this species. It seems significant, however, that total weights of the com- 

 panion fishes in these ponds were little different from ponds having lesser 

 weights of carp, or having no carp at all, emphasizing that total carrying 

 capacity may not always be revealed by the yield of a single species, or even 

 a combination of species, unless all the resources of the pond are utilized. 

 1\ seems clear that the carp populations were superimposed on the populations 

 of companion fishes in such a way that compietition between the two was at a 

 minimum. 



RESERVOIR STUDIES 



The reservoir phase of the study was designed to provide comparative 

 data from two large bodies of water, one muddy, the other clear. The very 

 muddy Heyburn Reservoir and the clear Upper Spavinaw Reservoir were made the 

 chief subjects of study, with supplemental data from other reservoirs. 



Heyburn is a 1,070-acre Corps of Engineers flood-control project im- 

 pounded in late 1950 on Polecat Creek, Creek County, Oklahoma. Heyburn was a 

 natural choice as a turbid reservoir since it has been continuously turbid 

 throughout most of its impoundment. From the period September, 1952, through 

 September 1955, surface turbidities at the dam ranged between a high of 300 

 ppm in March, 1954, to a low of 51 ppm in August, 1955. The average turbidity 

 through the summer of 1954 was 136 ppnij for the summer of 1955, 126 ppn. The 

 lake is shallow (10 feet average depth, 42.5 maximum) and divides a short 

 distance above the dam to form two narrow, winding arms. The bottom consists 

 chiefly of partially cleared mud flats. The high turbidity imparts a yellowish- 

 brown color which is distinctly unattractive. The terrain is moderately hilly, 

 the region is very poor agriculturally, and erosion is severe. 



