Conservation Commission 331 



body of water in which the small-mouthed bass is abundant and 

 thrifty and furnishes an ample brood stock for the ponds when 

 required. 



The growth of the small mouthed black bass in a small pond 

 at Constantia, which was well supplied with insects and their 

 larvae, young sunfishes and other natural fish food, was remark- 

 able during the summer of 1914. Late in October 141 bass 

 from four to five inches long were transferred from this pond to 

 the hatchery troughs for distribution. The plump and clean con- 

 dition of the fish was noteworthy. In company with them were 

 numerous pikeperch to which reference is made in the notes on 

 species. The practice of winter killing all plant and animal life 

 in ponds during the year has worked out very advantageously at 

 Constantia. Ponds treated in that way become richly stocked 

 with insects, crustaceans and worms, and all that is necessary in 

 addition is to provide some small fish for the food of the species 

 under cultivation. 



The cost of the fish distributed in 1914 was $78.46 per million. 

 This includes every expense for the maintenance of the hatcheries 

 and the delivery of the fish to applicants. The fish sent out were 

 valued at about $188,000 on a basis far below the prices at com- 

 mercial hatcheries. 



The continued and rapid decrease in the shad fishery of the 

 Hudson river has reduced the output of that fish from the Lin- 

 lithgo station. The total distribution was only 1,403,800, of 

 which 750,000 were fingerlings measuring four or five inches in 

 length. One would suppose that repeated plantings of fingerling 

 shad from that hatchery would soon begin to show results in an 

 increased catch ; but the facts are that many of the fingerlings 

 are wrongfully taken in bait minnow nets and the adults are 

 caught before they enter the lower waters of the river. The 

 Hudson, furthermore, is so badly polluted and obstructed by 

 refuse as to make it little fit as a spawning river for the shad. 



The rapid increase of the pikeperch in stocked waters has 

 become apparent to everyone who fishes, and especially in the 

 inland lakes and ponds and in the St. Lawrence river and its 

 large tributaries. ISTotwithstanding the very adhesive nature of 

 the eggs, they are easily separated and hatched in jars during a 

 moderate period of incubation. It has been thought that this 



