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Specific <br />1. Estimate overall mortality and mortality attributable to predation <br />of first-year squawfish stocked in several different types of ponds. <br />2. Determine the effect of size at stocking on susceptability to pre- <br />dation and/or overall mortality. <br />3. Determine if the presence of other forage fish serve as a buffer <br />to predation on squawfish, and if so, which species. <br />4. Determine whether time (season) of stocking influences the rate of <br />squawfish survival. <br />5. Determine the rate of growth of young squawfish while confined in <br />gravel-pit ponds. <br />6. Characterize certain biotic and abiotic features of flooded gravel <br />pits in relation to their potential use as rearing ponds. <br />HYPOTHESES <br />The null hypotheses to be tested are: <br />H1: The percent of squawfish stocked that survived a given time period <br />is not correlated with the density of largemouth bass present. <br />A test for the correlation coefficient, r, will be used to test <br />the hypothesis. The dependent variable will be percent survival <br />of squawfish and the independent variable will be density of <br />largemouth bass. A five-pond sample will be used a total of three <br />times (a fall-stock/survival trial followed by a spring-stock <br />survival trial and then another fall-stock/survival trial). <br />H2: Bass do not prey disproportionately on one of two general size <br />groups (R=59 mm TL and X=83 mm TL) of first-year squawfish when <br />both are available. <br />The proportion of each of the two size-classes of squawfish found <br />in bass stomachs immediately after stocking will be compared to <br />the proportion of each in the total population at the time of <br />stocking. A binomial chi-square test will be performed to test <br />29