Optimal Solution

To achieve the greatest impact on population death rates by harvest across all ponds, the optimal decision is to initiate the strictest bag limit option: 25 adult limit per day. By limiting harvesters to only 25 bullfrogs per day, the death rate for the population in regards to harvest will be limited. Keep in mind, however, that harvest is typically a compensatory mortality source. In other words, the same number of individuals removed from the population by harvest would likely be removed in other density dependent ways, such as disease or by predators. As such, the shift in population growth rates between options 1, 2 or 3 is minimal. However, the biggest increase in population growth rates is under Option 2.