Rich Rego and I have done a lot of great collecting this summer.
Unfortunately, because of other commitments we did not get out as much as
we had in the past and/or as much as we would like (We better get our
priorities in order before next year!).
We collect for ourselves, UMASS Amherst, Bridgewater State College and for
the Bristol County Natural History Center located at Bristol County
Agricultural School, where I work. We have about 1,000 gallons of display
tanks at the Center, representing lakes and ponds, inshore marine and
esturine habitats. All of these tanks display fish, and a few other
animals (ie, turtles, frogs, and various inverts) found within a 50 mile
radius of the school/center located in southeastern Mass.
We have had considerable trouble filling the stream tanks. We don't have a
lot of cool, clear streams in this part of the Commonwealth and to find the
appropriate fish in numbers to make it worth dragging nets would mean
traveling really far. But they do occur in our area.
I am asking for your help in getting some of these species. My wish list
includes:
SMALL (about 3 inches or less): rock bass (Ambloplites), small mouth bass
MEDIUM (3-5 inches): red-breasted sunfish
LARGE (OK, as big as they get): black nosed, longnosed, red sided dace
I just need a few of each species of Centrachid, but I'd like a bunch of
dace. They would look great ina school. Curently the tank is populated
with 8-12 banned Killis (F. diafunis), 3-4 tesselated darters (E.
olmsteadi), a white sucker (C. commersi), 1 big fallfish (Semotilus) who
will be taken out when small fish arrive along with some golden shiners
(Notomegonis) who were really there to as Rego says, "to improve the fish
to glass ratio."
Collecting is 75% of the fun, but with the school year here (right now I'm
teaching a Fisheries course) and winter approaching, time is not on my
side. I would be so thankful for any help!
Brian Bastarache
bast_at_ici.net
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