Image from the article
Nature · Disappearing Texas Bass | Emerging Hybrids:
"More not-so-great news on nature front, courtesy of the man. The state fish of Texas, the Guadalupe bass, is on its way to extinction if it’s not already there. Why? Because of human meddling with the ecosystem that once supported the bass – in the name of creating greater sport."
Here’s what happened. In the late ‘60s-early ‘70s, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department started restocking the Guadalupe and other rivers of west-central Texas with Guadalupe bass — a popular target for fly fishers and known as “Texas trout” for its fighting abilities.
Unfortunately for the Guadalupe, small-mouth bass is equally popular, so Texas PWD added the small-mouth at the same time. A poor understanding of mating abilities led PWD to believe that if the two fish species mated, their offspring would be sterile.
Going to research more on this article. With inquiries aimed at Texas PWD, I wonder about it's authors information source, Since the accompanying image sure looks like a 'Largemouth' (Black) to me. Was the Smallmouth introduced or already a native species?
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Image from..Fly Fish the Hill Country
