wi wwe es ? W. : 1 ley is a ’ y aa a i eign. uit “al ier ies iid 1 man iv pe FF wis | | TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN | FISHERIES SOCIETY fee Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting JULY 18, Ig AND 20, 1900. Headquarters of the Meeting, United States Fish Commission Station, Woods Flole, Massachusetts, DETROI SPEAKER PRINTING CO., 1900, OFFICERS FOR 1900-1901. President, . : : F. B. DicKERSON, Detroit, Mich. Vice-President, ; . GENERAL E. E. BRYANT, Madison, Wis. Treasurer, e ® C. W. WILLARD, Westerly, R. I. Recording Secretary, . . SEYMOUR BOWER, Detroit, Mich. Corresponding Secretary, W. DE C. RAVENEL, Washington, D. C. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. FRANK N. CLARK, Chairman, Northville, Mich. Dr. B. W. JAMES, Philadelphia, Pa. ROBERT HAMILTON, Greenwich, N. Y. ALDEN SOLMANS, South Norwalk, Conn. J. J. STRANAHAN, Bullochville, Ga. NATHANIEL WENTWORTH, Hudson Centre, N. H. HENRY O'MALLEY, Baker, Wash. Pie Aer: As many into whose hands the Transactions will fall have little or no interest in such of the proceedings as relate solely to business matters and business procedure, it has seemed best to the Secretary to compile all transactions of a routine or incidental nature into one body as Part One, and the papers and discussions into a separate body as Part Two. It is believed that this plan will also facilitate reference and thus help to make the Transactions more acceptable to all. Members in Attendance, - - - - : = 7-8 New Members, ~ = = + 2 = B. 8-10 Report of Recording Secretary, - - - . - 12-14 Report of Corresponding Secretary, - = - - 14-15. Amendment to Constitution, - . : - = 2 19-20. Report of Treasurer, - - - - - - 32 Time and Place of Next Annual Meeting, — - - _ = 33 Election of Officers, - - - - - - 34-35. Report of Committee on Resolutions, - - - - 38-39 Resolutions on Monument to Professor Baird, - - - 41 Deceased Members, = - - - - - - 47 Papers, Remarks and Discussion: Wood, C. C., Plymouth, Mass., - - - = 51-68. Brewster, C. E., Grand Rapids, Mich.,_ - - - 69-79 Bartlett, Dr. S. P., Quincy, Il., = - = - 80-87 Clark, Frank N., Northville, Mich., - - - 88-98 James, Dr. B. W., Philadelphia, Pa., - - - 99-105. Babbitt, A. C., Williamsburg, Mich., - - - 106-108 Henshall, Dr. James A., Bozeman, Montana, - - 109-117 Stone, Livingston, Cape Vincent, N. Y., - . 118-128. Lamkin, J. Bayard, Bullochville, Ga., - - - 129-138. Thompson, W. T., Nashua, N. H., - - - 139-153 Downing, S. W., Put-in-Bay, O., - - - - 154-163. Morse, Grant M., Portland, Mich., - - - 164-167 Discussion on Care of Brook Trout, - - - - 168-172 Stranahan, J. J., Bullochville, Ga., = - = 173-175 Mead, Prosessor A. D., Providence, R.I., = - - - 176-179 Adams, Fred J., Grand Rapids, Mich. — - - - 180-183 List of Members, = - - = = - - 184-160: Constitution, - = - - - - = 191-192. PAR? I BUSINESS SESSIONS. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Wednesday, Fuly 18, rgoo. The meeting was called to order by President Titcomb at 10:30 a. m. The following old and new members were in attendance at one or more of the sessions at Woods Hole and on the steamer Fish Hiawk: Name. Address. [3 LLU] SS Bd Sai be Bg Sei i Oo ee ia New Bedford, Mass. memes created Mie oo. a 26 dete ss Washington, D. C. MMM ENE VEIOW Ty oa hs Sed pve oar ee Detroit, Mich. SEW Glee El Da a a nee ar Pee Grand Rapids, Mich. iyi, Gren BoP... fee nc. «Madison, Wis. | id iff SLs) ee Das | OP aoa ene Providence, R. I. ebrehe E Gale EIN cejcr'dn. gad s cee eid eee 2s Northville, Mich. (i DS as ea Gloucester, Miss. SS Sag] 5 ah | are eae eee Grand Rapids, Mich. reeescots PoE is fs cx ed awe en cue Detroit, Mich. Brasmate As.) oe eos oc meee eee Green Lake, Maine. Perma Vital Nee cd ete ge Woods Hole, Mass. rE ods oo arte Tas Oo Keres + Hadlyme, Conn. aN ioe Seo ll 58 Oe a i ie Woods Hole, Mass. iaamieeth, IODEEE So. Succes ees See Greenwich, N. Y. MUM, SERS Raia 250 S dws coe a dees Oe South Wareham, Mass. Eiri, Waldo Fo es nes cle ge oo Nashua, N. H. [polis SG) Oe | De ere rae New Rochelle, N. Y. U1 155 oo A eS Oa East Freetown, Mass. Jamies: Die bustrod Wit.) sec seek a Philadelphia, Pa. oT See el Se ea New York City. [Ug oe TE ONE Se SS a Silver Lake, Mass. : Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting el et a Or Woods Hole, Mass. Mathewson, Geo: T....550.5. seegesus Thompsonville, Conn. Meat, Prof: A. D.....6.3+.s0ceeeeee Providence, R. I. pailliken, Dr. J. DG ixip hd dane eee Woods Hole, Mass. nmocse, Grant Mi. . oo rrs. . vee reeens Portland, Mich. Nevin, James. «.:.... +. s+. een Madison, Wis. CPMalley, Henry ss. .i Usquepang, R. I. Peete eh, 1). NAVAL CR. coal who testes een ees Bullochville, Ga. Meme Pee. f yf. Sone noes. pe nouver Lake, Mass, "fo CQ) AD) Za Sh APR Chee er ee Rn Columbus, Ga. eT GLEN Ds 0 a ee eae ae eo ere ee Woods Hole, Mass. Mavctey oatniels: 220922 3.053. AES Bullochville, Ga. rrambewrsgi Grn Ci) pasty este ots Thompsonville, Conn. 1 S240 OG ESS Ae tee re 2 RO Providence, R. I. SOLS 5 OO ee oaarde Saree P Wioods Hole, Mass. ecmanr DNs oa ve kee bs Savannah, Ga. Wemamer SEenry 554 65 fede Ho. 3aker, Washington. Peres Srephen dae s.is . os. tints oh Vie Warren, R. I. recrrat, Prcaielie i s..06!s oad cele Vo ald She Bie Proctor, Vt. MsCOm AEE ou. coak' =.) Aisne sas Ot. pohnsbury, Vt. ARES, SE TATIG IA 4 ois igs) sie 0 2 a ele oe Grand Rapids, Mich. asa 8 es ath tog aeadic wm gueld Ugh hes Bullochville, Ga. Semameikset WwW alter. shew hds cos wees Detroit, Mich. 10 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting ellere, DAs Meise. des a'cs t2 ts Paden Philadelphia, Pa. SOMMNS SAIGON. 5. has s eee South Norwalk, Conn. OME WN ade cc uy Waser s tees se Eau Claire, Wis. Sykes, Arthur....... Sisie ss OE Ree wee Madison, Wis. ee SEE Mi OG Ws Pere os es pt ee Wytheville, Va. SOSURIENS, EA Dp Ss ees ee oe SS Washington, D. C. PRE tc Mie eee Ns sy crcaa ee cee t ae Woods Hole, Mass. Stewart; COMES. Be i chee ee eae Westerly, R. I. PRONE. VTE ek oc Ss oa ee eee Philadelphia, Pa. EMOUMIGOU, WE Leeks se ee CN ete ae Nashua, N. H. Mee Te OV oe ce eres PEs Ge ee Oe ee St. Johnsbury, Vt. RT TD cots G5’ ess cna es Bay City, Mich. Ne PR OS cy Tee. Dear Str—You ask me as to crop of German carp and my opinion of their value. As to the crop of young carp this season, will say that there is an enormous lot of them, and by next August they will be good, marketable fish, weighing from three to five pounds each. The Fish Commission did a nice thing when they introduced the German carp in Illinois River. Carp are in great demand and find a ready sale. There is more demand for German carp than for all other fish taken from our rivers combined. From the information I get, as an official of the Illinois River Fishermen’s Association, from all points along the river the carp have brought more money than the catch of all other of our fishes combined. Long live the carp. Yours respectfully, (Signed ) Joun A. SCHULTE. From a commercial standpoint, then, there can no longer be any doubt as to the growing popularity of the carp, and as to one other alleged point against them, I would only say that their in- 86 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting troduction has not in any way lessened the angler’s chances. Bass are more plentiful now than they have been before for years, and constantly increasing; so are the carp. There would seem to be no need for me to say more in refutation of the oft-repeated charge that carp destroy the bass and kindred fishes. I repeat, I am dealing only with what I know, and what I say applies only to Illinois waters. Possibly, in other places, carp may exhibit canni- balistic and murderous tendencies, but here they get down to business and make money, food and friends. 87 American Fisheries Society. FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ILLINOIS FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION, com (Submitted in connection with Dr. Bartlett’s paper on the Carp.) To the Honorable Board of Fish Commissioners of the State of Illinois: points on the Illinois River, giving the estimated amount and kinds of fish caught and value of same iled from reports received from the different shipping or the past year, ending January 1, 1900. Bull Shippin i n Illinois German Buff -fis Sun-fish&| Striped White : Black No. of sate hd Ae: 3 i Carp Ale alent Pouts R. Perch Bass Perch Gore Bass Turtles iver POUNDS POUNDS POUNDS POUNDS | PoUNDS | POUNDS Pounps | POUNDS | pounps | Caught DEPue nice uc soos Beles SOLO OCONTC 50 000 100,000 1,000 4 000 1,200 goo 4,000 1,000 525 2,000 SPMUCUVAMeY. fie sciiw cs doo) <6 eveecees 45,000 33,500 600 2,100 1,700 575 4,100 400 415 2,000 Hennepin and Bureau Creek.......... 85,000 60,000 2,200 7.000 2,000 1,200 6,000 2,000 930 13,000 Henry and Putuniise.-- 6.06. des oe 300,000 130,000 2,000 31,000 15,000 6.000 25,000 12,000 9,000 17,000 Chitlicothe andmijacon. -F.s.ccns0's 700,000 220,000 2,200 60 000 14,500 6,000 70,000 14,000 6,000 17,000 PHORUAS soccer MBE ce witewe Ane 1,350,000 500,000 1,200 110,000 30,000 8 000 81,000 15,500 9,240 25,000 Pekin and Copperas Creek............ 360,000 100.000 1,100 49,000 27,500 6,000 2,000 13,090 9,000 18,000 Liverpool... ...%.. SWetere adee naire cioeteaen 6 80,000 65,000 18,000 18,000 7,000 1,650 15,000 2,000 4,030 6,000 EVA WV AUNIAS seine. c Retae ot evcpic oun tsuneo 1,193.990 400,154 18,009 94,100 37,000 13,206 43,280 18,500 12,061 28,000 12th 0 Weare oat arene? ovat vacateleinia'a\s%s.ei6 iatuis 6 100,000 100,co0o 8,000 16,000 23,000 7,000 14,500 12,000 2,070 16,000 Paint GAY we oes see ee PROS hoc, 85,000 61,000 1,000 5,000 5,000 500 2,000 200 400 2,000 ESTO WAIL Gree taints lavas wisvetios ste Memes 475,000 308,000 45,000 9,000 18,000 3,000 8,000 2,000 1,700 4,000 BR ARDS TOW INS Cee. cdot toamanses go8,000 700,000 24,000 59,500 23,000 12,000 49,000 10,000 4,100 18,000 NIELEOOSIA1 ccetmnemie as. he eoteoaee ny 160,000 100,000 10,000 13,000 15,000 5,000 3,000 2,000 2,500 12,000 INSIDICS Weiens nt Mae te any decckrs sotemiet’ 100,000 90,000 1,700 2,000 19,000 3,000 4,000 1,000 1,850 900 Valley City...... Siavpiers (6/3 sce ae wiahe ei gty 60,000 g0,000 8,000 2,000 2,000 2,100 10,000 1,500 1,000 1,000 Pearls; eve ete Piya osbiaee eos bee aielkas 90,000 120,000 20,000 1,000 1,700 1,500 10,000 1,800 1,400 6,000 Kempsville..... Reece eae este waais 49,000 220,000 20,000 5,000 1,250 8,000 75,000 1,500 1,500 5,000 Hardin.... eileen u ohtdal fortresses 22,000 146,500 19,000 5,000 1,500 1,300 15,700 2,000 1,000 4,000 Grafton ie. ). Sess nate an 20,000 100,000 40,000 6,400 7,000 5,000 18,000 2,000 1,500 6,000 Pounds of each Species ..............- 6,332,990 | 3,143,154 241,000 499, 100 252,050 92,931 459,580 114,490 70,221 202,900 Walisie by. SpeCclasecser inci ccc. cbc $189,980 70 | $94,294.62 $9,640.00 | $19,964.00 $7,561.50 $4,646.55 | $13,787.40 $6,869.40 $7,022.10 $8,471.50 Pounds Value CAaED Soa Si a micas Agi ssn oreo ee Mere ck 6,332,990 | $189,980.70 Pounds.... 11,205,516 Bitalo ty ecis see kee saree aero et andy te Sanh GRAND TOTAL, \ CARTS Danae aan einen Serta 241,000 9,640 00 Value ..... $362,246.77 Bull Pouts.: o.- 2% sitaSss be cuw sche oe oko 499, 100 19,964 00 Sun-fish and Ring Perch.............. 252,050 7,551.50 Stnined Bass. tae .tee oss jichans dee 5a wiest's 92,931 4,646.55 Wihite Perch. ie aie 2 6. maar ae 459,580 13,787.40 Croppie...... ae ees rece 114, 6,869.40 Black a CER... ieee edsinhones Rs Peat eek M. D. HuRLEY, President, No. of Turtles, 202,900.... ....... RE VIPCS Siete ogden 8,471.50 —_————_. JOHN A. SCHULTE, Treasurer, ROTATA 2.56 Breve ins 11,205,516 | $362,246.77 ALEX SARGEANT, Secretary, Preoria, III, 88 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting - METHODS AND RESULTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPAGA- TION OF COMMERCIAL FISHES FOR THE GREAT LAKES. BY FRANK N. CLARK, NORTHVILLE, MICH. (Speaking) I will say, gentlemen, that this short paper was prepared rather hurriedly, as I have been very busy this season. I ought really to present you a better paper, considering the sub- ject that was given me to write upon, because it is a subject that I should be familiar with, so if it is not what you might expect from the title, you will have to bear with me. (Reading) Methods and results are correlative; they bear reciprocal relation. The success of the latter measures the de- gree of perfection in the former. Following this law I desire to make reference more particularly to results which, according to my belief, determine the practicability of methods employed. To study in a thorough manner the results attending the culture of the commercial fishes of the Great Lakes would re- quire complete statistics difficult to procure. It is not my pur- pose to elaborate on this subject, but to curtail and particular- ize, giving you only the summary of my observations on the line of whitefish culture, The beneficent results accruing from the planting of white- fish fry in Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Lake Erie by the Michigan Fish Commission of Detroit, by the Canadian Govern- ment, and by the United States Fish Commission station at Put- in-Bay, Ohio, are too evident to admit of doubt. The methods pursued and the results obtained in the waters of Lake Erie and tributaries suggest to my mind some practical facts worthy of consideration. Reliable statistics will substantiate my statement that more than one-half. the whitefish fry ever. planted in the Great Lakes have been deposited in Lake Erie and tributaries. ’ American Fisheries Society. 89 The heaviest take of whitefish recorded last year to any water area of equal dimensions was credited to Lake Erie and Detroit River. Fewer whitefish fry have been planted in Lake Ontario than in any other one of the Great Lakes; the value of its commercial fisheries suffers proportionately. The whitefish fishermen have practically abandoned the lake. Statistics prove that whitefish were once more plentiful in Lake Michigan than in Lake Erie. According to figures from the Washington office of the United States Fish Commission the catch of whitefish in Lake Michigan in 1880 was on round num- bers 12,000,000 pounds, while in Lake Erie during the same year less than 3,400,000 pounds were taken. The conditions to-day are reversed. Since that date Lake Michigan has shown a gradual deciirie in that industry. During the year 1897 only about 4,000,000 pounds (in round numbers) were taken from Lake Michigan. The whitefish industry of Lake Erie is being developed while that of the other lakes is hardly holding its own. The whitefish industry of Lake Erie now ranks first and that of Lake Michigan follows. There has been a gradual increase in the annual catch of whitefish in Michigan waters of Lake Erie since 1893. the take of 1899 being more than five times that of 1893 and more than twice as heavy as any previous annual catch for the past ten years; and it is probable that the catch has not been so good for twenty years or more. The statistics for Lake Erie (i. e., the whole lake) for 1899 are not yet completed, but they will un- -doubtedly show an increase ot 50 to 1co per cent over the catch of the preceding year. Reports from the fishermen (such information as I have gathered by letter and through conversation) seem to indicate that Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron are holding their own fairly well and that there will undoubtedly be a slight increase over the catch of last year. In Lake Erie a remarkable increase will be recorded for the 90 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting whole lake. The statistics for 1900 I have not, but during the five years between 1895 and 1899, inclusive, the United States. Fish Commission planted in’Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Ontario a total of but 185,938,000 whitefish fry while during the same period the same Commission planted 443,677,000 in Lake Erie alone. Thus it will be noted that the United States Fish Commis- sion has planted in Lake Erie during the five years more than twice as many as in all the other lakes combined; in round num- bers, a total of but 186,000,000 in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Ontario combined, and 444,000,000 in Lake Erie alone. These figures, of course, do not represent the tota! plant for the five years; they do show what the United States Commission has done. In addition, the States of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have made plants, and also the Canadian Government. Statistics show that prior to 1890 a total of 736,429,000 whitefish fry were planted in Lake Erie by the United States Commission and by the different State Com- missions. The superior condition of Lake Erie’s whitefish industries I attribute to two chief causes: (1) Very heavy plants of fry have been made; more than one-half of all the whitefish fry ever placed in the Great Lakes: have been planted in Lake Erie. (2) The fry have been planted direct from the hatcheries. The proximity of the hatcheries to planting grounds enables the planting of the fry at the right age. It is not necessary to haul them several hundred miles over land, they need never be held too long, and they can be planted at just the proper time and in- the very best condition. In other words, the bulk of the fry planted in Lake Erie and tributaries have been planted from adjacent hatcheries by tug- with no bad effects from the act of transporting. The refusal of the different railroad companies to hereafter American Fisheries Society. 91 haul free the cars of the United States Commission is, with pres- ent facilities, at least a partial barrier to an elaborate and success- ful prosecution of the whitefish and lake trout work without tre- mendous cost. The establishment of auxiliary stations, however, near suit- able planting grounds on the Great Lakes would remove these difficulties. | The auxiliaries need not be run more than two months in the year; there would be practically no expense in transferring the eyed eggs from the primary stations to the auxiliaries. The people are now demanding results. In order to have them throughout the Great Lake region, the Lake Erie methods may well be extended io the other Great Lakes. This work is of a national character and should be prosecuted by the United States Government. At present no other lake has such extensive facilities for the hatching and planting of artificially (so called) produced fry as does Lake Erie; note the correlative results. If the industry can be built up in Lake Erie, so it can in the other lakes by the appli- cation of like causes. In consequence of the enormous expense to be incurred in future years by the movement of the cars to planting points, and in view of the more practical side of the question enabling us to plant by the outlay of less funds many more fry in better con- dition, it appears to me that an ever increasing population and an insatiable market will eventually necessitate the establishment of several auxiliary stations adjacent to suitable planting grounds on the Great Lakes. By such practical provision the funds would be applied in the most direct way to the work of replenishment. At Put-in-Bay the whitefish fry are dipped from the fry tanks into kegs as soon as hatched and immediately transported to nat- ural spawning grounds on the reefs and there planted. The plants in Detroit River from the Detroit hatchery have been made practically in the same manner. At the Detroit hatchery this past season no fry were held 92 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting longer than 24 hours; two large collecting tanks were used and cleared alternately of the fry every 24 hours. The fry were admitted’ to the river through a large rubber tube extending below the surface of the water and connecting with a large iron tub on the deck of the tug; while the tug was moving slowly the fry were poured into the iron tub and they of course found their way through the rubber tube into the river, care being taken to keep the tub full of water and fry until the last of the fry were planted. From a practical standpoint, it appears to me that there is but little opportunity for improvement in the present method of try production. But if protected propagation is to provide also for the development of the output, there is a vast unexplored field before us. Countless millions of fry can be called into existence hy assisting nature to the mere extent of allowing her to assert her- self unmolested, but when the fry stage is reached a far graver question stumps the student of modern fish-cultire. The mere production of the fry, should the good work erd there, availeth nothing; it is the maintenance of the same and the maturity of the living germs that really constitute the chief aim of our work. Where shall the fry be placed in order that they may be subsisted and made to grow? Truly they can be placed on natural spawning grounds and thus given an equal opportunity with nature’s fry to battle for existence. But who knows positively that spawning grounds are :he true feeding areas for the newly hatched fry? In the first stages of reproduction the utter lack of solicitude, or even provident instinct, in the parent specimens resulting in such desolate waste (in nature’s haunts) of the great reproductive possibilities so gen- erously endowed by nature warn us and our investigation lead us to conclude it more than likely that not a single trace of anxiety is manifest in the parent fish for the well-being of the fry. When we consider the infinitely small percentage of fertili- zation in the natural state, and the lavish, reckless, extravagant American Fisheries Society. 93 and wasteful manner in which the eggs are deposited, it leads us to infer that the instinct of the reproducers (adult specimens) can surely extend but little further than a promptitude to the selec- tion of grounds favorable to the mere act of spawning. White- fish and lake trout are not bed guarders, as is well known, and the eggs after being expelled from the body are forever dis- carded, Then why should we accept it as conclusive that spawning grounds are realiy the proper places to deposit the fry from our hatcheries? Then how could parent whitefish and lake trout evince suf- ficiently provident care to select a locality where less enemies abound and also consider the prevalence of abundant food for the resulting fry? Is it not possible that all the necessary conditions are not favorable to any one locality? Then the work of the scientist is doubly necessary to determine the true planting grounds for hatchery fry. The character and formation of the honey-combed reefs, ledges of limestone rock, etc., that constitute the spawning ground for whitefish would seem strange for the predominance of minute life, either animal or vegetable. Grounds of this nature are practically barren of vegetation and consequently unfavor- able to the development of fundamental water life. Yet we cannot with certainty know that better planting grounds exist until practical investigations are consummated and the proper localities determined by scientific study into the plankton life with the food question in view. It is very natural {o suppose that the predatory fishes are familiar with the loca- tion of the spawning areas of whitefish and lake trout, etc., and that there are decidedly better localities for the welfare and safety of the fry. Although conceding, without a shadow of uncertainty, that the natural spawning resorts (with their rock crevices, etc.) af- ford excellent accommodations during the period of incubation, I shall continue to believe that better planting areas exist, until the fact is proven to the contrary, The solution of this question 4 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting would be a great stride towards the perfection of protective meth- ods: no importance, however, should be detracted from neces- sary and co-operative laws ¢ssential to the re-establishment of the con:mercial fisheries. The importance of scientific research is obvious, as the nature of the spawning beds is indicative of the fact that nature guides the parent whitefish there solely with a view to the pro- tection and welfare of the ova, not the fry. It has required the planting of many millions of whitefish fry in Lake Erie and tributaries to stem the tide of depletement and to reverse conditions but recently unfavorable to the ultimate re-establishment and maintenance of the industry on that lake. In other words, vast numbers of whitefish fry, subsequently unaccounted for, have been liberated in the said Lake and tribu- taries. Although the good resuits have come, there has been an enormous waste of fry somewhere. Is it necessary that such large quantities of fry must be destroyed every year in order that only a few more fortunate ones may reach maturity? This is beyond the scope of the practical fish-culturist. Can the scientist aid us by investigating into the causes of such wholesale mortal- ity or destruction? Do the fry die of starvation or.do they be- come food for predatory fishes? The gratifying results from Lake Erie waters have not been produced without the application of wholesale methods, and necessarily enormous losses have been sustained and over-bal- anced by exceptionally heavy plants of whitefish fry. The saine conditions may be brought about in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Ontario by very extensive planting, but it will cer- tainly require that unless a solution of the food question and the location of better planting grounds be determined. - By prac- tical experiment it has been proven that Detroit River contains food favorable to the growth of whitefish fry, and the river un- doubtedly affords excellent planting ground. It is natural to suppose that by the current of the river the fry are brought in contact with the plankton life on their down- American Fisheries Society. 95 ward course toward Lake Erie, and enter the lake through the influence of “a natural distributor,” so to speak. From the Northville Station this past year we planted nearly 7,000,000 lake trout fry in Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. The number of pounds of lake trout caught during the year in Michigan waters of the Great Lakes is, in round numbers, about 7,000,000. Now, allowing that the fish would average five pounds each (which is a low estimate), just about 1,400,000 lake trout were caught dur- ing the year 1899. Now, supposing that of the 7,000,000 lake trout fry planted from the Northville Station one of every five reached maturity and averaged five pounds. It is readily seen that (should these proportions be kept up from year to year) the plants from Northville alone would keep up the supply of-all the Michi- gan waters of the Great Lakes, the catch being regulated by the number of fry planted, to say nothing of the aid by natural pro- duction. And this allows for a loss of 80 per cent of the fry planted! These facts impress one with the thought that the work of the practical fish-culturist to the stage of fry production has about reached the limit of practical perfection. The production of the fry constitutes only the fundamental operations of protected propagation; the maturity of the same is the consummation of the art, the result desired. It is now a question of fry maintenance, rather than of fry production, that confronts us. It will eventually be solved. as “Necessity becomes the mother of investigation.” DISCUSSION OF MR. CLARK’S PAPER. Mr. Bryant: Mr. Clark expressed doubt as to whether the ‘planting of fry on the natural spawning grounds was the best ‘place to make such plants. If you deposit fry there that are hatched artificially, wouldn’t they have the same instinct as the fry that hatch on their own ground, and wouldn’t they go to the very places, in search of food, as the fry hatched there? Mr. Clark: What I would say in regard to that is, we know ‘the whitefish are decreasing, except where the fry have been 96 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting planted in large numbers under favorable conditions, as in the Detroit river, which distributes them over large areas. Now, we do know that many of the best spawning beds of the whitefish have been destroyed and may not now be the best place to deposit the fry, if they ever were. For example, Thunder Bay, in Lake Huron, was formerly a natural spawning ground for whitefish, but it is not so now, probably on account of the sawdust and refuse spread over the bay from the Thunder Bay river. The main question is, do we get the results that we should from the number of fry planted? Mr. Bryant: You deposit elsewhere than in the river? Mr. Clark: Yes; certainly. For instance, take it at Alpena, we hatch between thirty and forty million that are distributed by boat from Alpena up and down the shore; perhaps fifty to sev- enty-five miles each way. Of course they are not scattered broadcast. The sum and substance of the thing is right here, Mr. President: We are working to some extent in the dark. I mean in the present years. We know to-day, Mr. President, that if we have 10,000,000 whitefish eggs we can tell just how many whitefish fry we are going to have one year with another, just how many fry, and I claim that that part of the fish-culture work has reached its limit. I claim that we have reached the highest practical limit in that direction. Now we want the scientists or somebody to step in and tell where the young fish should be planted to insure the best results. . Mr. Geo. T. Mathewson: I don’t know anything about whitefish culture, but down in Connecticut we place the fish in ponds and hold them there. We are getting good results by tak- ing our shad fry and putting them in our shad ponds and holding” them there until October. The President: I will inquire of Mr. Clark what he has to: say on this subject. Mr. Clark: Mr. President, that brings out the question of rearing fish for distribution. It is all right, I tell you, when it is practical. I would like to see it done, but how are we going to do it with the whitefish without an enormous expense? With the American Fisheries Society. 97 shad you can do it only in a limited way. Neither you nor the United States Fish Commission have ever held 100,000,000 fry, and with the whitefish we must have the right kind of enclosures, and it means millions of money in order to do it right. (Applause.) Mr. Davis: Isn’t it a fact, Mr. Clark, that the disappearance of the whitefish is largely due to the increase of the fishermen’s methods of taking them? We have one man who is fishing to- day with 75 miles of nets in Lake Michigan, and when there are nets in that lake that will extend around the entire area of the lake once and a half, is it any wonder that the fish are disappear- ing? Mr. Clark: If you will read the papers and reports on this point, you will find that the theory we take is that the mature fish are there for the purpose of being caught out 1f you but replace with fry, and the food is there for the fry, if it hasn't been de- stroyed by sewerage and refuse. Now, when you replace with fry, you may take out all the adult fish; [ don’t care whether a fisher- man has one net or 75 miles of nets. If this is not a fact, how is it that the whitefish are increasing throughout Lake Erie, where there is far more net fishing than in Lake Michigan. We caught last year, on the Detroit river, which all the Michigan men know, more than double the amount of whitefish taken there five years ago, and | do not think we had as many nets. Mr. Ravenel: I would like to say to the gentleman from Connecticut relative to the distribution of the yearling whitefish, that the government would have to acquire property and build ponds, and it would be necessary to get the congressmen inter- ested in it, and then after we have gotten the appropriation we must enclose an immense area to supply food for the young fish. The same question is involved in shad culture. We annually dis- tribute millions of shad fry, and the supply of shad on the Po- tomac, where they have been raised to a considerable extent, has not been any better sustained than on the Delaware river, where only fry are planted. That is no argument, however; for the expense has been the only thing that has deterred us from under- os Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting taking to raise more yearlings. It might be better, I suppose, to hatch 10,000,000 and raise them. Mr. Stranahan’s report for 1899 touches upon the question of fry distribution and suitable localities. He has made some very interesting observations. He claims that under certain con- ditions of the water the natural food of the whitefish is not to be found: that when the water was clear and cold he has made ex- aminations and found the food in abundance, and he recommends very strongly that the planting of whitefish be governed by the condition of the water, Furthermore, whitefish are dis- tributed over a very large area. They are siphoned from the hatchery into a large tank on a vessel, and as the vessel runs along at the rate of eight or ten miles an hour the fry run out into the water through a rubber pipe, so they are well distributed. Dr. James: It seems to me that we are coming to the time when we will encourage the catching of all the older fish ; that the time will come when with the fish that have once spawned, it will be a great deal better for the people to catch them. The laws which limit the catching of trout under a certain number of inches are right. Let all the older fish be caught and consumed by the people, but save the younger fish for propagation; give them a chance to spawn, that is my idea, and keep on propagating as we are now doing. The great trouble is to get uniform laws, but if you furnish fish five inches long and put them in the Pennsyl- vania waters they will all be snapped up. These fish get no chance; you get no good from them. You simply, by putting the fish there, feed the men who take them out, so we want to have a limit and permit them to do one spawning. American Fisheries Society. 99 THE CLOSE SEASON FOR FISH. BY DR. B. W. JAMES, PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Speaking): Mr. President and Gentlemen—I simply aim to call attention to a subject which I think we have not discussed in this society, and that is, “The open and closed season for trout and the better class of food fish.” It is a subject which should create some little debate, and I thought we might exchange views, so I wrote this brief paper, “The Open and Closed Season for Fish, Birds and Mammals, More Particularly Fish.” (Reading): Next to the subject of the size of the various fish to be caught comes that of the open season for their catching, and the close-season for their spawning, and we can easily see that this will vary in different States and streams of this continent on account of the variation of the temperature between the Can- adian streams and the warm shores of the Gulf of Mexico, and the State laws will vary a little. While there is some variation due in this way, there is still a period within possibly two or three weeks at the very farthest of variation only to be allowed for those fish which populate different streams, such as shad, salmon, her- ring, etc., while the brook trout, which usually inhabit cold locali- ties, and of course do not exist in streams of the lower portion of the country, might be said to require almost a uniform period for the close-season. ‘The period in three or four of the States into whose interior the larger streams extend, such as the Hudson in New York, Delaware and Susquehanna in Pennsylvania, and others in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and other States only will be referred to. In the State of Pennsylvania we find the following law in force: 100 . Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting OPEN SEASON FOR GAME AND FISH IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA—1899. FISH, - LAWFUL TO KILL: Black bass and all others...... May 30 to Jan. I. Se SRMIONE igs Oka baa March 1 to Aug. 15. ppeckied troubis. 2 io. ceed April 15 to July 15. Speckled trout, Pike County. ...May 1 to Aug. 6. Lake frost ci 255-5. SOE Jan. 1 to Sept. 30. Pike-or- pickerel’. :. 0/2 sgh sak June 1 to Feb. 1. Susquehanna salmon.......... May 30 to Jan. 1. MAG. « n4esah sateen Dec. 31 to June 20. In regard to birds and mammals it is lawful to kill— Elk, wild deer or antelope from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. Gray, black or fox squirrel from Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. Hare, commonly called rabbit, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. Quail, or Virginia partridge, from Oct. 15 to Dec, 15. Rail birds or reed birds from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1. Wild turkey from Oct. 15 to Dee. 15. Ruffed grouse, commonly called pheasant; or pinnated grouse, commonly called prairie chicken, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. Upland, or grass plover, from July 15 to Jan. 1. Wild fowl from Sept. 1 to May 1. Woodcock, during July only, and subsequent season, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. The main features of our Pennsylvania State laws are as fol- lows: Sunday shooting is prohibited under a penalty of $25.00. “There shall be no hunting or shooting on Sunday, penalty $25.00. That it shall be unlawful to kill, entrap or pursue with — intent to kill, any elk, deer, fawn, wild turkey, pheasant, grouse,. quail, partridge, or woodcock for the purpose of selling the same, or to ship any of the above game out of the State ; penalty, $100.00 for every elk, deer or fawn so taken, purchased or sold, and $25.00 for every wild turkey, pheasant, grouse, quail, partridge or wood- cock. Unlawful for any one person to kill in any one day more than 15 quail or Virginia partridge, or more than 10 woodcock, American Fisheries Society. 101 or more than 10 ruffed grouse (commonly called pheasant), or more than 2 wild turkeys, or to kill in one season more than 2 deer. Unlawful to use dogs in hunting for deer, under a penalty of $100.00. Dogs pursuing deer may be killed. Hunting rabbits with ferrets prohibited.” The general features of our fish laws in the same State may be found summarized in the fifteenth annual report of the Penn- sylvania Fish Protective Association, and is as follows: SUMMARY OF FISH LAWS. Nets and Set Lines.—Fishing with nets in the inland waters, and set lines, is positively prohibited by the laws of this State. Penalty, $100.00, with forfeiture of nets, boats, etc. Fish Weirs, Etc-—Fish weirs, fiish baskets, and Fyke nets are prohibited by the laws of the State. Penalty, $50.00 for first of- fense, and $100.00 for second offense. Dynamite and Explosives —The use of torpedoes, giant pow- der, nitro glycerine, dynamite, electricity, lime or any other poison- ous or explosive substance of any kind for catching or taking fish is strictly prohibited. Penalty, $50.00 and imprisonment. Fish Under Size.—The catching of black bass and wall-eyed pike under six inches, and trout and rock bass under five inches in length, is prohibited in any of the waters of the State except the Delaware River, where it is illegal to take black bass or wall- eyed pike under nine inches in length. Penalty, $10.00 for each fish, Penalty, $10.00 for each bass, speckled trout, lake trout, Sus- quehanna salmon or wall-eyed pike, pike or pickerel taken out of season. Penalty, $20.00 for each sea salmon taken out of season. Those under three pounds must be returned to the water. Fish wardens, constables or any officer of the State, are authorized to arrest without warrant any person violating any of the fish laws. One-half of the penalty goes to the informer. In our neighboring State of New Jersey we find the follow- ing laws in force, as given by the Board of Fish and Game Com- missioners : 102 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting OPEN SEASON FOR GAME AND FISH IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY—1899. FISH AND GAME, - LAWFUL TO KILL. Hare, rabbit and quail......... Nov. Io to Dec. 31. WOOdG0EK. 5 Sa kivs Cot ceaeae ee July, Oct., Nov. to Dec. 10. Gray, English or Wilson snipe... March, April and Sept. Partridge, grouse or pheasant.. Oct. 1 to Dec. Io. Reed bird, rail bird or marsh hen. Aug. 25 to Dec. 31. Gray, black and fox squirrels..... ‘Sept. and Nov. to to Dec. 10. Grass or upland plover and dove... August and September. Geese, duck and other web-footed WIE DOW cic ic hae gt eae mathe 256 02 Jan. 1 to May 1 and Sept. 30 to Dec. 31. SIOOK {TOU 2 se en oe eee ea eee April 1 to July 15. Mack -Bass:ai7.(, 3 25 cate Mpeereue ree May 30 to Nov. 30. Packerel sso seis tae One aon Jan. 1 to Feb. 20, and May 1 to.dDecs 3 T- The killing of deer and long-necked pheasants is prohibited at all times. The Forest, Fish and Game Laws of the State of New York may be summed up briefly, as follows: “Trout, close season——The close season for trout shall be from September 1st to April 15th inclusive. Trout shall not be sold or possessed in any county during the season that is closed throughout the entire county. Trout léss than six inches in length shall not be taken or possessed, and if taken shall without avoidable injury be immediately returned to the waters where taken.” “It is unlawful to take fish or game during the time de- scribed as ‘close season.’ Fish and game for which close seasons are established may be hunted and caught in a lawful manner duing that part of the year which is not included in such close seasons respectively. The ‘open season’ is that part of the year year when they may be taken in a lawful manner.” “Close season established in towns.—The commission may, on the request of a majority of the town board of any town in American Fisheries Society. 103 which fish have been or shall be placed at the expense of the state, prohibit or regulate the taking of fish from public inland waters therein, for not exceeding five years, from the first of May next after such fish have been furnished. At least thirty days before such prohibition or regulation shall take effect a copy of the same shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the town to which the prohibition or regulation applies, and printed copies thereof at least one foot square shall be posted along the shores of the waters affected not more than fifty rods apart.” CLOSE-SEASON FOR FISH IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 1900. FISH. UNLAWFUL TO KILL, ROE aS. ot Seca ess Deke et Sept. 1 to April 15 Ls 15813) 1) a a Oct. 1 to April 30 RT ARGS es ooo A Cait « s Jan. 1 to June 15 Premera: and pikes... f! 2.5 20: March 1 to April 30 Metseonce. oh 2s c de. s. .. March 1 to May 360 SEMMMONEE RS gh en pla a ee alto Aug. 15 to March 1 The examples of these three states will probably give about the average for the Eastern and Northern States, and as I have not the data from other states which is required for a complete paper on this subject, I will simply bring out the points which seem most worthy of debate in the different states at the present time, and the imperfect workings of the laws which are not har- monious in the different commonwealths. For instance, we find in the Philadelphia markets, extend- ing over quite a season beyond the limit set for the killing of cer- tain game and fish, an abundance of such upon the market stalls, for a considerable time after our close-season; the law simply prevents their being caught and killed here, while just across the border the close-season may extend to two, three or four weeks longer than ours, and they could be thus and are unfairly sold in our markets on account of such an extended season. This point, however, the commissioners and those interested in the enforcement of our fishing and game laws are aiming to prevent by having an enactment passed which will prohibit their sale or 104 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting use beyond the exact requirement of the state law on the subject. This should be done in all the states in order that uniformity may prevail in a matter so important to the fishing interests of the individual commonwealths. At the last session of the Pennsylvania Legislature we aimed to have the length of trout and some other fish limited to one or two more inches. Brook trout, now 5, we wanted 7 inches. But the opponents of good legislation aimed to pass bills which would open the streams to netting and similar methods of depopulating the waters which the fish commissioners had propagated and placed there for keeping the streams well stocked, and as we all know this stocking cannot be effectively done unless there is a protective law against the cleaning out by nets of the fish which the fish commissioners, through their propagating stations, are constantly keeping well supplied by annual delivery of fry to the different streams for the various kinds of fish throughout the State, the subject of the close-season is a vital one for our con- sideration, to bring out and show the differences to which I have referred. It is to evoke valuable discussion on this subject that I have prepared this brief paper. DISCUSSION OF DR. JAMES’ PAPER. Dr. James: Why we aimed to get the legislature to change the trout from 6 to 7 inches was that we wanted the trout to get time enough to spawn for one vear, but the legislature would do nothing for us at its last session—meeting every second year only—we have had to leave the short five-inch trout to be the rule. We thought we could get a six-inch limit, and then at the next legislature seven, but failed. We aimed some years ago, and this society had a commit- tee appointed, Mr. President, whose duty it was to ascertain if the legislatures throughout the country would not enact uniform laws, but we found a great difficulty to get them to do what was wanted, and that is what we find in regard to this matter now, still it is a subject which we really ought to take up again and see if we cannot come to some conclusion in regard to uni- formity in this matter all over this country at least. American Fisheries Society. 105 Mr. Brewster: The laws of the State of Michigan get at that very nicely. By an act of the legislature of ‘93, one of the sections states that “it shall be unlawful to sell or offer for sale, or have in possession for the purpose of sale, any birds, game or fish,” and their sale was prohibited by the State of Michigan in any case. That was afterwards modified to cover the sale after the closed season began. The President: JI will inquire of Mr. Brewster how he gets along with the stock of game or fish on hand when the close season begins, supposing that at the end of an open season on the grouse or deer, parties have them in their possession. Mr. Brewster: By another section they are allowed to have them in their possession, but only for their own consumption, and in all cases it is for the defendant to prove that they are in his possession for that purpose. The sale of quail and partridge is always prohibited in the State of Michigan; they are not al- lowed to be sold at any time. The President: You keep the cold storage plants closed up in those respects? Mr. Brewster: Well, that is the law. I think it is as well observed as almost any other police regulation. Of course there are some cases where prosecutions have been had and held against cold storage. Within the last year the cold storage and game houses were cleaned out thoroughly. I don’t remember exactly what quantity was taken. Mr. Morse is here and knows, but a very large quantity was condemned and turned over to the state institutions for their use. 106 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting - MICHIGAN GRAYLING. (Thymallus Tricolor.) BY A. C. BABBITT, WILLIAMSBURG, MICH. Dr. Henshall’s papers on Montana grayling were deeply in- teresting to me, carrying my thoughts backward to a time when Michigan’s type of the species—Thymallus Tricolor—were al- most the sole occupants of at least one thousand miles of limpid, running spring water, of varying width and deepness, threading the pine-clad sections of twenty-three counties of the Peninsular State lying north of a line drawn from the south line of Oceana County, on Lake Michigan, running northeasterly to the lower side of Arenac County, on Saginaw Bay. In the early seventies most of the streams and tributaries in the following list were liter- ally overstocked with grayling. The northern portion of Arenac County is traversed by the Au Gres River, which mingles its waters with those of Saginaw Bay. . From thence north, flowing into Lake Huron are the Au Sable, Black, Pigeon and Sturgeon Rivers, besides two branches of the Thunder Bay River—the Rainy River and Canada Creek. From the apex of the peninsula south, the waters of Lake Michigan receive those of the Maple, Soyne, Jordan, Boardman, Manistee, Little Manistee, Pere Mar- quette, White and Muskegon Rivers, all of which were originally the home of grayling. The one grayling stream of the Upper Peninsula is the east branch of the Ontonagon River, which empties into Lake Superior west of Keweenaw point. By coast line the mouth of the Ontonagon is upwards of four hundred miles from the coast to the Lower Peninsula. On account of the strictly non-migratory habits of the Tricolor it would seem that the Ontonagon specimen should receive a separate classification. My acquaintance with grayling dates from the winter of 1872 and '73. A year or two previously Dr. J. C. Parker, of Grand American Fisheries Society. 107 Rapids, had identified the species, from specimens taken from one of its most southerly habitats, Hersey-Creek, a branch of the Mus- kegon River. We early settlers of Crawford County, however, were ignor- ant of the fact, and many long evenings were partly taken up with discussions as to the identity of the fish with which the streams of that county abounded. Supposedly a species of trout, its specific name depended on the particular stream from which it was taken. In that locality it was generally designated Au Sable or Manistee trout. By some, however, it was claimed that 99 cISCOM VOL this stranger was no trout at all, but more likely a “jack salmon;” while others, wiser in their own conceit, pro- nounced this rara avis a ‘‘cross between a sucker and lake her- ring.” In 1875 the upper portion of the Au Sable and Manistee rivers retained yet their primal beauty; their stock of grayling was practically intact; a catch of fifty pounds was not an uncommon thing as a result of one day’s fishing with a fly rod. By this means the demand from Chicago, Cincinnati and Detroit for grayling was over-supplied, so little was this delicious table fish known. As its fame as a game fish and an epicurean dainty spread, fishermen came from afar, who almost invariably pro- nounced it superior to brook trout in both of these qualities. It is to be hoped that an effort will be made to propagate Thymallus tricolor by methods similar to those employed in the propagation of its congener in Montana. ‘Two questions in regard to tricolor have for some time engaged the attention of fish culturists: [irst, inquiry as to the cause for the rapid depopulation of grayling streams; second, why have attempts at artificial or protected propagation of the species been economic failures? Owing to the gregarious and fearless nature of tricolor, I believe that the same amount of fishing on a grayling and trout stream of similar char- acter would make a greater impression on the stock in the gray- ling stream than in the trout stream. The real cause for the practical extermination of Michigan grayling, however, has been logging operations. On account of their peculiar spawning habits, the log drive 108 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting has, year after year, practically shut out that function, besides undoubtedly destroying numbers of adult fish. Tricolor habits are, for ten months in a year, strictly local. During this period he will occupy a portion of a river bed cir- cumscribed by one square foot of space. No matter if hundreds are domiciled in a bend of the river, each and every one keeps separate house. If disturbed, driven out, each returns to the precise spot which he formerly occupied. About the 1oth of March there is a general exodus from their haunts, a run down stream. When nature prompts their return they begin a linger- ing ascent or up run, performing spawning functions on the way up stream, at points for which the gravid fishes have a special predeliction, on either sand or gravel, according to the character of their habitat. Tricolors’ habits or preferences are immutably fixed, as un- she has a preference for a particular portion changeable as fate of the river’s bed on which to spawn and there shewill deposit her ova or not at all. Ifa log jam rests on the spot of her choice as is often the case—being piled from the bottom to the surface of the water, she will hold onto her eggs until the germ dies, rather than cast them in any other place. These traits render it an impossibility to propagate the species anywhere else but in their native haunts. In short, the Michigan type of Thymallus must have a down run. She must also find her spawning ground unobstructed on her return, or propagation of her kind is off for that season. The experience of several years devoted to efforts at domestication of grayling convinces me that it is impracticable. I believe, however, that protected propagation of Thymallus tricolor is both practicable and feasable; provided a stream can be found where logging operations are a thing of the past, and where enough grayling have survived to serve as a nucleus for future operations under the protection and manipulation of fish- culturists. American Fisheries Society. 109 HINTS ON GRAYLING CULTURE. DR. JAMES A. HENSHALL, BOZEMAN, MONTANA. The successful culiure of the Montana grayliny and the safe transportation of grayling eggs, under proper conditions, are no longer matters of experiment. My first attempt, two years ago, to hatch and rear the grayling on the same lines as those usually pursued with trout, was almost a total failure, owing to a lack of suitable conditions and a want of experimental knowledge con- cerning the character of the eggs and habits of the fry. The published accounts of the experiments of Seth Green and Fred Mather with the Michigan grayling in 1874 were both meager and unsatisfactory, and availed nothing; nor was I able, subsequently, to obtain any additional or definite information on the subject from Mr. Mather, who seemed to have forgotten all the details connected with his experiment. Both Green and Mather pursued the same method in hatching and feeding the grayling as with brook trout, which leads me to doubt that either of them succeeded in rearing the fry. In the first place, grayling fry cannot be reared in the hatchery in cold spring water, owing to its low temperature, and the entire absence of natural food; for neither air nor food exists in spring water as it issues from the ground. Neither can the fry be induced to take the artificial food generally used for trout fry, to any great extent, in the hatching troughs. In my first experiments I was much chagrined and discour- aged at seeing the diminutive organisms curl up and drop dead to the bottom of the trough, notwithstanding a great variety of substances had been offered, to induce them to feed. At this time I was impressed with the apparent resemblance of the grayling fry to the lake whitefish fry, both in size and ap- pearance, which led me to think that they also required similar food. Upon examining the fry under the microscope I discovered 110 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting that my surmise was correct, inasmuch as the grayling fry had two fang-like, retrorse teeth, in the upper jaw, similar to those in the lake whitefish fry. This fact at once solved the problem. It was imperative that they be supplied with such natural food as is found only in the water of streams and lakes. Acting upon this hint I turned all the remaining fry into a sheltered, shallow bight of the creek that flows through the hatch- ery grounds. There they did well for several weeks, when they sought other portions of the stream. In the following autumn I constructed a large pond and sup- plied it with creek water by a ditch 1,500 feet in length. From this pond I supplied the nursery ponds with creek water. By holding a glassful of this water to the light hundreds of small crustaceans (Entomostraca) could be observed, appearing to the naked eye like specks of dust, and this was just what the grayling fry needed, as my subsequent experience proved* Another desideratum to be considered for grayling fry is the warmer temperature of creek water as compared with spring water. They also need sunshine. While trout fry usually seek the shady side of the ponds, grayling fry prefer the sunny side. My method is now to transfer the fry, as soon as they begin to swim on the surface of the water in the hatching troughs, and before their yolk-sacs are entirely absorbed, to the nursery ponds. They take kindly to the change, and at once begin foraging for their natural food of crustaceans, insect larvae, etc. They are extremely active for such small organisms, and pursue their min- ute prey unceasingly. Soon thereafter they can be taught to take liver emulsion, and still later they begin to eat each other, for they are as much addicted to cannibalism as the pike-perch fry. The only remedy for this proclivity is to provide twice as many fry as it is desired to rear, and as soon as practicable to separate the larger from the smaller ones. *The temperature of my spring water was 45°, and of the creek water, &°. The importance of creek water is not so much a matter of temperature as that it contains the natural food required for grayling fry in its earlier stage of existence. As a matter of course a temperature of from 50° to 60° Fahrenheit is desirable with fry of any species, in the rearing trough or nursery pond. American Fisheries Society. 111 In stocking streams with grayling fry it is my opinion that they should be planted within a few. weeks after they are trans- ferred to the rearing ponds, or even so soon as they begin to swim freely, as is done with lake whitefish fry—provided that suitable places be selected in the stream. Shallow, weedy situations in the eddies or back water of the smallest tributaries should be chosen. There they would find their requisite food, and be safe from the depredation of larger fishes. At our grayling auxiliary station some two million fry are planted each season in the adjacent creeks as soon as they begin to swim, and the restdt is very apparent the following autumn, when the waters fairly swarm with grayling fry several inches long. The grayling is quite shy, and a wilder fish than the trouts, and can not be so easily tamed—another reason in favor of their being planted early in life. A very important matter to be considered when the fry are placed in the rearing ponds, is to see that there is no leakage in the drain boxes, and that the screens are caulked in their grooves, and the screens themselves reinforced by perforated tin of the smallest calibre, otherwise many fry will escape. I have lost thou- sands from leaky outlet boxes when, apparently, they were per- fectly tight. But as grayling fry will worm themselves, at first, through a pin-hole, it is evident that the utmost caution must be observed to prevent their escape. TRANSPORTATION OF EGGS. Previous to the present summer I have had considerable trouble in shipping grayling eggs safely. The period of incuba- tion being so short, and the shipment occurring during hot weather, it seemed impossible, with ordinary means, to transport the eggs toa distance without a loss of 25 to go per cent, owing to the high temperature to which they were subjected en route. Heretofore we have used the ordinary egg-shipping case, which, while answering well for trout eggs, has proved a failure, ‘even when well supplied with ice, for grayling eggs. Last winter I devised and built a refrigerator case that has proved to be just the 112 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting thing needed. A brief description of this case may not be amiss: The outside box is 30 inches square, and from 12 to 18 inches deep, according to the number of eggs to be carried. An inner wall of light stuff, say one-half inch thick, of the same depth as the outer box, and 27 inches square, without top or bottom, is pro- vided. The space between the outer and inner walls is packed tightly with dry sphagnum moss or dry sawdust The stack of egg- trays is placed in the center of the box, leaving a space of about five inches between it and the inner wall, which is filled with broken ice. On the top of the trays is a hopper with perpendicular sides, four or five inches deep. The vertical sides of the hopper allow free access to the ice-chamber around the stack of trays. The trays are 12 inches square on the outside, and but $-inch deep. This permits twice as many trays in a stack as with the ordinary trout trays. The eggs are placed in a single layer on each tray, and covered with a piece of mosquito netting in the usual way, but no moss is placed over it, as grayling eggs will not admit of as much pressure as trout eggs; the outer membrane of the eggs is quite thin and easily ruptured. By this method of packing, the eggs are received at Bozeman station in as perfect condition as they leave the auxiliary station, after being subjected to a wagon haul of 45 miles and 250 miles by rail, and at.a temperature not exceeding 40° F. This has been, also, the condition in which they arrived at distant points, according to reports received, even, as in some cases, when they were en route a week. As a matter of experiment, several trays of eggs were shipped but six hours after fertilization to Bozeman station, with the result that fully 25 per cent of the eggs hatched ; heretofore similar experiments with green eggs resulted in the loss of all the eggs before their arrival. By maintaining a temperature not to exceed 40° F. the development of the embryo is retarded, and the eggs can be safely shipped to any distance so long as this condition is observed. It is my opinion that grayling eggs can be safely shipped within one or two days after fertilization, but this has yet to be determined by experiment. Should this prove to be true, it will be an important factor where the eggs are to be shipped a long distance, requiring several weeks for the journey. American Fisheries Society. 113 DISCUSSION OF THE-GRAYLING PAPERS. The President: Gentlemen, have you any remarks to make about these papers on the grayling? Iam sorry the gentlemen are not here to answer questions. I want to inquire if any gentleman here has had experience with them, so that they can say what is the most natural temperature for them? I infer that the fry thrive best in a high temperature, and my experience is that the fry do best at about 70 degrees. Mr. Ravenel: That is sustained by most of those who have received shipments of eggs from us, and I think most of the ship- ments were received in good condition. At the Duluth station Mr. Wires hatched them in jars; after the fry were all hatched they were poured out on trays. He suffered a heavy loss on account of a sudden rise of temperature, that would have had no. effect eight or ten days later. He held them in the Duluth hatch- ery until the water attained 70 this spring. The change of temper- ature came just as they were commencing to take food. The President: May I inquire what you know about the normal temperature of the water where the grayling are indigen- OS ? Mr. Ravenel: I think the average temperature at Red Rock Lake was 52. Mr. Bryant: Is there any difference between the Montana grayling and the Michigan grayling? Mr. Ravenel: I think so. I think Dr. Henshall states the difference, and there seems to be a difference in their spawning habits. The Montana grayling is as easily spawned as a trout. Mr. Bryant: Which of them is different from the European grayling? Dr. Smith: Both of our grayling resemble the European grayling very closely; but whether the Montana or Michigan species is more closely related to the European, I can’t say. Mr, Clark: Mr, Chairman, just a word. The Michigan grayling, if caught wild during their spawning season, spawns as readily as trout or any other kind of fish, and gives good hatching results; this was demonstrated on the Au Sable and Manistee 114 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting rivers a number of years ago, when something like 50,000 eggs were taken and hatched. But these grayling will not domesticate and mature their spawn when held in ponds. We have at Northville at present some gravling that are between seven and eight inches long, raised from eggs from Mon- tana. We do not introduce warmer water because they seem to require it, but for the food. These fish were held in troughs until September, supplied with a mixture of spring water at 53 and creek water at 72 or 73, but the creek water was used only for the purpose of adding to the supply of food. Since then they have been in a pond fed with spring water at 53, going down perhaps to 48 in the winter. The Secretary: I do not think the water should necessarily be as high as 70 to get the best results. Take the Au Sable, once a famous grayling stream, as an example. I have taken the tem- perature of that stream in the month of August, when the water is about as warm as it ever gets, and it ran from 55 to 60. I did not find it above 60 at the hottest time in August, though it was probably warmer farther down stream. I can’t say what the tem- perature is in April and May, when-the fish are spawning and hatching, but it must be a good deal lower. Mr. Ravenel: I think 60 is a very high temperature in the Au Sable, but Dr. Henshall’s whole claim is that they should be transferred to a warmer water just before they commence to feed. ft wasn’t because he wanted warm water, but because of the con- ditions that the warm water produced. Mr. Nevin: 1 would say that I saw those grayling at Du- luth, and I never saw trout eat more ravenously than they did. Mr. Thompson: We have some grayling at the Nashua station that have been fed nothing but liver. We took some of them out doors and some were left inside in water of 48 tempera- ture—the water outside was 60. Those inside did not seem to have much desire to eat, while those outside ate very readily. We prepared the food, of course, with very great care and also placed them just below some troughs of brook trout we were feeding. The water from the brook trout passed right through American Fisheries Society. 115 the grayling troughs. We all know that in feeding trout they take the larger particles, and that there is a very fine emulsion that passes through the trough. Our idea was that this would fur- nish a great deal of suitable food for the grayling, which seemed to be the case, for the one trough outside grew very well. In the hatchery we found difficulty in getting them to take food in sufficient quantities. We transferred them outside, made the conditions the same as with the others, and we can tell by their size in each trough now the relative time at which they were transferred into the warmer water. We fed them at first about six times a day, and found apparently we were not feeding them often enough. Those that got the six feedings and the food from the trout troughs above grew very rapidly, but those that only got the food six times did not thrive. We increased the number of feeds and they seemed to respond very readily. We have some of the fish now, the largest ones about an inch long. The President: This seems to be quite an experience on the graying, and the subject being new, I trust you will pardon me if I give my experience. We hatched in spring water, piping the water direct from a spring, and my pipe was set up under a tent because I wanted water free from sediment. As the fish hatched we moved them down into the hatchery, with the ex- ception of one trough, which we kept supplied with spring water, not from the spring direct, but from a distributing box. We had connected with that same spring box three other rearing troughs filled with brook trout. The grayling in this one spring box were fed but did not take food readily in a low temperature (of about 48 degrees). They would take very little food, and we lost nearly every fish, and we finally moved two or three hundred fish down into the hatchery. The water in the hatchery is a mixture of river and spring water, and we found from the locations of the different troughs, that the little fellows seemed to do best in a temperature of about 70 degrees. All of these fish were fed on emulsion of liver. When they first began to take food we took our finest liver and set it in a pan of water, and then skimmed off the top for the grayling and let the thicker 116 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting portion settle down, and then as they developed a little they would take all the food which we naturally give to the young trout fry and strained it, and all of our grayling have been fed entirely on liver; you might say, they have had no artificial food because all of the troughs in which the gravling are kept are below the troughs in which we have the trout fry. The water passes through the trout box before it reaches the grayling. I think the grayling is the most rapid grower of any fish I have ever had in the hatchery. They have trebled in size since we got them in May. Our experience last season wasn’t successful because we got our eggs before they learned how to pack them properly; we only hatched a few, but those fish in the middle of the summer were larger than our trout fry, which were sev- eral months older. We have some yearlings and these fry. I think though some of them have disappeared inside of the others for their numbers have decreased—they have gone somewhere. Are there any further remarks on the grayling? Mr. O’Malley: I had an opportunity while in Leadville of seeing the grayling carried there and attempted to be reared in that cold water. When I left there the grayling were about a year old, and at that time they were hardly an inch long, and I think according to that it would tend to show that they do better in hatcheries having warmer water. They didn’t seem to feed. Mr. Bryant: I want to ask the Michigan gentlemen about their living in the water with other fish, do they monopolize the stream? Mr. Willard: I think I can answer that question. I spent the summer of ’97 fishing for trout and grayling in Montana, and I found both species in the same water, although I found the grayling more abundant in slow, sluggish parts of the stream where the water was shallower, even where the water must have been higher in temperature, and where I would receive no rise to my flies from the speckled trout. “ The President: Do they take the fly well? Mr. Willard: Indeed they do. I was so pleased with the grayling that I applied to the U. S. Commission and received a American Fisheries Society. 117 consignment of eggs. We were successful in hatching about 25 per cent of the eggs, but our supérintendent seemed to utterly fail in getting them to take any food whatever. Mr. Dickerson: [remember seven years ago [ stood in one spot and caught 47 grayling from one hole. The difference be- tween the trout and grayling is, you catch four or five trout and they seem to put the others onto it and you can’t catch any more, but the grayling will bite until the last one is caught. Mr. Willard: In the Rocky Mountain streams it is gener- ally the same. 118 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting THE SPAWNING HABITS OF THE LAKE STURGEON. (Acipenser rubicundus. ) BY LIVINGSTON STONE, CAPE VINCENT, N. Y. The first I knew about my being expected to present a paper this year to the Society on the subject of the “Spawning Habits of the Lake Sturgeon,” was on seeing in a recent issue of ‘‘Forest and Stream” that I was billed to prepare such a paper for this meeting. If it were not for my having been put on the program I should not venture to offer anything on this subject unless it were under the title of “What Little I Know About the Spawning Habits of the Sturgeon.” As a correspondent wrote me recently, “the sturgeon is a strange fish.” At least the Lake sturgeon, which is the subject of this paper, is a strange fish. It has a strangely shaped body, a strange head, strange mouth and skin, and a strange appear- ance generally; and one of the strangest things about the fish is that during the same week and on the same spot you can find female sturgeon with their eggs in almost every stage of develop- ment. This throws us all at sea as to their time of spawning, and we are not much better off in regard to their places for de- positing their spawn, for if they ever have fixed spawning beds where they go regularly to deposit their eggs, I can only say that I never saw a fisherman yet who knew where those spawn- ing beds were. Another strange thing about the Lake sturgeon is that the fishermen never, or almost never, catch a spawning female in their nets with ripe eggs in her. They catch them when they are almost ready of spawn, and when they have just spawned, and also with eggs in them in all stages of development, but hardly ever with ripe eggs ready to be extruded. The peculiarities of this strange fish have made it very diffi- American Fisheries Society. 119 cult to gather information about their spawning habits and still more difficult to collect and impregnate their eggs. The first instance that I know of sturgeon eggs being suc- cessfully taken and hatched, occurred in 1875, when Seth Green, assisted by Mr. A. Marks, obtained from the fishermen who were fishing at North Hamburg on the Hudson, a ripe male and female, from which four pans of eggs were taken by the Caesar- ian operation of cutting the fish open. This occurred on the 7th day of June, about 10 a. m. On the oth day of June, about 3 p. m. the first movement of the embryo was observed. On the roth of June the eggs began to hatch, and by 5 o'clock the next morning, June 11th, all the eggs were hatched out. The temp- erature of the water during the period of hatching averaged about 70 degrees F. In 1888, Professor Ryder, of the U. S. Fish Commission, made a very thorough study of the sturgeon at Delaware City, Delaware. (See the U. S. Fish Commission Bulletin for 1888), and in 1893 Dr. Bashford Dean made some interesting experi- ments, also at Delaware City, and since that time eggs have been frequently taken from sea-going sturgeon. All the above experiments and studies have, however, been conducted with the salt water sturgeon (Acipenser sturio). The Lake sturgeon (Acipenser rubicundus), is another fish, and, as far as I am aware, no extended observations in regard to this fish have been recorded, except those by Mr. Wilham Lang in 1890, for the Ohio Fish Commission. In the spring of 1899 I received permission from the United States Fish Commission to hunt for ripe sturgeon eggs on Lake Champlain. Two fishermen having located at Alburgh Springs, Vermont, for the purpose of catching sturgeon for the New York market, I arranged with them to have the privilege of examining all the sturgeon they caught before they were butch- ered; and for the time, established myself at Alburgh Springs with Mr. J. B. Lamkin and Mr. Myron Green for assistants. On the 18th of May we overhauled our first batch of sturgeon, to the number of sixteen. Two females appeared to 120 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting be nearly ripe and we put them in our pens, hoping that their eggs might mature sufficiently in a few days to be taken and impregnated. Of the remainder, ten were males and four were fmales. These were then butchered by the fishermen. On opening the female fish, their eggs were found to he far advanced toward maturity, and it looked as if in a week or two at the latest we should strike fish with fully ripened eggs. In point of fact, unaccountable as it seems, we never caught any sturgeon the rest of the season that had any riper eggs than these had. It is needless to tell the story of our continued disappointments. The fishermen brought in plenty of fish, and allowed us the utmost freedom in examining them or penning them up, as we choose, but although we followed up the sturgeon until the latter part of June, examining them all and penning up what we thought to be nearly ripe, we never came across a single ripe fish or took a single egg. All that we examined were either spawned out or not ripe, and none of those that we confined in the pens seemed to make any progress toward maturity. I will only state that the fish that we examined seemed to grow less mature, if anything, as the season advanced, and at all times the development of their eggs presented the most per- plexing variety. By way of illustration, I will state the con- dition of the eggs of the female sturgeon that were killed by the fishermen and examined by us on several days. As I said above, the eggs of the fish that we examined on May 18th were in all stages of development. The same was true of those examined on May 25th—although on both days there were some that were very nearly ripe. On the 29th when we had expected to find fish about fully ripe, we examined in all, the eggs of four females. The eggs of the first fish were only half developed,—the second fish had just spawned,—the eggs of the third were just forming, —and the eggs of the fourth were about one-fourth developed. The same discouraging experience continued until the end, when after following the sturgeon thirty or forty miles southward from Albaugh, we abandoned this Will 0’ the Wisp chase and returned to Cape Vincent Station, it being then the last week in June. American Fisheries Society. 121 This spring, 1900, I renewed the hunt for ripe sturgeon eggs, this time, however, not in the open waters of Lake Cham- plain but in the Missisquoi River, a tributary which empties into the lake in the extreme northwestern corner of Vermont. That sturgeon went up this river in the spring just after the run of pike was over, was well known, but whether they ascended the river to spawn, or to feed on the vast quantities of pike eggs and sucker eggs that had been deposited up toward Swanton dam, was not so definitely settled. There being no funds of the United States Fish Commis- sion to spare this year, for the purpose, no systematic attempt could be made to find ripe sturgeon, but through the obliging- ness of the river fishermen, and the help of Mr. Myron Green, we were enabled by persevering effort to score some successes and to make a few valuable discoveries. While the sturgeon were running, there were two gangs of sturgeon fishermen on the river besides those fishing at Swanton dam. We prevailed on these fishermen—I do not know how, and it is a surprise to me yet, for they never had any pay for it— to hold the fish they caught until we could examine them, and also to keep in confinement any that we thought were nearly tipe. In this way we obtained an opportunity to examine over a hundred sturgeon. Without going into tedious details more than is necessary, I will state as simply as possible the results of our observations, and they are as follows: (1) The sturgeon do go up the Missisquoi River to spawn. This was proved by the fact that the fish going up the river, all had eggs in them of about the same degree of ripeness. Some had eggs that were fully ripe, while all that were caught going down the river had spawned out. (2) The sturgeon spawn on the rapids below Swanton dam, for they were caught here fully ripe. Mr. Myron Green, who is a very careful and correct observer, thinks that they lie in the deep water below the rapids until they are ready to deposit their eggs, and then ascend to the rapids to spawn. ‘This corre- 122 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting sponds to a considerable degree with what has been observed of the spawning habits of the pike perch. (3) The sturgeon spawning season on the Missisquoi River is very short, and when the spawning is over the fish all go down the river with a rush, and though there may be hundreds in -he river one day, in forty-eight hours after there may not be one left in the river. The rush down stream this year was on the nights of the 27th and 28th of May. They began to go up the river about the 2oth, although there were sturgeon at the mouth of the Mis- sisquoi River perhaps as early as the first week in May. The sturgeon spawning season on the river this year was, therefore, the week between the 2oth and 27th of May. (4) The sturgeon does not always deposit all her eggs at one time. A female fish whose eges were so ripe and loose that they came from her without pressure, was found on being killed and examined, to have at least two-thirds of her ovaries filled with immature eggs. (5) When the female sturgeon is ripe, her abdomen sags when the fish is lifted by the tail, as in the case with ripe salmon. Hence, there is no difficulty in distinguishing a ripe female. Her eggs also flow from her very easily, so easily, in fact, that the difficulty with a ripe fish in artificial spawning is, not to get the eggs out, but to kecp them in. (6) The mystery of the fishermen never catching a ripe fish in their gill nets is solved. It has been unquestionably a mystery why female sturgeon were caught with eggs in every possible stage of unripeness, but never with eggs entirely ripe. It is a inystery no longer, however. The secret of it all is that when the female is ripe the eggs flow from her so easily that when entangled in a net she throws out all her ripe eggs in her struggle to escape, so that when the fisherman takes her out of the net he finds only a spent fish. Mr. Green says that they throw their ripe eggs so readily that even in taking a ripe female: ashore from the pens, she would be likely to throw her eggs. before she could be quieted enough to be stripped. Now that this explanation of what has seemed so mysterious,. American Fisheries Society. 12: has been discovered, it appears so simple that the wonder is that no one has thought of it before. V.ery likely this has occurred to many of you who are here present, but I can truly say that I have never found a fisherman yet, who knew the true reason of his not catching ripe female sturgeon, or one who ever even hinted at it. (7) We succeeded in actually taking and impregnating a few sturgeon eggs. We found them to be glutinous like pike perch eggs and requiring the same treatment in handling and impregnating. The eggs are about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and can be readily hatched in the same jars that are used for hatching whitefish and pike perch eggs, and in the same way. There is this difference, however, between the eggs of the pike perch and those of the sturgeon, that the shell of the pike perch egg is very hard comparatively, and the shell of the sturgeon egg is thin and soft. Some of the sturgeon fry hatched at the United States Hatchery on the Missisquoi River this spring were brought safely to Cape Vincent Station—the first lake sturgeon fry, I think, that were ever hatched under the auspices of the United States Fish Commission. As to the question whether sturgeon eggs can be taken, impregnated and hatched artificially, I should say that great pains must be taken to capture them properly and to confine them properly. In fact, the preparation for this part of the work must be very elaborate. Ii this is not done, lake sturgeon hatching willbe a failure, but if proper attention is given to these points, | am convinced that lake sturgeon hatching will be a' success, at least wherever the parent fish can be found restricted in their movements to a small area, as, for instance, the Missis- quoi River. Allow me to add in closing, that for most of the information acquired this spring in regard to the sturgeon, I am indebted to the persevering efforts and keen observation of Mr. Myron Green, and to the accommodating and liberal spirit of the river fishermen, without which we should have accomplished nothing. 124 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting DISCUSSION OF PAPER OF MR. STONE, The President: I will say in connection with this that for years it has been the custom of fishermen to spear the sturgeon on the Missisquoi River at Swanton just below a bridge. They have their spear attached to a cord and will throw it from the bridge above, some 20 or 30 feet, striking a sturgeon and haul- ing it in over the bridge, and the eggs coming from the sturgeon’ so freely that they covered the bridge. The authorities were compelied to stop the fishing in this way because the bridge was smeared with sturgeon eggs. It was the main passageway in the village and they actually stopped the sturgeon fishing be- catise they wanted to avoid the stench from the eggs. We have never realized they were a valuable fish, and the fishermen using seines on the lake for pike do not want to protect them because the large fish weighing 150 pounds or so will break their seines. The last Legislature passed an act allowing them to take sturgeon with gill nets. I received about the time this sturgeon work was being carried on, a photograph from Mr. Green, who did this work, and he had two sturgeon placed in one of their jackets for strip- ping. The one cut open is merely to show the spawn; this will give you a view of the lake sturgeon. The fishermen sell the spawn for about 75 cents a pound. Mr. Nevin: I would say, Mr. President, that at Lake Winnebago the sturgeon came in a great big school last year about the fore part of June, two or three thousand of them, and deposited their eggs, making the water appear a milky white. This year I laid for them about the 1oth of June at the same point, but no fish showed up there. Mr. Dickerson: Isn’t there a difference between the stur- geon you spoke of as being caught on the rocks and our sturgeon? The President: I suppose there is; yours are the lake sturgeon. Mr. Dickerson: Not more than twenty years ago the In- dians used to come into Detroit with wagon loads of sturgeon, American Fisheries Society. 125 piled on like cord-wood, and you could buy them for from 50 cents to a dollar apiece. The Indians caught them by running a line between two stakes, attaching to this line a number of smaller lines reaching to the bottom and provided with hooks, and the sturgeon, while rolling on the bottom, were caught on these hooks. The Indians sold them about as cheap as you could buy wood. I have seen them sold as low as 50 cents apiece, but to-day they are the most valuable fish we have. Mr. Clark: I wish to correct a statement that Mr. Stone makes. He says this is the only record of the United States Fish Commission doing anything with the sturgeon. Mr. Ravenel, I think, will recall the experiments that were conducted in the ’80’s or early ‘go’s, on the Detroit River, by the United States Fish Commission. The results of the experiments we conducted at that time are on file at the Washington office. Although our success was not marked, we succeeded in getting sturgeon eggs and in hatching the fry. The eggs were taken also from the Detroit River to the Northville Hatchery and hatched, and we undertook to raise them, but were not successful. Mr. Ravenel: Mr. Clark 1s, of course, strictly correct in his statement. In addition to that, sturgeon eggs were taken and hatched by Prof. Jno. A. Ryder and Bashford Dean at Dela- ware City, Del. The President: ‘That is a salt water fish. Mr. Ravenel: All of the work with the sturgeon has been on a very small scale. There is no subject in fish culture, ex- cepting the lobster, that we have given more time and thought to in the last few years. The sturgeon fisheries, from being very important on tre Atlantic coast and Great Lakes, have dwindled to practicelly nothing. Two years ago, after a personal investi- gation on the Delaware River, we established a station at Dela- ware City, where about 500 nets are fished over an area of 50 square miles. At that time there were several thousand stur- geon caught, the eggs of one of which brought $84, to give you an idea of their value. We found spawners or spent fish but once or twice in the entire time. I only hope Mr. Stone’s pre- 126 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting dictions will be verified, but I must confess to being skeptical. If it is true that they discharge their eggs because they are held in the nets, that makes the work simple, but if that is true, why do not the fishermen catch hundreds of spent fish. I think that the fishermen capture possibly a dozen or two spent fish near Delaware City in an entire season, where there are not less than a thousand nets; possibly that is an exaggeration—lI will say five hundred nets, but more sturgeon are caught there than any- where else in the country. As far as hatching the eggs of the sturgeon is concerned, we need not worry about that. We can hatch the eggs of any fish just as we hatch the eggs of the grayling or trout, in jars and on trays. If we can find a place where sturgeon spawn, we will guarantee next vear to go there and propagate them. We are prepared to do more for the sturgeon than anything else except the lobster, but this spring we were unable to provide money for the work. Mr. Dickerson: Have you ever made any effort at Lake Erie? Mr. Ravenel: No. Dr. Henshall, I think, experimented on some river in Ohio and he found but one ripe fish; that has been about the experience of everyone. Unfortunately for us the fisher- men have begun to use the ripe spawn for caviare. Mr, Clark: I would say that our work was on two lines— one to find ripe sturgeon when caught, and the other to try pen- ning them, as with the whitefish. We only found what might be called spent fish; that is, we would get a few eggs from each, I can't tell the number, but the penning of the sturgeon in any plan that we pursued was not a success. Mr. Ravenel: There is no difficulty in penning the sturgeon; the trouble is in getting them so nearly ripe that we can afford to hold them. We have held them for months, but got no results. The sturgeon is the easiest fish to hold in the world: they tie a rope to their snout and hitch them to anything. Mr. Clark: The trouble is in holding them and have the spawn develop. They will hold their eggs until doomsday, I guess. American Fisheries Society. 127 Mr. Ravenel: In other words, to have the sturgeon when ripe. The President: I don’t understand why Mr. Stone didn’t get more sturgeon on the lake. I will tell you why he made the failure last year, was that he didn’t go to the river until the sturgeon had gone up and come back. The first he got word of it the sturgeon were returning from the Missiquoi river. They go up this same river every year to spawn. Mr. Ravenel: Those that he caught had spawned. The President: Well, they had some spawn in them, but my inference is that those fish had deposited most of their spawn and gone back. We can name you within two weeks of the time that the sturgeon will go into the Missiquoi river; also the Winooski river, flowing into Lake Champlain. There won’t be many of them but will weigh from 50 to 200 pounds. The Secretary: I think one reason why they thought some of those fish were spent is, that sturgeon probably spawn but once in two years. I am satisfied that some of the rainbow trout at our Paris station spawn but once in two years, and the Atlantic salmon are said to spawn only once in two years. Last year a scientist from the University of Michigan made some experiments with sturgeon on the south side of Lake St. Clair, near the head of the Detroit river. He was there for weeks, but had little or no suc- cess in taking eggs and fertilizing them; and while he did not come out and say that they spawned but once in two years, he intimated to me that this was quite possible, 1f not probable. In 1893, the Michigan Fish Commission hatched upwards of .400,000 sturgeon, and in 1894 over 100,000. One of the difficul- ‘ties we met was that the sexes did not run together to any extent ; the catch at any given time was either nearly all males or nearly all females. At one point on the river a seine fishery was run by ‘private parties, who held the sturgeon in crates for a day or two— ‘none longer than two days. I distinctly remember on one occasion of a number of ripe females being taken from the crates, the spawn ‘running out freely as the fish were dragged along over the dock, -but there wasn’t a single male on hand to fertilize them with. 128 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Mr. Ravenel: I rise to ask why you say the rainbow trout only spawns once in two years? At our Wytheville station we have one that has spawned njne successive seasons. We have a record of the fish, its weight and the number of eggs, and I wish to say that our rainbow trout spawn every year. The Secretary: I do not claim that it is a general rule for rainbows to spawn only once in two years, but our foreman at Paris states positively that some of our rainbows that have spawned before did not mature any spawn this year. American Fisheries Society. 129 THE SPAWNING HABITS OF THE LARGE-MOUTH BLACK BASS IN THE SOUTH. BY J. BAYARD LAMKIN, BULLOCHVILLE, GA. Under direction of Mr. J. J. Stranahan, Superintendent oi Cold Springs, Ga., U. S. Fish Commission Station, we have made numerous observations and experiments, pertaining to the eggs and culture of the large-mouth black bass, some of which have proven very satisfactory and beneficial. Throughout the whole spawning season, with but very few exceptions, we have been favored by clear water, which has enabled us to make more thorough observations than is possible in waters usually inhabited by the large-mouth black bass. The bass commenced to clear the gravel nests about the rst of April, when the water in the ponds was 56° F., mean temperature. New beds were noticed each day, but no indications of spawning were noted until the 9th of April, when the temperature of the ponds had risen to 66 degrees. In the afternoon of the 9th, two bass were noticed on a nest, but it is not definitely known when the spawning was done, as a heavy rain on the 1oth and 11th roiled the ponds to such an extent that observations could not be made until the 13th, when eggs were noticed on two nests. On the following day these eggs had, to all appearances, disappeared. New nests were discovered almost daily and the eggs disappeared, as the others, in from two to three days. On the 22nd of April, young fish were seen on and over the first two nests, which were first seen on the 13th, when the temperature was 61 degrees. These eggs were undoubtedly hatched on the night of the 13th, or the morning of the 14th, as will be shown later. It continued the same with all nests, that the eggs would disappear in two or three days and the fry show up in from six to eight days thereafter, depend- ing altogether on the temperature of the water, and, I think, the amount of sunlight has something to do with the time. 130 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Repeated experiments were made to test the period of incuba- tion and raising of the fry from the nest, which all proved, with- out the shadow of a doubt,-that the eggs hatch in from 48 to 72 hours after they are deposited, and that the fry raise from the nest in from six to eight days after they are hatched. These experi- ments were made by removing a few of the eggs from a nest with a rubber tube and placing them in a tin-pan or pail. The vessel containing the eggs was kept in fresh water at the head of one of the ponds, where it was deep enough to allow the current to cir- culate over it. At the same time that the eggs disappeared in the ponds it was noticed that the ones in the pans would be hatched, though it was very difficult to see them, even in the pans, without careful inspection, as they are almost, if not entirely, without color. To prove this more thoroughly, a rubber tube was placed in the nest, from which the eggs were taken to make the experiment, and fry were sucked up from the bottom, where none could be seen with the naked eye. The fry were apparently of the same age as the ones in the pan, as was indicated by an examination under the microscope. A fact which surprised us more than anything else is that the bass spawn several times during the season. We observed early in the season that we had more nests with eggs on them than we had both male and female bass, and by the 15th of July the num- ber had increased to about twice that. In all the ponds we only had 28 adult fish, while up to this time we have seen eggs on 57 nests, and the fish are still spawning. We know absolutely that one large male bass fathered eight different nests of eggs from April 9th to July 4th. He was the largest male bass we had and was marked by a couple of splits in his tail, which enabled us to identify him readily. On one occasion he was seen taking care of a large brood of fry and a nest of eggs at the same time. We noticed that the principal time of spawning is in the after- noon, usually, we think, with a low barometer, as they spawned, almost invariably, just before a thunder shower. On several occa- sions a male was seen to have two females on the nest with him at the same time, and, as a rule, this proved disastrous to the eggs. American Fisheries Society. 131 They were always more or less scattered about, sometimes cover- ing several square feet of bottom. It was soon noticed by Mr. Stranahan that the bass liked the roots of plants, or some sort of fibre, to spawn on much better than the gravel or natural bottom. A number of artificial nests, composed of cement, in the shape of a dinner plate or saucer about 16 inches in diameter, and covered with a thin layer of Spanish moss, the moss pressed into the bottom of the nest while in a plas- tic state, were made and placed in the ponds. The bass always selected these in preference to the gravel beds, or natural bottom. It was demonstrated, too, that these artificial nests are better for the bass to deposit their eggs on, for three reasons, as follows: (1) The fibre affords more surface to the square inch than gravel or clay. (2) It holds the eggs more securely. (3) The eggs are freer from sediment than they would be on gravel or clay. The plan of removing the eggs or fry from one pond to another by means of the artificial nest has not been thoroughly set- tled, but we feel satisfied that if so desired the fry can be removed after hatching much more easily than would be possible from a gravel or clay nest. In fact, it would not be necessary to wait for the eggs to hatch during good weather, when the ponds are clear. However, if the conditions are not just right, it is best to leave the eggs with the parent fish until after they are hatched, when the fry can be removed by simply lifting the nest from one pond and placing it in another. This prevents the necessity of net- ting very young fry. It is much better not to have the fibre very thick on the arti- ficial nests—merely enough to hold the eggs and not entangle the fry is all that is necessary. There is no question about the bass preferring the fibre to gravel or clay. On one occasion we placed an artificial nest in one of the ponds at 2:00 o’clock p. m. and at 2:05 a male bass was on it cleaning it off, although there were a number of gravel and clay beds in the pond. 132 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting DISCUSSION OF MR. LAMKIN’S PAPER, The Secretary: Mr. President, I want to say that the ex- perience they had at this station, regarding the character of the spawning beds selected, corresponds practically with our ex- perience this spring. We have one pond for big mouth bass, and a portion of it is weedy and grassy and in another portion we placed artificial nests with a gravel bottom. The big mouth bass would not spawn on the gravel-bottom nests nor work on them, spawning only in weedy or rooty places. The President: I will say in connection with the bass in Lake Champlain that the large mouth bass selects the reedy and swampy land for spawning. They select the rivers for the purpose of spawning also, and the small mouth bass select the gravel beds, very similar to the trout. Mr. Thompson: J! wish to say that at the United States Fish Commission station, Manchester, Iowa, the large mouth bass don’t select gravel or even clay. We built a few artificial nests in the pond but none of them were occupied. They were placed about ten feet away from the shore. Those bass came up practically right on shore, and spawned under the overhang- ing grass, which protected them; they selected the soft. muddy bottom, where there was aquatic growth to hide them from ob- servation. The Secretary: Mr. Lamkin’s experience seems to differ from ours in one respect. He speaks of one male having two fe- males on a nest at the same time. It is a very common thing for several male bass to be after one female, but the competition for favors seems to be between the males exclusively; the reverse of that we have never seen. Mr. Ravenel: The spawning of the bass on gravel, or mud, or clay, is something that has attracted attention at the various stations, and it seems to be largely a question of locality. In Missouri the large mouth bass invariably spawn on gravel; in the Mississippi River Valley they are utterly indifferent to gravel, they go on the mud or clay; in Texas we put gravel in the ponds and in no case did they accept it, but deposited their eggs on the American Fisheries Society. 133 bottom of the pond. In Georgia, where the opportunities for observation are exceptionally fine,.the water being clear and the growth not sufficient to obstruct the vision, they spawn on the bare earth, and this year Mr. Stranahan found that these artificial nests were acceptable. With the small mouth bass we have had little or no experience. If anyone can give us any information on raising black bass we would like to have them do so. People ask for a million bass when there are not a mil- lion raised artificially in the country. The President: Do you raise your bass to fingerlings? Mr. Ravenel: Always. The President: How many do you raise? Mr. Ravenel: 250,000 to 300.000. The President: Do you estimate them? Mr. Ravenel: Never, all distributions are made by meas- urement or by actual count. The President: Any further discussion about the bass? Mr. Thompson: I would like to ask Mr. Ravenel what has been the percentage of rearing of those that have been put in the troughs? Mr. Ravenel: In some gases we have had splendid results. We have raised 12,000 out of 15,000. Of course trough raising of bass amounts to very little. We raise them in nursery ponds. Mr. Leary conducted a number of experiments in which he showed very conclusively that it is better not to move the bass tco soon from the rearing ponds; it is better to wait until they become an inch long anyway. The President: I wouid like to ask Mr. Ravenel if he has ever had any experience in determining the relative growth of the big mouth bass and small mouth bass? Mr. Ravenel: Yes, in Washington, and there was very lit- tle difference up to October. We raised a large number of the big mouth. Mr. Thompson: I would say that I placed a few large mouth bass in a pond in which there were no other fish except 134 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting pumpkinseeds, as we call them, and in 15 months I caught come of those bass and they weighed a pound apiece. Mr. Ravenel: That is not surprising, the large mouth bass are rapid growers. The President: How much do you say? Mr. Thompson: They weighed a good solid pound. Mr. Ravenel: In Texas the bass spawn in the fore part of March, and we commence the distribution in April, and before we get through distributing in June we are delivering fish that are 3 or 4 inches long. . Mr. Hurlburt: Two years ago, Mr. Ravenel, you sent me a can of 500 smal! mouth black bass and they were all sizes. Mr. Ravenel: That is so. The President: I will inquire of Mr. Ravenel if he has had as much success in propagating the small mouth bass as the large mouth? Mr. Ravenel: The big mouth bass are better adapted to pond culture than the small mouth. The Potomac River, from which we get our water supply, is one of the best bass streams. in the United States, and in the last 10 years we have introduced the 'arge mouths so that they range ever about 60 miles of the river. ; The Secretary: I hardly agree with Mr. Ravenel, when he says that the big mouth bass are better adapted to pond culture than the small mouth bass. Mr. Ravenel: I should have qualified that as to the Great Lake section. The Secretary: We have about 300 stock fish in our breed- ing ponds and each pond is provided with gravel nests. At the first spawning there were 50 nests occupied; out of those 50, 44 were good and the others were worthless. From those 44 nests we took something over a quarter of a million fry. Here- tofore we have fed the fish on liver and they didn’t take very kindly to it, the result being that at spawning time the fish were ravenous and hungry, and the others fought and drove them away and destroyed the eggs, and even where they spawned un- American Fisheries Society. 135 molested the eggs were blighted. Our foreman, Mr. Lydell, began last year feeding the fish on minnows, and gave them all they would eat, and gave them all they wanted again this spring, and as a result when they began to spawn this year there was no fighting; they paired off and spawned unmolested, and as a con- sequence 44 out of 50 beds were productive, and we think that is the secret—they must be fed on fish food. The President: How large are your stock ponds? The Secretary: Well, some are irregular in size, but those of a regular size are about 80 feet long and 4o feet wide. The President How deep? The Secretary: About five feet in the center. We place the spawning boxes in 18 inches of water. The President: How many bass in that space? The Secretary: Different numbers, from 30 to 50. The President: You mean about 20 females? The Secretary: Yes, we generally divide them up as nearly equal as we can. Mr. Ravenel: Our methods are practically the same, we never feed on liver, always on chopped fish or live fish. To refer again to the despised carp, the solution of raising bass food is the carp. We feed our bass every spring from 500,000 to a million young carp. We have never hhad any trouble in the bass occupying the same nests. The spawning area of the pond is divided off into departments, and a dozen pair of bass are put in each depart- ment. I want to ask Mr. Bower how he arrived at that estimate of a quarter of a million bass fry? The Secretary: We allow the male fish to guard the nest until after the fish have hatched, and just a day or two before the fry are ready to rise we set a screen around each bed—we call it a fry retainer—it is a band-iron frame covered with cheese cloth. In a few days, depending on the temperature of the water, the fry will rise - we then take them out and count a part of the product of each bed, enough so we know our estimates are very close. We have taken as high as 10,000 from a single bed, 136 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting and as low as 2,000 or 3,000. But it is just as easy to arrive at the number, approximately, as it is of trout or any other fish that are estimated from a partial actual count. I don’t know of any better way than that, unless you count them all. We have very little guess work about it; we know positively that our estimate is very nearly correct, as nearly so as any careful estimate can be. Mr. Clark: Mr. President, I didn’t propose to take any part in the bass discussion, but Mr. Bower made one statement that I want to correct a little. He says, it is just as easy to arrive at the number of bass as it is of trout or whitefish. Now, with the trout we have a chance to handle the eggs and know exactly just how many eggs we have just previous to hatching; that is something you cannot do with the bass. Now, if we have a box of 60,000 trout eggs, we know that usually we are going to have 58,000 fry anyway. The Secretary: That is all very true, I will admit that, but Mr. Clark will agree with me, I think, that there is far more guess work telling the number of whitefish after they are hatched than there is with bass. Now, we hatch quite a number of bass, and while it isn’t practical to count them all, we count a sufficient number so that we know our figures are very nearly correct. The President: Any more remarks on the bass? If not, I would like to tell you our experience in Vermont. A number of years ago, perhaps fifteen, a bass fad swept through New Eng- land. The State Commissioners up there and the United States Commission both had the small mouth bass and put them into every pond they could find; they put them into our trout ponds and into our large and small ponds. When they were put into the small ponds they would clean out the perch and bullheads. [ have one pond in mind of about fifteen acres that was full of bullheads or hornpouts and perch, and the bass were introduced there and they cleaned out every fish in that pond. To-day the bass seem to thrive there to a certain extent, that is, propagate there very rapidly. We use that pond as a source of supply for American Fisheries Society. 137 supplying others. We seine that lake every year and take out bass running from three inches in length to a pound in weight, and that is the only place where we do any work in introducing them to other waters, but if we could go back fifteen years we would not let a bass come into the State. Our waters were originally all trout waters. In Lake Champlain we want all the bass we can get, but many of our lakes have been ruined by the bass. In those lakes they won’t bite, they won't take our bait. There are ponds where we know these bass weigh six or eight pounds and we cannot induce them to take any bait at any sea- son of the year. The Secretary: I entirely agree with Mr. Titcomb that black bass should never be introduced in any water containing salmon or brook trout or any fish of that grade. Some years ago I was stationed at Green Lake, Maine. Not long before that someone had put a supply of small-mouth bass in that lake and they were becoming quite numerous, although the lake was already well stocked with landlocked salmon. The residents there were as much opposed to the bass as some localities are to the carp. Another point | want to speak of. Someone spoke about food for the fish in the ponds. Now, in addition to the minnows that we supply them with, we also hatch a great many suckers ; all the ponds are simply alive with sucker fry. We also introduce what is known as the covixa, the young corixa making splendid food for the young bass. We allow the center of the pond to be- come filled with vegetation and the water to get pretty warm so there will be plenty of animalcula for the fry to feed upon. In this way, of course, considerable food for the old and young is provided, besides that brought in from outside sources. I be- lieve, as Mr. Ravenel says, the solution of supplying food for the bass is in the breeding of carp expressly for food. The President: Any other remarks on the bass. Dr. James: Ii it would be in order for me to make a remark on the carp just here—I take more or less interest in that sub- ject—I want to say that I don’t want to be too hard on that kind 138 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting of fish. I believe the whole trouble is in the manner in which it is cooked and prepared for the table. I think that the carp received a “black eye,” as we say, simply because the people did not know how to prepare it, and I believe that the New Yorkers get a little ahead of us Philadelphians in cooking this fish, and that the reason we do not like the carp may be because we do not know how to cook it, for now we find it at many places; as soon as they find out how to cook it they all want the carp. Then there is another thing; I see here by our debate that the carp is a good food for other fish, that the spawn is good for other fish to feed upon, and if it has no other use I am going to thank the United States Commission for introducing the carp. I am in favor of the carp at the present time. American Fisheries Society. 139 BROOK TROUT FRY; A RESUME OF METHODS. W. T. THOMPSON, NASHUA, N. H. Much has been said regarding the hatching and care oi brook trout fry, and so well said; hence it is not with the expec- tation of advancing any strikingly new thoughts that this paper is presented, but rather with the view of promoting discussion and thus incidentally securing for the benefit of the individual the accumulated and composite experience of the entire member- ship of this society. A re-threshing of the old straw may still bring to light some few golden grains hitherto overlooked. I do not anticipate that my ideas will meet with your unanimous approval. Indeed, should they not be criticised and_ better methods suggested, I should fail of accomplishing my purpose, namely, exchange of experiences—not successes alone, but fail- ures as well, with the reasons therefor. Along this rock-bound, storm-swept, dangerous New England coast, a wise government has, in addition to cnarting the seas, placed buoys and light- houses to mark what? The smooth sailing? No, rather the rocks and reefs on which many a good ship has been wrecke.l. Is it not the duty of this Society to so chart the fish-cultural sea, mark the rocks where lay danger, help others to avoid them and sail safely into the harbor of success? I take it that each of you has had a-greater or lesser experi- ence along this line, many of you were amongst the pioneers, so I shall endeavor thrcughout to make my remarks suggestive rather than exhaustive. Pond and lake, brock and river, spring and driven well have each, in different localities, served well the fish-culturist’s pur- pose. As to temperature, 35 to 55 or even 60 has answered, the mean and not the extreme is advocated. In the north it should be low enough to so retard development that food will be abun- dant in the waters by the time the fast crowding quarters make 140 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting planting a necessity. For ease of manipulation, freedom from the trouble and worry of snow and ice, leaves and freshets, with soil and debris laden waters, the interminable work with screens, the danger of washouts and the various other unenumerated hin- drances; give me, if you please, spring water or water from a driven well, temperature 45 to 50, sufficient fall for aeration and yet with troughs at comfortable working height. The spawn, shall it be from wild or domesticated fish? 1 believe it cannot be gainsaid that eggs from the latter—at their best—with proper and sufficient food, good range and a mod- erately cool temperature, are larger and produce larger fry, which, with an inheritance one generation, at least, removed from the wild state, are more easily handled and more susceptible to the enforced artificial conditions awaiting them in their life of cap- tivity. On the other hand, and may I not say, in the majority of cases, improper feeding, either a lack or an excess as to quantity, insufficient as to variety, and, as we all know, during the hot summer months at least, too often most offensively deficient as to quality; the lack of exercise owing to restricted range and being freed from the necessity of “hustling” for a living, all conspire to sap the constitution of the parent and tend to produce fry with but little inherent vigor and vitality, and especially so when coupled with generations of inbreeding. Under the usual conditions incident to captivity, I believe I am perfectly justified in stating. that the concensus of opinion is largely in favor of spawn from wild fish as being more uniformly satisfactory. Thorough and continuous aereation is the great essential in hatching. A given quantity of water flowing in to a trough will renew itself twice as frequently when kept at a depth of three inches than if kept at six inches, so we drop in our trough a three-inch galvanized dam for the present. The tail screen is the greatest death trap ever placed in a trough, but we cannot do without it; let us lessen its murderous suction power by extend- ing the distance from the Niagara of the dam; make it, say, four inches at least. Much has been said of the additional aereation American Fisheries Society. 141 secured by the use of the horizontal screen. Possibly the simple wooden frame wire hatching tray is the form most generally used. We wish to extract the life-giving virtue from all the water. and not of one strata only, so we peg our tray in position at the greatest angle possible while still retaining the current both above and below it. Many of the nearly hatched embryo have their vitality so weakened by the diversion or impeding of the free flow of the current caused by the settling of the shells on them that they dic “aborning,” or at least before the sac is absorbed. Clogged screens at any time, and more especially during the hatching period and early life of the fry, is wilful fish slaughter. Absolute cleanliness should be the motto at all times. In theory, we have a free and equal flow of water through- out the entire trough. How is it in practice? In your daily round, have you not some morning found glazed eyes where but *yesterday all was well? It may be a little group here and there, or it may be a streak running from one end of the tray to the other. Theory will not give them back life. Investigation may or may not fix the cause. Why do so many embryo fail to break their shells? They were apparently strong and well developed up to or almost to the hatching period. There they are, there they remain. Living or dead, which? It is possible a few may still have sufficient vitelity to break forth into a brief weak and stunted existence; but is it not a fact that there remains on the trays at the close of the proper hatching period, in alinost every lot, an uncomfortably large number of eggs of this description? If this is a fact, why? Can it not be overcome? The ¢ause, I firmly believe to be deficient, or, rather, imperfect aereation arising through some diversion or obstruction of the current. Theory and fact have conflicted ere this. You may amuse your- self with theory if so disposed, but facts such as these are too uncomfortably assertive for any such pastime. The cure, more perfect apparatus, giving more thorough, perfect and_ reliable current, better aeration; result, stronger fry and more of them. From personal experience at the Nashua Station, the salmon basket of the Pacific coast, somewhat modified as to size, would 142 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting seem to be the coming device. Have you tried it? No? Do not fail to do so this fall. Old troughs can easily be equipped for the purpose. With three gallons of water, temperature 48 degrees, we hatched 25,000 eggs in a single basket one foot square with infinitely better results than we secured on trays 1x2 feet, carry- ing only one-third the number of eggs per tray. Hatching ca- pacity is marvelously increased. Next we turn our attention to the avoidance of the danger of suffocation during the sac stage. Fry will pile up on each other. If we are carrying them in large numbers, three or four subdi- visions of the trough by the use of perforated zincs will be of material assistance. Right here let me mention a weakness of the ordinary trough that is not obviated by the use of the horizontal screen. Our restless little friends will persist in scrambling to the head of the trough, gather in dangerous numbers in the eddies in the corners back of where the supply falls; if you are not on your guard, some day you may be surprised to find a few thousand. ashy-gray corpses floating around. A perpendicular screen near the head of the trough just below the inflow will keep them from this danger. During this stage the fry remain on the bottom, drawing only from the lower strata of water. Are you still crowded for room? Do you wish to double vour carrying capacity ? Then use a retaining, or fry basket, in each subdivision; it works somewhat on the same principle as the double-decked hog and sheep-shipping cars we are familiar with. Thus the problem is easily and safely solved. Using only three gallons of water per minute in a trough 12 feet long and 1 foot wide, subdivided by perforated zincs into four compartments, and using baskets in but two of the divisions, we successfully carried 65,000 fry to the feed- ing stage; in fact, actually taught them to feed. The wooden frame of the basket resting on the sides of the trough supports the bottom about one and one-half inches above the bottom of the trough. Had we used a basket in each compartment we could have increased the fry to 80,000. It is a fact that more fish can: be carried in the baskets than in the trough proper, since the boi- tom fish in the former cannot have their air shut off by those above. This and the hatching basket, as adapted to trout work, American Fisheries Society. 143 are the result of the lifelong experience of Supt. Waldo F. Hub- bard, of the U. S. F. C., with the Pacific salmon. Who knows the cause of the ever-present blue sac? Have you a theory? Remember, that all fry are restless, inquisitive little beings, poking their noses in wherever they find a hole sufficiently large. Isn’t it surprising how small that sufficiently large can be? All our authorities seem to presuppose that the fry are free swimmers, “able to balance themselves easily and gracefully in the water,” and ready to rise and strike at minute pieces of cork, or other floating substances, when ready for food. I wish to state most emphatically that such is not the case with brook trout fry. On behalf of this Society, on behalf of my brother fish-cultur- ists who may also be led astray by this false doctrine, on behalf of the neglected and suffering fry, I wish to build my lighthouse right here. I would build the foundation so broad as_ to entirely cover this rock of danger. I would have the light so bright and far-reaching as to shine out wherever a brook trout is propagated. You will kindly remember that I am not speaking now of trout in general, but the brook trout in partic- ular. Much of the complaint of failure to get certain lots to feed, much of the thin snakelike appearance so often seen in the troughs in the early feeding period, and much of the death rate at this time, are directly traceable to too strict adherence to this teaching. Sim- ply because the brook trout is generally known as a surface feeder, it is assumed that he must necessarily be such from the very begin- ning. I wish again to state most emphatically that while such may be the case frequently from necessity, by choice, or, to put it more correctly, by nature, brook trout fry are bottom feeders for a brief period at first—in other words, they feed before they can swim. Let us consider the philosophy of the matter. The Creator packs a month’s rations in the little fellows knapsack, tells him he must forage on the country for subsistence hereafter. In the wild state do you suppose he waits until this supply is exhausted before making an effort to skirmish for himself? I ask you, is it a reas- onable supposition that the change from absorption to feeding and 144 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting functional action of the organs is sudden and radical rather than slow and gradual? No progressive breeder in these modern days ever thinks of waiting till weaning time before accustoming his young stock to the change of food. The transition is made so gradual that the sensitive digestive organs do not resent it, the change from milk to grain is accomplished almost imperceptibly, not an ounce of flesh is lost, not for a day is the growth checked from infancy to maturity. This is the secret of the wonderful development of herds and flocks of to-day. It is true that in days gone by the farmer, in his wisdom, rav things differently. A direct transition from absorption to digestion is much more radi- cal and dangerous than from milk to grain. Which are we, farm- ers or breeders? Let us watch our newly-hatched fry. At first his only instinct is to hide, to burrow somewhere out of harm's way; nature’s provision is all sufficient for the present. Some weeks have passed, sac two-thirds to three-quarters gone, then we note a change. At nature’s changing call, segregation begins, the older and stronger fish draw apart; they are no longer a component part of the burrowing mass, but take up an independent existence as in- dividuals. Though unable to swim, our young alevin can and does move around on the bottom. Why? Knapsack getting light, he is now on the lookout for minute animalcule. Let us test the matter. We dip our feather in the food, specially prepared, infinitesimally fine, draw it lightly over the surface of the water, the minute par- ticles sink very slowly, one inch, two inches, three inches, and still not a strike; as surface feeders they are evidently not ready. But wait a moment! Just watch that big fellow on the outer edge there. See the glitter of his eyes, his whole body seems tremulous with excitement. The particle slowly approaches, only an inch, only a half inch away. A whisk of the tail, a quick dart upward, and one little fellow has found what his nature craved, one fish has learned to eat. He settles back to the bottom; then, at the new and strange sensation as the food passes into the stomach, he leaps and darts about for a few seconds, seemingly in a very paroxysm of delight. That atom was the lever that threw into gear the whole machinery of digestion and assimilation. He has found American Fisheries Society. 145 his vocation in life, he lives but to eat. From that moment he is as brave, as cruel and as daring a little pirate as ever sailed the waters. As bottom feeders, they are ready. Continue feeding not less than six times per day. Nature and example will soon teach the others. In three or four days, assuming the fry are of an age, they will be feeding quite generally ; but the amount consumed per trough will be very small. Requisition is still being made on the knapsack. In a week’s time, perhaps, a few of the stronger fish will begin to rise a little from the bottom ; in two weeks all will be up—hig, broad, lusty fellows as ever delighted the eye, the equal of fish a month older fed by the usual methods, much more even in appearance and with infinitely greater possibilities for future growth and early maturity. Feed them generously, overfeeding for fish under a year is but a bugaboo; feast your soul on his splen- did growth, revel in anticipation of some brother angler’s delight when, grown to a two-pounder, the little fellow we saw take his first bite shall strike his fly and give him the strongest, gamiest bat- tle of his life. Much of the food fed at this time is entirely too coarse for the fry’s delicate digestive organs. We find that grinding it three times through a one-sixteenth inch plate and then running it through a wire screen 24 strands to the inch makes it very acceptable in size. A little of the food will, of course, sink to the bottom; feathering at this stage would be tedious as well as injurious. It is not necessary, however, until the fish rise. Take a fine mesh net, a little narrower than the trough, draw it along the surface of the water; the current will raise the food as well as some of the fry. The latter, being heavier, will soon sink; reverse your net and you will get most of the waste food. After a few attempts, you will soon become expert in this simple and harmless method of trough cleaning. At the beginning of the feeding, take out the small dam in use heretofore and substitute one 4, 5 or 6 inches deep, as your trough may permit. It serves two purposes, additional range for the fast spreading and raising multitude and greater opportunity to secure the food while in suspension. 146 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Two rather serious objections may still be urged against the horizontal screen, even in connection with the head screen. The stronger fry so crowd against it as to make it rather difficult to place feed before them; then there seems to be an eddy that collects and retains food and other filth which should be carried by the current in conjunction with the constant movement of the fish to the lower end of the trough. We have therefore abandoned it in favor of the head dam. Aereation seems im- proved. A delightful current is created thereby, which can be regulated by the height of the dam and volume of water. The little fellows thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of breasting it. A light wire of suitable height on top of the dam prevents their shooting the falls as they grow older. Take special care of the weak, the strong will look out for themselves. Frequent thinning of the trough is necessary. The weaklings naturally gravitate to the lower end. Take them out of the various troughs and place them by themselves. Special” care and extra feed will soon bring them out. Occasionally, and without giving the matter due considera- tion, people characterize our great trout breeding establish- ments as mere toys, playthings for the benefit of the rich or idle, point to the unanswerable statistics of the marine, the salmon and Great Lakes hatcheries and ask triumphantly, where are yours? There are some things in this world whose value cannot be measured even in coin of the realm. The statistics of the brook trout are graven on the heart. In the Koran there is a passage reading thus: “If a man have two loaves let him sell one and buy a lily; bread feedeth the body, but the lily is food for the soul.” So it is. In pursuit of the brook trout, in wandering mid field and forest, by shady brook and rushing mountain torrent, in communion with nature in her wilder, grander moods, the weary souls of countless thou- sands have been refreshed and strengthened into truer, better and nobler lives. American Fisheries Society. 147 DISCUSSION OF MR. THOMPSON’S PAPER. Mr. Thompson: I might say that these zincs are not a fair sample; the regular zincs are perforated. In connection with the salmon hatching basket and the retaining basket, I might say that the Harrington & King Perforating Co., of Chicago, can make them entirely out of zinc. The price I believe is twelve cents a square foot. Mr. Hurlbut: It would be a good deal of work to take care of a box fitted up that way. Mr. Thompson: Oh, I don’t know. You understand, Mr. Hurlbut, the use of these compartments is only during the sac stage. We carried 65,000 in a trough twelve feet long, and we could have raised the amount to 80,000 if we had had two more boxes in use. Mr. Hurlbut: I was down to Cold Spring hatchery this spring and I saw something there I never saw before. I saw a trough full of fry, and on top of the water were a number of floating boxes, also filled with fry. The superintendent told me they had over six million brook trout fry in the hatchery, besides some thousands of lake trout fry. That was all very well for them but of no use to the commercial hatcheries. Mr. Thompson: I believe I heard Mr. Handy remark that there was a great deal of trouble to keep the fry from suffocat- ing; this will prevent that. I might say in further explanation, those that are suffocated are always underneath, the others crowding over them and shutting off all the water, but it doesn’t matter how deep they crowd on this, the under ones are abso- lutely safe. You can carry more in your trough if you use these baskets, even if you don’t use the bottom at all. In other words, you can carry more in your baskets than in your trough proper. The President: You get a circulation underneath ? Mr. Thompson: Yes. The President: I want to ask a few questions about this. I like this fixture for using the screen without a wooden frame around it, is there any objection to that? Mr. Hurlbut: It is better this way than the old way.. In 148 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting the end there, instead of using the dam across there, they use a tube with a rubber band around it. If you want it higher you raise it up; you can have it one inch deep or higher. Mr. Ravenel: I would like to ask Mr. Clark how many fry he carries in relatively the same space? Mr. Clark: I have been very much interested in Mr. Thompson's paper and of course have always been interested in those models that he has shown, but I hardly think he brings them forward as new inventions, do you Mr. Thompson? Mr. Thompson: No. Mr. Clark: They have been in use, all of the models, for quite a number of years and are all good. Of course his system there of slides is nothing but a remodification of the Clark- Williamson box, and of the Williamson box; we are using them right along, only instead of tin ours are wood, but the plan and the whole system are practically the same. The idea of forcing the current from underneath is all right. The current in the Clark box is downward while they are hatching the eggs, but after the eggs are hatched the box is turned around and then the current is upward. Our system, as perhaps a good many of you have read, is thoroughly described in the Manual of Fish Cul- ture, and it tells there just the number of eggs we carry on a given number of trays. Each box or compartment in the Clark- Williamson hatching trough is 19 by 10 by 12 inches, and holds 60,000 lake trout eggs, 6,000 on each of the inclosed ten trays. The President: Carry as fry? Mr. Clark: Carry them forward to the point where the eggs are ready to hatch, then we reduce them to 40,000 and carry them in the same space until they are hatched and until the fry are ready for distribution or feeding. In other words, we leave from these 60,000 eggs 40,000 for hatching and rearing. The President: And carry them until just before the sac is absorbed? Mr. Clark: Until the sac is absorbed. Mr. Handy: I would like to ask how much water you let through the trough? American Fisheries Society. 149 Mr. Clark: It runs up to 12 gallons and down to between 6 and 7 gallons. Any reasonable amount will do the Clark box; it is a box within a box, and the water flowing in forms an eddy and passes down through the trays and escapes through the holes in the bottom of the inside box and comes up around the sides. Now, after the eggs hatch, the box is turned around and the current then flows up through these bottom holes. Understand, the oblong wire mesh is not used at the Northville station or an other station that | have connection with, for th> reason that we always hold the fry on the same tray we hat wh on; we don’t allow them to pass through or over the tray, for we couldn’t handle the quantity we do with such a process. The floor space where we handle from twelve to fifteen millioy does not occupy, with the alleys, over about 28 feet—that is the length ~ of the troughs—by about 4o feet the other way. Of course, our methods are described more perfectly in the Manuai. That gives you—I think in the article on lake trout, more particularly —a full description of every point in regard to the workings of our station. Mr. Ravenel: I only called attention to that because Mr. Stone, of Cape Vincent, has built the same thing for the brook trout. I was there a few weeks ago and saw several stacks of trays taken out. The fry were in splendid condition, the sac just absorbed, and some were shipped the next day on trips of twelve hours with practically no loss. I have forgotten the exact number on the trays, but it was the first time I had seen brook trout handled in that way and with such splendid results. Mr. Clark: I would say further, Mr. President, in regard to the trouble which Mr. Thompson speaks of, of quite a large quantity of eggs not hatching out at the end, that we have no such experience. The only trouble that we have, with lake trout especially, is the blue sac, and we do have quite a percentage of blue sacs, but no loss of eggs after they have been thoroughly sorted; we hatch after that approximately 100 per cent. Mr. Hurlbut: What is the cause of the blue sac? (Laugh- ter.) 150 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Mr. Hubbard: I would like to say a few words in regard to the basket. In taking the dead eggs from the basket, the basket being filled about half full, vou just lift it up and raise it in that manner, which gives a boiling motion to the eggs and allows the dead ones to be seen. The President: You don’t do that during the delicate stage of the eggs? Mr. Hubbard: No. Now they are not a long time in the delicate stage and you can leave them all that time without pick- ing out the dead ones. Mr. Ravenel: How many days would it take to eye the eggs? Mr. Hubbard: At a temperature of 38 it would take, well, two months at least. Mr. Ravenel: On the Pacific Coast they cover up the eggs two to four days after they are taken and they do not uncover them until the delicate stage is passed; it may vary from 15 to 30 days. The eggs become covered with a sediment, but they wash them and have very little loss. Mr. Hubbard: I don’t see much difference between the salmon and trout eggs, as to one being more difficult to handle than the other. Mr. Ravenel: | think experiments have shown that brook trout eggs will stand transportation better than salmon eggs. Mr. Dinsmore: We have always eyed eggs in thirty days. My «xperience in eyeing eggs has been that there would be about 15 days, or perhaps 20, that I would consider them critical, in- jurious to handle. Now, if they are left a week before you pick them over, every bad egg that you touch would fall away. If they are left 20 days without being disturbed all the eggs under- neath and over a bad egg form into a ball. Mr. Thompson: In order to further discussion along that line | would like Mr. Hubbard to state the result of an experi- ment that he made out on the Pacific Coast regarding leaving salmon eggs in the baskets during that period. Mr. Hubbard: This lot of salmon eggs was picked over American Fisheries Society. 151 after they were taken and then put in a basket and covered up for 18 days with a board and left perfectly dark. When the board was removed the top of the eggs was covered with mud, you couldn’t sce an egg, but as the water came ap through the basket the under side ot the egg was perfectly clean, and by moving the basket up and down, the mud was washed off and the eggs would be picked over. The loss wasn’t near as much as in other bas- kets, not near as much in this basket that was covered and not disturbed. Mr. Dinsmore: Were any of those covered with fungus? Mr. Hubbard: There were a few, but what few stuck to the fungus didn’t amount to as much as in those that had not been covered up. The President: Any further remarks on this subject? Mr. Clark: You seem to touch upon the delicate stage of the eggs, but I don’t hear anyone say when this stage is, and that ought to be answered in some way. The President: I would say that we collect wild trout eggs and we don't want to handle them any more than ©. cessary after the first day. We can, but don’t want to. Mr. Clark: Some experiments were made by myself, and days and dates were given, which are now in the hands of the United States Fish Commission, and the experiments were very thorough, and we found we could handle them any time up to the eighth day as safely as after thev are eyed. Mr. Thompson: At what temperature? Mr. Clark: A temperature of 48. I never should hesitate to move green eggs any time up to that time, but between that and up to the sixteenth and eighteenth day, I never should move them. Mr. O’Mally: Speaking of the delicate stage. I have had some experience the past year and I find that salmon that are handled after the eighth day don’t do so well as those that are left alone after the fifth day. I picked one basket right through the whole season from start to finish, each day, and it survived, but those that F picked beyond the fifth day showed the effect of 152 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting handling. Our water at that time in September was about 50 de- degrees. We have a lot of mud in our troughs, too, because the supply of water comes from a creek, and the eggs were covered with mud at the time, that is, the top, so we couldn't tell what was in the basket. They were there fifteen days before you could see the spinal column. I would suggest if anyone was going to build a basket, that instead of making it with the wooden rim they use a number eight steel wire. I would like to ask Mr. Thompson how that basket is arranged, if it goes to the bottom of the trough? Mr. Thompson: The basket is supported on the side of the trough, and you can regulate it, that is, you can make it any depth. Of course, you don’t want it to rest on the bottom. You can have it an inch or more from the bottom, as yGu desire. I was going to say in relation to Mr. O’Malley’s remarks, the Harrington & King Co., of Chicago, can make them oi zinc; there is no rust to the perforated zinc and I think it is no more expensive and probably more durable. Mr. O'Malley: My idea of the steel rim for the basket was to do away with that wooden apparatus to keep the basket off the bottom of the trough. In the salmon trough we use four small pegs, one for each corner. Mr. Thompson: On the baskets? Mr, O'Malley: No, I mean the other little cleats up on the trough, and the basket rests on each corner. Mr. Ravenel: On the side of the trough? Mr. O'Malley: No, on the bottom. The President: I want to discuss with Mr. Clark a little more about the handling of green eggs. I do not agree with him. I have handled trout spawn a number of years, and we used to transport the green spawn on a few hours’ run the first or second day after they were stripped. Then we adopted the plan’ of setting up troughs at our field station. We set up a trough in a tent sometimes and eye our eggs there. In other cases we get hold of a deserted farm house, or put up a little shanty, in one of which I eyed last fall 600,000 eggs before I took them to the hatchery at all, and we found we could get a much larger per- American Fisheries Society. 153 centage of eyed eggs, if we took them and laid them right down in troughs in the woods and let the, water flow over them there until after the eye spots have shown plainly through the shell. Mr. Nevin: We never intend to take them out of the trough before ten days; after the tenth day we take them out but never attempt to before that. Mr. Clark: As I am on record in an official way I cannot go back on it, and I still stick to it because I tried the experi- ments myself. The time and everything was accurately noted, and I was surprised at the results of some of the experiments myself. I didn’t think it would be necessary to hold eggs be- tween those times, but I wouldn’t to-day any more think of hav- ing eges turned out of the trough between the tenth to eigh- teenth days than I would tly. But, Mr. President, we give our experiences here, and I do this way and you that, and we have good results. Now, we are not supposed to stand up here and say we have had those results unless it is so, but what proves to be the best way in one case may not do in another. 154 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting PROPAGATION OF THE PACIFIC SALMON. BY S. W. DOWNING, PUT-IN-BAY, OHIO. Were | writing this article solely for the purpose of reading before this meeting, I would not presume to go into details and give a description of the manner of securing the eggs and the methods employed in hatching them, as it is taken for granted that all or at least most of the members present are familiar with this work, but for the beneft of those who may read the forthcoming account of the proceedings of this meeting who are not familiar with this work, I will give a brief description of the work as carried on at the different salmon stations where | have been located during the last three hatching seasons. First, it is necessary to know something of the nature and habits of the fish in question. In most of the streams, and espe- cially those extending long distances from the ocean, there are two runs of fish, the first occurring in March and April, and the other in July and August. The fish coming into the streams in the first run go to the very head waters, reaching the spawning grounds late in July and August, where they remain until spent, and in fact until they die, for it 1s a fact not generally known that all the salmon that ascend the streams any distance above tide water, die soon after the eggs are deposited. The second run enters the main streams about July or Au- gust. These do not ascend the stream to the distance as the first run, but they enter the small tributaries near the mouth of the main streams, they apparently being more mature on entering the stream, and in consequence seek a suitable place in which to deposit their eggs soon after leaving salt water. The methods employed by the fish culturist in securing the eggs, is to first find some suitable location on either the main stream or some tributary, and throw a barrier across the slats. American Fisheries Society. 155, or pickets which are sufficiently close together to prevent the fish irom passing between them, and high enough to preclude all danger cf their jumping over, the lower end of course resting upen the bottom. This barrier prevents the fish from ascending the stream, and as it is their nature to push their way as far as there is water sufficient for them to swim in, and as they never cease the struggle and turn back, large numbers congregate just below the barrier, which is usually placed just above a deep hole where the fish lie during the ripening period before seeking the riffies and shoals upon which to spawn. Watch is then kept of the movements of the fish, and as soon as any are seen on the riffles fishing commences. The fish are taken either with a seine, or are caught in a down stream trap into which the fish are driven by going above them with a seine, and frightening them so that they make a rush down the stream and are crowded into the traps, from which they are taken and the ripe ones put into crates, where they are held for the next day’s spawning. The latter method of taking the fish is preferred when the nature of the stream will admit of it. The green fish taken are always liberated, as they will not go away, and thus the fishing is con- tinued until the spawning season is over, and practically every fish that entered the stream lias been handled. The need of carrying on this work on as large a scale as possible will be more readily understood when it is more gener- ally known how totally lacking the salmon is in that instinct that prompts the two sexes to seek each other for the purpose of re- production. The writer has had an excellent opportunity during three entire spawning seasons to study this trait in the salmon and never but once has he seen the two sexes together perform- ing the functions necessary to fertilize the eggs as they are ejected by the female, and in conversing with others who have had ample opportunity for observing these fishes for years, | have never met a man who had ever seen the two sexes together at this time, as we so often see in other fishes such as the black bass, catfish, sunfishes, and many others, and for this reason it is safe to say that not one egg in one thousand is fertilized when 156 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting the fish spawn on the reefs naturally. A female will select a spot upon which to spawn, and if not disturbed will remain there, or near by, occasionally turning upon her side and with a pounding motion with her tail, and in fact with the whole body, eject a few eggs; this process is kept up at intervals of from ten minutes to half an hour or more until all her eggs have been deposited, the time consumed being from a couple of days to a week or more. The spawning always takes place in a swift current and where the bottom is gravelly, and the pounding motion spoken of loosens the gravel immediately beneath the fish; and as the cur- rent washes it from a few inches to a few feet down the stream, often a hole from one to two feet deep is thus formed, and a correspondingly large pile of gravel made just below. The eggs that have escaped are consumed by the thousands of river white fish, suckers and the several kinds of trout with which these streams abound, as the eggs and the gravel are washed down with the current together. But where, all this time, is the male? Perhaps lying a few feet below her, or perhaps a few feet at either side, sut never once approaching her. The writer has reached the conclusion that the only way in which the fertilization of the salmon egg has ever been brought about, is at those times and places where the fish are so very thick in the streams that during the hight of rhe spawning period, the whole waters of these small streams are completely permeated with the spermatozoa of the males; and when one realizes that each large male produces a quart or more of semen during the season, it will be readily understood that large numbers of eggs could have been, and undoubtedly were fertilized in this manner. But it will be observed that the num- her of eggs, or the percentage rather, that are fertilized in this manner is just in proportion to the number of fish in the stream during the spawning period, and that in the streams that but few fish enter, the percentage of eggs that are fertilized is reduced in the same ratio, and as the number of salmon entering the streams is becoming less and less each season, it becomes more im- perative that the worl: of propagation be carried on to the fullest ~J American Fisheries Society. 15 extent, as it is in these small streams that formerly so many fish ascended, and where at one time the chances of fertilization were enhanced by the great amount of semen ejected by the males, and that now but few ascend, rendering the chances of natural fer- tilization almost to the point of nil, that the work of propagating the salmon should be carried on to the fullest extent. Every stream or tributary that will yield a million or more eggs should have a sub station, and all the eggs possible taken, hatched and the fry returned to the stream, scattering them over as much ter- ritory as possible. This, in the opinion of the writer, would be a far better method, and the results in mature fish would be much greater than to have large establishments, and turn out many millions into any one stream, as each stream or portion of it has but a limited supply of the natural food suitable for the young salmon, and all in excess of the number that will live upon the food supply must necessarily perish; and as most of these streams are in a broken country where is is almost impossible to give the fry anything like a wide distribution, they must neces- sarily be put out over a very small area. Thus it will be readily seen that in such instances it would be an easy matter to over- stock the streams, and even if none died from starvation, some would become stunted, and never reach a normal size, besides cannibalism would be encouraged; the larger and stronger ones eating the small weak ones. It has been noticed that in the past few years the number of undersized salmon that were taken were steadily on the increase, the last esason showing a far greater number than any previous season. The only logical conclusion that the writer has been able to reach is that this is the result of overstocking the streams where the work of propagation is car- ried on to any extent, numbers of young fish being stunted for lack of sufficient food, and although they live to mature, they never grow to the normal size. This line of reasoning will un- doubtedly be objected to by some on the ground that nearly all these undersized fish are males, but it is known that the fish of any one season’s hatch do not reach maturity together, that is, a portion wiil return the third year, while another portion will 158 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting not return before the fourth season, and it is our opinion that the males mature, even if under size, and return with the regular run, while in the case of the female, she does not mature until after sufficient time has elapsed for the ova to mature, and thus she has one more season’s growth than the male, and is conse- quently larger, on an average, although there are instances of very small females coming into the streams, and some have been taken and spawned that have weighed but from six to eight pounds and the eggs from them hatched and the fry seemed strong and healthy. The writer is aware that this article is but a poor, crude affair, but hopes that the main idea, i. e., the need of more ex- tended work in the propagation of this most valuable fish, has been made apparent. DISCUSSION OF MR. DOWNING’S PAPER. Mr. O'Malley: I didn’t quite catch whether Mr. Downing limited the spawning of his fish to the blue-back salmon or to the Pacific salmon? Mr. Clark: He refers to the quinnat salmon. Mr. O'Malley: I should say that with the blue-black the male and female work together. Mr. Hubbard: I have had considerable experience with the salmon, and I wish to say that the males do work with the females in spawning naturally. The female will work alone, but usually there will be one to three or four males just below, and when these males notice the female excluding the eggs they will rush up and deposit their fluid over them. Mr. Ravenel: I think, Mr. Chairnian, Mr. Hubbard is right. It is true of all other fishes and must be of the quinnat; but if not true, there would not be one-tenth of one per cent of the eggs deposited that would be fertilized. Extensive experiments have been made showing that the milt is absolutely fruitless after it has been in the water two or three minutes. I don’t think there is any question at all but that two minutes is the dead line, and, in fact, one and one-half, I think, will not produce a 10 per cent fertilization. American Fisheries Society. 159 Mr. Bryant: I would like to ask if the salmon dies after it deposits its eggs; they run up in such immense numbers, what becomes of them? Mr. O'Malley: Near Baker, Washington, where the salmon die, they are disposed of by the bears eating them Mr. Hubbard: I think it will be found in all spawning streams that after the salmon spawning season is over the river and shores are full of dead salmon, and you can smell them for a long ways. A great many of them float off and sink in the eddys, but it has been proven, I think, that they die after spawning. The President: I will inquire if there is any exception in the salmon of the Pacific coast, any varieties that do not die after spawning ? Mr. Hubbard: Well, the steelheads do not die after spawn- ing. Mr. Ravenel: It has been a prolific source of discussion for a number of years, and a great many have been very skeptical about the salmon dying after depositing their spawn. Some have attributed it to the hardships they had to go through. But in Alaska, in the little mountain streams, the salmon at the head- waters are in as bad condition as these taken five hundred or a thousand miles up the Snake river. A captain of engineers was sent out and instructed to make a report on the Portland canal, and he found a little stream a quarter of a mile up in the moun- tains where the salmon were so weak they could hardly work their way up, and there were just as many wounded and dying salmon there as in the upper waters of the Sacramento or Colum- bia. It wasn’t the distance they had gone, but their condition. Dr. James: That is not a strong point, because the streams are very rapid and there is a great deal of exertion before the sal- mon gets up to where it wants to go. The streams flow so rap- idly that the fish are swimming up for a long time, and it is easy to see how thy get exhausted—that is, from the time they enter the stream until they spawn, and that, I think, is an injury. The President: He was proving to you that in the streams that are not any longer than from the coast out to that shore the 160 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting salmon die after spawning just as much as after swimming thou- sands of miles; they find that out to be a fact that they will die any- way after they spawn, whethér after undergoing the hardships of leaping falls or not. Dr. James: I believe that is so, that some fish will die after they have performed the act; the habits of different fishes are, of course, known to those who have been observing them carefully. Mr. Clark: I would like to ask Mr. Hubbard, as he has had much experience on the Pacific coast, if in his judgment it is some- thing in relation to the act of spawning that kills the Pacific sal- mon, or is it due to their hard work reaching the spawning grounds? Mr. Hubbard: My opinion is that the salmon arrive at their spawning grounds in fairly good condition. Of course, the longer they are in fresh water the weaker they will get, but the majority arrive in fairly good condition. The act of spawning is very exhaustive, and they are worn out, and it seems to be the nature of them to die after performing the act. Mr. Clark: Then you are not positive that it is the work, or lack of food, or act of performing their functions, or all three combined ? Mr. Hubbard: I think it is the nature of the fish to die after spawning. Mr. Clark: In holding whitefish in crates and in handling them in our spawning work, they receive injuries so that I don't believe three out of a hundred would live long if put back into the river. We held some of our whitefisi: »» --2tes nearly two months last fall, but, of course, they had no food during that time. Mr. Raverel: Except that they were held in the river, Mr. Clark: That is true; but we examined them and found nothing in their stomachs, so they didn’t eat; and those fish at the end of that time were apparently in just as good condition as when put in the crates. Mr. Davis: In regard to whitefish eating, it seems as if they did just about as well without food as with. We have a couple of whitefish weighing about two pounds apiece; I think they were American Fisheries Society. 161 kept in an aquarium last fall and all winter, and they are in the aquarium at Paris now, and apparently in as good condition as when taken out of the river. Mr. Clark: I don’t think whitefish eat anything at all after they commence running up the river. I have never been able to find anything in their stomachs. Mr. Nevin told me last evening that he had found whitefish eggs in the stomach of a whitefish. I never have and I have examined the stomachs of thousands. Dr. James: [I think starvation is largely the cause of many of the salmon dying. The salmon will go up in great schools, and at the mouth of the more rapidly flowing streams they wiil ac- cumulate in such numbers that a man can almost walk over them dry-footed; they crowd together in such a way that they injure one another, and there certainly isn’t enough food for the num- ber of fish that go there and have to await their turn to get up. Then they have to go up streams where there is a great deal of exertion required, and they must have nutrition in order to get the force to mount those rapidly flowing streams. Then they have the spawning to do, and they have to go back again, and I think starvation enters largely into that. Mr. Hubbard: In regard to the food supply for the salmon in the streams, I wish to say that the steelheads will go up the same streams as the salmon do, and the steelheads out there are a large fish, 20 or 25 pounds; they go up as the salmon do and return to the ocean. Sometimes at our stations we put the racks in early in the spring and we sometimes catch some of those steelheads by that means; those are all returning down the stream and collect on the upper side of the racks, and I have known them to stay there all summer and then go down to the ocean in the fall, but what quinnat salmon go down all die in a few days. Mr. Thompson: I would iike to ask whether these quinnat salmon that are on their way out will take the hook? Mr. Hubbard: I have known of a good many being caught with a hook. I don’t know whether with a fly, but you can’t find anything in their stomach, and I think they just bite. 162 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Mr. Clark: I have caught the Pacific salmon in the Mc- Cloud River, as large as 24 pounds, using a red flannel rag as bait. F The President: I have a friend who has caught the salmon in one of the rivers in the State of Washington with a fly. I can’t say whether they were going up to spawn or not. I want to inquire—it was spoken of here as being the nature of the fish, as though it was the nature when they spawned to die—if that was so wouldn’t they all be the same size or same age? Do the fresh water conditions enter into the question of its food supply? You hear of all sizes of salmon being caught. Theor- izing upon it without any practical knowledge it would seem as though some other cause than nature entered into it. Mr. Ravenel: Why is there any more reason that salmon should be of the same size at the same age than man? You can take any number of trout fry, six months old, fed exactly the same number of times, and find some twice as large as others. Mr. Bryant: How smail do you find them when they have spawned? Mr. Hubbard: We often find very small males; the females are generally larger; I don’t know of any females with spawn in them that would weigh under six to eight pounds. Mr. Bryant: Do the males die as well? Mr. Hubbard: Yes. Three years ago we marked 5,000 salmon by cutting off the adipose fin, and in a little less than three years some of them were caught returning to the spawn- ing grounds; the next year a few more were caught, and this year I understand they caught a few more of these marked sal- mon, so they do not all return the same year. Mr. Bryant: Then they never spawn but once? Mr. Morse: I would like to ask for information if both sexes die after performing the functions? Mr. Hubbard: Yes, sir. Mr. Thompson: I would like to have Mr. Hubbard state something in regard to the number of marked fish that returned each year, and also about the time of returning each year. American Fisheries Society. 163 Mr. Hubbard: I am very poor to remember figures and statements, but the first year that those marked salmon were caught the cannerymen were requested to keep a record of those taken, and some thirty odd were reporetd, with the date of capture and weight. Since then many more have been captured, but they have kept no accurate record. I think over 100 were reported the first year they were caught, a little less than three years after they were marked and the years following I don’t know the number, but some were reported. Mr. Bryant: Whereabouts, Mr. Ravenel, do they go to in the ocean? Do they work alnog the shore when they get to the ocean, after being up in the fresh water, and where do they in- habit the ocean? Mr. Ravenel: I will have to refer you to better authority. Mr. Bryant: They are not caught in the ocean, Mr. Ravenel: They are caught not a great distance off, very much like our shad, Mr. Davis: Is it true that the salmon die upon their first spawning, that they never spawn but once? Mr. Ravenel: We have only to conclude that, we don’t know it, but since we assert that all the salmon that enter the rivers never return, we have got to conclude also that they never spawn but once. Mr. Davis: What weight are the salmon when they spawn? Mr. Hubbard: The average weight is 20 to 30 pounds. Mr. Bryant: How long does it take them to reach that age? Mr. Hubbard: Well, as I say, in from 3 to 4 years their weight is from 20 to 30 pounds. The President: Aire there any further remarks on the sal- mon, or inquiries? Mr. Thompson: I would like to state that according to the report of the State Commissioners, the fish that were weighed ran from 12 or 15’up to 49 pounds. We are almost compelled to conclude that those fish were all the same age. 164 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting ADDRESS OF MR. GRANT M. MORSE, STATE GAME AND FISH WARDEN, PORTLAND, MICH. Mr. Morse, being invited by the President to tell the Society something about his work in Michigan, said: “Tam not prepared to taik for record, but will be very glad to give you something of an idea of the work we are doing in Michigan for the protection and perpetuation of our wild life. “Along this line I was very favorably impressed with the remarks made in one of the papers, expressing the wish that all State Commissions would work in harmony with this Society. I have enjoyed very much this meeting, and have conceived the idea that if we do work together with the protective agencies in the different states, much better. work may be done by the exchange of ideas, and to that end we hope to add a little at the meeting next year at Milwaukee. “In Michigan we have a State Fish Commission, which has. to do with the propagation and planting of fishes. The propaga- tion of the commercial fishes—whitefish and lake trout—last year, the last two years in fact, has been turned over to the U. S. Fish Commission, and the attention of the State Fish Commission has. been given entirely to the inland waters. The fishes of the Great Lakes furnish food for the people of all the States, and I think it perfectly proper that the U. S. Commission should care for the work of propagating. “The work of protection we deem in Michigan to be very important in connection with our propagating and planting, in that we are able to protect the young fishes to an age when they may be properly taken, and we deem this feature in our Great Lakes one of the most important, or really it is the main feature, that will lead to the perpetuation of the food fishes in those waters. We have fixed in our State upon a weight limit—two pounds for American Fisheries Society. 165 whitefish and one and one-half pounds for lake trout—at which age they are supposed to reproduce themselves naturally. “Our legislature in Michigan is much like the legislatures of other States, very careful of their appropriations, and especially for this work of protection. It requires the sentiment of the community to enforce protective laws, as it does any other law, and to get an appropriation for this work it requires a good deal of work to get them to understand the importance of such legislation. We are laboring at a good deal of disadvantage with our very small appropriation, the legislature only giving us $2,000 for the work of protecting the Great Lakes and inland waters. We have a lake coast of nearly 2,500 miles, and very much of it is good fishing ground, and commercial fishermen are found at nearly every village along the coast. We have this whole space to look after, together with the sentimental fishes in the inland lakes, where we are bothered with dynamiters, netters and other violators, besides protecting our game in the field and forest. “In addition to this $2,000 we get a little revenue from our hunting license law. We have a law in our State that requires the payment by a non-resident of $25 license for the hunting of deer, and a resident license of 75 cents. We have from this a revenue of $4,000 or $5,000; that makes $6,000 or $7,000 annually to expend. This is all the fund we have for State deputies, of which we are allowed ten, who are paid a per diem and expenses, and who work under the direction of the State Warden. In ad- dition to this we have County Wardens, who are paid by the Boards of Supervisors, and most of you know how well County Supervisors pay wardens or others whom they are employing. But we get out of these county deputies a certain amount of work which materially aids our State men. A very few of the counties give us no aid, being against the sentiment of the work, and these vote an appropriation of only one dollar per year for county wardens. In the last five vears we find that sentiment is rapidly growing for the better protection of our game and fish. In some counties, for instance, a year ago where we were unable, 166 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting with the best of evidence, to get a conviction by a jury, this year in those same counties we have not missed a conviction. Now you will see how rapidly sentiment changes in this work. In one of our counties where we have a great deal of commercial fishing, last vear we had one party arrested three times for taking small fish—whitefish or lake trout—and he got clear every time. This year the first time he was arrested he was convicted and punished, and the second time convicted and punished and each time by a jury of his peers, so that we feel we have changed the sentiment in bringing before the people the necessity for this protective work for the perpetuation of our commercial fisheries. “In taking the small fish, of course, before the age at which they reproduce, the commercial fishermen practically ‘kill the goose that lays the golden egg,’ while to leave them means re- plenished and prosperous fisheries; they cannot expect ‘to reap if they do not sow.’ “This is true also of the game department. By careful pro- tection we find our quail are increasing very rapidly from year to year. We have now a 4o-days’ shooting season, from the 20th of October to the 30th of November. This includes quail, partridge, wood-cock and snipe. I think we never had as many quail in the field as we had last season. They are rapidly going northward as agricultural operations have increased in that di- rection, and we find our quail now in plenty in Emmett County on the west shore and Cheboygan County on the east shore, but we don’t get any quail in the Upper Peninsula as yet. How- ever, deer and partridge are very plentiful in that portion of our State, holding their own in good shape. “The work of protection, in connection with the work of fish commissions, it seems to me, should be supported, and that these two departments should always work in harmony. It was spoken of yesterday by one of the members, I think Mr. Bryant, of the Wisconsin Commission, that they were able by keeping out of protection, saying nothing about that, to get a good appropria- tion for propagating; I think that is right. I think the work of EE ——————-— - American Fisheries Society. 167 propagating and distribution is a large work in itself, and if it is properly taken care of by these commissions they should look after it entirely. The work of protection is an entirely different work and produces a good deal of animosity, and perhaps this may have influenced their legislature in separating the two de- partments; still, having them work hand in hand with protection, for the common good, I believe is the proper way to perpetuate our fisheries and our game reservations.” (Applause.) 168 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting a DISCUSSION ON THE CARE AND FEEDING OF BROOK TROUT, SUGGESTED BY THE TRIP TO THE EAST FREE- TOWN TROUT HATCHERY. The President: Yesterday you had a good opportunity to see one of the practical commercial hatcheries, and it seems to me that we fish-culturists can get more practical points from a man who is in the business to make what he can out of it than from any other source. We are fortunate in having identified with us this year more of the commercial fish-culturists than ever before. You did not have an opportunity yesterday to question Mr. Hurlbut very much, and it occurred to me that there might be some questions which you would like to ask him. I want to ask two or three questions for information. I want to ask first whether any of the fish-culturists have considered the vegetation which grows in the bottom of our ponds—I don’t know the name of it, but it is very common; in many ponds it grows dur- ing the summer and then rises to the top in hot weather. Whether it is objectionable? Whether there is any preventative for it? Mr. Root: Do you mean that green growth? The President: That green growth. You can watch it in the summer and see it rise up, making a tunnel shaped appear- ance like a water-spout, and gradually cut itself off from the bot- tom and float on top. Mr. Root: I had occasion, Mr. President, to inquire of one of our scientific men in Providence in regard to that very mat- ter; he said that the vegetation would not grow in a depth of water over fourteen feet; it is only in shallow ponds that it will grow. There is no remedy for it. The President: Well, there seems to be no one here that can give us a remedy. American Fisheries Society. 169 Mr. Root: There is no remedy. In black bass ponds where that green matter is, black bass will not bite. On Block Island they have a great many ponds and the deepest pond they have is filled with this green scum, and you cannot catch black bass while that is there, but it doesn’t last very long. Mr. Lane: I will give you my experience, but perhaps all others have had the same. I believe in a certain measure that this growth is a good thing for trout, I think that it is a benefit, but over and above a certain amount of it I think it is an injury, and all the way I get clear of it is to keep the water as deep as I can and covered up from the sun. I believe at the same time that the fish eat a certain amount of it. I have examined and experimented with fish in ponds containing it, and they will hardly ever take but a very little artificial food and yet they will thrive perhaps better than those that are a great deal thicker and fed artificially. I believe it is a good thing, a certain amount of it. And now while I am up I have one little point on the food of fish, and if I am wrong I wish to be corrected; if I am right I shall be glad to have given my experience. If vou feed liver, I should prefer to have it the same day as killed and not after it is tainted; what I shouldn’t want to eat myself I wouldn’t feed to young fish. I believe food of that kind is injurious, does more harm than if it is not fed at all. After trout get to be a larger size I think that liver-fed trout is a stumbling block to many, they say they don’t want to eat them; whether they have that taste or not I don’t know, but most everyone says they do, and for that reason I have experimented with a food mixture that I make in this way: I take a common farmer’s boiler and put in three buckets of water, then put in a pound to a pound and a half of salt, which is dissolved in the water. Then, when the water comes to a smart boiling point, I put in what is called animal meal—that is powdered and ground up fine—then add fine feed and common Indian meal, mixed—TI mean shorts, only it is a different grade, a finer grade than shorts. I then cook and mix it to a state where it will be hard when cold, then force it 170 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting through a five-inch pipe with a cap on the bottom filled with holes—put the mixture into that and force the food right through the holes and make it into ltttle worms about as large as a pipe stem. This separates it so in a few minutes it dries up enough so that when you throw it into a pool it does not crumble off, but the worms break apart and the fish will eat this about as quick as they will meat, and by putting it into that shape they don’t pollute the pool with a mess of dirt. Whether the salt is a benefit to it, or whether the animal meal gives it a fine taste that the fish like, I don’t know, but they thrive on that better than on liver alone. I don’t know now if anybody has any better way to feed trout; if they have I should like to hear it. I came here to learn and I think I have learned, but if I can learn any more I would like to. Mr. Ravenel: How young are the trout that you commence to feed on that? Mr. Lane: Well, I feed the fish hatched this spring along this fall, the young fingerlings. Mr. Ravenel: In other words, you don’t use it much until they are nearly yearlings? Mr. Lane: No, sir. Mr. Ravenel: You know the use of mush and liver are al- most universal in government stations; it is very fully described in quite a number of our publications. They start using that within two or three months after the fry commence to feed. We have never used the ground animal meal that you speak of. Mr. Lane: Its being ground I find it digests very easily. At most of these stations don’t they feed liver in large quantities? Mr. Ravenel: They have produced some very remarkable results through feeding in that way, the fish having attained a length of eight inches within a year from the time the eggs were taken; that was an exception, of course, as the majority were not as large, but I am speaking of the exceptions. The President: Mr. Lane, I will inquire if you don’t think your meat ground up and cooked and mixed with your mush would be as well as animal meal? American Fisheries Society. 171 Mr. Lane: I don’t know but it would; I think its being ground so very fine will produce a more rapid growth than it would to take the liver raw. Mr. Thompson: Regarding the food, I would like to state that it is to be considered according to the point of view in which you look at it. The commercial hatcheries take a very different point of view from the Commissions; they wish to grow a fish that has a very delicate flavor, and on that account they necessarily must get some food that will produce it, and of course we know that with fish as with anything else, there is a change of flavor according to the kind of food consumed. One variety of food alone I think is not the best, a change is beneficial. But in our work we are not interested in the flavor at all, we are not producing fish to turn on the market, but to plant in public waters where the natural food does the rest, and gives them that peculiar flavor that has created such an appetite for trout. So, on that account, we have no interest in getting a food with a flavor, and I think in that way our standpoint is a little dif- ferent. Then in regard to this green slime that is found in ponds, I wish to say that the lowa station had some experience with it. In one pond, I remember, there was a sandy and gravel bottom, no loam and scarcely any vegetation, on this sandy bottom the vegetation did not take hold rapidly. Other ponds there have a loam and mud bottom where there is more or less vegetation which took hold and spread rapidly—and this slime also repro- duced itself very rapidly. The fish that were placed in the pond first mentioned and spawned on the sandy bottom did not do very well. The bottom attracted the sun, there was scarcely any protection, and, as the spawning operations were visible, they were interrupted in them by other fish coming around and eating the spawn after it was extruded; the few fish hatched there found no food, and there were comparatively no results from that pond; but the other ponds that I speak of, where the bottom was covered with this vegetable growth and slime, produced good results—the fish there did well. They would select their spawning place 172 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting where it was protected from the sun and from the obser- vation of the other fish; they were more successful in the act of spawning, and the eggs were not bothered, nor the young fry dis- turbed to the same extent, and when they began to eat they found apparently an abundant food supply on the vegetable growth and also on this green slime, and they did quite well. The green slime and the vegetable growth also furnish a hiding- place for the young, so that the older ones cannot pursue and attack them. There was one statement Mr. Lane made I didn’t under- stand. He spoke of the fish eating this slime. I would like to ask whether they eat the slime, or merely the animal growth that lives on that slime? Mr. Lane: It may be the animal growth, but the slime dis- appeared. American Fisheries Society. Le LACK OF FERTILIZATION VS. ARRESTED SEGMENTATION. BYode is STRANAHAN, BULLOCHVILLE, GA, A series of experiments was carried on by the writer during the whitefish spawning season, with the view of discovering, if possible, what causes monster embryos in fish eggs, especially those partaking of the twin character or having more than the normal number of parts or organs. Probably a majority of biologists hold that these monsters are occasioned by injury to the egg at certain critical periods during development. In fact, it is conceded that these monsters can be so produced artificially in the case of the chick, and doubtless others, but it is also held by some eminent embry- ologists that they may likely also be produced by more than one spermatozoon entering the egg through the micropyle at a time when sufficient water has enscred the egg through its mem- branes to lift them from the disc. The first series was carried on with a view of producing monsters by injury. For this purpose a four-ounce glass jar was used. Into this one-half ounce of eggs from a given lot were placed, when the jar was half filled with water and securely corked. It was then dropped ten times into a wooden pail half filled with water, from a height of four feet, the jar striking the bottom of the pail with considerable violence. Lots of eggs were thus treated, beginning with the first one- half hour after the eggs were taken and impregnated, the second one hour later and then an hour up to and including the ninth lot On examining these eggs under the microscope after they had been 48 hours in running water, only one twin disc was found, and that not very well defined, 100 eggs of each lot having been examined, showing that the injuries had not caused them in any considerable numbers. 174 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting The experiment, however, resulted in what was to the writer a most startling discovery. Five lots of one hundred each, taken from the same lot from which the eggs had been procured for these experiments, showed but 3 2-5 per cent unimpregnated eggs and but few with ruptured yolks, while those subjected to the injury process showed large numbers of what appeared to be unimpregnated, or which looked like those which fish culturists have regarded, when viewed under the microscope, as unimpreg- nated, the disc being hemispherical, semi-transparent, amber- colored and devoid of all appearance of segmentation. One thing is sure, all of these eggs were dead. The following table shows the number ot eggs appearing normal, that is, where segmentation had taken place, those with ruptured yolks, and those having the appearance of being unim- pregnated : % |1% | 2% | 8% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 8% Isbep|ebry |Bebcsp|Wabayy| lebry|ebey Mabey ebay | Jatacy Beos, Normally 2. os. 36 53 61 64 66 65 66 | 89 88 Eggs, Ruptured yolk . 57 36 27 15 12 9 8 3 3 Eggs, Unimpregnated. | 7 11 12 21 22 26' | 26 8 9 Gta a yee eae ctatreo 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 SU Wisi DISCS 3, cis \tae als as 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 It should be here stated that one twin disc was found among the five hundred eggs which had not been submitted to the injur- ing process. In another experiment, eight lots of eggs were given ten shakes each with as uniform force as possible with the right arm. The results were substantially the same as in the case of the above, with the exception that there were rather more rup- tured eggs than in the former case. There is obviously but one conclusion to be drawn from the result of these experiments, and that is that the larger portion American Fisheries Society. 175 of these eggs which seem, as viewed under the microscope, to be unimpregnated, are really fertilized,.but segmentation has been arrested as a result of the injuries received; in other words, they have been killed. If we concede this theory to be true, it then follows that many of the eggs which we have generally supposed to be unim- pregnated are really those where segmentation has been stopped through injury to the disc, and since in the case of the pike perch egg this loss of ten runs up to one-fourth or even one- third of the whole, it would seem that the remedy should be sought in greater care in handling the eggs up to the point where they are fully cushioned by the absorption of water. This view was fully sustained at the Put-in-Bay station of the U. S. Fish Commission during the spawning season of 1899 in the case of several lots of pike perch eggs taken by the station force from the boats of the fishermen near by, brought to the station in the milt and manipulated with great care on the floor of the hatching room. ‘These lots, embracing some twenty jars of eggs, hatched out from 80 to 90 per cent of fry, and were by odds the best in the house. 176 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting THE BREEDING HABITS AND GROWTH OF THE CLAM.* BY PROFESSOR A. D. MEAD, PROVIDENCE, R. I. In view of the deplorable decrease in the production of soft- shelled clams on the shores of Narragansett Bay, the Rhode Isl- and Commission of Inland Fisheries two years ago requested Dr. J. L. Kellogg and myself to study the life history and habits of this most valuable shell-fish, to ascertain, if possible, the true reasons for its gradual disappearance, and to suggest a practical means either for repleting the natural clam grounds or for estab- lishing artificial clam culture. Since then the investigations have been extended by the U. S. Fish Commission to other shores than those of Rhode Island, but to these I shall not refer in this paper. Without going into details or describing particular ex- periments, the general conclusions drawn from the work in Narragansett Bay may be summarized as follows: 1. The preliminary survey indicates that there are more than fifty miles of Rhode Island shore in the Bay alone which are more or less available for the rearing of clams. 2. The range and adaptability of the clams are great. They will thrive in various kinds of soil; in sand, mud, clay, and among stones; from near high-water to considerably below low water; from brackish ponds to the densely salt water of the out- side shore and Seaconnet river. 3. It is the general testimony that the clams have been de- creasing in quantity gradually during the last twenty years, and it is an undisputed fact that they are now comparatively scarce. The disappearance has been nearly uniform in all parts of the Rhode Island shore of the Bay; in localities protected from the wash of the steamers and not contaminated by the waste of towns, as well as in localities less fortunately situated. It is still, in certain localities, comparatively abundant below the low-tide *Received after meeting adjourned. American Fisheries Society. 17 mark, where it cannot be taken by the ordinary method of dig- ging, but only by the more elaborate and unusual method of churning. In Cole’s river, where, under Massachusetts laws the clams are better protected, they are much more abundant than in the neighboring Rhode Island estuary, Kickemuit River, though both are similarly situated and the latter has been proved by its past history to be a locality as favorable as the other. These facts and others indicate clearly that the decrease in the clams of the State is due mainly to the unlimited and promiscu- ous digging and not ta changed natura! conditions. 4. That frequent digging up of the ground is necessary, or that it is even a positive benefit to the clams, by rendering the ground soft, is probably a fallacy. The fact that often the finest specimens are found in hard, stony ground, or in hard clay flats, which are only occasionally exposed to the clam-digger at an unusually low tide, and the observations made during the sum- mer upon the growth of unmolested specimens, indicate that they grow well, at any rate, if left undisturbed. The habits of the animal, in obtaining food, point to the same conclusion. The food is obtained from the water which is taken in through the siphon, and not from the soil in which the clam lies. So long as it is well located, therefore, and in communication with the water it is distinctly not to its advantage to de disturbed, part:cularly at the risk of being buried deep under the mud or left on the surface, a prey to crabs, mummichogs, star-fish, and other ene- mies. Clams less than one-half an inch long will burrow very rapidly when they are exposed on the surface of the mud (if covered by water), but those upwards of three-fourths of an inch will often lie for a long time without even irying to burrow, and then are not very efficient in getting into the mud. Tins method of “cultivation,” although undoubtedly excellent for ap- ple trees, is not, however, equaily good for clams. 5. The breeding-season of the clam is at its height in June. The exact limits of the period have not been ascertained. The eggs are extruded in great numbers into the sea-water wnere they are fertilized and in a short time develop into very minute 178 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting free-swimming forms with little resemblance to the adults. In this condition they live an active life and are carried hither and thither by the tides for several days at least before they settle down to the bottom or attach themselves to some object like a stone or piece of sea-weed. The obvious result of this method of reproduction is that the young clams do not remain where the eggs are laid but are very widely distributed by the tides. This fact readily explains the sudden appearance of a large set of clams in a locality where the adults are scarce. It is not at all unlikely, moreover, that the clams below tide-mark, and out of reach of their human enemy, produce a large proportion of the clams which set on the shore. 6. In the manner of setting, and in the peculiar character- istics of the young clams after they have set, there are two facts which will prove of the greatest service in clam culture. (1). The clam set is not evenly distributed even in regions of the Bay where the water is full of the free-swimming young, but in some localities the set is extremely thick while in neighboring local- ities, a few rods distant, only a small number may be found. (2). The young clams, from one-fourth to one-half an inch long, have a remarkable capacity for burrowing, a capacity which is greatly diminished as the animal grows larger. At the proper season, therefore, and in the localities where the set is thick, the clams can easily be collected in immense numbers by means of a sieve; and fortunately the time when they can be collected with the least difficulty happens to be the very best time for trans- planting. By far the best time for collecting and transplanting is from the first week in July to the first or second week in August. It is hundreds of times easier to collect them at this season by means of a sieve than at other times of the year with a clam-hoe. There is perhaps even a greater advantage in trans- planting at this time, from the fact that the clams can now be sowed broadcast like grain and will soon burrow into the sand; whereas, larger specimens from one inch upwards must neces- sarily be planted and carefully covered or a great loss will result. An additional fact in favor of transplanting at this time is that American Fisheries Society. 179 in some localities there are very great quantities of young clams set early in July which, if not taken up and transplanted, are destroyed by shifting sand or from some other cause. In other localities the clams are set too thick to grow to the best advan- tage, and they would actually be benefited by being thinned out. 7. It seems almost certain that the explanation of the abun- dant set in a limited area, and the meagre set in the neighboring localities, is to be sought in the position of the shore with refer- ence to the tides. When this explanation has been worked out in detail it may be possible artificially to construct and place appar- atus to collect the set in equally large quantities. 8. The experiments of transplanting have demonstrated that under favorable conditions the rate of growth is more rapid than is usually supposed, some of the June set having reached a length of nearly two inches by the middle of September. The experiments demonstrate also, the fact that there are great differ- ences in the rate of growth according to the food supply which is obtained from the water, and that the most rapid growth may be expected of clams which are under water most of the time. g. The size and age at which the clam reaches sexual ma- turity is obviously a problem of considerable importance. It is the general opinion, and has been sometimes stated in print, that they do not spawn until the third year. That this opinion is erroneous there can be no doubt. The clams of last year set at Wickford station were ripe this year and the eggs from these specimens were artificially fertilized. The observations from the same station indicate clearly that (1) the clams would again be abundant upon our shores could they receive, for only a few years rest from the unreasonable and promiscuous digging. (2) From the biological point of view clam culture is as practicable and feasible as oyster culture. The legislative question—the control of shore by private individuals is, to be sure, another story. 180 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting RESPONDING TO “THE PRESS.”’* BY FRED J. ADAMS GRAND RAPIDS MICH. Gentlemen of the American Fisheries Association—When I was asked by your secretary, Seymour Bower, to prepare some- thing for your annual meeting, I threw up my hands. I do pre- tend to know something about brook trout and rainbow trout, but for me to pretend to tell or write anything interesting for members of your Association, seemed beyond my ability. I could write fish stories until the cows come home, and I could describe the delights of Michigan streams until you all grew weary of listening, but I don’t know that I could give you a single new thought cr idea upon the great subject with which you are all so well familiar. Mr. Bower spoke of the benefits of artificial propagation and planting in p-blic waters, but it would be a dry subject. It is a conceded subject to begin with. Every- body who knows anything at all about fish or fisheries knows that no question mark can be put after any of our hatcheries or their work, and the man who would attempt to deliver himself upon the benefits of artificial propagation or subsequent planting, would be like a man who attempted to descant upon the benefits of the joyous hereafter. There is one feature of the subject, however, which we can all of us consider. It refers to The Press. This sentiment has been responded to so often and so completely in all the varied forms that ingenuity can devise, that it is with some little fear and trepidation that I attempt to give you anything new upon the subject. And yet, there is a very decidedly new feature so far as fish and fishermen are concerned. The newspaper of to-day is admitted to be the great educa- tor of the masses. It creates sentiment favorable and unfavor- able. It educates the people upon all topics of interest upon which the writers themselves are posted. And yet how few of *Received after meeting adjourned. American Fisheries Society. 181 our newspapers to-day ever publish anything reliable or readable upon the subject of inland fishing. I know nothing about the deep sea fishing or the sport to be found along the coast, but I do know and realize full well that few of the writers for our news- papers of to-day have any real conception of the delights and the experiences of inland fishing, especially of brook trout. We read descriptions which no doubt please the greaat masses of the peo- ple very well, and we read stories which to the tenderfeet sound well enough. We read in magazines of great catches being made under conditions quite as harrowing or as romantic to the ordin- ary reader as they are amusing to the old timer, and they are published in all good faith, too. It was but a few weeks ago that one of the metropolitan papers referred to a man “sitting upon a log in the middle of the stream fishing for trout,” and another very excellent newspaper recently contained a Sunday story about two trout fishermen who “waded upstream until they were all worn out, in the search for speckled beauties.” Similar refer- ence might also be made to many of the illustrations, intended to show scenes and incident upon trout streams. They picture whiskered gentlemen with the inevitable English outing cap, a briar pipe, double-breasted jackets and top boots, and the fisher- man is usually using a long and well bent rod from the bank or standing in very shallow water. Of course, many fishermen smoke briar pipes, and many of them fish from the bank, but every trout fisherman knows that the picture is by no means true to nature. The trouble is that there are so few of the newspaper men who know anything about the sport. In our busy life we have little time for such things. When an editor or reporter gets a little time for rest and relaxation he goes to put it in along lines familiar to him, and few of us have apparently had the opportun- ity to become acquainted with the delights and the very sub- stantial benefits of a day or a week upon the trout stream. The members of your Association can do some missionary work in this field with promise of certain and satisfactory results. I know this from my own experience. 182 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting Michigan is one of the best states for trout fishing in the country. We who are fortunate enough to live here, are just a little conceited of our resources in this respect. Years ago we had grayling in abundance but in the absence of successful arti- ficial propagation they have disappeared so rapidly as to become practically extinct in Michigan waters. Under the magnificent work of the State Fish Commission, the number of trout streams have multiplied until almost every little brook is a trout stream. The number of fishermen has increased in the same proportion, too. A few years ago the trout fishermen who were really enthu- siasts, were few in number, while the fly fishermen of the state could almost be counted upon the fingers. To-day there are thousands in the state and practically all of them use the fly. In_ Grand Rapids there is a fishing club of over four hundred mem- bers, each of whom uses the fly practically altogether, and the membership of this club is but a small percentage of the total number of good fishermen. But to return to the subject! Of all my own acquaintance among the newspaper workers of Michigan I do not know of one who takes any personal interest in trout fishing. There are bass fishermen, yachtsmen, oarsmen and experts in other lines, but I cannot recall having met an active newspaper man from this or any other state, either upon the stream or upon the conversa- tional fishing stream. I probably would have remained in the dark myself had it not been for one of your members, “Uncle” Horace W. Davis, president of our State Fish Commission. It was seven years ago when he induced me to go upon a little one- day trip to a stream forty miles north of the city. A borrowed outfit was easily obtained and upon the return I could not get to the store quickly enough to buy one of my own. I was green at the game but I learned. I caught but few fish but Davis landed enough for both and I came home with an enthusiasm which has never diminished. Piece by piece the outfit has been purchased until now it is as complete as my needs seem to require, and I am no longer a borrower of rods or waders, but am in a position American Fisheries Society. 183 to lend and to divide up with the less experienced or less fortun- ate on the return trip. You gentlemen can do for others what Davis did for me. You can get newspaper worke-s interested in the great sport which we all so thoroughly en oy. Speaking from an experi- ence of fifteen years I can promise you that you will find them as royal a lot of men as ever cast a Jy and with the true sportsman- like feeling awaiting only cultivation and development. They will not be looking for the best end of it either. In olden days it was a tradition that newspaper men were continually looking for something free. It is not so to-day. They would thoroughly enjoy plenty of God’s own free sunlight and fresh air, and the freedom from care and restraint so characteristic of the stream, and they would enjoy meeting the free heartedness and the free- masonry always known among fishermen, and the tenderfeet will need plenty of free advice and instruction, but beyond that you will have no cause for worry. I think you will see the point I wish to make. The news- papers are the educators; then why not all turn in and educate the newspapers. We are all interested in trout fishing and in the preservation of our streams. In order that the streams are re- stocked, artificial propagation is necessary, and this costs money. Legislatures must vote the money and in order to do this they must have the people behind them. In order to get the people, we must have the newspapers, and there is no better way under the sun than to make the men who make the newspapers thoroughly acquainted by actual contact with the situation. 184 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting LIST OF MEMBERS. ACTIVE. Apams, E. W., 114 Wall st., New York. AbAMS, Frep J., Grand Rapids, Mich. Ainsworth, C. E., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. ALLEN, G. R., Roxbury, Vt. ALEXANDER, GeEorGE L., Grayling, Mich. ALEXANDER, L. D., 50 Broadway, New York. ANDERSON, J. F., 240 Eleventh st., Jersey City, N. J. Anpbrews, A., Columbus, Ga. ANNIN, JAMES, JR., Caledonia, N. Y. Atkins, CHAs. G., East Orland, Me. Ayer, F. W., Bangor, Me. Baspitt, A. C., Williamsburg, Mich. BaiLey, H. W., Newbury, Vt. BALL, E. M., Leadville,, Colo. Barrett, W. W., Church’s Ferry, N. D. Barttett, Dr. S. P., Quincy, Ill. Bett, Currie G., Bayfield, Wis. Be_mont, Hon. Perry, 19 Nassau st., New York. BENKARD, JAMES, Union Club, New York. BENNETT, S.’R., New Bedford, Mass. Benton, W. H., Bullochville, Ga. Bickmore, Pror. A. S., Seventy-seventh st. and Eighth ave., New York. Birce, Pror. E. A., Madison, Wis. Bissett, JoHN H., Detroit, Mich. Biackrorp, Hon. EuGENEG., Fulton Market, New York. Biatcurorp, E. W., Chicago, IIl. Bootu, A., 36 State st., Chicago, Ill. BotrEMANNE, C. J., Bergen op Zoom, Holland. Bowers, Hon. Georce M., U. S. COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES, Washington, De: Bower, Seymour, Detroit, Mich. Bower, Warp T., Detroit, Mich. Bowman, W. H., Rochester, N. Y. Boyce, F. C., Carson City, Nev. Brap_ey, Dr. E., 19 West Thirteenth st., New York. Brewer, W. C., Cleveland, O. Brewster, C. E., Grand Rapids, Mich. Brewster, W. K., Durand, Mich. Brown, Georce M,, Saginaw, Mich. American Fisheries Society. 185 Brusu, Dr. E. F,, Mount Vernon, N. Y. Bryant, Gen. E. E., Madison, Wis. BuLkiey, H. S., Odessa, N. Y. BuLvarp, C. G., Kalamazoo, Mich. Bumpus, Dr. H. C., Providence, R. I. Caro, G. PosTIGLIONE DE, Naples, Italy. Cuameers, A. E., Kalamazoo, Mich. Cuase, H. C., 1020 Arch st., Philadelphia, Pa. CueEneEY, A. N., Glens Falls, N. Y. CLARK, FRANK N., Northville, Mich. Coss, E. W., St. Johnsbury, Vt. CocsweLL, J. M., U. S. Fish Commissioner, Washington, D. C. ConHEN, N. H., Urbana, ‘Ill. Co.Ltins, Hon. J. C., Providence, R. I. Coruiss, C. S., Gloucester, Mass. Cou.tter, A. L., Charlevoix, Mich. ‘Crook, ABEL, 99 Nassau st., New York. Crossy, H. F., 30 Broad st., New York. Curtis, J. M., Cleveland, O. Dare, J. A;, York, Pa: Davis, Horace W., Grand Rapids, Mich Davis, B. H., Palmyra, N. Y. Davis, Hon. Georce B., Utica, Mich. DemuTH, H. C., 144 E. King st., Lancaster, Pa. De Rocuer, JAs. D., Nashua, N. H. Dickerson, FREEMAN B., Detroit, Mich. Dinsmore, A. H., Green Lake, Me. DourepoureE, B. L., 103 Walnut st., Philadelphia, Pa. Downline, S. W., Put-in-Bay, O. Dov te, E. P., Port Richmond, N. Y. Dun tap, I. H., U. S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. Eset, Hon. F. W., Harrisburg, Pa. Epwarps, VINAL N., Woods Hole, Mass. Ettis, J. FRANK, U. S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. FEARING, Hon. D. B., Newport, R. I. Fitkins, B. G., Northville, Mich. Fox, Carr. J. C., Put-in-Bay, O. FRrIESMUTH, E. H., Jr., 151 North Third st.; Philadelphia, Pa. FrorHINGHAM, H. P., Mount Arlington, N. J. Gavitt, W. S., Lyons, N. Y. Geer, E. H., Hadlyme, Conn. GeorcE, Hon. A. F., Swanton, Md. GREENE, Myron, Franklin, Vt. GrirFitH, S. L., Danby, Vt. GuNCKEL, JoHN E., Toledo, O. 186 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting Hacert, Epwin, 32 North Sixth st., Philadelphia, Pa. Haun, Cart. E. E., Woods Hole, Mass. Hatey, Caves, Fulton Market, New York. Hamitton, Ropert, Greenwich, N. ¥ HAMSDALE, FRANK, Madison, Wis. Hanpy, L. B., South Wareham, Mass. HANSEN, G., Osceola Mills, Wis. Harris, J. N., Fulton Market, New York. Hartiey, R. M., 627 Walnut st., Philadelphia, Pa HeENSHALL, Dr. JAMEs A., Bozeman, Montana. Hitt, Joun L., 115 Broadway, New York. Hocan, J. J., Madison, Wis. Hoven, H. S., Syracuse, N. Y. Hoxte, Cuas. A., Carolina, R. I. Hoxie, J. W., Carolina, R. I. Hupparp, Watpo F., Nashua, N. H. Hucues, Frank L., Ashland, N. H. Hunsaker, W. J., Detroit Mich. Huntincton, L. D., New Rochelle, N. Y. Hurvevt, H. F., East Freetown, Mass. Hutcuinson, E. S., Washington, D. C. James, Dr. BusHrop W., n. e. cor. Eighteenth and Green sts., Philadel- phia, Pa. Jenninocs, G. E., Fishing Gazette, 203 Broadway, New York. JENSEN, PETER, Escanaba, Mich. Jounson, S. M., Union Wharf, Boston, Mass. Jones, ALEXANDER, Erwin, Tenn. Jones, Dr. O. L., 116 West Seventy-second st., New York. Josepu, D., Columbus, Ga. KAUFFMANN, S. H., Evening Star, Washington, D. C. KeLty, P., 346 Sixth ave., New York. Kenyon, A. W., Usquepaugh, R. I. Kerr, Cart. J. R., Pittsburgh, Pa. Kiet, W. M., Tuxedo Park, N. Y. LAMKIN, J. BAYARD, Bullochville, Ga. LANE, GeorceE F., Silver Lake, Mass. Lawton, Cot., J. P., Columbus, Ga. Leacu, G. C., 2923 Finney ave., St. Louis, Mo. Locke, E. F., Woods Hole, Mass. Loveyoy, SAMUEL, Bullochville, Ga. LypeLt_, Dwicut, Mill Creek, Mich. i McGowan, Hon. H. P., 108 Fulton st., New York. MALvory, CHAs., Burling Slip, New York. Mancwa, H. H., Northville, Mich. MANNING, W. W., Marquette, Mich. American Fisheries Society. 187 MansFIELp, H. B., Lreut.-Com., U. S. Navy, 368 Hancock st., Brooklyn, N. Y. , Manton, Dr. W. P., Detroit, Mich. Marks, H. H., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Marks, J. P., Paris, Mich. Marsu, W. C., Washington, D. C. MartuHewson, G. T., Thompsonville, Conn. May, W. L., Omaha, Neb. Meap, Pror. A. D., Brown University, Providence, R. 1. Meenan, W. E., Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Pa. Merritt, F. H. J., Altamont, N. Y. Merri, M. E., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Miter, Geo. F., Put-in-Bay, O. Miter, W. S., Gallion, O. MILLIKEN, Dr. J. D., U. S. Fish Commission, Woods Hole, Mass. Mitts, G. F., Carson City, Nev. Moore, Cuas. H., Detroit, Mich. Morcan, H. A., Baton Rouge, La. Morrett, DANtEL, Hartford, Conn. Morse, Grant M., Portland, Mich. Morton, W. P., Providence, R. I. MosuHer, STAFrrForD, Fort Plain, N. Y. Mussey, Georce D., Detroit, Mich, Nasu, Dr. S. M., 63 West Forty-ninth st.. New York. Nevin, JAMEs, Madison, Wis. OBERFELDER, R. S., Sidney, Neb. O’Brien, W. J., South Bend, Neb. O’Connor, E. M., Savannah, Ga. O’Hace, Dr. Justus, St. Paul, Minn. O’Mattey, Henry, Baker, Washington. Orr, W. J., Bay Port, Mich. Osporn, Wm., Duluth, Minn. Pace, P. W., West Summit, N. J. Parker, Dr. J. C., Grand Rapids, Mich. PreaAgsopy, GEorGE A., Appleton, Wis. Peck, Hon. STEPHEN, Warren, R. I. Powe Lt, W. L., Harrisburg, Pa. Powers, J. A., Lansingburg, N. Y. Powers, JOHN W., Big Rapids, Mich. PRATHER, J. Hus, Lexington, Ky. Preston, Hon. Joun L., Port Huron, Mich. Preston, Dr. Henry G., 98 Lafayette Square, Brooklyn, N. Y. Proctor, Hon. REDFIELD, Proctor, Vt. *RATHEONE, Wo. F., D. & H. R. R., Albany, N. Y. RATHBUN, RICHARD, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. RAVENEL, W. DE C., U. S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. 188 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting REIGHARD, Pror. JAcos E., U. of M., Ann Arbor, Mich. Ricuarps, G. H., Boston, Mass, Roserts, A. D., Woonsocket, R&. I. Rosinson, W. E., Mackinaw City, Mich. Rosrnson, A. H., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Ropcers, Frank A., Grand Rapids, Mich. Rocers, J. M., Chicago, Ill. Root, Henry T., Providence, R. I. RosENBERG, ALBERT, Kalamazoo, Mich. Ruce, Joun G., Apalachicola, Fla. Russet, Henry, Detroit, Mich. SCHWEIKART, WALTER, Detroit, Mich. SEAGLE, Geo. A., Wytheville, Va. Ser, E. M., Bullochville, Ga. Setters, M. G., Philadelphia, Pa. Sexton, CRAMER, Murfreesboro, Tenn. SuHerwin, H. A., 100 Canal st., Cleveland, O. Situ, L. H., Algona, Iowa. Situ, Dr. Hucu M., U. S. Fis Commission, Washington, D. C. Smiru, Capt. J. A., Woods Hole, Mass. SotmMANs, ALDEN, South Norwalk, Conn. Soutuwick, J. M. K., Newport, R. I. SPENSLEY, CALVERT, Mineral Point, Wis. STARBUCK, ALEXANDER, Cincinnati, O. Starr, W. J., Eau Claire, Wis. STELLE, G. F., Chicago, Il. STERLING, J. E., Crisfield, Md. Stewart, CHas. E., Westerly, R. I. Stewart, A. T., Northville, Mich. Stone, Livincston, Cape Vincent, N. Y. STRANAHAN, J. J., Bullochville, Ga. STRANAHAN, F. A., Cleveland, O. STRANAHAN, F. F., Cleveland, O. STRANAHAN, H. B., Cleveland, O. Sykes, ArrHur, Madison, Wis. Sykes, Henry, Bayfield, Wis. Tawes, J. C., Crisfield, Md. Tay or, A. R., 318 Main st., Memphis, Tenn. Tuayer, W. W., 234 Joseph Campau ave., Detroit, Mich. Tuompson, Cart G., 78 Henry st., Huntington, Ind. Tuompson, W. T., Nashua, N. H. Tuompson, W. P., 1020 Arch st., Philadelphia, Pa. Tinker, E. F., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Titcoms, Joun W., St. Johnsbury, Vt. : Trumpour, D. A., Bay City, Mich. : Tusss, FRANK A., Neosho, Mo. American Fisheries Society. 189 Tucker, EpmMuNpD St. Georce, Bedford Row, Halifax, N. S. TuLiAN, EucGENE A., Leadville, Colo. Van C eer, J. S., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Vincent, W. S., Leadville, Colo. VOGELSANG, ALEXANDER T., Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal. Wa ker, BryANntT, Detroit, Mich. Wattett, W. H., Put-in-Bay, O. Watters, C. H., Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y. Watton, C. H., 1713 Spring Garden st.,Philadelphia, Pa. Warp, Pror. H. B., Lincoln, Neb. Wess, W. Sewarp, Forty-fourth st. and Vanderbilt ave., New York. WENTWorTH, NATHANIEL, Hudson Centre, N. H. WEED, W. R., Potsdam, N. Y. WETHERBEE, W. C., Port Henry, N. Y. Wulite, R. Tyson, 320 Bridge st., Brooklyn, N. Y. Wicegur, H. O., 235 Third st., Philadelphia, Pa, Wicegvur, P. H., Little Compton, R. I. WILLarp, CuHAs. W., Westerly, R. I. WILteETTs, J. C., 40 Wall st., New York. WitiiamMs, J. A., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Witson, S. H., Cleveland, O. Winn, Dennis, Nashua, N. H. Wires, S. P., Lester Park, Duluth, Minn Woop, C. C., Plymouth, Mass. ZALSMAN, PHILIP G., Paris, Mich. ZWEIGHAPT, S., Deer Park, Haines Falls, N. Y. HONORARY. BoropiNeE, NicHoias, Delegate of the RusstAn AssocrATION OF PISCICUL- TURE AND FISHERIES, Uralsk, Russia. Fis Protective ASSOCIATION OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, 1020 Arch st., Philadelphia, Pa. LAKE St. CLarr SHOOTING & FISHING CLUB, Detroit, Mich. New York ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF FISH AND GAME, New York City. SouTHSIDE SPoRTSMEN’S Cus, Oakdale, L. I, N. Y. Sweeny, Dr. R. O., Lester Park, Duluth, Minn. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. THE GOVERNORS OF THE SEVERAL STATES. Woopmont Rop anv Gun Crus, Washington, D. C. 190 Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting CORRESPONDING. Apostoiipes, Pror. Nicoty Cur., Athens, Greece. ArMISTEAD, J. J., Dumfries, Scotland. BENECKE, Pror. B., CoMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES, Konigsberg, Germany. Brrseck, Epwarp, Eso., M. P., London, England. Brapy, TuHos. F., Eso., Inspector oF FisHertes, Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland. FeppERSEN, ARTHUR, Copenhagen, Denmark. Gictiott, Pror. H. H., Florence, Italy. Iro, K., Member or FisHertes DEPARTMENT OF HOKKAIDO and PRESIDENT OF THE FISHERIES SOCIETY OF NORTHERN JAPAN, Sapporo, Japan. Jarra, S., Osnabruck, Germany. Juet, Carr. N., R. N., PRestDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NorwecIAN FIsHerIEs, Bergen, Norway. LANDMARK, A., INSPECTOR OF NORWEGIAN FRESH WATER FISHERIES, Ber- gen, Norway. Lunobperc, Dr. Rupotpu, INSPECTOR OF FISHERIES, Stockholm, Sweden. MaccLeay, WILLIAM, PRESIDENT OF THE FISHERIES COMMISSION OF NEW SoutH WaALEs, Sydney, N. S. W. MAITLAND, Sir JAMES RAMSAy Gibson, Bart., Howieton, Stirling, Scot- land. Mavmcren, Pror. A. J., Helsingfors, Finland. Marston, R. B., Eso., Epiror oF THE Fishing Gazette, London, England. Otsen, O. T., Grimsby, England. Sars, Pror. G. O., GoVERNMENT INSPECTOR OF FISHERIES, Christiania, Nor- way. Senior, WILLIAM, London, England. Smitt, Pror. F. A., Stockholm, Sweden. Sota, Don FrANcisco GARCIA, SECRETARY OF THE SPANISH FISHERIES SO- ciety, Madrid, Spain. SotskKy, BAron N. pE, DirEcTOR OF THE IMPERIAL AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM, St. Petersburg, Russia. Trysom, Dr. Fitie, Stockholm, Sweden. WatpoLe, Hon. SPENCER, GOVERNOR OF THE ISLE OF MAN, WarteL, M. RaAveret, SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETE D’ACCLIMATATION, Paris, France. Younc, ArcHIBALD, Esg., INspEcToR OF SALMON FISHERIES, Edinburgh, Scotland. RECAPITULATION. ALCEIVE 6c: i505 ce SEK haere 244 Honoragaites:.. « »,:.s's 0.0 eee ea eaten ters Vs SS Corresp@Qi@ime: x.y. ..03) 1 cits cee eee 26 Total membership......... fad Se eal ve. Agag American Fisheries Society. 191 CONSTITUTION. (As amended to date.) ARTICEe “Tf. NAME AND OBJECTS. The name of this Society shall be American Fisheries Society. Its objects shall be to promote the cause of fish-culture; to gather and diffuse information bearing upon its practical success, and upon all matters relating to the fisheries; the uniting and encouraging of all the interests of fish-culture and the fisheries, and the treatment of all questions regarding fish, of a scientific and economic character. ARTICEE LY. MEMBERS. Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote and the payment of one dollar, become a member of this Society. In case members do not pay their fees, which shall be one dollar per year, after the first year and are delinquent for two years, they shall be notified by the Treasurer, and if the amount due is not paid within a month thereafter, they shall be, without further notice, dropped from the roll of membership. Any person can be made an honorary or a corresponding member upon a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting. Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote, and the payment of $15.00, become a life member of this Society, and shall thereafter be exempt from all annual dues. 192 wenty-ninth Annual Meeting ARTICLE III. _ OFFICERS. The officers of this Society shall be a President and a Vice- President, who shall be ineligible for election to the same office until a year after the expiration of their term; a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, a Treasurer and an Executive Committee of seven, which, with the officers before named, shall form a council and transact such business as may be necessary when the Society is not in session, four to constitute a quorum. ARTICLE: TY; MEETINGS. The regular meeting of the Society shall be held once a year, the time and place being decided upon at the previous meeting or, in default of such action, by the Executive Committee. ABTICLE, N. CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION. The Constitution of the Society may be amended, altered or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, provided at least fifteen members are present at said meeting. ERANSACTIONS AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY Thirtieth Annual Meeting JULY 19 AND 20, 1901. Headquarters of the Meeting, Hotel Pfister, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Officers for 1901-1902. President, - - GENERAL EK. KE. BRYANT, Madison, Wis. Vice-President, . - EUGENE G. BLACKFORD, New York City. Recording Secretary, - GEORGE F. PEABopy, Appleton, Wis. Corresponding Secretary, JOHN EK. GUNCKEL, Toledo, Ohio. Treasurer, - - - C. W. WILLARD, Westerly, R. I. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Joun W. Titcomps, Chairman, St. Johnsbury, Vt. GEORGE T. MATHEWSON, Thompsonville, Conn. I. H. DuNLAP, Washington, D. C. HENRY O’MALLEY, Baker, Wash. W. H. BoarpDMAN, Central Falls, R. I. J. J. STRANAHAN, Bullochville, Ga. NOTE. On account of the short time at the disposal of the conven- ” tion, it was impossible to discuss every paper which was con- tributed. The text of the various papers and discussions will be found in Part Two of the Transactions. > PAGE List oF Wew- Members <6 65.5 0s-6.0 cis dz sien radereencorstaenetacelt’s cio, ere bias eee 7 Address iby, Presidents « oascicccrg ccc ofe te ete renedeie tere omen ietarere e nmavere 8 Report of Baird Memorial Committee. 20.00. fe cia eens ces beens 13 Address by ex-Governor George W.. Pech oo 2. .6 ....2.00s50ss eee 15 Report of Committee on Location and Time................... 18 Report of Committee on Nominations. 5.) voc ee yem on enn so ae 19 Address by President-elect)215 vice cieaist opmenret toe ele teh femte a siciet 19 Report of Treasurer..... ee ee ee ee oe 22 Report of. Anditing Committee pack cs saan ‘come en meer anetae 22 Report of Committee on Resolutioaay 0.1.5. sieve eue wonsnaen 24 Papers and Discussion : Bryant, Gen: B. E:,. Madison, Wisi «ce. dock che. sie ee 31 Parker, Dr. Ji.C;, Grand, Rapids Mich 2) 2cj6. eaten 0 eee 48 Gunckel, John JB; Toledoj@i ena eo uerae eee eee 62 Marsh, Prof,.M. Cy. Washinton: DiCrns.. tanehices dence 66 Atkins, Chas. Gu, MaspOriands Men vcsancmicer entice 82 Nevin, James*Madison; WIS. neck. scat ne seiaic eee 90 Mead. Prof; A.D. Providence; Raisins ss secrete a eater 94 Henshall, Dr. James’ Ax, Bozentan) Mont. 5. . sci-eentenrceneiers 101 Woods'C.iC,, Plymouth) Massiriic acm cei aliciere scien 105 Discussion oniCar pis.c sist cto etree © cele ema ome are ere 114 Cohen; ‘Nat: El.; Urbaniay aa. So teratse te terstecstere, roi oe eterna 133 Stone, Livingston, Cape Vincent, Nc ¥ 2. issues pean 137, James, Dr. Bushrod Washington, Philadelphia, Pa........ 144 Thompson, W.:T., Nashtid, NSE. y inns cee eer naae eee eee alhsy Dinsmore,“A.. H;,/ Green’ Lake, Me. 9.2). could be given in Characters of Certain Fresh Water Fishes,’ the transactions without the slides. Prof. Reighard: I do not think so. A good many of the illustrations are colored. I think the most that could be at- tempted would be an abstract of the articles, perhaps with some illustrations. Mr. William H. Boardman, of Rhode Island: A good many of us who come here eager to learn are confronted with a rather perplexing situation. These topics are taken up, papers pre- American Fisheries Society. B9 sented, long and exhaustive discussions had—but no conclusions reached. Now, how are we to decide who is right? I think that by some means a definite decision where possible should be made, settling once for all points which can be settled by us, so that it will not be necessary to take them up again, and so that we may know something of what we have accomplished. The President: You will have to do as an old German jus- tice of the peace used to do; he always said, “The last fellow got the best speech and I gives him the case.” Mr. Peabody: I move that the society tender a resolution of thanks to the United States Fish Commission for its kindness in putting the steam launch Shearwater at our disposal. and also for the great interest that the commission has shown in being represented here in such large numbers, in furnishing so much material for our discussions, and affording such great help to us in forwarding the work of the society. Motion seconded and unanimously carried. Mr. Bowers: I desire to offer a resolution heartily thanking the officers of this association for the conscientious and able manner in which they have performed their several duties, and to congratulate them upon the suecessful work of this society during the past year. Motion seconded and unanimously carried. The President: Before we close I wish to thank the society for the meeting, which to me has been one of great interest and satisfaction. The duties of the presiding officer have been sim- plified and made very easy by the excellent order maintained. I found it the least difficult convention to manage that I ever pre- sided over, and our meeting has certainly been pleasant and, I hope, instructive to us all. I certainly have derived great benefit and pleasure from the papers and discussions we have had. and want to say to all of you who failed to meet us at Wood’s Hole when our last convention was held there, that you will lose a large fraction of the pleasures of life, if you fail to go there next year, for it is certainly worth a trip across the United States to see that country and the work that the United States Fish Com- mission is conducting there. It will enlarge our vision very much on the subject of fish culture, and its concomitant stud- 40 Thirty-First Annual Meeting ies. Thanking you for your kindness and courtesy to me during my presidency, | now lay aside the mantle of office, proud and gratified that it falls upon such worthy shoulders as those of my honored successor. (Applause). Mr. Bowers: Before we adjourn, I desire to present to the society Dr. Green, of Dayton, Ohio, representing the Ohio state commission. (Applause). Dr. Green: The gentlemen in Ohio have been absent from your convention from choice, not necessity. I am glad to say to you that while you have honored our state with your presence, we are sorry not to have been with you more frequently, but we are with you in spirit. We are trying to do the best we can. We have the best game and fish laws in the world, especially in regard to Lake Erie. We have been handicapped very much with our laws there, but we are in a much better position now, and we are going at matters in the right spirit, and intend to enforce the laws. We will have a patrol boat from which we expect great results. I am glad to meet you all and hope to see you at some future time. (Applause). President Bryant: ‘The society hopes that the commission of the state of Ohio will be with us hereafter and co-operate with us in the good work we are carrying forward, and we wish all fish commissions godspeed. We have appointed a committee to en- deavor to stimulate and promote among the various state com- missions the best methods of interesting the public and getting a right public sentiment in respect to the protection and prop- agation of fish. Mr. Dean: In regard to the meeting next year, I under- stand there is an invitation for the ladies to come to the clam- bake. Does that mean we are to bring the ladies next year? Dr. Birge: Anybody that can get the price of a ticket had better bring them. i The President: There were several ladies at our convention last year and they enjoyed themselves very much, and everything was done to make it pleasant for them. There is a standing invitation to the ladies to come to our conventions. The society then adjourned sine die. Deceased Members since last meeting: James Benkarod. Prof. B. Benecke. Prot. A. F. Aalimgren. 3. S. Van Cleef. E. bh. Friesmuth, Fr. - PART IL. PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS American Fisheries Society. 45 THE HABITS AND CULTURE OF THE BLACK BASS. BY DWIGHT LYDELL. In this paper I shall try to set down the experiences that I have had in the nine seasons, beginning with that of 1894, dur- ing which I have had charge of the Black Bass work of the Michigan Fish Commission. This work was begun at Cascade, Michigan, and after four seasons was transferred to Mill Creek, where it is now carried on. Since the methods of pond culture that have been finally adopted are based on a knowledge of the breeding habits of the fish under natural conditions, I shall be- gin by describing these habits. The account has reference to the Small Mouth Bass, unless the Large Mouth is specified. In studying the habits of the bass it is necessary to distin- guish the males from the females at a considerable distance. Ordinarily, it is not possible to distinguish them except by dis- section, but just at the spawning time the female is distinguish- able even at a distance of 10 or 20 feet on account of her disten- sion with eggs. By this means I have been able to make out the part taken by each sex in nest building and the rearing of young. I have several times, while watching the fish, verified my de- termination of the sex by seiming the fish in question and dis- secting it, have invariably found that I had determined the sex correctly. I do not hesitate to say that the nests of the black bass are built by the male fish working alone. The small mouth prefers a bottom of mixed sand and gravel, in which the stones range from the size of a pea to that of one’s fist. As the spawning season approaches the male fish are seen moving about in water of 2 or three feet depth seeking a suitable nesting place. Each male tests the bottom in several places by rooting into it with his snout and fanning away the overlying mud or sand with his tail. If he does not find gravel after going down 3 or 4 inches, he seeks another place. Having found a suitable place he cleans the sand and mud from the gravel by sweeping it with his tail. He then turns over the stones with his snout and continues 46 Thirty-First Annual Meeting sweeping until the gravel over a circular spot of some 2 feet in diameter is perfectly clean. The sand is swept toward the edge of the nest and there forms a rim a few inches high, leaving the center of the nest concave like a saucer. The nest is usually located near a log or large rock so as to be shielded from one side If the bank is sheer and the water deep enough, the nest may be HATCHING BED. built directly against the bank if possible. It is always so placed that the fish can reach deep water quickly at any time. During nest building no females are in sight—but when the nest is done—and this takes from four to forty-eight hours—the male goes out into deep water and at once returns with a female. Then for a time—it may be for several hours—the male exerts himself to get the female into the nest and to bring her into that state of excitement in which she will lay her eggs. If she lies quiet he turns on his side and passes beneath her in such a way as to stroke her belly in passing. If she delays too long he urges American Fisheries Society. 47 her ahead by biting her on the head or near the vent. If she attempts to escape he heads her off and turns her back toward the nest. If, after all, she will not stay in the nest, he drives her roughly away and brings another female. Some fifteen to thirty minutes before the female is ready to enter the nest and spawn, her excitement is made evident by a change of color. Ordinarily, she appears to be of a uniform dark olive or SHOWING BEDS SCREENED. brown above, changing to a light green below. ‘The only mark- ings readily seen are four stripes on each cheek. In reality how- ever, the sides of the fish are mottled with still darker spots on the dark olive back-ground. The spots are arranged so as to form irregular, vertical bands like those on the perch-—but these are not usually visible. Now as the excitement of the female in- creases the back-ground becomes paler and finally changes to a light green or yellowish hue so that the spots and bands stand out in strong relief. The whole surface of the fish becomes thus strongly mottled. This is a visible sign that the female will soon spawn. ‘The male undergoes a similar but less pronounced change of color. Soon after this the female enters the nest and the male con- tinues to circle about her, glide beneath her and to bite her 48 Thirty-First Annual Meeting gently on the head and sides. At times, he seizes her vent in his mouth and shakes it. When this has continued for a time spawning takes place. The two fish turn so as to lie partly om their sides with their vents together and undergo a convulsive fluttering movement lasting three to five seconds. During this time the eggs and milt are extruded. The circling’ movements are then resumed, to be interrupted, after a few seconds, by spawning. ‘This alternate circling and spawning continues for about ten minutes. The POND AFTER BEDS HAVE BEEN SCREENED. male then drives the female away, biting her and showing great ferocity. She does not return. The male and the male only, now continues to guard the nest, fanning sediment from the eggs and repelling enemies. At 66 degrees Fahrenheit the eggs hatch in five days and the young fish swarm up from the bottom in twelve to thirteen days from time eggs are hatched. Henshall in his “More About the Black Bass” published in 1898, quotes, with approval, Arnold’s observations to the effeet that the nests are built and then guarded by the female. Page in the “Manual of Fish Culture” published in 1897, by the United States Fish Commission, speaks of the nests as being built by the mated fish sometimes working together, and some- times working separately. These seem to be the latest pub- American Fisheries Society. 49 lished observations,—and are not at all in accord with my obser- vations in Michigan. After the young small mouth bass rise from the nest they soon scatter out over a space 4 or 5 rods across. They do not form a definite school, with all the fish moving together, but a very loose swarm in which the fish are moving independently, or in small groups. This habit makes it impossible to seine the young fry, as upon the approach of the seine, instead of keeping together, they at once scatter and escape the seine. The fry may beat the surface or on the bottom in weeds or clear water. They are attended by the male until they are an inch and a quarter POND DRAWN DOWN WHILE SETTING BEDs, long. The swarm then gradually disperses and the young fry, which were previously black, take on the color of the old fish. The breeding habits of the Large Mouth Black Bass are simi- lar to those of the small mouth, but differ in some respects which are of importance in pond culture. 1. The nests of the large mouth are not made on gravel, but by preference on the roots of water plants. These are cleaned of, mud over a circular area and on them the eggs are laid. As the large mouth eggs are smaller and more adhesive than those of the small mouth, they are apt, when laid on gravel to become lodged between the stones and to stick together in masses. They 4 50 Thirty-First Annual Meeting are then smothered. When laid on the fibrous roots of water plants this does not occur. 2. The young remain together in a compact school very much smaller than that of the small mouth and the fry usually move all in the same direction. This makes it easy to seine the large mouth fry when wanted. CULTURE OF BLACK BASS. 1. Ponds and Stock Fish. After some experimenting, all our ponds, both for stock fish and fry, are built on the model of a natural pond. There is ¢ POND DRAWN DOWN WHILE SETTING BEDS. central deeper portion or kettle, about 6 feet deep, and around the shore a shallow area where the water is about 2 feet deep. The bottom is the natural sand, and water plants are allowed to grow up in the ponds. All ponds are supplied with brook water, and silt from this furnishes a rich soil for the aquatic plants. The water of these ponds contains Daphnia, Bosmina, Corixa and other small aquatic forms in great numbers. These furnish food for the bass fry. The ponds run in size from 120 feet by 490 feet to 100 feet by 100 feet. At first we were unable to feed the stock fish on liver, but after a time we found that by cutting the liver into strips of about the size and shape of a large angle-worm and by throwing the strips into the water with the motion that one uses in skip- American Fisheries Society. 51 ping stones, they wriggle like a worm in sinking and are then readily taken. The liver must be fresh! We found, however, if the fish are fed on liver alone they do not come out of winter quarters in good condition. Of eleven nests made by bass thus fed, only three produced fry. Although eggs were laid in all they seemed to lack vitality owing to the poor condition of the parent fish, and in eight of the nests the eggs died. In order to bring the fish through the winter in good condi- tion it is necessary to begin feeding minnows in September, and to continue this until the fish go into winter quarters. HAULING DAPHNIA. The bass eat minnows until they go into winter quarters, after which they take no food until spring. The minnows are left in the ponds over winter so that the bass, when they come out of winter quarters, find a plentiful supply, which lasts them until the spawning season. At this time the minnows are seined from the pond as their presence interferes with the spawning. Before this, however, some of the minnows have spawned and their fry later serve the young bass as food. When bass are fed in this way, they come out of winter quarters in fine condition and their eggs are found to be hardy. 2. Artificial Fertilization. During the first two or three seasons of our work numerous attempts were made at artificial fertilization, but like all other 52 Thirty-First Annual Meeting attempts of this sort, these proved to be failures. Only twice did I succeed in artificial fertilization. On one of these occasions the female was seined from the nest after she had begun to spawn. She could then be readily stripped. The male was cut open and the eggs were fertilized with the crushed testes. About 75 per cent of the eggs hatched on a wire tray, in running water, the eggs being fanned clean every day with a feather. In the second case the fish were seined while spawning and it was found that in the case of one female, pressure on the abdo- men caused a reddish papilla to protrude from the vent. This had the appearance of a membrane closing the vent. It was pinched off and the female then stripped readily and the eggs were fertilized and hatched. 3. Pond Culture. Having abandoned artificial fertilization, our attention was next turned to pond culture and this we have carried on for about six years. Our earlier ponds were not of a sort to furnish natural spawning ground. For this reason we constructed along side each of the large ponds, six smaller ponds to be used as spawning ponds. Each of these was about 16 by 24 feet, 16 inches deep, with gravel bottom, and was connected to the cen- tral pond by a 4 foot channel. The fish entered these and spawned. In one case we had eight nests in a single pond of this sort. Where as many nests as this were made, usually but one or two of them came to any good, the others being destroyed by the fighting of the male fish. Ordinarily, but one or two nests were built in each spawning pond. The male fish first to enter and begin the construction of a nest, generally regarded the whole pond as his property and held it against those that tried to enter after him. On one occa- sion the male thus holding the pond was attacked by ten or twelve other males at one time and after a long struggle was killed and his nest destroyed. 4. [| now gave up the attempt to use small spawning ponds and had nearly all my ponds made of good size and with a cen- tral kettle and shallow shore area—as already described. The problem now was to prevent the fighting of the male fish and the consequent destruction of nests and eggs. I finally hit upon American Fisheries Society. 53 what seemed to be the two chief causes of this fighting and found remedies for them. I had noticed that in the natural water the nests of the small mouth bass were frequently built against a stone or log so as to be shielded on one side. When they were so built the nests might be quite close together, as near as 4 feet, and the fish did not fight, because they did not see one another when on the nest. On the other hand, if a bass nest was built in a situation where it was not shielded the bass on that nest would prevent any other bass from building within 25 or 30 feet of him. It occurred to me then to try to construct artificial nests and shield them so that the fish on the nests could not see one another. In this way I hoped to be able to place the nests so near together so as to fully utilize my pond area and still not have them destroyed by fighting. In the spring before the spawning season opened, I drew down the ponds so as to expose the shallow terrace along the shore. This terrace was then cleaned to a depth of about 2 inches of sediment and vegetation which had accumulated since the previous summer. Rectangular nest frames 2 feet square of inch board were now made. On two adjacent sides these frames were + inches high, while on the other sides they were 16 inches high. They were without bottoms, that is, were frames not boxes. The frames were then set on that part of the bottom where there would be about 2 feet of water when the pond was filled. Each was so set that the corner formed by the junction of its two lower sides pointed to the center of the pond while the opposite corner formed by the higher sides pointed toward shore. The frames were set directly on the bottom, not in excavations and each was filled with gravel containing sand and suitable for nest building. A board was laid diagonally across the two higher sides and a heavy stone laid on this to keep the frame in place. The effect of the two higher sides of the frame is to form a shield on two sideslof the nest; while the board across the top affords shade. ‘The frames were set in two rows about the pond, parallel to the shore line. The rows were about 6 feet apart and the nests in each row about 25 feet apart, alternating with those in the other row. There was thus about one nest to each 100 square feet of suitable bottom, or in each area 10 by 10 feet. When the bass were on 54 Thirty-First Annual Meeting the nests no one was able to see any other and the fighting from this cause was practically eliminated. The number of rows of nests may be increased to three, or four, or more where the area of shallow water is wide enough. The bass selected these nests in preference to any other spawning ground. ‘They cleaned up the gravel and behaved in the nests in every particular as they would on natural spawning grounds. The first time we tried these shielded nests, not a single bass made a nest outside them, though there was plenty of good gravel bottom available for the purpose. I come now to the second cause of fighting. The first season that we tried these nests (1900) we got from 475 stock fish 315,000 fry and 750’fingerlings. In the season of 1891 the out- put was very much less and there was considerable fighting among the fish. This remained unexplained until the ponds were drawn down after the spawning season, when it appeared that, although the fish had been sorted, the number of male fish was considerably in excess of the number of females. It was these excess males that had made trouble. Banding together they went about breaking up the nests of their more fortunate brothers. It is now our practice when we set the nests to seine out the stock fish and sort them putting about forty males to sixty females. Since each male is thus abundantly provided for, the second source of fighting is gotten rid of. During the present season up to May 26th we had produced from 493 adult fish 430,000 fry—and we believe that we can do as well every year. 5. Up to the present year we have been troubled with two sources of loss incident to our water supply. The supply is a spring fed brook which runs over an open country before it reaches us. The water in this brook becomes quite warm on a hot, sunny day and cools off at night. [he temperature thus falls at night sometimes as much as 13 degrees Fahrenheit and becomes as low as 46 degrees Fahrenheit. This is disastrous, since, when the temperature gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit the adult fish desert the nests and the eggs or young fry are killed by the sediment. We have lost many fish in this way. We now get over the difficulty by watching the temperature of the Yt American Fisheries Society. Bi water and when it approaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit, we shut off the supply and keep it shut off until the water warms up. Since the ponds are well stocked with water plants the fish do not suffer from lack of oxygen when the water is shut off. Indeed, if the water did not leak out of the ponds I doubt if it would be necessary to introduce any running water into them during the breeding season. | The second difficulty with our water supply has been from sediment brought down by the brook after heavy rains which has sometimes accumulated over the nests so thick as to smother the eggs and drive away the parent fish. This difficulty also we now get over by shutting off the water supply whenever the water is much roiled. The only difficulty with shutting off the supply is that the level of the water must be kept fairly constant. If it lowers more than about 6 inches, the fish leave their nests and the eggs die. For the purpose of maintaining a constant water level it would probably be best to have the pomls made with clay bot- toms. The difficulties arising from roily water of variable tem- perature are, however, local and would probably not be usually encountered. 6. I have still to speak of the handling of the fry after they rise from the nest and of rearing them to fingerlings. The fry of the small mouth have the habit of scatttering into a large swarm when they leave the nest, and it is conse- quently difficult to seine them when wanted. I have therefore adopted the practice of setting over each nest, just before the fry rise from the bottom, a cylindrical screen of cheese cloth supported on a frame of band iron. I first remove the wooden nest frame. The screen keeps the fry together. They thrive and grow within it and may be left there until one desires to ship them. The old fish stays outside and watches the screen. The fry feed on the crustacea inside the screen. When this supply is gone other crustacea may be taken from the pond with a tow net and placed inside the screen. We remove the fry from these screens directly to the shipping cans as wanted. In order to raise fingerlings, | lower the water in one of the ponds, seine the old fish out of the kettle, and transfer them to 56 Thirty-First Annual Meeting another pond. ‘Then I refill the pond and put in my fry, now about one-half to three-quarters of an inch long. The water in the pond is thick with Daphnia and other crustacea and these do not go out when the water is drawn off. The fry feed on them and the supply is usually sufficient—but if it gives out, a fresh supply may be gathered from one of the other ponds and placed in the nursery pond. As the young bass grow they eat not only the Daphnia but young Corixa and doubtless other aquatic ani- mals. In 1901 fry one-half to three-quarters of an inch long were introduced into the nursery pond on July 12th, on August 5th they were seined out and shipped and were then 2 to 3 inches long. They had had none but the natural food! In three months these fish, under the same conditions are 4 to 6 inches long. 7. I have spoken so far of the small mouth and it remains to say something of the large mouth, with which my experience is more limited. It is less necessary to resort to pond culture with them since, owing to the habit of the fry of keeping in a close swarm, they may be readily seined from their natural waters shortly after they have left the nests. In culturating them in ponds I use the shielded nests already described,—but make the bottom of some fibre, preferably Span- ish moss bedded in cement, similar to those used by Stranahan described in the report of this Society for 1900. This imitates the natural nest bottom and gives better results in our locality than the gravel nest. [do not place screens about the nests, since the young fry are so small that it is difficult to hold them with a screen and since they may readily be taken with a seine when wanted. I allow the large mouth fry to leave the nests with the parent fish and seine them when wanted. Finally, IT will sum up what seem to me to be important points in pond culture of small mouth black bass. I assume the ponds to be constructed, as is usual, on the model of a natural pond with a central kettle and shallow shore region. They should be well grown up with water plants and should be sup- plied with lake or brook water. 1. Fish should be so fed (with minnows) as to be in good condition in the spring. ~ Or American Fisheries Society. 2. They should be sorted into the ponds in the spring in about the proportion of four males to six females. 3. Shielded nests should be used, arranged as already described about one to each 100 square feet of shallow water. 4. The gravel used in the nests should be carefully selected ; it should contain sand and plenty of small stones. 5. Water on the nesting grounds should be kept constantly at a level between 18 inches and 2 feet. 6. The temperature of the water should be kept constantly between 66 degrees and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (in our locality). 7. Roily water should be as far as possible kept out of the ponds during the spawning season. 8. Fish should not be disturbed until the eggs are hatched. 9. The small mouth nests should be screened just before the fry rise from the bottom. 10. The water should contain an abundance of natural food for the fry. In closing I may say that I can see three ways in which my procedure might be improved. 1. I should provide special nursery ponds for rearing finger- lings. 2. I should try nest frames shielded on three sides instead of on two sides. I should make them with a bottom and when the fry rise from the nest I should close the fourth side of the nest frame by sliding a screen into it. In this way | should not have to remove the nest frame and put a screen over the nest, ‘but would simply leave the frame in place and close the open side with a screen. 3. I should make the ponds with clay bottoms, so that if necessary the water supply could be entirely shut off during the breeding season. FROM MILL CREEK HATCHERY: Total output during year, ending at present time: SeEEE SEO EEIOHEIDROOL MINES 9: SBE. as oho ace overs favat ara wpe tanasataabouereratcn ane: at wes) alle 404,000 Ep Om TCIM Ee NIT PEL ce, ade cc it erevore wucler ate o caleweaiel ctole ale) 2 ateteusreta via a 618,000 NEEICC BETES a Aca rcv esi —irdeloxGreseinie ¢- 6 ciate evesshivekeieaievreus, de eyarens 36,050 TOU eo ota. Cri SINE Pei CORO GeO Og, Ong cena cars can Irae 1,058,050 cr 19 2 Thirty-First Annual Meeting DISCUSSION OF MR. LYDELL’S PAPER. Before his paper was read, Mr. Lydell said: On the subject vf the black bass we have not committed ourselves to anything, because the more you say about this question, the less you have to take back later on. At the conclusion of his paper, he said: And in closing, gen- tlemen, I wish to thank Professor Jacob E. Reighard for assist- ing me in preparing this paper. Mr. Clark: This is a very valuable paper and Mr. Lydell has given the bass question as much study probably as any man in the United States. There is one problem of bass culture in which I am greatly interested and upon which I should like to hear from some of the bass men, for | am no bass man myself, although I have bred a few. We have those here who have given the subject a great deal of thought, and the one particular ques- tion to which I have reference is in regard to the planting, whether they think that bass fry deposited when two or three weeks old, are as valuable for our lakes and streams as those planted when three or four inches long, as fingerlings. The President: I regard the paper as very interesting and valuable and one that is entitled to great attention, as Mr. Lydell may be regarded as one of the pioneers in this pond cul- ture of bass. Mr. Stranahan: In order to get this matter started a little bit, | would like to ask Mr. Lydelt what he considers fry in his specimens. Mr. Lydell: The small-mouth bass I consider fry the moment they commence to swim, and the moment they com- mence to swim up they commence to take food; and I consider them as fry, though before we get through shipping some of them are an inch long. Mr. Stranahan: Show me what you commence on, if you please. Mr. Clark: I would like to have Mr. Lydell tell us at what time they cease to be fry and become fingerlings, or perfect bass. Mr. Lydell: The difference between fry and fingerlings is this: After they have changed their color, after they take on the color of the old fish, they are then one and a half to two American Fisheries Society. 59 inches long, and then we commence to call them fingerlings. We have got to establish a point somewhere. Mr. Clark: About how old are they ? Mr. Lydell: About 40 days old. Mr. Clark: Then one that was 15 to 20 days old you would not call a fingerling ? A. No, sir. Q. I would like to ask the question: Is not a large-mouth bass as perfect a fish at 15 to 20 days old in a temperature of water at 70 degrees, as one three months old ? A. It is at 20 days as perfect a bass as at three years. Q. I would like to ask further, if you do not think that this fish planted in that water is equally as good with the excep- tion of the protection you give to it, as one three to six months old? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Clark: The society will perhaps remember that I have always been a vearling man, but I am not so considering bass. Gentlemen, this is the point I am trying to get at. I do not like to see it undertaken to raise only about 50,000 fingerlings out of a half million fry, for I heard one superintendent say last night that it took half a million with him to raise 50,000 fingerlings. Now, if these fish are as well and perfect at the age of 20 days, and Mr. Lydell can plant 300,090 out of 500,000 at that time, and only 50,000 from three to six months old, then I think it is time that the matter was looked into. Mr. Stranahan: I am of Mr. Clark’s opinion, thoroughly. I have been advocating it for two years—made recommendations, and have written official reports urging the planting of these smaller bass. They are perfect bass, they are taking their food, they are old enough and smart enough to take care of themselves, and they are afraid of their enemies. Our former chief of fish culture was a great stickler for fingerling, and the larger the better, and we had it out in numerous discussions, and I am glad to say that our new chief of division seems to be in favor of planting smaller fish and more of them. I refer to the large- mouth bass—I have had little experience with the small-mouth variety. I had some experience north some years ago, and got good results from planting fry in streams in which the fish were 60 Thirty-First Annual Meeting not indigenous. We got splendid results there from planting fry of the small-mouth bass. Mr. Titcomb: I do,want to say about this paper that I feel as if I was amply repaid for coming here just to hear it, if I did not hear anything else during the session; I think it is the best article on black bass I ever saw, by far, and I think it is going to help all the members of the United States Fish Com- mission to solve this bass problem. From what experience I have had since [ came into my present position, I find that we have not solved this question. Mr. Leary has been planting fry at San Marcos with good success; this year a beginning was made at Mr. Stranahan’s station of doing the same thing. While I have heen a fingerling man to a certain extent, yet my views about the bass are that they are well able to take care of them- selves when they are young, and it is much better to plant half a million or a million of these fry than it is to wait until you can plant only a hundred thousand, with the balance inside of the hundred thousand. I wanted to ask one question about temperatures: What extremes of temperature will the adult fish stand in your waters ? Mr. Lydell: We have a temperature of 90 degrees there sometimes during the day. During the spawning season we must be very careful about the temperature. On a warm day, with lots of sun, the temperature may go up to 72 degrees, but when you get up the next morning and you have a temperature of 49 degrees or 50 degrees, and if any bass have spawned during the previous day you will find that the bass have deserted their bed and that the eggs are dead. But the temperature does not range much higher than 90 degrees for more than a few days, but during the summer months, after the spawning season, the water is allowed to run all the time, and it will cool down to 60 degrees every night during the summer, and the minute the sun strikes it in the morning it will commence to warm up, and as soon as the sun goes down the springs flow in, and of course it is cooled again, but our fish do not seem to take any harm from it at all. Mr. Titcomb: One more question: In this water of yours is it equally favorable for both the large and small-mouth bass, or do you want different qualities of water for the two varieties ? American Fisheries Society. 61 Mr. Lydell: 1 have experimented some with the large-mouth bass this year and last vear, and I find the water very favorable for them. Prof. Reighard saw us haul 48,000 large-mouth bass nearly an inch long at one dip of the seine in one of our ponds. We had only 30 specimens of the large-mouth bass at our hatch- ery this year, and from those I think there were obtained some- thing over 100,000 fry, although only five productive beds were made. They were a scattering lot we picked up and did not know whether they were male or female. We put in the same pond quite a lot of small-mouth bass, and the two varieties did not quarrel or injure one another at all. The large-mouth bass were allowed to roam about the pond with 75 or 80 of the old small-mouth bass, and the small-mouth bass that spawned in there were in fifteen beds, and we screened those and took care of them in the usual way. There was plenty of daphne growing in the pond and lots of food for the large-mouth bass; and these bass that I have here were from that lot. (Referring to specimens). This bass thirty days old I took from the nest and put in a cage and kept there, and in that way I kept accurate account of them. (Referring to specimens). Mr. Titcomb: You must have an unusual amount of aquatic life in the ponds. Mr. Lydell: You can dip it up with a dipper anywhere around the ponds in the spring. We have to mow our ponds twice every year. Mr. Stranahan: Is the water hard or soft? Mr. Lydell: Some soft, and lots of spring water. Mr. Stranahan: Is there lime in that? Mr. Lydell: No, no lime. Mr. Titcomb: Is there any other kind of plant life than you have named in the paper? A. There is the cara and potamogeton, that is all. Mr. Titcomb: You did not get all the large-mouth bass of which you mention, the total output, from these ponds—did you ? Mr. Lydell: No, sir, we had two auxiliary ponds. One is a small pond connected with the Soldiers’ Home, from which we get lots of large-mouth bass, and another one we have rented, of 62 Thirty-First Annual Meeting the extent of probably one and a half acres, from a farmer. That is where we get our large-mouth bass from now, princi- pally. We have no room there to hatch them with the exception of what I have hatched there this year, about 100,000. Mr. Titcomb: Did you ever see any large-mouth bass flirt with a small-mouth bass, as described in the paper ? Mr. Lydell: Not a particle: We had a pond where the large and small-mouth bass were mixed up purposely—the old ones— and the beds around the shore alternately were some of them Spanish moss beds and some gravel; and we had two pair of large-mouth bass that spawned on the gravel; although they did not amount to much. Their eggs settled down in between the stone and seemed to smother. On the other hand we had three pair of small-mouth bass that spawned on this fiber, and we got excellent results from them, but I think the reason they did spawn there was because they seemd to clean down and try to fan off that fibrous matter, and could not, but got to the cement and thought it was rock, and spawned there. But we had one trouble—we could not raise the nest away and screen it. If we made a sereen big enough to get the whole nest, we could not catch the young bass. . Mr. Titcomb: As I understand it, it is necessary for the preservation of those eggs that the parent fish should fan them. Mr. Lydell: Yes, sir, I think so. The President: In our ponds at Minocqua we excavated them there and found the spring water coming in out of the gravel in considerable quantities. Do you think that was a det- riment or advantage ? Mr. Lydell: It would not be a detriment unless there was too much of it. If you could get a temperature of 66 degrees and keep it there, I do not think the spring water would affect your bass in the least. The President: What are the best dimensions for ponds for bass growing ? Mr. Lydell: If I were to rebuild our ponds over at Mill Creek, where I have these ponds, I would make them larger. Our last pond we built is the most successful. The President: What is your judgment, Dr. Birge, of the dimensions of our ponds at Minocqua ? American Fisheries Society. 63 Dr. Birge: The lower pond must be about 300 feet long and the others 150 to 200 feet. The President: And 60 or 80 feet wide? Dr. Birge: Yes. Mr. Brown: If there is much spring water coming into the bed the temperature would be too cold, would it not ? Mr. Lydell: Yes, if they could not keep the temperature up. Dr. Birge: The spring water does not affect our temper- ature. It is a sort of a seepage spring, not a strong flowing spring, the temperature being somewhere in the region of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lake water offsets what little spring water comes in. 1! should like to hear more about this matter of the size of the pond; and especially as to the margins. Mr. Lydell: .I have here a view of one of our ponds, 190 by 120 and six feet deep in the center. There is a margin of probably thirty feet clear around the pond and there is an island here; it has a shallow margin clear around the island to the shore, and there is a big pocket in the center of the pond 50 by 30, and six feet deep, and that is all the deep water we have in the pond, and that runs gradually to six feet. You will find the fish there invariably in the winter time, and all sum- mer, unless they come out for minnows. Dr. Birge: The broad margin of your pond is a decided advantage, of course. You need that for a spawning bed. If you made your pond large, would you make it irregular in out- line so as to give you more margin ? Mr. Lydell: ~I would. Our ponds are nearly all irregular, and we get better results thereby. Mr. Stranahan: What do you consider a proper number of small-mouth or big-mouth bass for an acre of water, everything being favorable. Mr. Lydell: I would put into an acre, I should judge, about something like 200 females and 160 males, small-mouth bass. Q. You would not think that excessive ? A. No. (). How about the big-mouth bass ? A. Iam not posted on that. Q. What is your opinion about it? 64 Thirty-First Annual Meeting A. I would not put as many in in this little lake that we rented. By the way, I think renting that little lake was one of the greatest things that the fish commission ever allowed me to , do. I rented it for $10 a year, if the output does not exceed 75,000, and if it does, | must pay the gentleman $15. Of course that is a lot of money. Dr. Birge: That must affect your $75,000 considerably. Mr. Lydell: I put the first season into that lake 48 or 50 fish raised at the hatchery, two years old, large-mouth bass. I think it was something like 60,000 or 70,000 fry I got out of there the first season, and last fall I procured forty-four or more large-mouth bass, adults, weighing anywhere from two to three pounds, and put them in there. I also put in a couple of wagonloads of minnows, probably 50,000 or 75,000. This year we got from that pond 262,000 fry, and 8,000 fingerling, and I was quite sorry that it went to that number, because the fish commission had to put up another $5. ( Laughter). We have absolute control of this pond, and it is covered with chara nearly all over, with the exception of a little in the center; and on one end there are some pond lilies. It is nothing but mud; you cannot wade anywhere near it without rubber boots, and then you are liable to drop through: the bogs, and there is only one place for them to spawn, and that is on the pond lily roots; and we had bass beds in that lake this year that were over ten feet across, and I went there as the young bass were coming up off the beds, and I presume two or three pair of bass must have spawned on that particular spot, for the young bass were com- ing up all over that bed, where it had been cleaned. You could see them if the sun happened to be just right. We let those alone in that pond—paid no attention to them—until they were about 15 days old, when they were all taken out of there, and nearly every fish that was shipped from that pond was one and a half inches to one and three-quarters long, and we took them with a seine. Mr. Titcomb: What was the area of that pond ? A. I should judge it was about an acre and a half—it is a small pond. ; The President: Let me ask you a question on another line: At our Minocqua hatchery we are right in a nest of bass lakes, American Fisheries Society. 65 and every spring we can catch with our seines easily and with- out trouble, enough bass to put into our ponds. Now, would you prefer that method to keeping them in constant confine- ment? If you were situated so that you could get your brood fish by going right out into the wild lake and seining them and putting them into the ponds during the season of propagation, would you do that or would you keep them in stock all the time ? Mr. Lydell: If I could I would get my spawning fish in the fall of the year—what I need { would hold all I could in my ponds and feed them, domesticate them as much as possible. I find that the wild fish when spawning season comes on are very shy; they will come up on the shore and make their nests, and if you happen to go along there, which we do not allow any- one to do during the spawning season—no visitor or employe is allowed to go around the ponds during the spawning season unless it is absolutely necessary—our superintendent cannot go down there unless it is absolutely necessary for him to go—they go just enough to feed the fish—lI find that when these wild fish come out and spawn, they scoot off to deep water on the slightest provocation—they rush back and forth all the while. But our fish that we got the latter part of the year were domesticated so that you could get within ten or twelve feet of the nest and see the bass lying under the shadow of the board, guarding his bed. Of course if you went up close he would go away, but he would come right back, and I have oftentimes waded right up to the bed, put my hand on the stone, and the bass were lying there. Those were domesticated bass that we have had there several years. Mr. Clark: Don’t you think they are acquainted with Dwight Lydell and know him, so that they don’t go away ? Mr. Lydell: I could not say as to that, but they say good morning to me every time I see them. (Laughter). The President: Mr. Lydell has satisfied me that there is a good deal of human nature in bass, even to a degree of modesty in courtship. (Laughter). Dr. Birge: I should like to ask a question along another line: You spoke in the suggestion at the end of your paper, of making the boxes protected on three sides, and then putting a sereen in on the fourth side to avoid moving the nest frame 5 66 Thirty-First Annual Meeting and putting a screen over the nest. If that were the case, should not the sides of the boxes be made high enough to stick up out of the water ? = Mr. Lydell: Certainly—our boxes that we have now with protected sides are sixteen inches high; but I will raise the new boxes up above the two-foot level. Dr. Birge: You will get circulation of water enough if you have a three-sided box coming up out of the water? Mr. Lydell: Yes, sir, the three sides enclosed will have a strip of copper wire screen four inches wide around, near the surface of the water. With these boxes I am using now the difficulty is this, you have to wade out into your pond to take the boxes out of there, and you have to take them out. If you screened the box itself, you could not collect one fiftieth of the fry. Just as quick as you put your net in the water the fry will go to the frame immediately. But when you raise the frame out, it is’ filled with gravel, and the young fish are at the bot- tom. The sides of your gravel fall away and lots of your little fish fall outside, and some are buried in the gravel, and you roil up the whole pond. I have lost quite a few fish from that cause, although most of them are far enough along when you screen them so that they would not become injured. But with the other screen, all you have to do is to paddle around with a boat and drop the screen in at the side that is not protected. Mr. Stranahan: How do you take the fry out of your box? Mr. Lydell: In the same way as out of a screen. It answers the same purpose as a screen—it is a_screen and box combined, and you can use the box for large-mouth or small- mouth bass as you see fit. Mr. Stranahan: You would not make your strip of netting in the side more than four inches’ wide, and have it up near the top of the water ? Mr. Lydell: Yes. Q. What mesh do you use ? A. Fine enough to hold young fry. We used the common wire that they buy for door screens, for our small-mouth bass, had it tarred two heavy coats, which lessens the size of the inter- stices somewhat. We do not screen any large-mouth bass. Mr. Titecomb: When you take the fry out of the nest, you American Fisheries Society. 67 raise the nest right up, do you? I refer to the boxes that have three sides of wood and one of screen: Mr. Lydell: Take a dip net and dip them right out. We usually take a boat, or if some of the boys have boots on, they take a tub and dip the fry out and get them all that way. Mr. Stranahan: Is there an opening in the top of the screen ? A. Yes. (Q). And by the screen you propose now the box is open on one side with top, and to remove it you take the stone on it off ? A. We have no stone on it—that is unnecessary. Q. You would have that loaded down with your nest inside ? A. Yes. You might lay a board across the top for shade, if necessary. Mr. Titcomb: Do you draw your pond down in removing your fry from your boxes ? A. Never. Q. How much water is there in the boxes ? A. Twenty inches to two feet. Young small-mouth bass are all at the top on a sunny day, and you can get two-thirds of them the first dip; then you wait awhile and they will come up again, but it will be two or three days before you finally clean up the whole school. (). That is before they are trained to say good morning? A. Yes, sir. (Laughter). The President: How high is the sand at the bottom of your box above the bottom of the box ? A. Four inches. We fill it full and concave it a little in the center. (Q. Where you had a great deal of seepage from the bottom, would it not be better to raise it a little more ? ’ A. There would be no harm in doing so. We used to use six and seven inches, but found four inches just as good in our locality, and we do not have so much to clean out of our ponds in the fall. Mr. Stranahan: Suppose you are going to corral the big- mouth bass. Our big-mouth bass spawns every three months. So it would be important if we could clean up the whole school and have none left to eat up the subsequent brood. Now, if you 68 Thirty-First Annual Meeting substitute your cement and Spanish moss for the gravel in the rig vou describe, would it not work all right ? A. Yes, sir, if you want to ship the big-mouth bass when they first rise from the bed. Dr. Birge: If you followed Mr. Lydell’s last plan I do not see any difficulty if you wish to just take that nest after screen- ing, right out. Mr. Lydell: I have done that, but got no results. We had last year a lot of large-mouth bass spawn in this pond and I did not want them there, and I watched them till they were about ready to hatch, and I raised the nest up; I had added a bottom in it of this cement, and after I raised it above the water there was still two inches of water in the nest covering the eggs. I transferred those to a pond 16 x 24, and put in three or four quarts of daphne, but got no results. In the fall I think we had probably thirty or forty bass out of these three schools, where we ought to have had fifty thousand. Q. If you had used the box and screen on the large-mouth bass when the bass had risen, you could lft the nest up and dump the bess out, couldn’t you ? Al) Yes. Mr. Stranahan: I would be of the opinion that Mr. Lydell’s plan of dipping them out would be better. Mr. Lydell: If I did not want any in the pond I would dip out what I could and before taking the screen out of the nest I would take it out on the shore and rinse it out. Q. Didn’t you find that your Spanish moss rotted off toward the close of the season ? A. No, sir; I had Spanish moss that I had used two seasons, and it is in good condition for another vear yet. I have used excelsior and used sea grass of some kind, and several other things. They spawned on it all, but it was only good for one season, and so I threw it away and used Spanish moss. Mr. Stranahan: With us, late in the season it rots off. Though our water is very warm, standing 90 degrees, every day, and during three or four months running up to 100 degrees, and I think the high temperature has a tendency to rot it. Mr. Lydell: Our beds are hardly ever in the pond more than thirty days. American Fisheries Society. 69 Mr. Stranahan: Our beds would be occupied by succeeding bass. Mr. Peabody: You speak of your pond that you rented, of an acre and a half, on which you raised large-mouth bass. Don’t you mean to convey the idea that you have more success in that pond raising large-mouth bass than you do in your regular arti- ficial ponds ? A. No,sir; from five beds I had something like 100,000, which is a great deal larger per cent than I had the other way. Q. How many did you get from this one and a half acre pond ? A. Two hundred and sixty-two thousand. Q. Were there any other fish in that pond ? A. Very few; that is the reason I rented the pond. There were a few sunfish, very small, some minnows, but hardly any- thing else ; and there was plenty of vegetation there. In another instance we rented a lake probably four acres in extent, and put in 250 or 260 large-mouth bass, and got no results at all. There were lots of other fish, turtles, eels and everything of that kind, and our results from there were very unfavorable. In the Sol- diers’ Home pond two and three years ago we did very well; but this season the pond has become full of suckers, sunfish, blue gills and turtles, and our bass propagation there is commencing to dwindle. Unless we can draw that pond down and get rid of all those enemies, we will meet with failure there another year; but if I had the same pond where I could control it and draw it down as I wanted it, there would be no trouble to get a million bass from that one pond. The pond is about an acre and a half in extent. Q. What do you consider the most injurious to the raising of bass—what enemies ? A. Small sunfish and minnows I have found do more to destroy the young bass than anything else in the world that we have ever found. I do not find that any beds are destroyed; I never found the beds destroyed, but in one of our ponds last year I carried onan experiment for my own benefit. I had, I think, fifteen beds of large mouth bass eggs. That pond was alive with minnows, and the vegetation grew up there early. About the time the young bass were coming off the nest, there 70 Thirty-First Annual Meeting was plenty of vegetation in the pond and those minnows cleaned up the large-mouth bass so that we did not get twenty-five bass out of that pond. This year with one-third the amount of bass I got nearly 100,000, but there were no minnows in there. Q. How old must the bass be before they can be destroyed by the minnows ? A. The moment they rise from the bed, that is, when the destruction comes; if they do not destroy them for a couple of weeks they are not going to do it. Q. Then would it not be wise not to ship or plant the fry until they were of a proper age? A. I never would plant the fry of the large-mouth bass, because what you call fry of the large-mouth bass are very small. Mr. Stranahan: And there is not much loss up to the time when they become a perfect fish one and a quarter inches long? A. No; we never ship large-mouth bass until they are nearly two weeks old. : Dr. Birge: ‘Two weeks old means two weeks after they have begun to rise? A. Yes. Mr. Titcomb: If you had put the two weeks-old large-mouth bass into that pond where the minnows destroyed the product of your fifteen or twenty beds, would they then have held their own against the minnows ? A. They would. We tried that this year. In this pond I had large-mouth bass in, I had let a school come up; they were second breeding, and I had already introduced into that pond for the old fishes’ benefit, several thousand minnows, and this brood came up just after we put those minnows in. (). That is conclusive evidence that it was safe enough to plant them at that age? A. Yes. Most of our large-mouth bass this year we com- menced planting at that age. We ship out an immense amount of what we call baby fingerlings. Mr. Titcomb: These fish two weeks old that escape the minnows, do it by being too quick for the minnows ? A. Yes; the minnows have hard work getting them. I have watched a school of bass of that size moving along the shore, American Fisheries Society. ral and have seen a sunfish five inches long go into that school with a vengeance and not touch one bass. Mr. Clark: I would like to ask Mr. Lydell why he calls this a baby fingerling and this a fry ? (Mr. Clark refers to two specimens, the first specimen being small-mouth bass, twenty days old, and about one-half or three- quarters of an inch long; and the second specimen being small- mouth bass thirty-two days old, about one and a half inches long, both specimens being perfect fish). Mr. Lydell admitted a few minutes ago that this was a per- fect bass. (Indicating the smaller of the two specimens). Mr. Lydell: It is a perfect bass. (). And at that age will do just as well to plant as when from three to six months old? A. Just as well. . (). Then why do you make the distinction—one is equally as good to plant as the other? A. Yes, sir, the only reason that we do not plant them all at that age is because we do not get time to do it. We com- mence planting and plant right along as fast as we can. Q. You call that a fry? (Referring to first specimen). A. We do in our shipping. (). And call this a fingerling? (Referring to second spec- imen). Bua i ¥ en: (). Now, from the remarks made heretofore, it is as well to plant that, because that is a fish, not a fry? (Referring to first specimen). A. Certainly. Dr. Birge: You ought to draw the line when they commence to say good morning. (Laughter) Dr. Bean: I think it is a proper distinction to call it a fry up to the time when it has absorbed its yolk-sac, and then call it a fingerling. A fry, as [ understand it, is a fish which has not yet absorbed its yolk-sac. The President: Mr. Lydell suggests that the best method is to capture your stock fish in the fall and keep them in confine- ment during the winter in order to be domesticated. What is the best means of subsistence for fish during the winter ? 72 Thirty-First Annual Meeting , Mr. Lydell: Our small-mouth bass I cannot see take a thing during the winter; they lie perfectly dormant, going into winter quarters as the pond commences to freeze up. We com- mence feeding the liver just after the spawning, and continue that until along in September, and then they will be fed min- nows until they go into winter quarters. When our fish went into winter quarters last year you could see minnows in abun- dance, and they had all they wanted; and this spring when we drew the ponds out we had to seine out thousands of them and put them away until the spawning season was over. Mr. Peabody: I would like to ask a question on this sub- ject: As I understand, trout fry, that has come down to a commercial basis, and they are raised commercially and sold— have you any idea how much it would cost commercially to raise bass fry? Mr. Lydell: 1 don’t know as I could state, except in one instance, because it cost the commission fifteen great big bucks to get 262,000 of them. (Laughter) If you have a pond that is successful the cost is very small, because there is nothing to be done to your ponds in the winter, only to keep the water run- ning. | Mr. Henry T. Root, of Providence, R. I.: It is a fact that in the eastern ponds small-mouth bass are not dormant during the winter. Under natural conditions in a pond of 2,000 acres they are not at all times dormant during the winter. We fre- quently catch one or two or three in a day’s fishing for pickerel. On one occasion a friend of mine caught over sixty through the ice, and that shows that they do not at all times lie dormant throughout the winter—that is, that they do feed, with us. Mr. Lydell: I never had such experience. Mr. Titcomb: Did you see the fish? Mr. Root: No, but I know they were caught—no question about that. Mr. Lydell: Some men were hauled up before the court a while ago for catching black bass, by the game warden. I was out there; Mr. Palmer was there also. The trial was had and they claimed that those were small-mouth bass caught in the winter, and the man got a new trial, and I came down and found they were nothing but the large-mouth bass. I have never American Fisheries Society. 73 been able to catch small-mouth bass through the ice in winter, although I have heard of them being so caught. Some were said to have been caught through the ice at Kalamazoo, but the fish proved to be the large-mouth bass. Dr. Bean: I can add something on the subject of black bass, because I have had them under observation in aquaria for some years at a time, and what I saw there partly corrobo- rates Mr. Lydell’s studies and partly differs from them. But we must bear in mind the fact that an aquarium is a different body of water from a pond, because the temperature is more or less under the control of the people in charge. I have seen the bass of both species take live minnows in the winter, but not often. Of course it is quite an advantage to have a fish before your eyes and to see what he does. We noted in the New York aquarium that the bass for the most part were dormant, but occasionally, whether it was because there was a little accession of temper- ature or not I do not know, they would rush at a live minnow and take it in just as lively a manner as at any other time during the year. Mr. Palmer: At Jackson, Michigan, last winter, I know of twelve or fourteen arrests made for catching bass through the and know it was done. ice. I saw the bass and got them Mr. Lydell: Were they large or small-mouth bass ? Mr. Palmer: They were considered small-mouth, but since the trial at Three Rivers I am frank to say that I would not like to stake my reputation on it. 74 Thirty-First Annual Meeting FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. BY DR. JAMES A. HENSHALL. In the Rocky Mountain region there are three distinct groups of trout belonging to the Salmo genus: the red-throat or cut- throat, or as it is known by the United States Fish Commission, the “black-spotted trout ;” the rainbow trout and the steel-head trout. They are all black-spotted. In widely separated sections of country they may be readily distinguished by certain charac- teristics, but in localities where they co-exist, naturally, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish one group from the others; in- deed, at one time the rainbow and steel-head were pronounced by competent authorities to be the same fish, the steel-head being supposed to be the sea-run form of the species. At the present time they are held to be distinct. The Dolly Varden, or bull trout, belongs to the genus Salve- linus, and is related to the brook trout of eastern waters, having also red spots. While the red-throat trout inhabits both slopes of the Rockies, the others named were originally confined to the Pacific slope. The great lake, or Mackinaw trout, and the grayling are na- tive to Montana. The former is found only, so far as I know, in Elk Lake at the head of the Jefferson river, while the grayling exists, naturally, only in the tributaries of the Missouri river above the Great Falls. It is worthy of remark that these two species are found nowhere else west of Lake Michigan, except in the Arctic region. It is fair to imagine that they were carried there on an ice floe during the glacial period, and it is not un- likely that both species were carried to Michigan waters by the same means, and that the Arctic grayling is the original species. The small Rocky Mountain whitefish (Coregonus William- soni), is abundant. It is a good game and food fish, taking the artificial fly as readily as the trouts, but is popularly not so highly esteemed. It grows to about the same size as the red- ~z Ut American Fisheries Society. throat trout, and is, in my opinion, fully its equal for the creel or the table. THE RED-THROAT TROUT. (Salmo clarkii). The red-throat trout is the most widely distributed of all the Rocky Mountain trouts. It inhabits, naturally, both slopes of the Great Continental Divide, and as might be supposed from this extensive range it varies in external appearance more than any of the trout species. There are a dozen or more well-defined sub-species or geographical varieties, but all have the character- istic red splashes on the membrane of the throat. By means of this “trade-mark” it may be readily distinguished from the rain- bow or steel-head or other trout. But while it varies consider- ably in contour, coloration and markings, in different localities, it is identical in structure wherever found. It was originally in- troduced to eastern waters as the California trout or Rocky Mountain trout, and at the present time is known as the “black- spotted” trout. The latter name is extremely unfortunate, as the rainbow and steel-head are also “black-spotted.” The name red-throat trout is distinctive, and is preferable to the rather repulsive name of “cut-throat” trout by which it is also known. The red-throat trout is commonly called the “brook trout,” or “speckled Mountain trout,” in the mountain region, which is also an unfortunate designation, as the eastern brook trout is now being introduced in the same waters. When it grows to a large size it is sometimes called “salmon trout,” as in Yellow- stone and other lakes, but the only salmon trout is the steel- head. The red-throat trout rises more freely to the fly than the eastern brook trout, though in gameness and flavor it is hardly its equal. Its habits are also somewhat different. It usually hes in pools and holes like the salmon, and does not frequent the riffles so much as the eastern trout. In size it is somewhat larger than the eastern trout in streams of the same relative width and depth, and like the eastern brook trout grows larger in lakes. I have taken them weighing from three to five pounds in Soda Butte Lake in the Yellowstone National Park, and in Yankee Jim Canyon on the Yellowstone river. The red-throat seldom breaks water when hooked, but puts up a vigorous fight beneath the surface. As the streams are usually swift and rocky 76 Thirty-First Annual Meeting and fringed with willows and alders, the angler must be wide awake to land his fish and save his tackle. In Yellowstone Lake it is infested with the white pelican parasite, rendering many of them emaciated and lacking in game qualities; those in the river, however, are well-nourished and gamy. THE STEEL-HEAD TROUT. (Salmo Gairdneri). The steel-head, or salmon trout, is the trimmest and most graceful, and the gamiest of all the trout species, being more sal- mon-like in shape and appearance. Its spots are smaller than in the other black-spotted species. It has, usually, a pink flush along the lateral line, but not so pronounced as in the rainbow trout. Its color is of a lighter hue than the red-throat or rain- bow, with steely reflections. During the past five years the United States Fish Commis- sion has introduced the steel-head in the waters of Montana, which seem to be very suitable for this fine fish. 1 have seen quite a number of three-year-old steel-heads taken on the fly that weighed from two to three pounds, and in some localities they have grown still larger in deeper waters, which proves that they have come to stay. Each spring we now take thousands of eggs from fish that run up our waste water ditch from the creek where we planted them five years ago. The steel-head trout surpasses all other trout for gameness and excellence of flavor, and rises eagerly to the artificial fly. It breaks water repeatedly when hooked, like the black bass, and is very trying to light tackle. THE RAINBOW TROUT. (Salmo trideus). The rainbow trout was introduced by the United States Fish Commission in the Firehole, or perhaps the Gibbon river, in the Yellowstone Park, from whence it sometimes descends to the Madison river in Montana, and may in time reach the Gallatin and Jefferson rivers. They have since been planted in other waters in Idaho and Montana, where they have done well, some coming under my notice weighing two pounds at two years old. The rainbow is similar in appearance to the red-throat, though somewhat deeper, perhaps, and with a shorter head and smaller mouth. Its distinguishing feature, however, is the broad red American Fisheries Society. 77 band along the lateral line, common to both male and female. It is a handsome fish with rather mote gameness than the red- throat trout, but not so vigorous on the rod as the steel-head trout of the same size. It grows to a larger size than the red- throat, but not so large as the steel-head. THE GRAYLING. (Thymallus montanus). Her Ladyship, the grayling, is as trim and graceful and withal as beautiful as a damsel dressed for her first ball. Her lovely iridescent colors and tall gaily-decorated dorsal fin, which might be compared to a graceful waving plume, must be seen fresh from the water to be properly appreciated. The grayling is not only a clean and handsome fish, but is as game as a trout and much better for the table. The grayling was taken in the Jefferson river a century ago by Lewis and Clark, and though they gave a fair description of it in the history of their expedi- tion it remained unidentified until it became my good fortune a few years ago to recognize it as the grayling from the description of Captain Lewis. While the grayling is found in the three forks of the Mis- souri, the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers, and in some tributaries lower down the stream and above the Great Falls, its ideal home is in the upper reaches of the Madison and Jefferson. The upper canyon of the Madison and its basin west of the Yel- lowstone Park is especially adapted to the grayling. There the water is swift, but unbroken, the bottom being composed of dark obsidian sand. In this region grayling of two pounds are not uncommon. ‘The United States Fish Commission has been very successful in propagating the grayling at the Bozeman, Mon- tana, station, and numerous waters have been stocked with this desirable game and food fish. About two million fry have been planted each season for several years in the streams contiguous to the grayling auxiliary station at Red Rock Lake at the head of the Jefferson, with the result of swarms of one, two and three year old fish. Grayling are so plentiful there that the trap can be opened for only a short time when taking spawners, otherwise they would enter in such numbers as to threaten them with suffocation. As several million eggs have been shipped to eastern stations 78 Thirty-First Annual Meeting by the United States Fish Commission, it is to be hoped that this incomparable fish will find suitable habitations in eastern streams to delight the angler with its beauty and gameness. It rises to the fly eagerly and is as game as the trout. DISCUSSION OF DR. HENSHALL’S PAPER. Mr. Peabody: Dr. Henshall’s paper that was read just be- fore the noon adjournment has had no discussion at all, and there are two points I would lke to have considered. ‘Two fish are named there, the grayling and the steelhead trout that he speaks of most enthusiastically. He says that the steel head trout is the gamiest and best of the trout species of which he knows, and especially in the Rocky Mountains, and he also re- fers to the productivity of the grayling, and says that they are plentiful and fill the streams out there. I would like to ask some of these Michigan men who know about the grayling, if they have stopped raising grayling, and also what the experience of any other fish culturist is regarding the steelhead trout. It seems to me if they are all that the doctor claims there, and are so easily reared and got from the hatchery in Montana, that they ought to be distributed and ought to be put into Michigan and Wisconsin waters especially. The commission gave us a quan- tity of eggs which we hatched and put in the northern waters of Wisconsin very successfully. Mr. Clark: I can state that the United States Fish Com- mission is distributing the Montana grayling in Michigan al- though we don’t know as yet what the result is, for I do not think that any have been taken, and unless a scientific examination is made it would be difficult to tell whether they are Montana or Michigan grayling. We are planting them so far only in the principal streams that formerly contained grayling, such as the AuSable River and Pere Marquette or branches, and unless otherwise ordered by the Commission [| shall continue to do so until we see some results from those streams. They are a fine fish, and we have successfully raised them at Northville. ‘There were on exhibition at Buffalo last season some two year old Mon- tana grayling that had been reared at Northville, and I think every one who saw them will say that they were very nice fish, and from my observation of them at that age I do not see any American Fisheries Society. ie) difference between them and the Michigan grayling. At earlier stages in their life, the first ones that we hatched, I doubted very much if they were grayling, although I do not know whether I corresponded with Washington in regard to the matter or not, but I think I spoke to Mr. Ravenel on the subject, saying that I thought the doctor had crossed them with trout, they were so spotted. Michigan grayling have no trout markings, but the Montana grayling have, and you can see them in Northville at the present time. In regard to the steelhead trout, I will answer, so far as Michigan is concerned, that we have been planting them there for quite a while, and all those that have been caught are very large fish. One was sent to the Washington office this last win- ter which I think weighed seven pounds. There is one being mounted in Detroit that was caught near Traverse City that weighed twelve pounds, eight. ounces; and there have been a number of other cases of this kind. The one that was forwarded to Washington [ saw upon arrival. They seem to be caught in the great lake waters, or near-by, and my impression is that they are going to use Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior, the same as they use the sea in their native country. We have had remarkable success this year in the impregna- tion of the eggs, that is, getting a good quality, and I think that something like 90 per cent of good eggs were obtained from the fish, which we do not have from the rainbow trout. Mr. Titcomb: You mean the domesticated fish ? A. Yes, sir. Dr. Bean: I would like to say a word on Dr. Henshall’s paper. The Montana grayling is not the same species 1s the Michigan grayling. It follows the usual rule among the gray- lings in that the very young have parr-marks. I do not know about the Michigan graylings. Mr. Clark has been in I, much better position to learn than I, but speaking now as an ichthyolo- gist and from book knowledge chiefly, I say that the young gray- ling ought to have parrmarks; the Montana grayling has them, the European species has them; the Montana grayling has a very much smaller fin than the Michigan grayling; its dorsal fin is shorter and lower: its head is smaller, and in other ways it is very easily distinguished from the Michigan grayling, so that 80 Thirty-First Annual Meeting there will be no serious difficulty in future years if the fish estab- lishes itself in Michigan, as I hope it will, in its being identified without any difficulty, when compared with the native species. As to the steelhead trout (for it is a trout rather than a sal- mon) it is a spring spawner, and care ought to be taken in the introduction of the fish. I need scarcely remind fish commis- sioners of that fact, but I think it is liable to be overlooked in some circumstances. It is a fish more adapted to large bodies of water than to smaller streams. If it can find its way to the great lakes or to the ocean it will grow very large—eyen to thirty pounds. You know a fish that will approximate thirty pounds or even fifteen pounds, is a pretty dangerous customer to have associated with brook trout and other small species, be- cause it is a great feeder and feeds at the time the brook trout are spawning. I merely mention these facts, because I think they ought to be kept in mind in the distribution of the fish. The President: In distribution you would distribute them in lakes rather than in streams ? Dr. Bean: Yes, sir. They run up in the streams to spawn, but prefer to live in the great bodies of water where there is plenty of food and where they can have sea room. There was a dispute for many years about the relation of the steelhead trout to the rainbow trout, this dispute was upheld on one side by my friend Dr. Jordan and on the other side by my- self and I could not quite understand why there seemed to be so much difficulty on the part of the Pacific coast ichthyologist in recognizing the difference between the steelhead and the rainbow trout. There was no trouble in my mind about it; but I learned, much to my astonishment, a few years later that they had never seen a steelhead ; the fish they called the steelhead was simply the sea-run rainbow. When the steelhead at last was found it was described as a new fish. Mr. Clark: I hate to come up against scientists like Dr. Bean on this question, for I am not able to get down to the 1-1,000 part of a pound, as the scientists are, on these things, but the Michigan grayling, as hatched by myself in 1876, and again in 1880 or 1881, certainly did not bear the parr-marks. There is another distinguishing feature or difference in the two graylings, which anybody that remembers the Michigan gray- American Fisheries Society. 81 ling knows. The Montana grayling hatches out and les on the bottom, while the Michigan grayling pops out of the shell and swims like a whitefish. That is a difference that anybody will recognize; while the parr-mark is not visible on the Michigan grayling at any time. Dr. Bean: That simply illustrates what I had in mind. I have been studying the young grayling chiefly from the books, and Mr. Clark has had the better opportunity of studying it in the field. That is where I go when I can, but when I cannot IT am limited to books. The books all say that the young grayling ought to have parr-marks; the books also say that a male white- fish in the breeding season ought to have tubercles on the scales, sometimes it has and sometimes it has not. As a matter of fact, we do not know nearly all that is to be known about fish—even the wisest of us. There is a great deal more to be learned and it is to be learned from the fish themselves and not from books. Mr. Titcomb: I was going to bring up a point which the doctor has brought up about the steelhead trout, and I think it should be emphasized as much as possible, and that is, as to the danger of introducing them into waters where you have the com- mon trout. I should be inclined to treat them as just about as dangerous as the black bass to introduce in trout water. They are all right for our larger lakes, but I should be cautious about putting them into a lake with land-locked salmon even, but in any of our larger lakes with the lake trout it would be all right. Dr. Birge: What do you mean by larger ? Mr. Titcomb: Not the great lakes necessarily. We have, for instance, a lake in Vermont six miles long where we are in- troducing steelhead trout very successfully, but that has nothing in it now but lake trout and small fish food. In Maine the com- mission has discontinued the distribution of steelhead trout. be- cause almost all their waters which have not speckled trout have the land-locked salmon, which is valuable, and we cannot afford to lose them by the introduction of a new variety; and Mr. Pea- body in considering that fish, should consider seriously where he puts it in Wisconsin. The President: Would it do to put them in the same lakes with the bass, pickerel and that class of fish, armored fish ? Mr. Titcomb: That is a difficult question to answer. The 6 82 Thirty-First Annual Meeting land-locked salmon will do well in some lakes with bass and pickerel, but in other lakes it is impossible to have them obtain a permanent foothold. J think the steelhead trout would stand a better show with the pickerel and bass than the land-locked salmon, if they have a wide range and the waters are varied in their nature. Take, for in- stance, some lakes which are peculiarly shaped, irregu- larly shaped, with many islands, and you will find the pickerel have their own part of that lake that they will be in most of the time, and one end of the lake where they spawn, and if the small- mouth bass are in the lake you may find them in still another portion of the lake, and it is possible with some of those lakes of irregular shape to introduce either the land-locked salmon or the steelhead trout quite successfully, especially if you have good streams for them to spawn in. The President: They will have a Latin quarter and a Polish ward, will they? (Laughter). Mr. Clark: Do you think the steelhead more of a cannibal than the rainbow ? Mr. Titcomb: Yes, they are more predacious and more vora- cious, because of their size. Dr. Bean: In the West it is a toss-up between the steelhead and rainbow trout as to destructiveness of eggs; but the Dolly Varden is the most destructive consumer of salmon eggs in the waters. Mr. Clark: I would like to ask Mr. Seagle this question: Do you find that the rainbow trout destroy the young trout ? Mr. Seagle: I do not. I haye not observed more than half a dozen cases of cannibalism in my ponds since I have been having rainbow trout, covering a period of twenty years. Mr. Clark: Do you think they will eat fish if they can get other food ? Mr. Dean: Rainbow trout will eat each other if they can, and we have to sort them, but not as much as the speckled trout. Mr. Seagle: We keep our trout well sorted as to sizes, and possibly that is the reason we have no cannibalism. We sort our fish at least twice a year as to sizes. Mr. C. E. Brewster, Grand Rapids: I would like to ask Mr. American Fisheries Society. 83 Clark if rainbow trout are dangerous to the brook trout in the brook trout streams ? Mr. Clark: That is just the poimt. I think Mr. Dean will remember when he was with me at Northville that we had more rainbow trout than we have now, and possibly he was there at the time the experiment was tried of putting some large rainbow trout in a tank with smaller trout, and some large brook trout later on with smaller trout. We performed such an experiment at Northville, and the large rainbow trout did not eat the smaller fish, after leaving them there four or five days or a week ; but the brook trout cleaned out nearly all the smaller trout that were in the tank. I never in my life have seen a rainbow with another trout in its mouth, while, of course, we are seeing brook trout do that all the time. We take them by the tail and pull them out. Our commercial men have had the same experience. Mr. Lane: Yes. Mr. Clark: I have never seen the tail of a trout sticking out of a rainbow trout’s mouth. Dr. Birge: You will write him a certificate of good charac- ter ? Mr. Clark: I will so far as that is concerned. It does not seem to me that they are cannibalistic at all. But Mr. Dean says he has seen it right along. Mr. Dean: My idea is that the water being warmer makes a difference. I know at Northville at one time we put 55,000 rain- bow trout in not a very large pool, and after carrying them some time we counted out 53,000. That would show there was a very small loss, but if we leave much larger trout in the ponds with them they become cannibalistic. : Mr. Clark: I do not wish to carry the idea that they will not eat fish. Of course if you starve them to it they will do so. Mr. Brewster: Not long ago a complaint was made that the rainbow trout in the little Manistee river (and this is the second season that they have begun taking fish from that river) were eating up the brook trout. The man who made the complaint was a gentleman who spends all his time on the river and runs a club house there. I replied to his letter expressing my doubt about the matter, and he stated that a gentleman connected with the Pere Marquette Railway Company had recently caught a 84 Thirty-First Annual Meeting two and a half pound rainbow trout with a brook trout more than six inches long in his stomach. I still expressed a doubt about the matter, and when I was up there about three or four weeks ago he showed me a number of brook trout that were badly lacerated, which showed that. they had been caught by some larger fish and had been chewed up in the efforts of the larger fish to turn their prey and take it down head first; and those fish I examined very carefully, and they certainly looked to me to have been exactly as he stated: caught by some larger fish. Mr. Titcomb: I have heard it said that the rainbow trout was responsible for the disappearance of the grayling in the Au- Sable river. Mr. Clark: That is not the case. Mr. Titcomb: I do not know but what I was misled in answering a question about the comparative voraciousness of rainbow and steelhead trout. I am not prepaerd to say that a rainbow trout would do as much damage as a steelhead of the same size. I had one experience with the two fish together of the same size in an aquarium four feet by two by eighteen to twenty inches high. These fish would weigh about a pound apiece. We had three or four rainbows, three or four speckled trout and one steelhead. We had to remove all the fish except the steelhead to save their lives—the steelhead was chasing them all over the aquarium and tried to drive them out of the water: he gave them no rest no matter whether they were speckled trout or rainbows. Mr. Clark: Right in the Detroit hatchery I have in the aquaria rainbow and steelhead trout; I have seen the steelheads fight almost continuously during the spawning season. but I never saw them take down in their throat or undertake to swal- low their antagonists, but they will fight viciously during that period. Was not this at the spawning season ? Mr. Titcomb: No, it was not. We have the same trouble with the rainbow trout during the spawning season. Mr. Clark: Yes, but I have never seen them undertake to eat other fish. Mr. Brewster: I would like to furnish Mr. Clark a brook trout from the Little Manistee that shows the marks that I have American Fisheries Society. 85 described, and would like to have him examine it and pass judg- ment on it. Mr. Clark: I do not think I could tell the markings of a rainbow trout’s teeth. It may have been captured by some larger fish and chewed up. Mr. Brewster: They think it is the rainbow and f think it is, too. Mr. Clark: Show me a rainbow trout with a brook trout in its mouth, and I will be convinced. Mr. Brewster: I did not see that. Dr. Bean: I have had some experience with rainbow trout both in ponds and in the aquarium ; and it is very well known on Long Island that the rainbow trout is the most voracious fellow in the ponds. One bully, (and not necessarily the largest fish) will boss the whole pond or tank, and he will drive every fish away or kill them, frequently, unless they are taken away. We had that trouble in the New York aquarium. We put in some of the fine rainbows from the Long Island hatchery, obtained from the United States Commission, and they were all alike. They would fight outrageously outside of the spawning season—any time seemed to be scrapping time with them—and there was no way of keeping them alive except by taking out of the tank the fighters, and we would have to take out a new one about every day. Mr. A. L. Coulter: I would like to ask Mr. Clark one ques- tion: I am nota fish culturist ; I do not study half as closely the habits of fish as I do the habits of the violaters of the game laws of Michigan. But I find that conditions in certain portions of the country change very materially. I think Mr. Clark will agree with me that the AuSable River at one time was a grayling stream ; later in its history it was a speckled trout stream ; after the speckled trout was introduced the rainbow was introduced. Mr. Clark: The rainbow trout were introduced first in the AuSable river. Mr. Coulter: Then take the Boardman river: the facts are that wherever rainbow trout are put in different streams the speckled trout disappear and the rainbow trout predominate. You could not convince a native on those streams in a hundred years, or by all the books and technical knowledge on earth, that 86 Thirty-First Annual Meeting the rainbow trout were not destroying the speckled trout in the Michigan waters. The President: Was the grayling driven out by another planting ? Mr. Coulter: The theory of the average mortal along those streams, who has lived all his life there and watched the disap- pearance of the native graylings, is that the speckled trout have destroved the grayling, and in turn the rainbow trout is destroy- ing the speckled trout, and you cannot convince him of anything else. I think at one time the Boardman river had some grayling in it; it was at first a native grayling stream, and the grayling was afterward replaced with speckled trout, and today you will catch about half and half, but the speckled trout are disappear- ing every year. The President: I have been told by your Michigan fisher- men that the grayling was a fish you could fish out more easily than you could trout; that you could go to a pool and catch every one of them; that is, they did not appear to be affected and get shy as others do, by the disappearance of their mates, but you could take the last grayling out of the pool and he would bite as eagerly as though he had not lost any of his companions. Mr. Clark: I think that is true. Mr. G. W. M. Brown, of Michigan: I went into the wilder- ness of Michigan early in 1869 and 1870 on the Pere Marquette, Baldwin Creek and Percy rivers particularly. On the first day of May, 1892, myself and a friend caught 163 grayling in one pool in the Manistee river in eighteen mile bay. That is the last day that I ever had fine fishing for grayling. The policy of the Michigan Fish Commission for the last two years has been in planting rainbow trout to put them in the larger streams where the water gets too warm for brook trout—in the Pere Mar- quette and the AuSable, but we do not furnish any rainbow trout for the smaller brook trout streams. For ten years I have been engaged in raising brook trout on a private, protected stream, as fine a stream as I ever saw, and the rainbow trout do not run in that stream at all; but right at the mouth of the stream last June I caught four rainbow trout that weighed eight and one-half pounds, although not a rainbow trout has been caught in that stream in the last ten years weighing a quarter of a pound. It is American Fisheries Society. 87 a comparatively small stream and cold all the time; they do not run out of the larger rivers into the smaller streams Mr. Clark: I did not bring up this subject to defend the rainbow trout for a moment, because it is immaterial to me which fish we have. I like the brook trout personally just as well as I do the rainbow trout. The part [ wished to bring out was this: I wanted to know positively whether rainbow trout fed upon other trout. Now, Mr. Brewster has spoken of the AuSable river. The records show that the rainbow trout were the first ever planted in this stream, and old Uncle Dan Fitz Hugh was the man who put them there ; and everybody knows what he had to say about the grayling and what he knew about it. This latter fish was plentiful there before the brook trout came, but they never have been so numerous as the brook trout now are, and I do not believe they ever will be, right in the AuSable river. If anybody can demonstrate to me that the rainbow trout fishing is better between two or three miles above Steven’s bridge and down below Wickley’s bridge than it was ten years ago, I would like to know it. Mr. Dickerson doesn’t find it so—as he told me. They do not get any large rainbow trout above Wakley’s bridge, except in spawning season but catch them in deep water. I have seen the rainbow trout up that river in March when you wardens are not there, and have seen a five-pound rainbow trout five miles above Steven’s bridge: those large fish have been caught clear to the up dam during the spawning period. When we were hauling seines and catching brook trout for propagating purposes, we cap- tured nearly as many rainbow trout fry as we did brook trout fry; but the large fish drop down in the deeper water where you do not get any brook trout. Mr. Brewster: I think in 1891 the first rainbow trout was taken on the Bourdman river by Winnie of Traverse City. The river at that time was pretty well stocked with native grayling, and there were some native brook trout in the stream. It had been stocked heavily with brook trout, and from that time until 1895 or 1896 the brook trout fishing was good. Now more than 50 per cent of the trout taken from that river are the rainbow trout and the brook trout are gone or are becoming scarce. There are no grayling there at this time. I do not agree with my friend 88 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Coulter that the brook trout have destroyed them; I think other elements have conspired to destroy them. Mr. Coulter: I did not say that at all. Mr. Brewster: Take the Manistee river up above the log chutes, the scene of the operations of the lumbermen, and you still find grayling and sometimes pretty good fishing. I know of a party of three who caught over 100 grayling there last year. Last year at my request Mr. Clark delivered half a dozen gray- ling to a friend of mine in Potoskey. Those grayling have been kept and are there now. I think he lost one out of a half dozen ; they are being kept in water pumped from the bay. They are doing splendidly and growing nicely, and I believe that water up there is good for the grayling. American Fisheries Society. 89 THE ROLE OF THE LARGER AQUATIC PLANTS IN THE BIOLOGY OF FRESH WATER, BY RAYMOND H. POND, PH. D. The primary object of an investigation of the biology of our Great Lakes, is to ascertain the factors which determine the quantity of food fish produced. The problems at once involved in such an undertaking are numerous, but may be in a general way, assigned to three groups. In the first group we may include those arising from the various relations which the different ani- mals sustain to each other, such as, food and feeder, enemy and friend, host and parasite, and the like, all of which are strictly animal problems to be solved by the Zoologist. In a second group, would occur such questions as are suggested by the rela- tions existing between animals and plants, and to these, the botanists as well as the zoologists may properly give attention. In the third*group, we could include inquiries concerning the relation of plants to the soil and water, and such as belong more especially to the plant physiologist. Such a grouping of the secondary problems is purely arbitrary, being given to indicate the scope of the investigation, and to lead up to the statement already emphasized by Reighard and Ward, that a knowledge of the sources of nutrition of our food fishes, involves by necessity, an exhaustive study of the cycle of matter in the lakes. There are two ultimate sources of food for the fish, namely ; soil and air. Neither the fish, nor the animals upon which they feed, can secure nourishment from these sources directly. Plants must intervene to organize the mineral salts and carbon dioxide into food for the animals. In the case of the plant plankton, we have a large amount of organic matter that may be considered as food available for animals, which themselves in turn are either directly or indrectly used as food by the fish. ‘Thus there occurs in the lake, a manufacturing of mineral salts and carbon dioxide into plant plankton, and also, a manufacturing of plant plank- ton indirectly into fish. It is thus evident, that each season’s catch of fish means a withdrawal of so much organic matter from 90 Thirty-First Annual Meeting the lake, and the sources of renewal of this organic matter, are manifestly important. It has long been known that water plants contain several essential food elements in greater proportion than the water, and we may say that aquatic plants concentrate with- in themselves nitrogen, potash, phosphoric acid. In the case of the plankton these elements must come from the water and then the plants die and are returned to solution. However, with the larger attached plants, we have another possibility, that is, they may take their mineral food from the substratum, and if they do, we have in them, agents active in the transfer of mineral food from the soil to the water. On the other hand, if the at- tached plants do not absorb nourishment from the soil, they must take it from the water, and their influence in this case would be to withhold during all the growing season, matter that would otherwise be available to the plant plankton. The statement is common in all our text books of botany, even those published during the present year, that aquatic plants derive their nourishment from the water and not from the soil, ’ that the roots are not organs of absorption as in land plants, but only holdfasts to anchor the plant. A review of the literature of this subject, shows that this statement is based upon argument and not experimental data. The anatomy of water plants has received quite a little attention in the past, and many authors have noted that the tissue systems for the conduction of water, which in land plants are so well developed, are in aquatic plants very rudimentary. Moreover, it has been observed that sub- merged aquatics have no evaporating surface and hence there is no necessity for an upward current in the plant. Again, the entire surface of submerged plants is permeable to water and the plant may easily secure its mineral food directly from the surrounding water. Such has been the majority opinion and argument up to the present time; but investigation now com- pleted though as yet unpublished, proves beyond a doubt, I think, that most of our common aquatic plants are absolutely dependent upon being rooted in the soil for optimum growth,and few of them indeed can survive the growing season, if denied attachment to the soil. To consider now some of the evidence for the latter opinion. Suppose we construct some large boxes and build a raft around American Fisheries Society. 91 the top of them so that they will float about level with the sur- face of the lake or slightly submerged. In some of these boxes we will make a deposit of soil six inches or more deep. This soil is to be taken from the lake bottom in some locality where there is an abundant growth of plants. In this we will plant a cer- tain number of individuals of uniform size, of some one species that have been carefully selected from specimens growing in the lake. In the other box we will attach a like number of such plants to wooden bars, and fasten these bars so that the plants in the two boxes are in the same depth of water. We thus have for comparison, two groups of plants, one of which is surrounded by natural conditions, and the other has natural conditions ex- cept that the soil is absent, and the plants can get only such nourishment as is provided by the water. After a period of four weeks very marked differences between the two groups of plants may be noted. ‘The plants rooted in soil look as strong and healthy as those growing in the lake. The volume of vegetation produced by the former group was twice that produced by the latter group, while the suspended plants were stunted in growth and manifested the ordinary signs of unfavorable environment. If we now collect our two groups of plants, and after carefully washing, obtain the dry weight, it will be found to be a third more for the plants rooted in soil. It is thus evident, that soil is necessary for the best growth of these plants. If now we com- pare equal volumes of the fresh plants in our experiment, it will appear that the dry weight of the suspended plants is greater than that of those rooted in soil. This must mean that different physiological processes have been operating in the two groups. If a microscopic examination of the fresh plants be made, it will be found that the tissues of the plants rooted in soil contain rela- tively little starch, while those of the suspended plants are liter- ally gorged with starch. Thus is explained our discovery con- cerning the dry weight of equal volumes. It is the abnormal in- crease in the amount of starch, that makes the suspended plants weigh more. If now we compare the two groups with regard to their chemical composition, we shall find that the plants which were denied the soil, contain a smaller proportion of nitrogen, of potash, and of phosphoric acid. To recall now the results of this line of investigation, we may say that when the plants are 92 Thirty-First Annual Meeting not allowed to root in the soil, and are limited to the lake water for nourishment, an abnormal growth results, which is mani- fested by diminished volume of vegetation and total dry weight ; also, by an excess of starch, and deficiency of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid. Considering now the question, are the roots merely organs of attachment, or are they also for the purpose of absorption? It is not a difficult matter to separate the roots of a plant from the stem, so that solutions differing in chemical composition, may be offered to each at the same time. In this way lithium nitrate may be offered to the roots, so that the lithium, if found later by spectroscopic examination in the upper parts of the plant, may be positively known to have been absorbed by the roots and conducted upward into the stem. It is also possible to con- struct an apparatus by which the amount of water absorbed by a root in a given time can be measured. Both of these methods have been employed, and there can be no doubt but that the roots are organs of absorption. Moreover, the roots of most of our common aquatics develop structures, the presence of which is almost prima facie evidence that the organs bearing them are for absorption. These structures are the so-called root hairs, and they occur on all of our terrestrial plants, with a few excep- tions. Examination has now shown that they are common also on the roots of aquatie plants. These hairs are simply ordinary root cells which are protected from the outer cell layer of the root, for the purpose of securing the maximum absorbing sur- face with the least expenditure of tissue. We may next enquire, what quality of soil is bee suited to support a good plant growth? Last summer here at the Hatch- ery, three soils were tested. One was a loam from Squaw harbor like ordinary garden soil, another was sandy with plant remains scattered through it, and the third was clayey. The same species was grown at the same time in each soil under otherwise natural conditions. The poorest growth occurred on the clay, the second best on the sandy soil, and the best on the loam. ‘Thus is con- firmed experimentally the observation made from the study of all the plant beds in the region of these islands, that other con- ditions being favorable, the most abundant growth of aquatic plants occurs on what would be called a good truck soil. Many American Fisheries Society. 93 of the species will maintain a growth on any of these soils and continue to reproduce each season, but it is only on the good loamy soil that the dense aquatic meadows occur, From a study of such meadows, some of the functions hith- erto assigned to aquatic plants have been established, such as protection to animals seeking refuge, a base of attachment for the growth of Algae, and even as direct food for some animals. Tt is in protected caves little disturbed by wave action that such meadows occur, and the aeration of the water is an important duty of the plants here. During the daytime all green plants give off oxygen as a waste of product in the manufacture of starch, and an excellent idea of what this amounts to may be obtained by observing the almost constant stream of bubbles that rise from the plants on a bright day. But perhaps the most important part played by the larger aquatic plants is the one only recently established, that of contributing to the plankton food supply. One author has recently stated that there is a direct relation between the quantity of plankton and the proportion of nitrates in the water. During each season by the changing winds and currents a large amount of plant debris is carried out into the lake from the aquatic meadows, where during the period of its slow oxidation, it is available as food for the animal plankton and when oxidized, the mineral salts taken from the soil are contributed to the water to be used by the plant plankton in organizing more animal food. It is thus apparent that in the economy of nature, water plants have the same part to play with respect to organisms of a higher order, as the terrestrial plants; that is, they are the organizers of inor- ganic matter for the benefit of the higher organisms dependent upon their activity. It is quite probable that the waters poor in plankton will be found to have a small growth of the attached aquatics. Certain it is, at least, that in any explanation to account for a scarcity of plankton in a given water, the relative abundance of the aquatic plants would necessarily be considered. Some species are much more depenfent upon the soil than others. Chara and Myriophyllum are not as dependent as Vallisneria and Potamogeton perfohatus. The two latter plants would be excellent to plant in fish ponds, because they are so 94 Thirty-First Annual Meeting dependent upon the soil and because they develop a large volume of vegetation during the growing season. To recapitulate, we have first the facts hitherto known, that the larger aquatics are important as furnishers of shelter, as aerating agents, as a base of attachment for the growth of Algae and as direct food for some animals. Second, the fact first established in this paper, that these plants are important agents, through which the soil is made to contribute a goodly share to the food supply of the lake. DISCUSSION OF DR. POND’S PAPER. Dr. Birge: Was the experiment tried of raising these plants in boxes with earth and water, but with the roots removed? In the experiment described there was only one arrangement given —plants with roots and earth and plants without roots,—and with the ordinary lake water, of course. If 6 inches of earth had been placed in this box, it seems to me that a good deal of min- eral salt might leach out of the earth, which the plants might have absorbed through the leaves; and I would ask, was that ex- periment tried, to see the difference. Prof. Ward: I was only an observer of the experiment, but it is evident that in one respect, at least, the statement of the author has not been clearly understood. The roots were not re- moved from the plants, but the latter were very carefully select- ed, so that there should be no chance of any kind of bruising or breaking of the tissue to afford the slightest ground for suppos- ing they were not in perfect physiological condition. The ex- periments were also tried in water so comparatively shallow that while there might have been a difference under the conditions which Dr. Birge mentions, I should rather imagine that there would not be. So far as I know, the exact experiment which he indicates of placing earth in the box but not in contact with the roots of the plant, was not tried. It, however, may have been, for Dr. Pond experimented very extensively and there were many experiments made of which he gave no definite report. Mr. J. J, Stranahah, of Georgia: If the plant myriophyl- lum were used in a pond with poor soil and pure soft water, what would the result be ? ; Prof. Ward: I wish Dr. Pond were here. He experimented American Fisheries Society. 95 three or four years on this matter and he has really found some things of very great value, and I deeply regret that he cannot be here to answer such questions himself. Dr. Birge: Have you tried it yourself ? Mr. Stranahan: Yes, but our myriophyllum does not thrive. Our soil and water is not conducive to any kind of vegetable growth. Mr. F. N. Clark, Northville, Mich.: We frequently meet this same difficulty at our meetings, the author of the paper not being present and these questions coming up that no one can answer. I think it would be well if the Secretary would note those points and ask the author of this paper to present some- thing on that line and perhaps others, as an addition to his paper by way of discussion. Dr. Birge: Why not have him answer any of these ques- tions and have them printed. Mr. Clark: That would be well, but we always have papers where the authors are not present and most always questions come up that no one can answer. The President: Dr. Pond might add his answers to these questions as a part of the discussion. I believe that is prac- ticable. Mr. Titcomb: I suggest that Mr. Stranahan relate the re- sults of his experiments under his peculiar conditions. Mr. Stranahan: We have made a good many experiments ; we have tried all sorts of fertilizers, we have tried a compost made with cotton seed meal and with barnyard manure, and we have succeeded in making our myriophyllum and other plants grow well the first year, but they almost always die out and be- come absent the second year. Dr. Birge: Even if you continue the manuring ? Mr. Stranahan: We have not continued it, because it is im- possible to do it in a pond full of fish. We have also had con- siderable correspondence with rice planters along the coast, and find that they have never found a fertilizer which is practicable for rice which is to be flooded, which is discouraging, because vegetation is of very great importance as shown by the success had by Leary at San Marcos. But there the soil was very rich and black; the myriophyllum growing from the bottom of the 96 Thirty-First Annual Meeting pond to the top in one dense mass, in 6 or 7 feet of water; and there are more black bass produced there than at any other sta- tion of the United States Fish Commission—90,000 to 100,000 in one year. Mr. Dwight Lydell, of Mill Creek, Mich.: I have found that the chara weed is better for pond fish than the potamogeton, as stated in the paper. Mr. Clark: We have threshed this over each year and been in the same position ever since I have been a member of the asso- ciation. At Wood’s Hole we passed a resolution that all papers to be read by those in attendance should.first be presented, that the papers by persons not present should be offered, and then be read as decided by the association. That resolution grew out of this very discussion that we are now in, and on your minutes of the proceedings at Wood’s Hole you will find a resolution that no paper shall be read before this Society unless the author is there to read it, except by special resolution. I wish to correct one statement of Mr. Stranahan’s, where he spoke regarding the product of black bass. I do this out of re- spect for the superintendent of the bass hatchery at Mill Creek, The Mill Creek hatchery last year turned out over 1,000,000 bass. Mr. Lydell: About 50,000 of those were fingerlings. Mr. Titcomb: I hope no one here will refrain from asking any question that comes up in connection with this paper. I think if Mr. Pond is going to make an addendum to his paper for publication, he should have our views, and read our questions. It is a very important matter. Mr. Clark: I have no objection. I simply state the resolu- tion passed at Wood’s Hole. American Fisheries Society. oF A SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN THE ARTIFICIAL PROP- AGATION OF THE WHITEFISH. BY FRANK N. CLARK. As such unusual success has attended the efforts in the hand- ling of whitefish during the past season, it is deemed that a few brief notes relative thereto would not be amiss. The whitefish egg taking of the season just closed has been the most successful in Michigan, in the history of the United States Fish Commission. Not only has the quantity taken greatly exceeded that of any previous year, but also the quality has far surpassed that of any of the earlier efforts. This may be owing perhaps, in part, to the favorable weather conditions, im- proved facilities, and expert manipulation, but in the main it goes to show the wonderful results of the plants which have been made in the past in the waters of the Great Lakes. In the collection and hatching of whitefish at the present time, two very important essentials are those of funds for earry- ing on the work, and then of obtaining the fish. With these two problems solved, the production of fry may be unlimited, and perhaps it might be well to state right here that of the above two mentioned factors, the former is a far more insurmountable bar- rier than the latter. In the early days of the work, back in the seventies, the first successful take of whitefish eggs, with perhaps the exception of a few obtained on the Detroit River by Mr. Seth Green and my father, was made not three miles from where we are now holding this meeting. The quantity at that time, was limited to the amount obtained from the ripe fish which were found in the nets from day to day. This plan was continued for a number of years until it was discovered by experiment, that whitefish could be held in crates and pounds until ripe, thereby greatly increas- ing the production. This work of penning has been carried on quite extensively and with every success, on the Detroit River and at Monroe Piers, at the mouth of the Raisin River, Lake Erie. 98 Thirty-First Annual Meeting It seems as though a no more forcible illustration of the gra- tifying results of the whitefish operations can be given than that of a comparison between the work of the past season and of 1896, but five years before. There was practically no difference in the methods employed, and the grounds operated were the same. In 1896 the total number of fish caught on the Detroit River was 11,263, while during the season recently completed 41,242 were taken, not far from four times the number obtained but five years previous under almost identical conditions. Not only on the Detroit River, which is perhaps the best point on the Great Lakes for the collection of whitefish eggs, has the work been so highly successful, but at all other places where an attempt has been made the results have been the same. It is certain that the season of 1901 has _ been by far the best on the Great Lakes, and tthe records of both the United States and Canadian governments have never been equaled by the unprecedented take of upwards of 800,000,000 eggs. This large take resulted in the filling of every hatchery on the Lakes to its utmost capacity, and at one time it was thought necessary to plant a portion of the eggs on the spawning grounds. Later, however, this obstacle was over- come by holding part on trays for a short time. More auxiliary stations adjacent to the spawning grounds should be provided for the handling of the great surplus. This would do away largely with the necessity of transporting the fry for such long distances, which is not only very expensive, but at times rather detrimental to their condition. These auxiliary hatcheries will, no doubt, be provided for in the near future by the United States government. i The following account may perhaps give a fair idea of some of the details of the Detroit River work. The collection of eggs was made from the field stations on Belle Isle and Grassy Island, the former being located in the De- triot River opposite the upper end of Detroit, and the latter about eight miles down the river below the city. The first fishing was done on the 16th of October and the work was continued until December 3rd. During this time, 2,875 hauls of the seine were made and 41,242 fish captured, an average of between fourteen and fifteen per haul, this latter being much better than usual. American Fisheries Society. 99 y Of these, 2,270 were undersized (weighing less than two pounds) and were immediately returned to'the river, thus making 38,972 the number retained. They were held in crates and pounds, the former being made about twelve feet long, four feet wide, and five feet deep, of slats in order to allow free circulation of water, and the latter were of irregular size and shape, and built by driv- ing boards into the bottom with a space between each one for free passage of water. The best day’s fishing was on November 18th, when 2,568 fish were caught, and the best day’s egg-taking was on November 29th, when 52,920,000 eggs were obtained. Of the fish held, 22,245 were males, and 16,727 females, and of the latter, 12,529 were stripped, the remainder being spent, plugged, or hard when operations ceased. The egg taking period extend- ed from November 10th to December 11th, inclusive, during which time 366,040,000 eggs were forwarded to the Detroit Hatchery, thus making the average number per fish 29.215. The number of eggs shipped to various points was 201,800,- 000, leaving 164,240,000 in the hatchery. As the total hatch was 135,000,000, it would appear that the percentage was a trifle above 82, but in reality it is about 85, when allowance is made for the fact that a part of the eggs shipped were eyed. The sea- son was rather earlier than usual, as the fish were hatched be- tween March 23rd and April 16th. The distribution continued from March 30th to April 17th, and was made by means of a tug and the regular transportation cars. The latter took 27,000,000 fry in five loads, three of 5,000,000 each and two of 6,000,000 each, the former to Charlevoix and the latter to Mackinae City. The balance were deposited in the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Again let me emphatically state that there has just been com- pleted the greatest known year’s work in the artificial propaga- tion of the whitefish. DISCUSSION OF MR. CLARK’S PAPER. Before reading his paper Mr. Clark said: I wish to state in connection with this short paper, that our good Secretary wrote me, I think, early in January, asking me to prepare a paper—I think he said something about whitefish or something in relation to whitefish—and I wrote him that I did not believe I would 100 Thirty-First Annual Meeting have time to give him anything and did not know that I had anything new. ‘That was the last I heard of it until the notices came out, and I saw he had me down for a paper. So I give you these few notes. It is not a paper, but a few notes on our work in connection more particularly with the whitefish. I do not want you to think you are going to get a paper. Secretary Peabody: It seemed perfectly safe to put you down on the subject of whitefish, as being the greatest expert on that subject in the country. Mr. Clark: I do not think so. There are many other white- fish experts in the country besides F. N. Clark. The President: Was not the season an especially propitious one ? Mr. Clark: The water was very good, but the experience of the United States Fish Commission on the Detroit river for the three seasons we have been operating since the Michigan Fish Commission turned it over to us, is that there has not been so very much difference in that respect. I think that when the Michigan Fish Commission operated they did have three or four exceptionally severe seasons, when ice made in the river, so they could not fish. We had no trouble of that kind, and I think we are safe in anticipating a take of 300,000,000 or 400,000,000 eggs this coming season. It all depends on the temperature of the water both with the fish and eggs. I do not think it was an exceptional season. I think it was simply because Lake Erie has more fish today than it ever had before. I think Mr. Downing or Mr. Fox will bear me out in this statement judging by their work at Monroe. The President: It is borne out by the commercial reports also, I think. Mr. Clark:' Yes, sir. Mr. Gunckel: I never saw line fishing so good as it is out off Monroe this season. I caught with a fly one whitefish weigh- ing eighteen and one-half pounds. Mr. Stranahan: I would like to ask Mr. Clark, do you think there are more whitefish in the lake than there ever was, away back in the early days of fishing ? Mr. Clark: I do not mean to be understood as saying that. I mean that the increased catch of whitefish in Lake Erie is American Fisheries Society. 101 y wholly due to the propagation and planting of fish in the De- troit river and Lake Erie. I say it boldly because there is less protection to the whitefish in Lake Erie and the Detroit river. So, if it is not from our work, what is it from? The catch has increased each year gradually from 12,000 until now we are expecting to take 50,000 fish this fall on the Detroit river. The President: That is the testimony of all of the fishermen along our shores, that the depletion caused by the fine nets, ete., has been arrested. Mr. 8. W. Downing, of Put-in-Bay: I would like to bear Mr. Clark out in his last assertion, that the increase is undoubtedly due to the propagation of the fish. We have steadily increased in the number of eggs taken. Two years ago 235,000,090 eggs were taken at Put-in-Bay. Next season 194,000,000, last season 335,000,000 eggs were taken. That in connection with Mr. Clark’s station would make the total something over 700,090,- 000; and there is no question but what it is coming from the artificial hatching of the fish. We put out from this station alone this spring a little over 200,000,000 fry. Our total hatch was 81.8 per cent. Mr. Clark beat me about 3 per cent on his hatch. Mr. Clark: Another fact bears out the results of our work. They seldom used to catch any small fish—that is, what we call underweight fish, those under two pounds. A year ago last fall we caught a little over 6,000, and last season over 2,009. Now, ten or fifteen years previous to that, no mention was made of the small fish, there not being enough to attract attention. Mr. Lydell: It has been about fourteen years since I com- menced taking charge of some of the river work, and at that time we had between 250 and 300 jars in the Detroit hatchery, and ran seven fishing grounds to fill those jars with eggs; and now we have 1,035 jars and three fishing grounds are sufficient to fill them—and more too. Last year I think we also filled the Duluth house and the Soo house and all the houses of the United States Fish Commission, easily, with three grounds. Dr. T. H. Bean: (Formerly of the United States Fish Com- mission, now of the World’s Fair at St. Louis). !t has seemed to me that there was a little skepticism about the remark by mv friend Gunekel about whitefish being caught on a hook, and J 102 Thirty-First Annual Meeting thought perhaps it would be interesting to state something that has occurred in my own experience in keeping whitefish in aquaria. There is a whitefish which you know has been called the Labrador whitefish, but which I cannot distinguish by any essential characters from the common whitefish of the great lakes. All the characteristics that have been assigned to them by ichthyological writers prove to be transitory or non-existent, and for that reason I still hold to the opinion expressed a few years ago, that the Labrador whitefish and the common whitefish are the same species. Now, it has been supposed, I think very generally, that that form of whitefish with the small mouth and the lower jaw shorter than the upper will not take the hook and will not take live bait. In the ace of New York City in 1897 we had a lot of so-called Labrador whitefish from Canandaigua lake. They were fed upon small fresh water shrimp, which were shipped from Caledonia and other parts of the state. They fed very readily upon them, but after a time it was difficult te obtain that food, and then we began putting into the tanks small salt water minnows, or mummichogs (killifish), and in a very little while the Labrador whitefish were rising to them and taking them the same as the trout did, and they continued to feed on them for months at a time. And another fact, in Canandaigua lake, fishermen catch those same whitefish on baited hooks. I saw a little item in Forest & Stream, by a Canadian mem- ber of the Fishery Commission, to the effect that the new white- fish, which evidently is closely related to the common whitefish, and I think Dr. Smith has identified it as Richardson’s white- fish. is known up there to take the hook, and is so caught. I say this in defense of my friend Commodore Gunckel, and as a mat- ter of some interest, because I do not think it is generally known that the common whitefish will take the hook. Mr. Clark: I believe that Dr, Gunckel thought I would not smile when he spoke of catching the eighteen pound whitefish with a fly. I want to say that whitefish weighing two and one- half or three pounds, which have been raised in our ponds, take flies from the top of the water. American Fisheries Society. 103 The President: That is the natural fly that lights on the water ? Mr. Clark: Yes, sir. Mr. Gunekel: In looking over my records I find I did not wear my glasses when I made my first statement. The fish that I actually caught at the mouth of the river Raisin was a common carp. (Laughter). But Judge Potter, for many years a fish commissioner of the state of Ohio, told me probably twenty times of the whitefish that he had caught off Nipegon—lI have forgotten the bait that he used—and I know when I go to Crys- tal Lake in the northern part of Michigan, of some In- dians who come from Frankfort to sell whitefish (and I believe there are more whitefish to the square foot in that lake than in any lake Mr. Clark has in Michigan), and they catch them with hook and line. They bring in fifteen or twenty whitefish nearly every summer that | go up there to fish. They must bite with hook and line. Per cont weight| excess |PELS2" 41x, nage] Hxceen |Per cont No, REg® food OE, wt. 02. | weight Eges Eggs | Lig. oz. INO Ae an cee eee ee ODA kon rete |e BOO cae ycatell eave mere 460 INO:: Sita eee 30 4.4 V2) 30.5 458 69 19 450 INOS Dini ei atte 60 526 2.4, 75 560: 7a 44 408 No.4 ee ne 100! 8.8] 5.6| 175 940| 551] 141! 378 A query naturally arises as to the exact source of this excess egg production. Is it the direct result of the stimulation of the ovaries, by the extra food supply, to such an extent as to increase the number of embryos on the one hand, or on the other, is the lesser nourished fish unable to develop and mature the full num- ber of germs initiated? Courtesy to other contributors prompts me to refrain from trespassing further on the very limited time at the disposal of the society, by following up this branch of my subject further than by the suggestion that it will afford the stu- dent a very interesting and profitable field for further thought during some leisure hour. Before closing I wish to state very positively that [ do not advocate full feeding for adults. If range, temperature, and conditions generally are favorable, nothing but the best of re- sults will follow such a course with fish under two years of age. The remarkable growth during this period coupled with the ex- tensive demands made on the system in maturing the product of the ovaries, can only be provided for by a most generous system of feeding. For the benefit of those who may wish to study this matter more closely, I attach herewith a detailed record of our spawn- ing operations for publication in the transactions of the Society. | ‘ American Fisheries Society. DETAILED RECORD OF SPAWNING, NASHUA STATION. Nov. LOT No. 2 LOT No. 8 LOT No. 4 No. No No No No. No of of of of of of Fish} Eggs | Fish| Eggs |Fish| Eggs 7 4950; 35) 17100) 104) 48600 13 8550 9 4950| 81! 34650 mS 9000) 39} 22050} 68) 29700 18} 10800} 32) 15750} 78) 31950 16 9000} 44) 18450 76; 31050 35| 20700) 41) 18000) 32) 14400 29} 17100} 66} 29700} 52) 17100 36} 19350) 48) 18900) 46) 15700 28} 15300) 22); 10800; 23 6750 17} 10800} 21} 17100) 27) 10350 43| 28350) 60) 27900) 30) 11250 35} 18000) 50; 17100) 44) 13950 16 5400) 9 3150} 20 4950 14 7650 8 3150; 10 3650 10 5400) 10 2700| 17 4500 6 3600) 11 5400 8 2700 5 2700 5 1350/13 3150 8 3150 3 1350 6 1350 351| 199,800] 513] 234,900) 735) 285,750 LOT No.1 \Sae No. of Sie| Bees Ao! Taken 4 4500 6 4950 5 3600 9 8100 7 5850 10 9000 iat 8100 4 4950 16} 18450 16} 13500 1 900 4 4950 5 4950 5 4500 6 6750 2 1350 111 (104,400 1,710 Total Eges 70650 48150 65250 63450 62100 61200 69750 62950 40950 43200 85950 62550 14400 19400 17550 16200 13950 7200 824,850 130 Thirty-First Annual Meeting FISH CULTURE ON THE FARM. BY J. J. STRANAHAN. It is safe to presume that the members of the society will think that this subject has been selected because the writer is too lazy to prepare a paper along more scientific lines and if this be the case, the presumption will be well founded, although much of interest and value may be said on fish culture on the farm, a subject that has been too long neglected by this associ- ation, the United States and state fish commissions and by fisheulturists generally. With our public waters rapidly becoming depleted through excessive fishing, in spite of the good work being done by the hatcheries, where are we to look for the fish to fill the very rapidly growing demand, if not through water farming? Of course the output of ocean, lake and stream may be held in-statu quo or possibly increased to some extent by reasonable restrictive laws and by the work of fishculturists, but with the rapid increase of our population and the further growth of consump- tion through improved transportation facilities, the limit has doubtless already been reached and any permanent increase of per capita supply must come through covering what is now unproductive land with water, thus adding to the output of fish beyond what natural waters would make it, and making many fins grow where none at all grew before. There are vast areas in all of the states, probably equal in the aggregate to that of the Great Lakes, which now produce virtually nothing and much of which might be made to furnish abundance of fish, with comparatively little expense. Not only would the conversion of this waste land into water areas increase and equalize the rainfall to some extent, but it would measurably decrease the liability to disastrous floods and equalize the flow of streams. But this is only incidental to my text and not really germane to the subject. Fisheulture on the farm is, nine times out of ten, a failure, and generally so because of three main causes, none of which, OE American Fisheries Society. 131 owing to lack of space, can be fully treated here. We will take first in order the failure to properly. construct the embankments which are to retain the water. Very briefly stated, the sods, brush, grass and other rubbish should be cleaned away down to the solid earth over the whole extent that is to be covered by the embankment. Then a trench say two feet wide and as deep should be plowed lengthwise throughout the whole ex- tent that is to be covered by the embankment. The earth of the embankment settles into this preventing leaks which are almost sure to follow along the union of the old and well packed earth and the new soil, if this is not done. No brush, sods, stumps or other rubbish should be permitted to enter the embankment. Use nothing but clear earth and if the soil be gravely to the extent that it is likely to permit the water to filter through the inner face of the embank- ment, that is, the one next to the water, should be faced with a foot of clay or other impervious soil. The plow and scraper will be found the most economical, unless the lay of the ground is such as to prevent, when wheel barrows will be necessary, and the team should be kept on the embankment while going and coming as much as possible, so that the earth will be packed as much as possible and prevent sloughing when the water is let on. If the embankment is made of proper width at the bottom and the correct slant given to the sides—observe the slant given by nature in your vicinity—you will have an embankment that will last for generations and give you no trouble. All ponds should be provided with a sluice or outflow through which the ordinary discharge flows and through which also you may discharge the water when you wish to draw down your pond, a matter strictly indispensable to successful pond culture. The sluice may be most economically made of two-inch plank a foot wide and should be long enough to go clear through the embankment, the outflow, or perpendicular part being securely spiked to the horizontal part which runs through the embankment and is situated low enough to draw the water entirely out of the pond. The face of the upright, that is, the side opening towards the pond, is, of course, left open, the box being closed on three sides, the open side being left for the discharge of the water. T’wo grooves should be provided by 132 Thirty-First Annual Meeting nailing three strips onto each side plank of the upright. Into the back groove boards an inch thick and three or four wide are slipped, these retaining the water at its proper height, the sur- plus being discharged over the top board, and these being removed one at a time when you wish to lower or empty your pond. Into the front groove the frame of your screen is slipped from above. This should be covered with galvanized wire cloth with about one-half inch mesh. This should be used only when the pond is being emptied or lowered, for the few fry which will escape ordinarily amounts to nothing, in fact, you are sure to have too many after your first hatch in any event. The second cause of failure is the selection of too high-toned fish and the introduction of too many species. Not over two or three species should be put into any pond of a few acres or less, and the more desirable ones from your vicinity are likely to prove the most successful. To introduce brook trout, unless you have a very large spring of cold water, will lead to failure, and no matter how much water you have and how cold it is; you would better leave the trout alone unless you know something of their culture or wish to study their habits and make a pastime of their cultivation. The same is true of the black bass, unless you have a pond of several acres or wish to sacrifice a good supply of fish for your table for the sport of capturing a few bass with rod and line, which, after all, can be best accomplished in some nearby public water, leaving your pond for the cultiva- tion of those fish which will provide you the maximum of good food with the minimum of trouble and expense. If black bass is decided on, in nine cases out of ten, north or south—the small-mouth is not indigenous to the south south of north Georgia—the large-mouth species should be selected, the only exception being where the pond is suppled with an abundant supply of cold water and where the bottom of the pond is gravely or rocky throughout a considerable portion of its area. If the bottom of the pond is soft, suitable for the growth of aquatic vegetation, then the large-mouth should be introduced by all means, if bass are to be selected at all. The best all round fish for small ponds, north or south, is, in the opinion of the writer, what is known as the marble or mottled catfish in the north and the speckled cat in the south, American Fisheries Society. 133 Ameiurus nebulosis, from nebulous, clouded, which is easily identified by its square tail, which is not forked in the slightest degree, and by its mottled skin north, while in the south it is covered with black specks on a light slate background. This is an excellent fish, making a rapid growth for the first two years in particular, cleanly in its feeding habits, being in no sense a scavenger, almost omnivorous in its selection of food and grow- ing to weight two or three pounds, often attaining to one pound when a year old, when the range is ample and the food abundant. This fish does not interfere with other species in the pond, either through destroying the young or the eggs of the other. In fact, any nest-builder, such as the rock bass, black bass, bream or sun- fish will defend its nest and eggs against all comers, even if it be a mud turtle of many times the weight of the fish. Taking it all in all, the writer believes that this fish will produce a greater weight of good food from a given area of water than any other that swims. Taking the country as a whole, the writer believes that what is known as the blue-gill sunfish north and the bream south is the next best fish for small ponds, although he would possibly modify this statement to let in the rock bass where the water supply is especially good and the considerable gravel entering into the soil in the bottom of the pond, and it is possible that this fish may prove a desirable pond fish in the south, it having been acclimatized in Texas, where it is doing well in public waters. The blue-gill, or bream, Lepomis pallidus, is of excel- lent quality, dresses to waste but little, is a rapid grower and is esteemed by many as next only to the speckled brook trout as a pan fish, while my good friend and enthusiastic angler, Mr. C. T. Hasbrook, of Cleveland, O., claims that when taken on a fly with light tackle, he offers sport as a game fish second only to the speckled beauty of the brooks. Probably Mr. Hasbrook is the best posted gentleman in the world today on this fish, and he considers it one of the most desirable for table as well as at the end of a line. While it sometimes attains a weight of three or four pounds in the south, a pound will be found to be about the maximum for this fish in ordinary pond culture. Like the speckled cat, it is not predaceous to any appreciable extent, defending its own nest vigorously and leaving others to do the 134 Thirty-First Annual Meeting same unmolested by him. It is omnivorous, eating almost any- thing that you give it, provided the food is clean and that decomposition has not set in, and finding much of its own food in the pond in the shape of small crustacea, larvae of insects, worms, etc. If rock bass are to be had in your vicinity and not the blue-gill or bream, it would probably be best to introduce them. In stocking your pond, half a dozen pairs of each species are a great plenty and even these will overstock your pond the first vear if two or three pairs of each bring off broods. It is by far the better plan to collect adult fishes from near by waters for stocking your pond. These will bring forth young two years earlier than the fry furnished by the United States or state hatcheries, besides, being acclimatized, they are likely to do better. If black bass are to be introduced it is well to also put in brook minnows, such as chubs, shiners, suckers, etce., but care should be exercised that undesirable forms, such as pickerel,ete., do not slip in with them and lead to serious regrets later for it is easier to keep out undesirable fishes than to eradicate them when once established. The third, and one of the most fruitful causes of failure in fish-culture on the farm, is over production. The first year’s hatch of the fishes above recommended with the numbers of adults suggested, will overstock any ordinary pond of a few acres. Just as soon as the fish are large enough, probably in the fall of the year when they are hatched, the owner should begin catching them for the table. They will not be very large but sufficiently so to make a nice little pan fish and their quality will be fine. The more you can get out and consume the better. At the end of the spawning season of the second year your pond should be drawn off and the surplus fish turned into the near by stream or lake, thus paying back to nature the debt you owe her. It is a hard matter to advise just how many fish of each spe- cies should be returned to the pond, the natural inclination being to make it too many. One hundred of your yearling black bass and twice the number of bream and catfish is plenty for each acre of water, and too many, unless you are pretty persistent in See eee American Fisheries Society. 135 catching them out, and not over that number of fry should be retained to come on for the coming year’s supply. To recapitulate: Make your embankment good and _ safe; don’t try to breed too high-toned fish; look to it that your pond does not become overstocked and, other things being equal, you will sueceed. DISCUSSION OF MR. STRANAHAN’S PAPER. Mr. Titcomb: I think Mr. Stranahan has brought out one very important point there. In the first place, this question of fish culture on the farm is very important, and it is not taken up enough in this country, and a great deal might be made of it. I can see in my work in Washington that this form of fish culture is growing very rapidly, especially in the west and south- west. But he brought out in the paper one other point which every fish commissioner and culturist must appreciate, namely, the fact that people who know nothing about what they want will apply for some variety or species of fish that does not inhabit their waters—they want something new. Somebody up in Con- necticut will send down for Calico bass, for instance, when they have black bass or trout. They may have all the fishes that are desirable in their waters, but they want something entirely new. It is a great mistake to try to get too many varieties of fish in a pond. We had an application in New England in the past week where they had black bass, pickerel, sunfish and yellow perch, and they wanted us to introduce the rock bass. In my opinion they had as many varieties as the pond could well sustain, ard it is a great mistake to try to get in too many varieties. Mr. Lane: Mr. Wood in his paper in last year’s report said something about the different kinds of parent trout that they received eggs from, and I inferred that he preferred the wild trout. I have found in one instance that I shipped some trout eggs to Pennsylvania, and 50 per cent or more of them died, and the man wrote me that it was pretty near a total failure. But out of the same lot and on the same day there were some shipped into the state of Maine, and those I have been informed, hatched out 94 per cent. They were the very same eggs exactly. I wish ! knew the cause of the trouble, but I think I have learned some- 136 Thirty-First Annual Meeting thing in the discussions I have heard here on that point. Now, [ would like to know what difference there is between the wild trout egg and a good, domesticated trout egg, for hatching purposes. I do not know, but I should like to. Mr. Titcomb: That subject I have studied. I have taken every year for the last six or eight years, eggs of wild trout from different ponds and streams and have been handling at the same time the eggs of domesticated trout from commercial hatcheries. The eggs from the wild trout in every instance have proven to be the most hardy, and have produced the most hardy fish; but I am not prepared to say that your fish are not just as good for your waters. The longer I investigated this question the more I was inclined to believe that possibly these domesticated fish had become accustomed to a certain quality of water. I think Dr. Bean has touched on this point in connec- tion with the changes brought about by domestication. My waters were all extremely cold in the winter, and these eggs of the wild trout naturally were accustomed to this extremely cold water. I think possibly that the eggs of the domesticated trout introduced into our waters suffered very much as do the rainbow trout introduced into our extremely cold waters. I do not think it is all weakness in the fish, because in many instances these domesticated eggs have been reported from other stations as yielding a very large per cent of fry, and in some cases have vielded well in fingerlings, also. Mr. Lane: Does not the condition of the fish depend a great deal on whether they are allowed to breed in and run out, or whether new stock is introduced ? Mr. Titcomb: Oh, yes, I think you want to introduce new blood in your commercial hatcheries every year, and you cannot do that better than by introducing the product of the wild eggs. Mr. Lane: Whether the domesticated parent trout were properly cared for is what I am trying to get at. I believe Dr. Bean said that inbreeding would injure the quality of the eggs. Mr. Titeomb: I think if you take a commercial hatchery and rear trout year after year, and then take the product of your own brood stock and rear them up, you will gradually weaken your stock; but in these comparisons I was making between wild and domesticated eggs, I would say that I received American Fisheries Society. 137 domesticated eggs from four different commercial hatcheries and compared them with the wild eggs, put them in the troughs right beside the wild eggs, and gave them the same treatment. No disease existed either with the wild eggs or domesticated COS eggs. ar Yo va) Thirty-First Annual Meeting SOME REMARKS ON THE RAINBOW TROUT, THE TIME FOR PLANTING, ETC. BY GEORGE A. SEAGLE. The rainbow trout are unlike the brook trout in several re- spects; they grow larger and inhabit larger and warmer streams, and vary much more in form and color. Their rate of growth is hardly equal to that of the brook trout under similar conditions, but the brooks reach maturity earlier. In domestication the rain- hows can hardly be considered cannibalistic in their habits, although occasionally one is observed in the act of swallowing his smaller and weaker brother. Their natural food consists chiefly of worms, larvae, crustacea and the like, but in their wild state necessity compels them to seek such food as may be found. If they do not find their preference they must accept something else, and in that way they get a taste of fish and the cannibalistic habit is established. Much has been said and written about the time, or season, for planting trout in streams, and it seems to me that the success of the work must depend largely upon this point. In my opinion there is but one favorable season, and that is spring. With the warming up of the waters the natural food makes its appearance, and fish planted in the streams at that time need not go hungry. They can select such food as their stomachs may dictate—worms, larvae, or young minnows. Contrast these con- ditions with those existing in the fall and winter months,and you have all the argument necessary in favor of spring planting. In the fall and winter the streams are practically barren of food, nothing left in them except minnows, and they have become too large to serve as food for the young trout. Therefore I would plant trout in the spring and let them keep pace with their food, and when cold weather comes on, and food becomes scarce, they will be more able to cope with the situation before them. It has been argued that small fry are too delicate to take care of themselves in open waters, but if that be true how can we ex- pect them to multiply in the streams? If fry from two to four American Fisheries Society. 139 months old, and averaging from one to two inches in length, can- not survive what may we expect of the eggs, and the alevins, which have been deposited in the streams by the parent fish ? Again, if the young trout were planted in the spring season the output of the hatcheries could be more than doubled, and the assignments to the streams could therefore be made much larger. The saving in food would more than pay for the increased pro- duction, and the cost of the distribution would be lessened. DISCUSSION OF MR. SEAGLE’S PAPER. Mr. Seagle: Before reading my paper I desire to say in regard to it that I have expressed my views as to the matter in hand as briefly as possible. I simply want to introduce it here and have it discussed by the members of this association, and see how many, if any, agree with me. Mr. Titcomb: Do I infer from your paper that you would plant all trout in the spring—brook trout as well as rainbow ? Mr. Seagle: Yes, sir, I would plant them as early as pos- sible after the spring season opens, and the waters begin to warm up. Q. At what age after feeding—vou feed for a while? A. Yes, sir; our fish hatch from December Ist to March Ist, and I would plant them in April and May. They are then two to two and a half inches in length and in every respect, I think, able to take care of themselves. Mr. Peabody: Hew large do rainbow trout grow down there ? A. Six and a half pounds is as large as we have grown any in our ponds; although they grow much larger in some sections of the country, especially in the west. The President: You are in the southwestern part of Vir- ginia? Mr. Seagle: Yes. (). And your spring comes on a little earlier there than it does up here ? A. Yes, sir. April would be a favorable month for us, that is, in most years. We usually have nice weather, especially after the middle of April. 140 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Mr. Peabody: Do you have the brook trout in the same streams with the rainbow trout ? A. Not naturally so. We have streams that used to be stocked with brook trout, but they are pretty well extinct now. (). Do they thrive together, with you? A. I think they would, except that brook trout, of course, have more of the wild nature. Dr. Birge: Has it been our experience, General Bryant, in Wisconsin, that the brook trout and rainbow trout would thrive in the same stream ? The President: They have been planted in the same stream, but | think the rainbow trout drift down to the larger streams and the brook trout work up toward the springs. ‘That has been our experience. Our large rainbows are caught in the larger streams like the Willow River. Mr. Seagle: That has been our experience also. The brook trout seek the upper waters or the colder part of the stream— clear waters. They do not thrive so well in muddy streams. Of course I do not mean to say that muddy streams are suitable for any kind of trout. Mr. Clark: Speaking of the brook and rainbow trout inhab- iting the same stream; there probably is not a better example of it than the Au Sable River in Michigan. Brook trout and rainbow trout are both thoroughly established in that stream. Of course, as you are all well aware, it was formerly the leading grayling stream in that respect in the United States, but now they are nearly all gone. On the Au Sable are found the rain- bow trout,and more especially the larger ones, in below the brook trout; but where brook trout fishing is good rainbows will be taken, but they are of the smaller size. The fry of the rain- bow trout and brook trout (I am speaking of fry until say July and sometimes later) are found together—I think as late as October, when we were catching parent fish there. We have taken probably as many rainbow trout fry as we did brook trout fry, with the net; so proving that they were right together. It has therefore occurred to me that the larger rainbow trout go down below simply because they are larger. I have seen these large rainbow trout in the spring of the year when they were American Fisheries Society. 141 spawning, about the middle of March, way up the stream as far as they could go. In speaking of the planting of fish in the spring: I do not agree with the reader entirely. I think it depends on the age and size of your fish. If you are going to plant fry, plant them before they have been fed at all—in fact plant them just before the sac is gone. If you are going to plant the others, do so after they are partially grown. Mr. Titeomb: I do not think it is possible today to have in this society the discussions on this question that prevailed a number of years ago and which caused the subject to be tabooed, you might say. I think the fry men and fingerling men are coming together to a certain extent. Now, I have watched for the last twelve years the results from both fry and fingerlings, and I am inclined to agree with Mr. Seagle ( I would not say in the spring, just as he does) but, as Mr. Clark says, it depends on the size of the fish; and what fish would be suitable to plant in April in Mr. Seagle’s country could not be planted in Ver- mont, for instance, until July; and we there have begun the planting of fry after they have been fed two months, to thin them out and give us more room; and we then kept up the planting until they were three or four inches long. But the results with the brook trout with us seemed to be better with fingerlings ; that is, with these fish that are of the age Mr. Sea- gle speaks about, than with the fry just after the sac is absorbed, or just before. Then you take another variety, the land-locked salmon. They were planted as fry in Vermont a number of times without any results at all; then we raised them to finger- lings and planted them in September and October in lakes, and got remarkable results. So that while it might be profitable to plant brook trout when they are quite young, my experience has been that in introducing fish into lakes, except into streams that are full of minnows, the fingerlings are far the best and produce the best results. On the other hand, in our Vermont work, we have planted the lake trout as fry just before the sac is absorbed and before they have been fed, with quite as good results as from planting them as fingerlings; and we have planted them in a lake where there were no lake trout, with very remarkable results. I think I spoke about it in the last meeting, where we 142 Thirty-First Annual Meeting had introduced them in one lake, and in three years’ time they were having splendid fishing for lake trout. So that we cannot have any hidebound rule about this thing. I like to feed the fish awhile, and I do not think we ought to plant them until they have been fed two months, if we plant them after they have been fed at all. The President: You do not want to keep them until their spirit of self reliance is all gone. Mr. Titcomb: I do not think there is much harm keeping them through the fall, but just as good results are obtained from planting them earlier. The President: Some years ago there was a large surplus of male fish at the Madison hatchery, and we liberated them in a stream which was formerly a good trout stream—quite a num- ber of hundred of them. They were fish reared in ponds and are pretty good size, and we got returns from them after awhile, people caught them, some months after they were deposited in the river, and they were found to be pretty nearly starvd. They did not know how to get a living. Mr. Titcomb: Those were adult fish? The President: Yes. Have you ever had any such expe- rience ? A. No, siz. The President: Those were the reports we got—there were some of them caught, but they were mere shadows, unnourished, starved. Mr. Titcomb: Was there an abundance of fish in the stream where they were placed ? The President: It had been a good trout stream in its day— naturally—but it had been fished out. Mr. Titcomb: I should infer that the food was gone, too. The President: That might seem so, or that they did not adapt themselves to the new environment. Dr. Tarleton H. Bean: Is it not probable that the reason no rule can be very well established for the distribution of all these trout and the young salmon, is that the differences between them are rather complicated? Our lake trout and land-locked salmon have different spawning habits from the brook trout and the rainbow trout. The young brook trout feed largely at the American Fisheries Society. 148 surface, whereas the rainbow trout is a bottom feeder, and there are so many different lines of variation arising from the nature of the fish and its habits, that you cannot fix a hard and fast rule, but must be governed by experience and observation of the actual results of planting. It would be of great advantage in point of economy if a man could get rid of the fish early and get the same results as he would obtain if he held them longer before disposing of them; but you must not lose sight of the fact that we are dealing with a pretty big range of territory and habit when we talk of rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout and land-locked salmon. They are four just as clean-cut and dis- tinct animals as you ‘can very well associate in aquatic life, and I do not believe we will ever arrive at a rule, except the rule of the results which experience demonstrates. Mr. Clark: Why do you call a rainbow trout a bottom feeder? I never have been able to see a great deal of difference between rainbow and brook trout in that respect. I have seen them both take food from the bottom of the water: but the rain- bow trout takes a fly quicker than the brook trout. Dr. Bean: Because in their wild state, in the region from which they were first obtained for artificial introduction, they were observed to be bottom feeders; that is their original instinct, but fish under domestication are not wild fish and may change their nature. That should be carefully considered. Mr. Clark: How about the wild state of the rainbow trout ? Dr. Bean: We have no wild native rainbow trout. Mr. Clark: The ones planted wild. Dr. Bean: We have none. We have had generation after generation of domesticated fish, fish brought up and taught new tricks. Mr. Clark: How about the rainbow trout eges brought here from the Pacific Coast, taken from wild fish and planted in our streams here ? Dr. Bean: How long will it take a fish to learn a new habit ? Mr. Clark: TI do not see how they can get new habits when they are hatched from wild eggs and brought from wild streams. Dr. Bean: Whitefish from Canandaigua Lake learned to eat killifish as quick as brook trout. Domestication works so many 144 Thirty-First Annual Meeting and such sudden changes in fish life that you cannot estimate the effects, except by experience. Mr. Titcomb: Do not the rainbow trout on the Pacific Coast in their natural habitat take the fly ? Dr. Bean: Yes, but it is known on the Pacific coast as a bottom feeder more than anything else. They may be seen boring right on the bottom, as cod do sometimes, standing on their heads and boring down. But it does not seem to do so here. ‘To show how domestication may change the habits of a fish, you all know about the experiment in France in the rearing of the big Pacific salmon in fresh water. Two years ago I saw in the aquarium of Paris at the Trocadero, fish hatched from the eighth generation of eggs, the parents of which had been retained in fresh water, and the fish never had access to anything but fresh water. Now, there was a sudden change of habitat and habit, and you would think it inexplicable almost, but they are all good healthy fish, although it is the eighth generation from eggs brought from the Pacific coast. It shows the wonderful influence of domestication in altering habits. Mr. Clark: I did not question that matter at all. I am well aware that domestication changes fish naturally, but I could not see how that eggs taken from wild fish on the Pacific Coast, brought here, merely hatched on trays, and the fry be planted in a wild stream here, could be said to be in the line of domes- tication. ‘That was the only point. The President: There might be a change of environment or external conditions, such as feeding, ete. Mr. George F. Lane, Silver Lake, Mass.: There are four weeks of their life when you do not feed them, and that in my experience domesticates them considerably. Mr. H. D. Dean, of Neosho, Mo.: Why do not brook trout survive and thrive with us? They do not, although the rain- bow trout do. I cannot take the eggs from the fish raised at the station and get any large percentage of returns from planting them in our streams. Mr. Clark: I do not know why Mr. Dean would say that they do not thrive there, when I think at his station before he was there, they made quite a spread in the growth of brook American Fisheries Society. 145 trout in the first year; in fact they had fish nine inches long, when we had some at the same age which were only six inches long. Mr. Dean: That is so at the station, but you cannot take egys from those fish and raise any percentage. What I meant was fish that had been put out. We put fish in our springs and they totally disappear. The President: What is the quality of the water? Mr. Dean: There is some lime in it, but it is not extraor- dinarily hard, although rather hard. Mr. Titcomb: The brook trout won’t live in the same waters that you find plenty of rainbow trout in. Mr. Dean: Yes, that is the point. Mr. Titcomb: And those waters do not reach a high tem- perature at any time? Mr. Dean: The water temperature of almost all springs in Missouri runs from 56 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit—one or two run a little higher. Mr. Peabody: It is not a question of food ? Mr. Dean: No. Mr. Titcomb: You may ask why can’t we raise rainbow trout in New England. That is the fact with us. Where the temperature of the water gets very low in the winter it seems to debilitate the adult fish, and occasionally they will die just at the season of the year when the ice is forming—it must be colder then than after the ice has covered the spring. ‘The water is full of little sparkling crystals of ice; and while we are able to carry a stock of brood fish we get a very small percentage of eggs, and that is the case where we have obtained eggs from diff- erent sources, so that we do not have weak fish from inbreeding : and these rainbows have been introduced in New England and in New York state, and in most cases have disappeared after a short time. I have in mind one stream where rainbow trout were introduced by accident. A gentleman had a private pond and reared some rainbow trout and they got into this stream which was a natural trout stream, but the lower end of it warmed up too much in the summer for speckled trout. These rainbows held their own in that stream for a number of years, but all the best fishing was at the lower end in warm water, but they did 10 146 Thirty-First Annual Meeting breed there naturally for a time—in fact at one time there were three rainbow trout to one speckled trout—and yet today you perhaps catch in that stream in the course of a season a dozen rainbow trout, but the speckled trout still holds its own. There are lots of places in Vermont where we have introduced rainbow trout, and they have entirely disappeared—just the reverse of Mr. Dean’s experience in Missouri. The President: Do you attribute it to the coldness of the water as the winter comes on? Mr. Titcomb: | cannot think of anything except the exceed- ingly low temperatures, and perhaps the conditions in the spring during the spawning season are unfavorable. Mr. Peabody: We have had the same experience in Wis- consin. Mr. Dean: The rainbow trout attains an enormous growth in Colorado in the deep lakes. Mr. Titcomb: With a deep water lake they can get any temperature they want. They do not get anything below 40 degrees in those deep lakes in Colorado, even in the winter. We get down 30 to 40 feet in our Vermont lakes in winter. Dr. Birge: In Lake Mendota in 8) feet of water in the winter you get a temperature of 1 1-2 degrees Centigrade—say between 34 and 35 Fahrenheit. Mr. Titcomb: A good deal of the water in these Vermont lakes comes from springs in the lakes. The lakes form from two to two and a half feet of ice‘on the surface. The temperature in the summer gets up to 80 degrees, but they have the same cool temperature on the bottom. American Fisheries Society. 147 A FEW POINTS ON THE BLACK BASS— FOR DISCUSSION. BY J. B. LAMKIN. In the spring of 1990 the bass at Cold Springs, Ga., Station, commenced spawning on April 13th, in 1901 they were two weeks earlier, beginning on March 31st, while this vear, 1902, they commenced March 10th, three weeks earlier than last year and five weeks sooner than the year before. One would naturally suggest that the temperature regulated this difference, but the average March water temperatures for the three years are as fol- lows: 1900. 61.25; 1901, 62.7;°1902, 58.5. Not much atten- tion was paid to the two weeks difference last season, especially as it was noticed that the March water temperature was slightly warmer than the previous year, but this season, with five weeks difference in spawning and with a colder March water tempera- ture of nearly three degrees over that of 1900 it naturally at- tracts the attention of those interested in Fish Culture. Another peculiarity in regard to the spawning, is that we have fewer nests per capita each year. In 1900 we had more than twice as many nests as fish in the ponds, and the spawning period extended over several months, running into August. Last year, 1901, although it was impossible to keep a complete record of all nests, as the fish were transferred to larger ponds, it was conceded by all the station force that much less nesting resulted, and that the spawning period covered a shorter time, the fish not spawning any after the middle of July. This year the scarcity of nests has been very noticeable, and the principal spawning was done in a batch, very little having occurred since April. In 1900 we only had twenty-eight breeding fish, in two ponds. In 1901, eighty-seven breeding fish in three ponds. In 1902, 212 breed- ing fish in five ponds, the majority of them being two and three year olds. In 1990 and 1991 the breeding fish consisted entirely of wild bass, collected from neighboring ponds and streams, a portion having been brought up from Florida. This year two and three year olds, which were raised at the station were added to the brood stock. 148 Thirty-First Annual Meeting These are facts recorded without any comment, and presented to the society for the express purpose of bringing about discus- sion, in order that some light may be thrown on the subject. Perhaps the same thing oécurs at other stations, but if it keeps up at the same ratio, our bass will spawn in mid-winter next season. DISCUSSION OF MR. LAMKIN’S PAPER. Mr. Titcomb: I suggest that it be noted on that paper that it relates to the large-mouth bass entirely. Dr. Birge: I suppose “having twice as many nests” means that the bass spawn twice ? Mr. Stranahan: Yes, sir, and some of them seven times. We had one male that we called Brigham Young, because he was like Brigham in fathering several different nests, and he fathered two broods at the same time, one just hatched and the other swimming up and taking food, some ten days older than the first mentioned. Mr. Clark: Does that mean twice as many nests as there were males ? Mr. Stranahan: No; it means twice as many as all of them, males and females. Mr. Lamkin was conservative in just saying twice. Prof. Reighard: It would seem to me that the average monthly temperature could have nothing to do with the time when the fish spawn. It is a few warm days that bring on the spawning, and if you get a few warm days early in March the fish are apt to soften up and spawn, and if that does not happen the next year until April they will not spawn until April. I do not think the average monthly temperature would afford any ex- planation of the phenomenon. Mr. Clark: The same is true of our whitefish and lake trout. Temperature is what controls the ripening or spawning of fish, hut it is not average temperature. Of course if the water keeps very warm in the fall and the fish do not commence to run, after- ward when it cools down a little they come on and immediately begin to spawn, instead of waiting as is usually done. The cold water fish need cold weather to ripen them, and the warm water fish require warm weather. American Fisheries Society. 149 Prof. Reighard: ‘The males in all cases among these fishes build a nest and the females come in and spawn. With the sun- fish and dogfish these females go from one nest to another, so that it is possible for, say, half a dozen females to furnish spawn for a dozen or more nests. Then if cold weather comes on that batch of fish may be hatched, and these same males may make other nests—building again—then a new batch of females comes in and fills, say, another dozen nests. So you may have more nests built than you have male fish, even twice as many, but 2 single nest does not represent the product of a single female. Dr. Birge: That is to say, the eggs are not all ripe at once? Prof. Reighard: That may be. Dr. Birge: Are not deposited ? Prof. Reighard: Yes, sir—deposited within a day, perhaps, the fish going from one nest to another, scattering these eggs over the nests built by a number of males. I do not know whether that is true of bass, but it is true of sunfish and dogfish. You may in that way get more nests than fish. Mr. Titcomb: I should lke to inquire in connection with that whether this series of nests taken care of by a small num- ber of males necessitated one male having the care of more than one nest at a time. As I[ understand it, the male takes care of the nest and the eggs, fans them. Now, in the case of Brigham Young, how can he manage so many nests ? Mr. Stranahan: That condition extended over the season of nearly four months. He had only one nest at a time, and per- haps I might state that in the sixth nest that he fathered the eges were aborted and all died, and we were rather of the opin- ion that he followed so soon after the brood that he had just left that he had overdone himself. (Laughter). Mr. Lydell: Prof. Reighard’s remarks are correct. The female does not necessarily get rid of all her eggs at one and the same time. ‘The male fish takes her on the nest and when he is through with her she must leave. If she is not finished she must wait for the next fellow. She may have to visit three or four nests before she gets through. That is not true of the finny tribe alone. (Laughter). On several occasions that I know of I have had the bass spawn the second time. The most I ever had was at Cascade Springs. We had nineteen bass. (That was the 150 Thirty-First Annual Meeting experimental stage of the work). Those nineteen bass every one made a nest. There were something like thirty or thirty-five females and we collected the fry from those nests and shipped them, and I packed up my traps and went back to Detroit sup- posing the season was over with. I had been there nearly a week when I got word from the man at the station to return, that the bass were spawning, and we had nineteen nests just as nice as the others were, nearly as many fish, and nearly two weeks apart. This season I have had bass that have had two broods, and we have one particular bass that has fathered two broods of fish every season in the same place in the same corner of the pond. The President: Our experience regarding the time of spawning on one occasion surprised us. We were on one of the little lakes at the head waters of the Flambeau, forty-five miles from Lake Superior. The season was unusually cold, and we were there on the 9th of July fishing in those lakes, and our superintendent went to one of the lakes that was notably a bass lake; the small-mouth bass were abundant, and he caught quite a number, but was astonished to find that most of those he caught had not spawned, although they were pregnant with spawn. He seemed to think that unusual for that season of the year; but our season had been very cold and backward there, and that we considered the cause of such late spawning. Do you find it so, Mr. Lydell ? Mr. Lydell: We had some bass spawn this year very late. Prof. Reighard wanted to study the bass when they were spawn- ing, and he had given it up, but after he had returned to Ann Arbor seven or eight more beds were made, and we got quite a few fry from them. I think if I drew my pond down today I would find females that had not spawned. The female requires the attention of the male before spawning, of course. I have had as many failures in the black bass business as any one. One year at Mill Creek station L had 100 beds with eggs on them, and I did not produce 50,000 fry. The President: We have had failures in our work. The biggest failure we had was when we made a pen in a shallow lake, where a sort of bed ran up very shallow ; we fenced in a lot of bass there by a good fence, and then used your screens. But it went against us some way, and we made a distinct failure. American Fisheries Society. 151 Mr. Clark: Is it not a fact that the experience of fish cul- turists has been gained largely through failures? The success of fish culture in the United States at the present time is due to our failures. If we had not had discouragements in the early life of the different classes of fish that we have been working on, I do not think fish culture would be today where it is. I have had failure upon failure all through my life, and still in the main people call me a successful fish culturist. The President: We have grown wise through a process of elimination. Mr. Lydell: Our Mill Creek station two years ago was so near a complete failure that the fish commission told me that if they did not have their money in there they would not stay there another minute, but I told them “You had better hang on;” there are lots of things to work out. We have got to keep on studying—don’t give it up. I had there that season one hun- dred and some odd beds; we would have the fish all hatched on the bed and then a thunder storm would come up in the night and the fish would all be dead the next morning, and I would lay it to the thunder storm! ‘The less a man commits himself on the bass question the less he will haye to take back in five or six years from now, (laughter) because the conditions in different locali- ties have a great deal to do with the matter. Mr. Peabody: Which are the easiest for culture, the large- mouth or the small-mouth bass ? Mr. Lydell: In my experience I have not found any very great difference. I think you have got to be a great deal more careful in sorting your small-mouth bass than you have your large-mouth bass. On one occasion we just dumped the large- mouth bass promiscuously into the ponds, and only got five beds. Therefore, I concluded that we had five females in the lot; but they do not seem to trouble one another like the small-mouth bass. We had one year a lot-of small-mouth about twelve inches long, and they were all males. They seemed to band together like a lot of outlaws. They would go around the large pond, come to a pair of bass spawning, and all dive into that nest, and I have seen ten or fifteen of them just standing on their heads and rooting the whole thing up; and [I drew the pond down in the spawning season and took all those fish out and threw them 152 Thirtu-First Annual Meeting on the bank, fifty or sixty of them, and after that I got a few nice beds of bass that same season. Mr. Dean: In relation to the time of the spawning of the bass, I would like to know if anyone has thought that possibly the age of the bass might make a difference in the time of spawn- ing. I did not know but Mr. Lankin might find that one reason. I know the young rock bass spawn later than the older ones. Mr. Lamkin: I don’t know. American Fisheries Society. 153 DISCOURAGEMENTS IN BASS CULTURE. BY H. D. DEAN. This is a wide subject, too wide for the limited time at my disposal, but I will endeavor to present a few facts which have occurred during my five years experience at a bass station. One of the greatest trials in fish culture, especially bass cul- ture, is the fact that it takes a year to try an experiment, conse- quently experience is acquired slowly and, while we are trying our theories, the years slip by. One year we may have a good crop of bass and the next sea- son, under the same conditions, so far as we know, we have almost a failure. At the Neosho Station we have tried many schemes that seemed feasible under the conditions existing at that station. At first the breeders were placed in the ponds in March; the ponds were drawn in July and the young fish transferred to hatching troughs; the fish were taught to take artificial food and thus car- ried until distribution which usually commenced about October Ist. Afterwards the troughs were placed outside where they could be supplied with water from one of the ponds at a tem- perature of from 65 to 77. This plan worked very well, but the young fish did not grow very fast and it entailed a large amount of work in feeding and caring for the fish. Again some of the small fish about one-half inch long, were brought to the hatchery and taught to take food and a good per centum raised, but they were very small and it was concluded that it would not be prac- tical to raise large numbers in this manner. One year about six thousand fry three quarters of an inch long, were seined from the spawning pond and transferred to a small pond well filled with vegetable and animal life; two months later this pond was drawn and a little over eight hun- dred fine bass taken out. This result was too small to be of prae- tical value. Another year, two of the ponds were fitted with partitions so the breeders could be placed in a small portion of the pond for 154 Thirty-First Annual Meeting spawning and at schooling time the young could pass through the screens into the main body of the pond. The water was too low to give this plan a fair trial and the only thing learned was, that the young fry were much larger and fewer in number than usual. This year the ponds were drawn in June, in hopes that more fish could be saved. Over seven thousand were taken from one pond and placed in another pond which was in good condition and after thirty-six days this pond was drawn and but 2,650 fish found. Some of these were very large—one was measured and found to be six and one-half inches long and weighed two and one-half ounces. There are several other things that vitally affect the raising of bass, vegetation, natural food, water temperature, supply, ete. Sometimes it seems impossible to get vegetation to grow in a pond and unless there is a good growth of plant life, there will be no fish; that is, no great number and if there is a good growth of water plants, then the prospects for fish are much better. There are plenty of crayfish in the ponds at Neosho and a fair quantity of other natural food. We also put in top-min- nows and try to keep a good stock of food for the fish, but so far have failed to raise fingerling bass in the numbers desired. One thing that has hindered the work, has been the fact that we have been almost constantly working at the ponds and grounds to get them in shape for good work and we are now get- ting them in that condition. The water supply, also, has been deficient at times and that has affected the work. [ have always been of the opinion, that the sooner the young fish could be taken from the ponds and placed in small nursery pools or troughs, where they can be constantly under supervision and easily kept sorted, the more fish can be raised. Mr, Leary of the Texas station, is working on this line with excellent results. This plan means that there must be plenty of natural food for the young fry until they can be taught to take the artificial food. In fact the greatest failure in the raising of bass, is the failure to raise natural food in suflicient quantities at the right time, for the young fry. There is never any difficulty in getting large numbers of eggs and fry, and if the fish were distributed when they were schooling or even when one inch long, there ———— American Fisheries Society. 155 would not be much difficulty in sending them out in large num- bers. But the great problem is to prevent their eating each other before they are large enough to take artificial food. If all the breeders in ‘one pond would spawn at one time so the young would be practically all one size, then the danger of cannabalism would be much lessened. A superintendent of one of the state commissions told me that he had accomplished this by holding the breeders in spring water, at even temperature, all winter, then placing them in the breeding ponds ten days or two weeks before spawning, and they all spawned at once. Well this sounded alluring and I experimented with a few fish, with the result of another failure to add to the list—these fish did not spawn at all that year. But “Hope springs eternal” and next year we hope to raise a large crop of large mouth black bass. -~z Ol American Fisheries Society. 1: LIST OF MEMBERS. ACTIVE. Adams, E. W., 114 Wall Street, New York. Adams, Fred J., Grand Rapids, Mich. Ainsworth, C. E., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Ainsworth, G. G., United States Fish Commission, Leadville, Col. Allen, A. D., Flora, Ore. Allen, G. R., Roxbury, Vt. Alexander, George L., Grayling, Mich. Alexander, L. D., 50 Broadway, New York. Anderson, J. F., 240 Eleventh Street, Jersey City, N. J. Andrews, Barschall, Columbus, Ga. Annin, James, Jr., Caledonia, N. Y. Ashford, W. T., 711 Prudential Building, Atlanta, Ga. Atkins, Chas. G., East Orland, Me. Ayer, F. W., Bangor, Me. Babbitt, A. C., Williamsburg, Mich. Babcock, John P., Fisheries Commissioner, Victoria, British Columbia, Can. Bailey, H. W., Newbury, Vt. Baldwin, O. N., United States Fish Commission, San Mar- cos, Tex. Ball, E. M., Leadville, Colo. Barrett, W. W., Church’s Ferry, North Dak. Bartlett, Dr. S. P., Quincy, Hl. Bean, Hon. Tarleton H., at World’s Fair, St. Louis, Mo Beeman, Henry W., New Preston, Conn. Bell, Currie G., Bayfield, Wis. Belmont, Hon. Perry, 19 Nassau Street, New York. Bennett, Chas., Woonsocket, R. I. Bennett, S. R., New Bedford, Mass. Benton, Judge Henry T., Scale, Ala. 158 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Benton, W. H., Bullochville, Ga. Bickmore, Prof. A. $8., Seventy-seventh Street and Eighth Avenue, New York. Birge, Prof. E. At; Madison, Wis. Bissell, John H., Detroit, Mich. Blackford, Hon. Eugene G., Fulton Market, New York. Blakeslee, T. J., 353 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Blatchford, E. W., Chicago, Il. Boardman, W. H., Central Falls, R. I. Booth, A., 36 State Street, Chicago, Il. Booth, DeWitt C., Spearfish, South Dakota. Bottemanne, C. J., Bergen op Zoom, Holland Boudre, N. H., Plummerville, Ark. Bowers, Hon. George M., United States Commissioner of Fisheries, Washington, D. C. Bower, Seymour, Detroit, Mich. Bower, Ward T., Detroit, Mich. Bowman, W. H., Rochester, N. Y. Boyce, F. C., Carson City, Nev. Bradley, Dr. E., 19 West Thirteenth Street. New York. Brewer, W. C., Cleveland, O. Brewster, C. E., Grand Rapids, Mich. Brewster, W. K., Durand, Mich. Bross, John L., Mill Creek, Mich. Brown, George H., Jr., United States Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. Brown, George M., Saginaw, Mich. Brush, Dr. E. F., Mount Vernon, N. Y. Bryant, Gen. E. E., Madison, Wis. Bulkley, H. S., Odessa, N. Y. Bullard, C. G., Kalamazoo, Mich. Bumpus, Dr. H. C., Providence, R. I. Burhbam, E. K., Northville, Mich. Bush, C. P., Columbus, Ga. Carlo, G. Postiglione di, Naples, Italy. Carter, E. N., United States Fish Commission, St. Johns- bury, Vt. Chambers, A. E., Kalamazoo, Mich. Chase, H. C., 1020 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa American Fisheries Society. 159 Cheney, A. N., Glens Falls, N. Y. Clark, Frank N., Northville, Mich. Clark, Fred, Mill Creek, Mich. — Cobb, E. W., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Cohen, N. H., Urbana, III. Cole, Leon J., Ann Arbor, Mich. Collins, Hon. J. C., Providence, R. I. Cooper, E. A., Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Corliss, C. S., Gloucester, Mass. Coulter, A. L., Charlevoix, Mich. Crook, Abel, 99 Nassau Street, New York. Crosby, H. F., 30 Broad Street, New York. Curtis, J. M., Cleveland, O. Dale, J. A., York, Pa. Davis, E. A., Bethel, Vt. Davis, Horace W., Grand Rapids, Mich. Davis; 5; J; Palmyra; NY; Davis, Hon. George B., Utiea, Mich. Dean, Herbert D., United States Fish Commission, Neosho, Mo. Demuth, H. C., 144 E. King Street, Lancaster, Pa DeNyse, Washington I., Gravesend Beach, Borough of Brook- thyisaineas ae de De Rocher, Jas. D., Nashua, N. H. Dickerson, Freeman B., Detroit, Mich. Dinsmore, A. H., Green Lake, Me. Douredoure, B. L., 105 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Downing, 8S. W., Put-in-Bay, O. Doyle, E. P., Port Richmond, N. Y. Dublee, J. Clyde, Williamsport, Penn. Dunlap, I. H., United States Fish Commission, Washington, 12 )ee OF Ebel, Hon. F. W., Harrisburg, Pa. Edwards, Vinal N., Woods Hole, Mass. Ellis, J. Frank, United States Fish Commission, Washing- tone, 1.0. Evarding & Farrell, Messrs., Portland, Ore. dverman, Prof. Barton W., United States Fish Commission. Washington, D. C. 160 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Fearing, Hon. D. B., Newport, R. I. Filkins, B. G., Northville, Mich. Fox, Captain J. C., Put-in-Bay, O. Frook, John E., Paris, Mich. Frothingham, H. P., Mount Arlington, N. J. Fullerton, Samuel F., St. Paul, Minn. Gavitt, W. S., Lyons, N. Y. Gebhardt, A. E., Secretary Oregon Fish and Game Associa- tion, Salem, Ore. Geer, Dr. E. F., St. Paul, Minn. Geer, E. H., Hadlyme, Conn. George, Hon. A. F., Swanton, Md. Gilmore, Col. Chas., Swanton, Vt. Gortz, A. F., Chicago, Il. Green, Dr. D. W., Ohio Fish and Game Commission, Day- ton, O. Greene, Myron, Franklin, Vt. Griffith, S. L., Danby, Vt. Gunekel, John E., Toledo, O. Hagert, Edwin, 32 N. Sixth Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Hahn, Captain E. E., Woods Hole, Mass. Haley, Caleb, Fulton Market, New York. Hamilton, Robert, Greenwich, N. Y. Hampton, F. T., Hill City, Tenn. Hamsdale, Frank, Madison, Wis. Handy, L. B., South Wareham, Mass. Hansen, G., Osceola Mills, Wis. Harris, J. N., Fulton Market, New York. Hartley, R. M., 627 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa Henkel, C. P., Neosho, Mo. Henshall, Dr. James A., Bozeman, Montana. Hill, John L., 115 Broadway, New York. Hogan, J. J., La Crosse, Wis. Hogue, William F., Marion, Ala. Holden, H. 8., Syracuse, N. Y. Hoxie, Chas. A., Carolina, R. I. Hoxie, J. W., Carolina, R. I. Howell, John H., 124 Grover Street, Auburn, N. Y. Hubbard, Waldo F., Nashua, N. H. American Fisheries Society. 161 Hughes, Frank L., Ashland, N. H. Hulff, J. H., Norfolk, Neb. Hunsaker, W. J., Detroit, Mich. Huntington, L. D., New Rochelle, N. Y. Hurlbut, H. F., East Freetown, Mass. Hutchinson, E. 8., Washington, D. C. James, Dr. Bushrod W., n. e. cor. Eighteenth and Green Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. Jennings, G. E., Fishing Gazette, 203 Broadway. New York. Jensen, Peter, Escanaba, Mich. Johnson, D. W., Hartwell, Ga. Johnson, S. M., Union Wharf, Boston, Mass. Jones, Alexander, Erwin, Tenn. Jones, Col. James E., Director of Aquarium, Battery Park New York City. Jones, Dr. O. L., 116 West Seventy-second Street, New York. Joseph, D., Columbus, Ga. Joslin, Hon. C. D., Detroit, Mich. Kashiwa, A. M., Seattle, Wash. Kauffmann, S. H., Hvening Star, Washington, D. C. Keller, H. N., California Fish Commission, Santa Monica, Cal. Kelly, P., 346 Sixth Avenue, New York. Kennedy, Edwin M., Ohio Fish and Game Commission, Mc- Connellsville, O. Kendall, Dr. William C., United States Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. Kenyon, A. W., Usquepaugh, R. I. Kerr, Captain J. R., Pittsurgh, Pa. Kiel, W. M., Tuxedo Park, N. Y. Lamkin, J. Bayard, Bullochyille, Ga. Landers, E. T., Hopeville, Ga. Lane, George F., Silver Lake, Mass. Lawton, Col. J. P., Columbus, Ga. Leach, G. C., 1516 Locust Street, St. Louis, Mo. Leary, John L., United States Fish Commission, San Mar- cos, Tex. LeGettee, K., Centenary, S. C. i 162 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Lewis, Charles E., Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn. Locke, E. F., Woods Hole, Mass. Lovejoy, Samuel, Bullochville, Ga. Lydell, Dwight, Mill Creek, Mich. MeGowan, Hon. H. P., 108 Fulton Street, New York. Mallory, Chas., Burling Slip, New York. Mancha, H. H., Northville, Mich. Manning, W. W., Marquette, Mich. Mansfield, H. B., Lieutenant Commander United States Navy, 368 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. Manton, Dr. W. P., Detroit, Mich. Marks, H. H., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Marks, J. P., Paris, Mich. Marsh, M. C., Washington, D. C. Mathewson, G. 'T., Thompsonville, Conn. May, W. L., Omaha, Neb. Mead, Prof. A. D., Brown University, Providence, R. I. Meehan, W. E., Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Pa. Merritt, F. H. J., Altamont, N. Y. Merrill, M. E., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Mershon, W. B., Saginaw, Mich. Miller, Frank, Put-in-Bay, O. Miller, Geo. F., Put-in-Bay, O. Miller, W.S., Gallion, O. Milliken, Dr. J. D., United States Fish Commission, Woods Hole, Mass. Mills, G. F., Carson City, Nev. Mitchell, Prof. Irving M., Milwaukee, Wis. Mitchell, John A., Columbus, Ga. Monroe, Otis, Mill Creek, Mich. Moody, G. C., Mill Creek, Mich. Moore, Chas. H., Detroit, Mich. Morgan, H. A., Baton Rouge, La. Morrell, Daniel, Hartford, Conn. Morse, Grant M., Portland, Mich. Morton, W. P., Providence, R. I. | Mosher, Stafford, Fort Plain, N. Y. | ——" 7 « American Fisheries Society. 163 Mullett, R. M., United States Fish Commission, Washing- tony BG: Mussey, George D., Detroit, Mich. Nash, Dr. 8S. M., 63 West Forty-ninth Street, New York. Neal, John R., 22 1-2 “T’? Wharf, Boston, Mass. Nevin, James, Madison, Wis. North, Paul, Ohio Fish and Game Commission, Cleveland, Ohio. Oberfelder, R. 8., Sidney, Neb. O’Brien, W. J., South Bend, Neb. O’Connor, E. M., Savannah, Ga. O’Hage, Dr. Justus, St. Paul, Minn. O'Malley, Henry, Baker, Washington. Orr, W. J., Bay Port, Mich. Osborn, Wm., Duluth, Minn. Page, P. W., West Summit, N. J. Palmer, W. A., Buchanan, Mich. Parker, Dr. J. C., Grand Rapids, Mich. Parker, W. H., Lac la Peche, Quebee, Canada. Paxton, Thomas B., Ohio Fish and Game Commission, Cin- cinnati, O. Peabody, George F., Appleton, Wis. Pearce, Caption T. C., United States Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. Peck, Hon. Stephen, Warren, R. I. Pike, Robert G., Middletown, Conn. Plumb, Charles, Mill Creek, Mich. Powell, W. L., Harrisburg, Pa. Powers, J. A., Lansingburg, N. Y. Powers, John W., Big Rapids, Mich. Prather, J. Hub, Lexington, Ky. Prendergast, Charles F., 1420 Lincoln Street, Savannah, Ga. Preston, Hon. John L., Port Huron, Mich. Preston, Dr. Henry G., 98 Lafayette Square, Brooklyn, N. Y. Proctor, Hon. Redfield, Proctor, Vt. Rathbone, Wm. F., D. & H. R. R., Albany, N. Y. Rathbun, Richard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, Dodi. 164 Thirty-First Annual Meeting Ravenel, W. DeC., United States Fish Commission, Wash- ington, D. C. Reighard, Prof. Jacob E., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. : Richards, G. H., Boston, Mass. Roberts, A. D., Woonsocket, R. I. Robinson, W. E., Mackinaw City, Mich. Robinson, A. H., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Rodgers, Frank A., Grand Rapids, Mich. Rodgers, J. L., Ohio Fish and Game Commission, Columbus, Ohio. j Rogers, J. M., Chicago, Ill. Root, Henry T., Providence, R. I. Rosenberg, Albert, Kalamazoo, Mich. Ruge, John G., Apalachicola, Fla. Russell, Henry, Detroit, Mich. Sampson, E. R., care of New York Aquarium, Battery Park, New York City. Sanborn, F. G., 612-622 California Street, San Francisco, Cal. Saunders, Dr. H. G., Chattanooga, Tenn. Scarborough, L. A., Columbus, Ga. Schley, Dr. F. V., Columbus, Ga. Schute, John A., Havana, III. Schweikart, Walter, Detroit, Mich. Seagle, Geo. A., Wytheville, Va. Self, E. M., Bullochville, Ga. Sellers, M. G., Philadelphia, Pa. Sexton, Cramer, Murfreesboro, ‘Tenn. Sherwin, H. A., 100 Canal Street, Cleveland, O. Simons, Max, Columbus, Ga. Singleton, James H., Woonsocket, R. I. Smith, Henry D., Appleton, Wis. Smith, Jay, care of J. W. Marston & Co., Lewis Wharf, Bos- ton, Mass. Smith, L. H., Algona, Lowa. Smith, Dr. Hugh M., United States Fish Commission, Wash- ington, D. C. Smith, Capt. J. A., Woods Hole, Mass. American Fisheries Society. 165 Snyder, Dr. F. B., Ashtabula, Ohio. Solman, Alden, South Norwalk, Conn. Southwick, J. M. K., Newport, ele Spencer, L. B., Supt. Aquarium, 37 W. 128th Street, New York City. Spensley, Calvert, Mineral Point, Wis. Springer, F. H., Columbus, Ga. Starbuck, Alexander, Cincinnati, O. Starr, W. J., Eau Claire, Wis. Stelle, G. F., Chicago, Il. Sterling, J. K., Crisfield, Md. Stewart, Chas. E., Westerly, R. I. Stewart, A. T’., Northville, Mich. Stone, Livingston, Cape Vincent, N. Y. Stranahan, J. J., Bullochville, Ga. Stranahan, F. A., Cleveland, O. Stranahan, F. F., Cleveland, O. Stranahan, H. B., Cleveland, O. Suthers, Frank, Madison, Wis. Sykes, Arthur, Madison, Wis. Sykes, Henry, Bayfield, Wis. Tawes, J. C., Crisfield, Md. Taylor, A. R., 318 Main Street, Memphis, Tenn. Thayer, W. W., 234 Joseph Campau Avenue, Detroit, Mich. Thomas, Henry G., Stowe, Vt. Thompson, Carl G., 78 Henry Street, Huntington, Ind. Thompson, W. T., Nashua, N. H. Thompson, W. P., 112 Bread Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Tinker, E. F., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Titcomb, John W., United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Washington, D. C. Townsend, Chas. H., United States Fish Commission, Wash- ington, D. C. Trumpour, D. A., Bay City, Mich. Tubbs, Frank A., Neosho, Mo. Tucker, Edmund St. George, Bedford Row, Halifax, N. 8. Tuhan, Eugene A., Leadville, Colo. Turner, J. C., Columbus, Ga. 166 Thirty-First Annual Meeting VanDusen, Hon. H. G., Master Fish Warden of Oregon, Astoria, Ore. Vincent, W. S8., United States Commission of Fish and Fish- eries, Washington, D. C. Vogelsang, Alexander T., Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal. Walker, Bryant, Detroit, Mich. Wallett, W. H., Put-in-Bay, O. Walters, C. H., Cold Spring Harbor,, N. Y. Ward, Prof. H. B., Lincoln, Neb. Webb, W. Seward, Forty-fourth Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, New York. Wentworth, Edwin, United States Fish Commission, Nashua, N. H.: Wentworth, Nathaniel, Hudson Centre, N. H. Weed, W. R., Potsdam, N. Y. Wetherbee, W. C., Port Henry, N. Y. Wheeler, Chas. Stetson, Hobart Building, San Francisco, Cal. Whish, John D., Secretary, Forest, Fish and Game Commis- sion, Albany, N. Y. White, R. Tyson, 320 Bridge Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. Wilbur, H. O., 235 Third Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Wilbur, P. H., Little Compton, R. I. Willard, Chas. W., Westerly, R. I. Willetts, J. C., 40 Wall Street, New York. Williams, J. A., St. Johnsbury, Vt. Wilson, C. H., Glens Falls, N. Y. Wilson, S. H., Cleveland, O. Winn, Dennis, Nashua, N. H. Wires, S. P., Lester Park, Duluth, Minn. Wisner, J. Nelson, Jr., United States Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. Wood, C. C., Plymouth, Mass. Woodruff, C. B., Columbus, Ga. Wride, Geo. A., Grindstone City, Mich. Zalsman, Philip G., Paris, Mich. Zweighapt, 8., Deer Park, Haines Falls, N. Y. American Fisheries Society. 167 IHLONORARY. Sorodine, Nicholas, Delegate 6f the Russian Association of Pisciculture and Fisheries, Uralsk, Russia. Fish Protective Association of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1020 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Lake St. Clair Shooting and Fishing Club, Detroit, Mich. New York Association for the Protection of Fish and Game, New York City. Peck, Hon. Geo. W., Milwaukee, Wis. South Side Sportsmen’s Club, Oakdale, L. I., N. Y. Sweeny, Dr. R. O., Lester Park, Duluth, Minn. The President of the United States. The Governors of the Several States. Woodmont Rod and Gun Club, Washington, D. C. CORRESPONDING. Apostolides, Prof. Nicoly Chr., Athens, Greece. Armistead, J. J., Dumfries, Scotland. Birbeck, Edward, Esq., M. P., London, England. Brady, Thos. F., Esq., Inspector of Fisheries, Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland. Calderwood, W. L., Esq., Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, Edinburgh, Scotland. Feddersen, Arthur, Copenhagen, Denmark. Feilding, J. B., Upper Downing, Holywell, North Wales. Gighoh, Prof. Enrico H., Florence, Italy. Ito, KX., Member of Fisheries Department of Hokkaido and President of the Fisheries Society of Northern Japan, Sapporo, Japan. Jaffe, S., Osnabruck, Germany. Juel, Capt. N., R. N., President of the Society for the De- velopment of Norwegian Fisheries, Bergen, Norway. Landmark, A., Inspector of Norwegian Fresh Water Fish- eries, Bergen, Norway. Lundberg, Dr. Rudolph, Inspector of Fisheries, Stockholm, Sweden. Maccleay, William, President of the Fisheries Commission of New South Wales, Sydney, N. 8S. W. 168 Thirly-First Annual Meeting Marston, R. B., Esq., Editor of the Pishing Gazette, London, England. Olsen, O. T., Grimsby, England. Sars, Prof. G. O., Government Inspector of Fisheries, Chris- tiania, Norway. Senior, William, London, England. Smitt, Prof. F. A., Stockholm, Sweden. Sola, Don Francisco Garcia, Secretary of the Spanish Fish- eries Society, Madrid, Spain. c Solsky, Baron N. de, Director of the Imperial Agricultural Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Trybom, Dr. Filip, Stockholm, Sweden. Walpole, Hon. Spencer, Governor of the Isle of Man. Wattel, M. Raveret, Secretary of the Societe d’Acclimation, Paris, France. RECAPITULATION. Active: 0 2 Liban eu Oo ots 2 stl ee pane eee . 332 EROMOLALy ©.) «de nile © SSNS tds aoe ein cee age 54 Corresponding’. cis wipe o> 22). . 2, « 2 Over eee 24 Total membershno-.-..th esi, Nir eer 410 | American Fisheries Society. 169 7] COR ae eh LOIN. (As amended to date). ARTICLE I. NAME AND OBJECTS. e) The name of this Society shall be American Fisheries So- ciety. Its objects shall be to promote the cause of fish culture ; to gather and diffuse information bearing upon its practical suc- cess, and upon all matters relating to the fisheries; the uniting and encouraging of all the interests of fish culture and the fisheries, and the treatment of all questions regarding fish, of a scientific and economic character. ARTICLE IT. MEMBERS. Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote and the payment of one dollar, become a member of this Society. In case members do not pay their fees, which shall be one dollar per year, after the first year and are delinquent for two years, they shall be notified by the Treasurer, and if the amount due is not paid within a month thereafter, they shall be, without further notice, dropped from the roll of membership. Any person can be made an honor- ary or a corresponding member upon a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting. Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote, and the payment of $15.00, become a life member of this Society, and shall there- after be exempt from all annual dues. ARTICLE III. OFFICERS. The officers of this Society shall be a President and a Vice President, who shall be ineligible for election to the same office 170 Thirty-First Annual Meeting until a year after the expiration of their term; a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, a Treasurer and an Hxecutive Committee of seven, which with the officers before named, shall form a council and transact such business as may be necessary when the Society is not in session, four to constitute a quorum. ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS. The regular meeting of the Society shall be held once a year, the time and place being decided upon at the previous meeting or, in default of such action, by the Executive Committee. ARTICLE V. ORDER OF BUSINESS. 1. Call to order by President. 2. Roll call of members. 3. Applications for membership. 4. Reports of officers. a. President. b. Secretary. c. ‘Treasurer. d. Standing Committees. 5. Committees appointed by the President. a. Committee of five on nomination of officers for en- suing year. b. Committee of three on time and place of next meet- ing. ce. Auditing committee of three. 6. Reading of papers and discussions of same. (Note—a. In the reading of papers preference shall be given to members present. hb. The President and two Secretaries are em- powered to arrange the papers of the meetings of the Society). ~. Miscellaneous business. 8. Adjournment. American Fisheries Society. A | ARTICLE VI. CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION. The Constitution of the Society may be amended, altered or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, provided at least fifteen members are present at said meeting. ie Maes 7s rou Pr CR OS Tas | if 7 : ia aati iat s se ; + ers fi." ; ; i | | eo | ' a Fi Boe : ’ Bi te of Cie 2 i Aj ry H mn wi yy vat wh ie we ) i | a Ky sd aE Hi. pea iN. Out ek Wa nt ; i RAs ye bi nr ts _ a hai a ne oy ih vi whi: AN) HARE i, News Ai) Use ) A 4 K Pay | ie a a Ade Wea Hy a7 iN q ba} ne any i — a = = a ee wa th Hd Hin }) ies va i . 4 meh AN i AY} wae dh i i f ee BaD amok, i a TUN Nese hi qi , 1 } i ’ eM : Ae Ny ant i ; Ti f ive i SH American Fisheries 1 Society A5 Transactions 1900-02 VF R y) Biological] & Medical Serials PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY a