Student clarinet performers often encounter bass clarinet for the first time in a high school or university wind ensemble, so it is logical for clarinet pedagogues to encourage and assist their students in learning this wind band literature. In addition to becoming familiar with this oft performed repertoire, students will develop a set of specialized bass clarinet skills that one cannot learn on soprano clarinet. These skills include increased air capacity and support, timbre consistency in differing registers, intonation tendencies of the lower instrument, voicing flexibility, right hand thumb dexterity for keys that do not exist on soprano clarinet, technical facility for eleven pinky keys (as opposed to the seven pinky keys on a typical soprano clarinet, and effective altissimo fingerings. The purpose, then, of this document is to provide a performance guide for select bass clarinet solo excerpts from the wind band literature and to provide supplemental exercises intended to help students acquire the specialized bass clarinet skill set they will need in order to perform the selected excerpts successfully. The solos discussed in this document are excerpted from H. Owen Reed’s La Fiesta Mexicana, Florent Schmitt’s Dionysiaques, Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, Frank Ticheli’s Blue Shades, William Bolcom’s First Symphony for Band, and Andrew Rindfleisch’s The Light Fantastic.

In this thesis I have explored the double bass as a lead instrument in a jazz trio setting by learning, rehearsing and performing melodies. The purpose was to explore the double bass’ melodic potential by approaching the instrument not as a comping instrument but as a lead instrument. My aim was to find different approaches to playing melody on the double bass; find ways to make the melody accessible for me when improvising; examine how the group can support the double bass as a soloist; examine what happens to the music when the bass plays lead; examine how a focus on melody can affect my comping. I studied different melodies and adapted them to the double bass using different techniques. I also created exercises to incorporate the melody of a song into my improvisation. My work was presented as a concert with most of the songs’ melodies played by me. Amongst other things, I found that having the double bass play the melody can lead to a more dynamic performance since the group must be careful not to overpower the bass.

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In this study ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios were measured from 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘶 tissue, from all stages throughout the fish's lifecycle. The different stages in the life of 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘶 are represented also by shifts in the trophic level of the fish. As embryos, the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values for 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘶 tissues are dependent on the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C of the mother. Also until the point of metamorphosis, where the yolk sac is completely used up, the isotopes reflected in the tissues represent a combination of the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C of the yolk and any plankton which the young fish are able to feed on. As the fish grows and its diet changes to crayfish and other smaller fish the isotopes reflected in the 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘶 shift as the fish effectively increases its trophic position. Definite trends were seen in the δ¹⁵N values throughout the entire lifecycle of 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘶, and while the δ¹³C values did not produce such definite trends it was discovered that there was an overlying spatial trend represented in the δ¹³C values. This means that Micropterus dolomieu of similar age and size display an obvious offset in their δ¹³C values depending on their location in the lake. Also addressed here are the potential problems related to working with preservative chemicals and the effects they have on isotope ratios. Shifts were not only seen in both δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C (as has been addressed in the past) but also between different batches of the same preservative fluid. Different batches of formalin can potentially give different offsets to both δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C, making it necessary to calibrate offsets given by all batches of formalin used throughout the entire procedure. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Hybrid striped bass (Sunshine Bass) were raised in an indoor recirculating aquaculture system incorporating concrete culture tanks, sump tanks, rotating biological contactors and liquid oxygen injection and underground U-tubes for aeration. Fish were anesthetized by two methods after harvest to reduce metabolic activity. Hybrid striped bass were either held in cooled water or water with elevated CO₂ levels prior to sacrificing and filleting. Control fish were filleted immediately or three hours after harvest. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of these treatments on fillet quality and to develop indicators of quality and shelf life. All fillets were stored at 1-4°C and tested over a 14-day period. Analyses included aerobic plate count, pH determination, texture measurements (Instron), color measurements (L* a* b* scale) and sensory panel evaluations of cooked portions for appearance, taste, odor and texture. Fillets of the cooled water treatment group had the highest pH and were significantly less firm (Instron). Log phase growth and the time for spoilage levels of microorganisms to grow were delayed one day in the CO₂ fillets. In addition, the CO₂ treated fillets were generally rated higher in sensory attributes than the other fillets, especially late in the test period. / Master of Science

The comparative performance of striped bass Morone saxatilis (STB) and hybrid striped bass M. saxatilis x M. chrysops (HSB) was evaluated in Claytor Lake, Virginia. This study assessed: 1) habitat use versus habitat availability for STB and HSB; 2) seasonal movement patterns, movement rates, and emigration rates of STB and HSB; and 3) angler catch rates of STB and HSB in Claytor Lake. In general, STB and HSB used similar habitats throughout this study. However, HSB used warmer (2-3'aC) water than STB during spring of 2001 and 2002. During the summer months, fish selected the coolest water temperature available that contained adequate (> 2.0 mg/L) dissolved oxygen. Striped bass habitat was more degraded than HSB habitat during summer stratification of both years. Both moronids exhibited similar seasonal movement patterns. Upstream spawning migrations took place in March at 9-10'aC. Summer habitat was restricted to the lower 1/3 of Claytor Lake, whereas fish used the entire reservoir during other seasons. Minimum daily movement rates were similar between species and seasons (0.2-0.5 km/h). Hourly movement rates were also similar between species (0.2-0.3 km/h). One tagged fish from the reservoir was recovered below the dam, suggesting low rates of emigration. Poor tag return rates by anglers limited confidence in estimation of exploitation rates. However, based on estimated natural and handling mortality rates and tag-reporting rates, estimated annual fishing mortality was 26% for STB and 14% for HSB, lower than rates found in Virginia′s Lake Gaston and Smith Mountain Lake. / Master of Science

Since the introduction of hybrid striped bass M. chrysops x M. saxatilis to Claytor Lake, Virginia in 1993, relative abundance of striped bass Morone saxatilis has dropped disproportionately to stocking density. Potentially deleterious interactions between the two fishes that may limit recruitment to age 1 were considered in terms of trophic relationships, physiological indices of health, overwinter survival, and post-stocking predation. Both fishes preferred habitat types characterized by structure-free sand or gravel substrates, but striped bass and hybrid striped bass did not exhibit significant diet overlap during the growing season. At a total length of approximately 120 mm, the juvenile moronids shifted from a mixed diet of zooplankton and invertebrates to a diet comprised primarily of age-0 fishes. However, after becoming piscivorous striped bass preyed primarily upon age-0 alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, while hybrid striped bass consumed age-0 sunfishes. Striped bass achieved mean total lengths of 229 and 173 mm by the end of the growing season in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Stocked into the reservoir three months later than striped bass, mean hybrid striped bass total lengths reached 133 mm at the end of the 2002 growing season. Condition factor, relative weight, and lipid index values were low, but nearly equivalent for both striped bass and hybrid striped bass throughout this study. Overwinter starvation of smaller (< 150 mm total length) striped bass was observed for the 2001-2002 sampling season. Predation upon stocked fingerlings was not considered significant in limiting juvenile survival; only three fingerling moronids were found in the examination of stomach contents of 200 potential predators captured near stocking sites. It does not appear that resource competition with hybrid striped bass during the growing season resulted in increased overwinter mortality of juvenile striped bass. Delayed stocking of hybrid striped bass lessens the potential for trophic competition between striped bass and hybrid striped bass at this early life-stage. / Master of Science

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Nature Conservation in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / In the Cape Floristic Region the Olifants- Doorn River (ODR) system is a known biodiversity hotspot in terms of endemic freshwater fish. Eight of the 10 described native freshwater fish species are endemic to this river system. One of the main threats to these fish is predation by introduced predatory fishes. Three species of alien invasive black bass (Micropterus salmoides, Micropterus dolomieu and Micropterus punctulatus) were introduced into the ODR system during the 1930s but prior to this study, their distribution and impacts had never been quantified on a system-wide basis. This study aimed to clarify the current distribution, distribution barriers, predatory impact and best management options for black bass in the ODR system. This was achieved by conducting a system-wide survey of 578 km of stream covering 41 tributaries in the ODR system. Black bass presence was tracked upstream within each tributary to its uppermost distribution point where physical barriers preventing further spread were identified and described. Fish species composition, abundance and size were recorded directly above and below these barriers to quantify black bass impact on the native fish. This research demonstrated that since introduction, natural and human assisted dispersal has facilitated not only the establishment of black bass in the Olifants and Doring main streams but also facilitated the invasions into 22 tributaries. Based on survey results it was estimated that 81.5 % of the ODR system that was previously occupied by native cyprinids is now invaded by black bass. Assessments of native fish abundance and size distribution above and below black bass invasion barriers demonstrated that in invaded tributaries only adults of larger cyprinids (Labeo seeberi, Labeobarbus capensis and Barbus serra) were able to co-occur with black bass species. Smaller fish such as juvenile L. seeberi, L. capensis and B. serra and native minnows (Barbus calidus, Pseudobarbus phlegethon and Barbus anoplus) were absent from the black bass invaded reaches. The findings of this catchment scale study are consistent with findings from other studies in the region. As a result, most native fishes are now restricted to streams above the natural barriers that limit the upstream invasions of black bass. Black bass eradication from invaded reaches is therefore necessary for habitat restoration. Effective eradication will however depend on the presence of barriers to prevent re-invasion from downstream sources. To better understand what constitutes the nature of such barriers, this study characterised the natural barriers that inhibited black bass invasions in 17 tributaries. Natural barriers comprised of 15 waterfalls, two cascades and one chute ranging in height from 0.49 m to 3.5 m with an average vertical drop of 1.21 ± 0.67 m. These findings suggest that black bass have poor jumping abilities and the recommended height of artificial barriers as part of a black bass management program should be between 80 and 100 cm depending on the size of the tributary. As a result, the presence of natural barriers or the construction of artificial barriers to prevent black bass invasions is considered a vital component of native fish conservation projects. Finally, the study assessed the feasibility of black bass eradication from the 22 invaded tributaries in the ODR system based on eight criterion covering aspects of biological, physical, anthropogenic and logistical importance. This assessment showed that effective eradication was most likely only feasible in seven tributaries. Prioritisation of these seven tributaries for black bass eradication based on the threatened status of the resident native species, the land-use in the respective catchments and the tributary length available for rehabilitation indicate that the Breekkrans, Biedouw and Thee Rivers should receive the highest priority.