protect fish populations When an angler is fishing, he or she must measure the fish caught to make sure it meets the state's wildlife and fisheries requirements. Every state has their own limits for fish that are native to their ecosystems. If the fish meets the requirements then the angler is allowed to keep the fish, but can only keep a certain amount of fish of that species. Besides a slot limit there are other ways and limits that officials can use to protect a fish population. Minimum size limits- important when higher levels of reproduction are required. Creel limits- used to prevent the harvest of too many fish at once, allowing more fish to reach larger sizes. Guist Creek Lake is an example of a lake that has decided that a creel limit was necessary for there native fish species. Closed seasons- used to help protect fish during their spawning seasons. If a given area puts a closed season into action an angler is not allowed to fish this area during specified times of the year. Mode of action Before a slot limit can be put into action, four things must be taken into consideration in order to make sure no harm is done to the ecosystem: Growth rate Growth rate can be defined as how long it takes for a fish to reach a given size. Even though growth rate differs from lake to lake, an average largemouth bass can grow up to in less than three years, which is considered rapid growth. Recruitment Recruitment is defined as the number of young fish that live to adulthood. Lakes with 20 to 40% coverage of aquatic plants usually have high bass recruitment, whereas lakes with little shoreline cover often have low to intermediate recruitment. If a lake has a high recruitment, this is a good situation for a state to use the slot limit because it will help control the number of small fish in a population. When the recruitment is low, this is where a state would use the minimum-size limit to control the fish population. Mortality Mortality rate is the percent of fish in a given lake that die. To find the true mortality rate of a lake, officials must divide the number of fish harvested plus fish killed from hooks, then divide that number by the number of fish that die each year. Measurements After the