Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Blue Mountain Dam, a flood control project on the Petit Jean River in west central Arkansas, was completed in 1947 impounding a 2,900 acre reservoir. The reservoir is relatively shallow, receives strong wind action and has a watershed to lake area ratio of over 100:1. Since four to five years after impoundment, the lake has been plagued with heavy concentrations of colloidal turbidity and a fish population dominated by non-foragable sizes of buffalo, carp, drum and gizzard shad. Combinations of fall-winter drawdowns, commercial fishing for nongame species, a selective shad kill and the planting of rye grass in the exposed lake bed produced beneficial results in reducing colloidal turbidity and improving the fish population. However, these results were shortlived. A continuation of these efforts in a more intensive and drastic form was initiated in June, 1965. The lake was dewatered to expose 1,500 to 2,000 acres of lake bed.

The retention rates of Atkins, dart, Petersen, spaghetti and strap tags were compared on largemouth bass, bluegill and Atlantic croaker. Antiseptics used in tagging operations were evaluated for their usefulness in promoting tag retention. Petersen and spaghetti tags were found to be the most suitable of the tags tested for bluegills in short-term studies of three months. Petersen, spaghetti and Atkins tags were found suitable for shortterm tagging (3% months) with largemouth bass. None of the tags were found suitable for long-term studies with the bass. Low retention rates were shown for all tags tested at the end of seven months. Almost no retention after a five-month period was realized from Atlantic croakers. Sterilizing tags and tagging instruments with 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol and a post-handling dip in malachite green solution were found to have no effect on growth or retention of tags on bluegills.

A small backpack fish shocker weighing 19 pounds. was develop,;d for use in sampling mountain trout streams on .the NatIOnal Forests. m the Southern Appalachians. Power .components mclude a small gasolme engine-generator combination and a step-up transformer. The completed backpack provides a choice of 125 volts, 300 volts, or 600 volts alternating current (AC). This unit is adaptable to two electrode systems. One, consisting of an aluminum dipnet and a telescoping radio antenna for the electrodes, proved most useful and versatile in the rough headwater streams sampled. With it, one man handles both the power unit and the electrodes. The other, a thirteen foot electric seine, required a larger crew but was useful in wide shallow streams. During the period April, 1966-July, 1967, over 100 stream fish population samples were taken in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia with this gear.

Commercial fish farming is the fastest growing industry in the field of agriculture in Arkansas. Due to its fast growth, allied industries have not kept pace. Part of the difficulty has been the lack of knowledge in the right places as this industry has developed. To collect statistics on this ballooning industry, a meeting between interested agencies was held at Stuttgart, Arkansas. At this meeting a questionnaire was developed with the idea of programming the information for IBM storage. The results of the questionnaire are discussed in the paper, the information received was expanded to cover the nonresponders. It is the express purpose of this paper to present an accurate estimate of the 1966 commercial fish production in the State of Arkansas. An industry as young as this one with a value of $9,165,000 is worth keeping tabs on.

The stomachs of 525 largemouth bass fry and fingerlings were examined and the food organisms identified to genus when possible. Length and width measurements were made on the food organisms to determine area and then the area was used as an index to volume. The most important food organisms were copepods, cladocerans, and midges. There was a size relationship between fish and food item with the larger fish taking a larger food item. Fish smaller than 15 millimeters in length ate copepods and cladocerans primarily while larger fish ate mostly midges. No cannibalism was detected in the fish examined.

Law Enforcement is a difficult job, one that likely involves more different types of work than we find in any other department of our organization. At the top of his many duties,the Conservation Officer must be an official representative for the entire department's program in his assigned area. Since he must excel in good public relations in his own community, he must also have the ability (if given the opportunity) to help promote good relations throughout the whole organization. This is often difficult to do when he is considered by other departments as "just a Conservation Officer." In order to command its due respect the Law Enforcement must upgrade itself as to education, training and personal characteristics. On the other hand, the abilities and accomplishments of the Law Enforcement Officer must be recognized by the Director, the Commissioners, the Fishery, the Game and Educational Departments.

This paper describes methods and reasons for chemically analyzing selected plant tissue and discusses procedures for processing pl:ant samples so that the results will be meaningful in deer food and habitat evaluation studies.

Fall quail population censuses were conducted on a 257.6~acre study area of the Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station extending over a period of 23 years. Spring quail censuses were conducted for 15 years. In 1940 the land had just been retired from intensive corn and cotton cultivation, and the quail population was very low (5.0 birds per 100 acres). In 1944 the fall quail population reached 40.8 birds per 100 acres and it was about the same in 1945. By 1944 abandoned cropland on the area had reached a stage very favorable to quail, and some wildlife plantings made in 1942 were producing seed. In 1950 the area was divided for study into two parts: (1) a burn-area covering 124.2 acres, and (2) a check-area covering 133.4 acres. During a six-year period (1950-55) when approximately one-fourth of the burn-area was burned each year in late winter, the fall quail population averaged about the same as the check-area.