The purpose of this critical essay is two-fold. First, the essay presents a detailed critical analysis of my original composition, Blueline Concerto for bass trombone and wind ensemble. Second, using Blueline Concerto, the essay presents preliminary findings of my study to develop an approach to composing that takes into account the musicians' health, specifically regarding noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Through various hypothesized composition- and orchestral-based approaches, I test effectiveness on changes in NIHL risk while also noting that artistic merit and compositional integrity is preserved.

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Briery Creek Lake (BCL) has low abundance of young largemouth bass (LMB) compared to Sandy River Reservoir (SRR), which could jeopardize the trophy-LMB management goal in BCL. I assessed factors that may limit recruitment of LMB in BCL: angling, predation, competition, growth, and food availability. Age-0 LMB were monitored from nesting through their first summer with nest surveys, light traps, and electrofishing. Nesting success was higher in BCL (53%) than SRR (31%). Initial light trap catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) was higher in BCL than SRR but, by July, light trap and electrofishing CPUE was higher in SRR than BCL. LMB nest success, growth, and CPUE did not differ between areas in BCL that were experimentally closed and areas left open to angling. Predation on age-0 LMB did occur in BCL, but was not higher than predation in SRR. Diet overlap between age-0 LMB and bluegill in BCL was >60% during June, indicating potential for competition. Zooplankton samples indicated that density of copepods was similar between reservoirs (2.3/liter); however, the average size of copepods was smaller in BCL (0.42 mm) than SRR (0.71 mm). I examined the activity of trypsin, which digests and converts protein. Trypsin activity was lower in BCL than SRR on 23 and 27 June, indicating that a nutritional deficiency exists for age-0 LMB in BCL. This deficiency was likely caused by the reduced zooplankton size in BCL and led to slower growth of age-0 LMB during June in BCL (0.8 mm/day) than SRR (1.2 mm/day). The fact that age-0 LMB CPUE in BCL dropped lower than SRR by July, despite BCL having a greater nesting success and higher CPUE in early June, indicates that a recruitment bottleneck for LMB occurred in June. Maintaining the trophy LMB fishery in BCL requires management options that consider the factors in June that affect recruitment. I recommend decreasing the presently overabundant aquatic macrophytes in BCL, thus allowing for increased nutrient availability for phytoplankton, the primary food source of zooplankton. This could increase the density and size structure of zooplankton, and thereby increase food availability for age-0 LMB. / Ph. D.

The early life history dynamics of stocked, fingerling striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were evaluated in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, from 1994-96 and incorporated into an individual-based model to assess various stocking strategies in terms of their largest percent increases in first-year growth, overwinter survival, and recruitment to age 1. Age-0 striped bass exhibited dissimilar patterns of dispersion and size-dependent spatial distribution as a result of differences in habitat availability between stocking sites and water temperature preferences. Although size increased over the growing season, a bimodal length distribution developed by fall during both 1994 and 1995; this distribution consisted of large-mode juveniles (> 180 mm TL) that weighed several times more than small-mode fish (<140 mm TL). Differential growth was attributed primarily to size-dependent differences in food habits and diet quality: small-mode striped bass maintained a mixed, low quality diet of invertebrates and small, age-0 cyprinids, while large-mode juveniles consumed only larger, energetically more profitable age-0 alewives. This disparity in food habits, largely due to the inability of small-mode striped bass to consume distributionally- and morphologically-invulnerable age-0 alewives, resulted in size-dependent differences in physiological well-being as large-mode juveniles had amassed greater absolute energy stores than small-mode fish by the end of the growing season. Spring sampling revealed that the bimodal length distribution had become unimodal and was comprised almost entirely of large-mode juveniles. Because the few surviving small-mode striped bass collected during spring were extremely emaciated, it appears that this size group exhausted their energy stores and, consequently, starved over the winter. Individual-based model simulation results indicated that stocking juvenile striped bass at a median total length of 52 mm on 08 June, while maintaining the current stocking density at 300,000 fingerlings, would result in the largest percent increases in first-year growth, survival, and number of age-1 recruits. This strategy was also less sensitive to perturbations in alewife population parameters and water temperature regime, and was more robust to these variations than the existing stocking scheme (300,000 fingerling striped bass with a median total length = 42 mm introduced on 15 June). / Ph. D.

Aquatic vegetation is considered a nuisance in many lakes and reservoirs supporting largemouth bass populations, and control (eradication) of vegetation is often undertaken. Yet, the relationship between submerged aquatic vegetation and adult largemouth bass, from a trophic standpoint, is poorly understood. I attempted to quantify this relationship by comparing available prey with consumption from the perspective of individual largemouth bass and the largemouth bass population in Flat Top Lake, West Virginia in 1986 and 1987. The abundance of largemouth bass ≥200 mm long was positively associated with vegetation density, although no relationship was apparent between the length and relative weight of adult largemouth bass and vegetation. Forage fish abundance was also positively related to vegetation density. Vegetation was heavily utilized by most fish species in the reservoir. Consumption (quantity and diet composition) of individual largemouth bass did not differ among the vegetation densities considered. However, the increased abundance of available prey associated with increased vegetation densities led to increased overall consumption by the largemouth bass population. Thus, largemouth bass production potential was positively related to vegetation density. Increases in the vegetation/open water interface had no short-term (one month). Evidence from this study indicates that aquatic vegetation could be managed to increase the productivity of largemouth bass in Flat Top Lake. The benefits to largemouth bass provided by aquatic vegetation in Flat Top Lake and similar systems should be considered prior to initiating vegetation control activities. / Master of Science

Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia supports a successful put-grow-take striped bass fishery. Empiric analysis of striped bass stocking has shown an inverse relationship between number of fingerling striped bass stocked and survival to age 1. Potential causes for this inverse relationship include largemouth bass predation on fingerling striped bass and mortality resulting from stocking stress. Cage studies performed in 1994 and 1995 quantified percentage of fingerlings lost due to hauling/handling stress. Mean mortalities ranged from 1.78% for Phase I fingerlings in 1994 to 99.5% for Phase II fingerlings (reared in a recirculating aquaculture system for increased size at stocking) in 1994. Mortality rates varied greatly and were probably directly related to length of transport and inadequate thermal tempering prior to stocking. Highest mortality occurred at transport times in excess of six hours and when receiving water was 5° C warmer than transport water. A trial in which Phase I fingerlings were caged without transport or temperature change resulted in no mortality. Predation mortality by largemouth bass was also considered as a source of poor first-year survival of striped bass in Penhook and Waterwheel stocking coves at Smith Mountain Lake. It was necessary to estimate largemouth bass population size, diet composition, and daily consumption (bioenergetic modeling) to determine the total number of striped bass lost to predation. Diet analysis revealed that age-0 striped bass made up a maximum of 2.5% of largemouth bass diets in the month following stocking; adult alewives constituted more than 60% by weight. The estimated number of striped bass lost was only 360 (0.1%) in 1994 and 3062 (1.2%) in 1995. Bioenergetic simulations demonstrated that predation could become significant in the unlikely event that the contribution of striped bass to largemouth diets increased to 10% or more. Based on results from diet analysis and a prey preference laboratory study, alewives appear to buffer predation of age-0 striped bass during the month after stocking. In 1994 and 1995, neither stocking stress associated with the typical Phase I fingerling stocking procedure nor largemouth bass predation resulted in substantial mortality of stocked fingerling striped bass. / Master of Science