Big news this week, as it appears the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division is contemplating a crackdown on traditional bass tournaments for select waterways. A three-year study on tournament bass mortality produced shocking results, where 45 percent of bass died as a result of being held in livewells.

At first, these statistics seem impossible. For years, we’ve been taught that responsible handling and release of bass nearly guarantees their survival. How many times have we all heard major tournament organizations tout their 90-plus percent live release rate? Heck, such publicity goes as far back as the 1970s.

For some time, scientific study has debated these claims. Delayed mortality – the fish we don’t see die – has been shown to be a far greater threat to our fisheries than ever admitted.

The response in Alabama is the proposal of a slot limit, where bass ranging from 14 to 20 inches can’t be retained in bass tournaments. That will throw one heck of a wrench in the plans.

We’ve seen a few slot lakes continue to host tournaments without exemptions, but they quickly lose credibility. It’s hard to convince contestants that catching 13-inch bass involves more skill than catching 4-pounders. If the Alabama idea goes through, it will be the end of many major bass tournaments for a number of premier waterways and their local economies.

Undoubtedly, avid tournament anglers will quickly fall on each side of this argument. For those who see little impact on their local fisheries by organized fishing, it will seem like an overreach.

But for those who’ve seen the dark side of bass tournaments, such a proposal isn’t surprising at all. I’ve personally seen enough dead bass to fill a dumpster following tournaments on the Great Lakes. I’ve also watched as meathunters haul trunks full of fish from around the release sites for days following events.

Warm-water fisheries can be even worse. The Alabama study determined the 50 to 80 percent of fish die in summer tournaments. Multiply that by the multiple events each and every weekend, and a large percentage of the bass population is dying in these waterways.

So what’s the answer? Well, there are likely a few ways to combat this issue.

One, we can deny it, like we have been, and hope for the best. Not to sound cynical, but this is how fisheries management actually works a large percentage of the time. Resources often must reach a catastrophic tipping point before anything is ever done. “Proactive” is a rare word in resource management through much of the country.

Trying a little harder, we can put in place programs to limit the mortality, as proposed here. Slot limits might work, as could a moratorium on tournaments during periods of high stress (summer), or limiting the number of events to lessen impact. We could also reduce bag limits, something we’ve seen accepted in a few places. It may not solve the problem, but it would cut it back.

Teaching anglers better ways to care for their catch is a proactive approach, but one that won’t work. Dead-fish penalties aren’t subjective, so anglers continue to push the limits with their catch. Sadly, that will never change under the weigh-in format.

Which brings us to the debate that has recently been brought up, but still not discussed. How long are we going to have weigh-ins?

While a major component of our program involves the weigh-in as the culmination of the contest, in reality, it’s being proven to be counter-productive. While we all desire stronger fisheries, our actions work in the opposite direction.

With this recent announcement in Alabama, many fans of fishing immediately thought of the MLF catch-weigh-release model. Since the very inception of this concept, I recognized it as the future of tournament bass fishing. Perhaps the folks in Alabama do, too.

In any case, more consideration will be given to the proposal, as a public comment period will be granted before any decisions will be made. It’s quite possible that public outcry will override the scientific principles brought forth by the state.

If that’s the case and fishing suffers, the Alabama angling community will have no one but themselves to blame.

(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)