as well as good resistance to high nitrite levels, largemouth bass are an excellent choice for aquaponic farmers, particularly for those who cannot change species between cold and warm. seasons. Attempts have been carried out to culture this species in polyculture with tilapia. Nutritionally speaking, largemouth bass contain relatively high levels of omega-3 fatty acids compared with other freshwater fish.