246 The Life Story of the Fish 



be seen how impossible it would be to produce black bass in 

 numbers sufficient to permit the large-scale and widespread 

 stocking that is practical with trout. 



Fortunately it is now realized that such stocking of the 

 warm-water fishes is not necessary. They are much more 

 prolific than trout, and they take care of their young for at 

 least a part of the most critical period of their existence. 

 Stocking for seed but not for maintenance has become the 

 slogan. Even in a lake that appears to be "fished out" there 

 are generally enough adults left to produce all the young fish 

 that it will support. Once they have become established in a 

 water, only a catastrophe or a state of extreme unbalance 

 should make further stocking necessary. Under-fishing is 

 more apt to cause trouble than overfishing. 



This is particularly true in the "'farm ponds" which have 

 become so popular. Farmers are being encouraged to store 

 water for livestock and for irrigation by building small dams, 

 and, as a corollary, to place fish in them for their own sport 

 and food. Black bass and bluegill sunfish form the best com- 

 bination for these small ponds, the bluegills feeding on the 

 invertebrate life and the bass on the bluegills. Production 

 under favorable conditions may reach as high as four hun- 

 dred pounds per acre — far more than the farmer and his 

 family use. Under-fishing results, particularly for the blue- 

 gills. The bass, being more highly prized, are removed in 

 greater numbers until they no longer keep the bluegills 

 under control, and the latter multiply to the point where 

 there is no longer enough food for them. They fail to reach 

 a size fit for human consumption, and they are so numerous 

 that they prevent the bass from spawning. Heavy fishing 

 throughout the year and the retention of all fish caught 

 without regard to size or species is the program which keeps 

 the farm pond healthy. 



Recently a somewhat similar formula has been tried on 



