Smallmouth bass were studied in Bull Shoals Lake to determine the nesting requirements and reproductive capabilities of the species in a reservoir. Underwater observations were conducted weekly in five study areas during the spawning seasons of 1969-76. Length of spawning season was affected by the rate of water temperature rise during the nesting period. Active nests were found at ambient temperatures of 13.3-22.5 degrees Centigrade. Nest were generally on gently sloping rock and gravel bottoms, beside permanent objects such as rocks or sunken logs, and at densities of less than one per 100 m of shoreline.

Spotted bass, Micropterus punctulatus, were studied in Bull Shoals Reservoir during 1966-71 to determine some of the environmental requirements for successful spawning and to estimate the reproductive potential of the species.

Technical grade and field formulations of six experimental forest insecticides -- methomyl, carbaryl, aminocarb, trichlorfon, fenitrothion, and acephate -- were tested for acut toxicity against three species of aquatic invertebrates, (a daphnid, an amphipod, and larvae of a midge), and four species of fish (bluegill, rainbow trout, fathead minnow, channel catfish). Five of the six insecticides were highly toxic or extremely toxic to the daphnid, amphipod, and midge larvae. The sixth insecticide, acephate, was not toxic to invertebrates at concentrations up to 50 mg/L. Five of the insecticides ranged from highly toxic (methomyl to channel catfish) to relatively non-toxic (trichlorfon to fathead minnows); the sixth, acephate, was only slightly toxic to the fishes tested.

The second edition of Fishes of Arkansas, in development for more than a decade, is an extensive revision and expansion of the first edition, including reclassifications, taxonomic changes, and descriptions of more than thirty new species. An invaluable reference for anyone interested in the state’s fish population—from professional ichthyologists, fisheries biologists, and managers of aquatic resources, to amateur naturalists and anglers—this new edition provides updated taxonomic keys as well as detailed descriptions, photographs, and line drawings to aid identification of the state’s 243 fish species. There is also much information on the distribution and biology of each species, including descriptions of habitat, foods eaten, reproductive biology, and conservation status. This project and the preparation of this publication was funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.