-20- 



which they were used. The highest turbidity from which young redears were 

 recovered averaged 174 ppm through 1954. The older and larger bluegills 

 spawned successfully in all nine ponds in which they were stocked, including 

 two ponds having turbidities of 124 and 185 ppm. ^- 



There was some question at the end of the first year as to whether tur- 

 bidity had directly prevented successful spawning or whether the turbidity and 

 associated conditions had retarded growth and development of the fish to the 

 extent that they were physically incapable of repfSduction. Evidence gained 



^ during the second season seems to support the latter supposition in part. 

 The returns show that in 1954 bass reproduction was found in only 4 of 12 

 intermediate ponds but that all 11 ponds of this group still in use produced 

 young bass in 1955. Among the muddy ponds reproduction was foiind in of 9 

 in 1954, but young bass were recovered from 3 of the 7 ponds still in use 

 through 1955. Redears spavmed successfully in two muddy ponds in 1955 in 

 which they had failed to produce in 1954 but had still produced no young in 

 two of the muddy ponds by the end of the second year. It is highly doubtful 

 that these redears could have spawned successfully in any subsequent year 

 under the same pond conditions since they had now lived through three growing 

 seasons and had attained average lengths of 6 inches or greater. There seems 

 less reason to expect that the bass could have spawned in the most turbid 

 ponds in subsequent years since they seemed more severely limited by tur- 

 bidity than the redears. The best interpretation would seem to be that within 

 some of the intermediate ponds reproduction was merely delayed one year through 



y/ retardation of growth and development of the parent fishes but that conditions 



were such in some of the muddy ponds that successful reproduction was not possible. 

 It was of further interest to note the relation of size-of-bass-when-planted 



