Two hundred and twenty-five randomly selected Georgia ponds stocked with bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from state hatcheries in 1975-1976 were surveyed 1 year after stocking largemouth bass to determine the state of balance of their populations and the key factors associated with unbalanced ponds. The same ponds were examined again 4 years later. The percentage of balanced ponds 1 year after stocking, from analyses of seine catches in 205 of the ponds, was 31%; 4 years after stocking it was 37%. These two percentages were not significantly different. Poor physical features and improper fertilization practices were significant factors in unbalanced ponds. Time of stocking was significant for ponds in temporary balance. Recommended improvements in the state's pondstocking program included stocking at the unfertilized rate, performing pre-stocking evaluations, improving the quality of information recorded on fish applications, stocking ponds earlier, and providing more information to owners about proper pond construction.

While various methods now consider freight projects, these methods are not necessarily suitable for multimodal investment comparisons. This paper will address the need for multimodal freight project impacts assessment by reviewing methods currently used by selected agencies nationwide and summarizing the existing academic literature on the state of the science for the estimation of freight project impacts. These methods are analyzed to identify common themes to determine potential avenues for multimodal project evaluation and tool development. Survey of Governmental InveStment evaluatIon methodS acroSS freIGht modeSThis section provides an overview of methods various states and governmental organizations use to prioritize investment projects for freight. The list is not comprehensive; rather, the methods chosen for this in-depth review are well-documented and represent the state of the practice. A review of these methods serves to establish the state of the practice across modes. Planning documents and tools were reviewed. All state DOT websites were examined to identify planning and projection selection methods with thorough descriptions in the available documentation. The methods with sufficient detail were selected for further review. A sample of national, local, and regional efforts were included to ensure that different modes and project scales were represented, but an exhaustive review of these resources was not undertaken. national-Scale methods FAA BCA (Air)The FAA airport BCA tool allows FAA to make considered evaluations of proposed airport projects under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Evaluation with this tool is required for discretionary projects (it is not required for projects necessary to meet various standards) needing at least $5 million in AIP funding. The tool considers reduced delay for aircraft, passengers, and cargo; improved schedule predictability; more efficient traffic flows; use of larger, faster, or more efficient aircraft; safety, security, and design standard benefits; environmental benefits; and operating and maintenance benefits (1).As available data have increased and as the national transportation funding bills have moved toward objective evaluation, departments of transportation (DOTs) throughout the United States have begun to develop tools to attempt to measure the effects of different projects. Increasingly, DOTs recognize that the freight transportation system is necessarily multimodal. However, no DOTs have clearly stated objective tools with which to evaluate multimodal freight project comparisons. This paper informs that gap by summarizing the existing academic literature on the state of the science for the estimation of freight project impacts and by reviewing methods currently used by selected DOTs nationwide. These methods are analyzed to identify common themes to determine potential avenues for multimodal project evaluation.Freight is an important component of any state economy, as recognized by the recent Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MA...

No abstract