Black Bass Symposium 2025

Black Bass Symposium 2025

Black bass, including species such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass, have been highly sought after by anglers across North America for over a century. Their popularity stems from their aggressive feeding habits, strong fighting ability, and widespread distribution in various freshwater habitats.

Due to their economic importance and recreational value, resource management agencies have implemented various management strategies to ensure the sustainability of black bass fisheries. These management efforts often include regulations on bag limits, size limits, seasons, and habitat conservation measures.

The 1st Black Bass Symposium was held in 1975 and gathered resource managers, researchers, and anglers to discuss the needs of the bass fishery. In 2000, a 2nd Black Bass Symposium was held that focused on the ecology, conservation, and management of black bass species. To celebrate these past achievements and to address the need for developing innovative black bass management and conservation approaches, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and the Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) have come together to organize and co-host the 3rd in this symposium series. Over the past 25 years, it is clear that fisheries science has continued to advance our body of knowledge on the biology, management, and conservation of Black Bass. Although much has been learned since the last black bass symposium, it is also clear that advancing challenges require that we re-asses our existing strategies and improve our approached to black bass management and conservation.