Harold A. Loyacano, Jr.

Experimental gill nets were fished at sites with and without cages in which catfish were fed pelletoo feed in lakes Hartwell and Keowee, South Carolina, during 1972, 1973, and 1974. Native fishes were indentified, counted, and weighed. Of34 species captured in the two lakes the most numerous were threadfin and gizzard shad, carp, bullhead species, white bass. bluegill, and largemouth bass. Total numbers of fish caught in each lake were greater at cage sites than at control sites after stocking cages. and total weight of fish caught in Lake Keowee was greater at cage sites than at control...

Tournament-caught largemouth bass were compared with hatchery bass to determine survival rates of bass injected or uninjected with oxytetracycline. Significant mortality rates occurred only in injected tournament-caught bass held in plastic pools. Hatchery controls, uninjected tournament bass and injected tournament bass held in hatchery ponds exhibited mortality rates similar to each other. Survival was best in hatchery ponds, but not significantly better than in pools except for injected tournament-caught bass.

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of cage culturing channel catfish, lctalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), on the native fish found in proximity to the cages. Monogenetic trematodes and copepods parasitizing fish collected were identified to genus. Nine genera of monogenetic trematodes and one genus ofcopepod were found. Comparisons were made between the number of fish· parasitized at cage sites and control sites during three periods of time relative to catfish culture in cages. There were no significant differences between cage sites and control sites during any of the...