# Confirmed: Livingston Striper Spawn



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Many of you know that I participated in a study of Livingston Stripers to determine if they were spawning naturally or not. Dan Ashe, TPWD biologist presented the official results to our Hookers club (Livingston area and interested anglers) last night. I've known the study results for some time, but haven't posted them publically deferring to TPWD.

Before sharing the results, some background on the study. Young striper fry of the 2008 and 2009 class were earmarked with a dye on the otolith to distinguish them from naturally spawned stripers, if any. Two marks were planted on 2009 fish and one mark on 2008 class or vice versa. I volunteered to harvest samples to send to TPWD for their lab analysis to determine what is really happening. I carefully removed and packaged the heads from about 70 lake caught Striped Bass and sent them to their Heart of Hills lab facility. The "samples" ranged from heads from 18 inch up to 29 inches fish covering the majority of the legal spectrum for the lake. 

The lab then dissected the heads and examined the otoliths under a microscope looking for the tale tale marks that would indicate stockers. Much to their surprise, about 50% did not have marks indicating, if the study were validated, we have a very healthy natural striper spawn. I suspect that internal TPWD debates precluded releasing the results for some time...it was my understanding that many disputed the results at first, but I don't know that for a fact...just hearsay. 

Well, TPWD has finally gone public with the results here in 2015, confirming what we saw years ago in the samples. This is tremendous news for Livingston anglers...at least those who love striper fishing. We no longer have to worry about how many stockers we will get each year...rather worry about how good the natural spawn went for any given year. 

When you catch a Livingston striper, odds are you are one of few anglers in the State who has caught a naturally spawned fish. 

Texoma is no longer the only lake that has claim to a natural striper spawn...add Livingston to that list. 

I have a powerpoint presentation that I put together back in 2012 on the Livingston striper fishery and it contains some shots of the study process. 

If interested, let me know via PM and I can e-mail the presentation...but its pretty large.


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## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

That is great news!


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Although the results don't shock me, I am glad to read/hear it. I remember you working with TP&WD on that, but at that time I _assumed_ it had to do with age class rather than natural spawn.

I remember one December many years back when stripers were thick as fleas in a creek that hits the river between hwy 19 and hwy 21. I figured the instinct was there for them to try, but conditions didn't allow it due to biological reasons I don't understand. I still have tremendous respect for the TP&WD biologist though .... anyone can make a mistake.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Whitebassfisher said:


> ... I _assumed_ it had to do with age class rather than natural spawn.
> 
> .....


 Age vs weight is next...if I can pull it off.

I want to work with the biology departments of the local high schools to develop a definitive age vs weight profile for the lake striped bass and separately the dam striped bass.

Its an ambitious undertaking....and of course requires the participation of the schools... but I would really like to do the science so we can all benefit from the data for generations to come. The students would get to actually perform real science and develop definitive data which to date has only been sketchily measured by TPWD.

Anyone who has contacts with local biology departments, please PM me.


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## Bluiis (Aug 20, 2005)

*Hope not*



Meadowlark said:


> Many of you know that I participated in a study of Livingston Stripers to determine if they were spawning naturally or not. Dan Ashe, TPWD biologist presented the official results to our Hookers club (Livingston area and interested anglers) last night. I've known the study results for some time, but haven't posted them publically deferring to TPWD.
> 
> Before sharing the results, some background on the study. Young striper fry of the 2008 and 2009 class were earmarked with a dye on the otolith to distinguish them from naturally spawned stripers, if any. Two marks were planted on 2009 fish and one mark on 2008 class or vice versa. I volunteered to harvest samples to send to TPWD for their lab analysis to determine what is really happening. I carefully removed and packaged the heads from about 70 lake caught Striped Bass and sent them to their Heart of Hills lab facility. The "samples" ranged from heads from 18 inch up to 29 inches fish covering the majority of the legal spectrum for the lake.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information Larry.

Do you think it is possible the TPWD will abandon the Striper stocking program in the future because of this research? I hope not.

Last year there was scads of 9 inch Stripers eating everything in sight.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Bluiis said:


> Thanks for the information Larry.
> 
> Do you think it is possible the TPWD will abandon the Striper stocking program in the future because of this research? I hope not.
> 
> Last year there was scads of 9 inch Stripers eating everything in sight.


 No, absolutely not. The stripers are a huge "bargain" to the citizens of Texas. Each fingerling stocker costs less than a dime to stock...whereas the LMB fingerling stockers cost them about a quarter each. Over hundreds of thousands, millions, of fish, that is a huge difference.

Yes, I've caught many of those small fish over the last 10 years...and I even petitioned TPWD to allow me to take a "sample" of one 9 inch fish to them to demonstrate spawning...but they would have none of it, LOL.


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## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

Fantastic!


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## lx22f/c (Jun 19, 2009)

Excellent news!!! 
Thanks Larry for the info.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Meadowlark said:


> Dan Ashe, TPWD biologist presented the official results to our Hookers club...


Who would have thought that hookers might be interested in stripers...
:rotfl:


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## CarolinaPartimer (Mar 22, 2013)

That's really great news! Your dedication to the cause is greatly appreciated. So does that mean there's a chance that they'll get BIGGER now on Livingston?


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

CarolinaPartimer said:


> That's really great news! Your dedication to the cause is greatly appreciated. So does that mean there's a chance that they'll get BIGGER now on Livingston?


 No, unfortunately it isn't likely. The environmental conditions on Livingston limit the age which the fish can attain...and that of course in turn limits the size they can grow to. Those conditions include very high, prolonged periods of water temps above 81 deg. , low DO2, and basically no place to escape in the shallow waters of the lake. In summer, our stripers literally starve to death with a high metabolism and low oxygen. For example, Ouachita has 200 ft depths and I have caught big stripers there down 50 to 75 ft.

About the only hope I have is that Nature finds a way, i.e. some biologists believe we have some genes from the original Gulf Coast striper in our Livingston fish...and those fish were capable of surviving...so a long shot remote possibility is that some day the stripers will adapt to the Livingston environmental conditions to survive longer...but that's a farfetched pipe dream for me and certainly not something that will be seen by this generation.

Thank you for your nice comments.


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## big D. (Apr 10, 2010)

Incredible news for the striper anglers and Lake Livingston! Glad the TPW had the best striper fisherman working with them for the study! Thanks Larry!


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

Congrats Larry! Appreciate the time and effort you devoted to this project.


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## Reel Time (Oct 6, 2009)

Larry, thanks for the report. I appreciate all you do to help study our Livingston stripers.


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