Feb., 1921] Algal Food of the Gizzard Shad 121 



Lake at the same time the fish were taken helped to identify 

 the sterile cells. 



Oedogonium crassiusculum Wittr. var. idioandrosporum Nordst. & 

 Wittr. 



Only vegetative cells were present in the fishes, but fruiting 

 material collected at Lake Loramie along with the shad fur- 

 nished the means for identification. At least two other species 

 of Oedogonium were observed, but identification was not 

 possible. 



AlgcB and Game Fishes. 



That algae furnish the ultimate source of food for practically 

 all aquatic animal life, no one doubts. But the importance of 

 algas to our game fishes, and hence to the supply of fish for the 

 food of man, is not so generally recognized, chiefly because the 

 relation is obscured by ignorance of the intermediate steps. 

 The route from algae to the game fishes is usually a long one, as 

 might be represented by the following: tiny crustaceans living 

 on algcg are eaten by larger animals; these in turn by small 

 fishes; and finally the larger fishes are reached. Through the 

 gizzard shad, however, the cycle is much more direct. 



Not more than a decade or two ago most icthiologists were 

 agreed that the gizzard shad was a beautiful but nevertheless a 

 worthless fish. That it is beautiful no one will dispute, but it 

 is decidedly not worthless. With its silvery white sides and its 

 graceful rapid dashes through the water near the surface, it 

 makes a very attractive fish. While it is not a game fish and at 

 the present time furnishes very little food for man, it holds a 

 very important place in the food supply of a number of our game 

 fishes, notably the small and large mouth bass, the crappie, and 

 the white bass. The young gizzard shad furnish excellent 

 food for these fishes, which experience no difficulty in disposing 

 of the too numerous bones. As noted above, the shad is almost 

 wholly a vegetarian, and thrives on algae so minute that often 

 10,000 of them laid side by side would not reach an inch. 

 Alg^ of this kind form a very important part of the flora of 

 most unpolluted bodies of water and are absolutely essential 

 for the gizzard shad. None of the game fishes seem to be 

 able to utilize this great source of food. Thus the gizzard 

 shad holds a rather unique position in that it furnishes a direct 



