E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12; Vertebrae: 30 - 32. Mouth large; maxillary extending beyond the eye. Pelvic fins not joined by a membrane. Green to olive dorsally, milk-white to yellow ventrally, with a black band running from the operculum to the base of the caudal fin. Caudal fin rounded. Caudal fin with 17 rays (Ref. 2196).

Like the smallmouth bass, this eastern North American species was introduced into B.C. to provide angling opportunities; however, they wreak havoc with native fishes and little can be done to control their spread once they are introduced into an open system like the lower Fraser River. Only time will reveal the full extent of the impact of largemouth bass on aquatic biodiversity in the Fraser Valley; however, illicit introductions of this voracious predator into drainage systems where they do not occur constitute an inexcusable act of ecological vandalism

North America: St. Lawrence - Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River), and Mississippi River basins; Atlantic drainages from North Carolina to Florida and to northern Mexico. The species has been introduced widely as a game fish and is now cosmopolitan. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.