Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

A commercially available nylon mat material was tested as a spawning site for largemouth bass. Of 90 mats installed in fin ponds during a two-year period, spawns were observed on 68. In the 1965 experiment, 71 percent of the 80 spawns observed in three ponds were on the spawning mats. Three efforts to transfer mats bearing eggs to rearing ponds for incubation and growth were successful to some degree, although acceptable production was obtained in only one of the three trials. In this instance a per-acre production of 37,600 two-inch fingerlings weighing 54.3 pounds was measured. Two attempts at hatching the eggs under controlled conditions followed by transfer to a rearing pond were only partially successful as the fry failed to survive after being hatched successfully in a paddlewheel hatching trough and a Downing type hatching jar.

This paper compares limnological conditions of two reservoirs in the same drainage to determine whether there is a significant difference in basic fertility associated with age. Bull Shoals, the older reservoir of the study, filled in 1952, contains 45,440 acres ,at top of power pool, and has been under intensive study since June 1963. Beaver Reservoir, located upstream, began filling in December 1963 and reached 16,210 acres in 1965. At top of the designed power pool, it will encompass 28,220 acres. This new reservoir has been under study since June 1964. All the more commonly assayed physical and chemical parameters, dissolved organic matter content and trace elements, were monitored at designated stations on a year-round basis. Results of these te9ts through August 1965, proved inconclusive in demonstrating a significantly higher nutrient base in the new reservoir.

The age and growth of the smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieui Lacepede, was studied using the scale method. The bass were collected over a three-year period (1962 through 1964) from 51 locations in 32 streams in three drainages throughout the smalImouth's range in Arkansas and from one location in Missouri. A computer was utilized in determining the mathematical relationship between scale growth and body growth for all specimens used in the study and in comparing the growth of bass collected from the various drainages, streams, and locations in streams. No significant differences in bass growth among the three drainage basins nor among the streams within each basin were detected. Bass growth was found to vary significantly among the various locations within streams indicating that for the bass studied the specific habitat was the important factor influencing growth. A growth summary by location based on the back-calculated lengths of 1145 smallmouth bass is presented.

A total of 205 licensed commercial fishermen fished in 31,549 acres of water of the Mobile Delta in Alabama north of U. S. Hig-hway 90 during the period July 1, 1963 to June 30, 1964. Forty-one (20 percent) of these fishermen were selected at random and interviewed. Information concerning catch, capital investment, gross income, net income, and operating expenses was obtained. It was assumed that this sample was representative of the 205 licensed freshwater commercial fishermen who fished the sample area and the data were calcuLated on this basis. Records of sales from retail and wholesale fish markets in the area were also used. Approximately 923 people in the delta were either partilally or totally supported by commercial fishing. Commercial fishermen used approximately 7 percent of their catch to feed their families, and gave away less than 0.5 percent of their catch.

The Mobile Delta was described in this study as the water area in Alabama lying between the Mobile Oauseway on the south and Highway 84 bridge on the Tombigbee River near Jackson, Alabama and Choctaw Bluff, Alabama on the Alabama River in Clark County on the north. It consisted of 31,549 acres of waster lying in a land areaapproximate1y 10 by 60 miles. The delta was divided into seven areas for the creel census. A creel census of the sport fishery was made in the area during July 1, 1963, to June 30, 1964. During this period a total of 49,922 sport fishermen fished the area and caught 294,043 fish weighing 112,325.4 pounds. Each angler spent an average of 4.3 hours to catch 5.9 fish weighing 2.3 pounds or caught 1.4 fish per hour weighing 0.5 pound. At an estimated cost of $3.41 per fishing trip, the value of this sport fishery in the Mobile Delta was $170,234 for one year. The catch per acre was 9.3 fish weighing 3.6 pounds. Fishing pressure was 1.6 fisherman trips per acre.

Cooperation between technical and enforeement personnel in South Carolina is excellent. This cooperation is the result of both a mutual respect between the technical and enforcement personnel and a recognition by our directors and commissioners that such cooperation is essential if an effective job of wildlife conservation is to be accomplished. An excellent example of a cooperative effort in South Carolina is the annual operation of the Moncks Corner Striped Bass Hatchery. This operation requires about six weeks of 24 -hour per day duty. In 1965, 55 milIion srtriped bass fry were produced by one biologist and 28 enforcement personnel. Another example is the cooperation between enforcement personnel and game technicians pertaining to their duties in management, restockings and controlled hunts.