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<br /> <br />Figure 2. Photograph showing placement of the electric trolling motor that directed current through the <br />flow exercise rearing tank. <br /> <br />The exercise regimen for 2006 and 2007 started in March and February respectively with an <br />initial velocity of7.5 cmls. This increased in 2.5-cmls intervals each week (7.5,10.0,12.5,15.0,17.5, <br />20.0,22.5,25.0,27.5, and 30.0 cmls) for 10 weeks and then maintained at 30 cmls for the duration of <br />the tests. The electric motors were turned on at 8 a.m.; flows were measured with a velocity meter and <br />motor speeds adjusted to the scheduled velocities. Fish were subjected to current for eight hours from <br />Monday through Friday and allowed to rest at night and during the weekends. Fish were fed a <br />commercial pellet chow at dusk; tanks were cleaned weekly and fish received preventative chemical <br />treatments for parasites and diseases or when they showed symptoms. <br /> <br />Predator Exposure <br />Large predators were captured from the wild and brought into the facility at least one month <br />prior to use. They were placed in large tanks and fed live nongame fish salvaged from local ponds. The <br />2006 plan was to net and release a large flathead catfish in each of the exercise tanks, allow the flathead <br />catfish to feed for 24 hours, and then remove them. Surviving fish would be used to start the <br />predator/prey trials one week later. However, this approach failed (see Observations section) causing. us <br />to abort that test in the 2006 trials and modify our predator exposure design in :WC)7. Instead of 111001ng. <br />the predators, we moved the prey. Treatment groups consisted of < 12 prey with the anticipation thaI one <br />or two fish would be lost during the exposure process, leaving::::lO prey for the predation experiment. <br />Following a predation event, surviving prey were removed, measured, and combined with other <br />treatment or control fish for the actual predator/prey experiment. <br /> <br />4 <br />