The effects of size on exhaustive exercise and recovery in a marine sportfish, the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus).

ABSTRACT

Recreational angling is an economically important activity in many communities around the world. One conservation strategy adopted to offset the population-level consequences of recreational angling is "catch-and-release" (CAR), which is the act of returning fish to the environment following an angling event. While an expansive literature has helped to generalize CAR best practices, species-specific validation of recovery profiles remains a crucial component of species-specific angling guidance. This study sought to define the injury and recovery profiles in the plasma and white muscle following exhaustive exercise in two size classes of a common Gulf of Mexico sportfish, the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). The two sizes included a "small" (20-30 cm) and "slot" size (51-74 cm), the latter of which is a common angling target. Both size classes showed a characteristic injury profile that consisted of significantly elevated muscle and plasma lactate, plasma osmolality and haematocrit, as well as decreased muscle ATP and phosphocreatine, and lowered plasma and muscle pH. In small fish, muscle metabolites returned to control values by 1 h post-exercise and plasma metabolites returned to control between 3 and 6 h post-exercise. In contrast, slot sized fish had recovery periods of ≥3 h for all metabolites. The maximum injury effect size was also greater in the slot size class. These data suggest that while red drum conform to typical patterns of post-exercise recovery, larger trophy-sized fish may be more at risk to the ancillary effects of exhaustive exercise owing to greater exercise injury and slower recovery rates.