SREL Reprint #0380
Growth and Condition of Juvenile Largemouth Bass from a
Reservoir Receiving Thermal Effluent
David
H. Bennett and J. Whitfield Gibbons
Abstract
Growth and condition of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus
salmoides) were studied in an 1120-ha reservoir near Aiken, S. C.
The reservoir receives thermal effluent from a nuclear reactor.
Mean surface-water temperatures in a cove receiving thermal effluent
exceeded temperatures in nonheated areas by 7 and 3C for 1969 and 1970,
respectively. Juvenile bass
collected during their first summer from the heated station were generally
larger and grew significantly faster than young bass from nonheated waters.
The condition factors of all juvenile bass collected were generally
similar. Results from this study
indicate that early growth and body condition of juvenile largemouth bass may
not be impaired by thermal effluent.
Keywords: Par Pond Reservoir System
SREL Reprint #0380
Bennett, D.H. and J.W. Gibbons. 1974. Growth and condition of juvenile largemouth bass from a reservoir receiving thermal effluent. p. 246-254. In Thermal Ecology, edited by J.W. Gibbons and R.R. Sharitz. CONF 730505. Atomic Energy Commission.
