Preface 



Any book that is written and published probably stems from the belief 

 of the author that there is a need for such a book. Therefore it seems only 

 fair that the preface should let the reader know for whom the book is 

 intended. This one was planned as a general reference for the professional 

 fishery biologist, and for the recreation expert assigned to the task of 

 producing hook-and-line fishing in the artificial impoundments of parks 

 and forest preserves. It will interest fishermen who wish to be informed on 

 lake-management matters, and should serve as a baseline from which re- 

 search biologists in warm-water fisheries launch further investigations. 

 Students of aquatic biology and fishery management will find both theory 

 and practice here, as well as references for further reading on many 

 subjects. 



A sincere effort has been made to recognize and acknowledge those 

 researchers whose activities have contributed to a well-balanced theory 

 of management and to avoid the pitfalls of oversimplification in manage- 

 ment. Out of respect for biological variability, I usually have avoided 

 specific directions, such as, for example, how to stock a lake. Rather, I 

 have tried to show the range of reasonable stocking and its relationship to 

 the range of potential results. Our purposes will have been satisfied if the 

 reader gains enough insight into what might happen and why, to appreci- 

 ate the danger of fish management by cookbook methods, and hence seeks 

 to make use of the general principles of management as well as the 

 sources of information available in the realistic solution of management 

 matters that may come his way as a professional biologist and citizen. 



The organization of the present book was devised to achieve its pur- 

 poses. First a brief, concise view of fish culture is presented to place the 

 modern approach to the management of artificial lakes and ponds in a 

 proper perspective. Next, artificial aquatic habitats are distinguished from 

 natural bodies of water, are described, and, as much as is feasible, cate- 

 gorized. Then, the ecological interrelationships of fishes and lake habitats 

 are investigated and the implications for the professional manager are 

 discussed. After a reasonably thorough treatment of such large concepts 

 as carrying capacity, productivity, growth, reproduction, competition, and 



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