Question

moosehead lake in maine is a beautiful lake, spanning 74,890 acres with a maximum depth of 246 feet. the most sought-after fish to be found in moosehead lake are: landlocked salmon, lake trout, brook trout, and burbot. according to tim obrey, a regional fisheries biologist with the maine department of inland fisheries and wildlife, the fishing at moosehead declined from phenomenal to just
eally good\ during the late 1980s, but has rebounded due to careful management. this table shows the populations of three major fish in moosehead lake over a 30 year period. moosehead lake was illegally stocked with smallmouth bass in 1970.

year	smallmouth bass	salmon	lake trout
1975		800	1000
1980	1300	650	800
1985	1100	300	950
1990	600	500	1800
1995	450	1200	1300
2000	200	1500	1200

in 2015, the moosehead lake fisheries coalition hosted an invasive species fishing derby, targeting smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and white perch. what do you predict was the impact on bass, salmon, and trout populations?
a. all three populations would decrease.
b. there would be no change to the populations.
c. bass populations would decrease while the others showed small gains.
d. bass population would decrease but the others would remain unchanged.

Explanation:

The derby targets smallmouth bass (an invasive species). Reducing bass (a potential competitor/predator) would likely decrease bass populations. Salmon and trout, native species, might benefit slightly from reduced competition, leading to small gains.

Answer:

C. Bass populations would decrease while the others showed small gains.