56 Conservation Department 



It is the general opinion of autliorities tliat fishes of the bass 

 family (Centrarchidae) , which protect their nests, are able to suc- 

 cessfnlly defend them ag'ainst the carj), which is not a pugnacious 

 fish. Cole (1904) mentions the robbing- of a temporarily deserted 

 sunfish nest by a small perch {Perca flavescens), a log-perch 

 (Percina caprodes) and a minnow {Notroijis whipplii), but careful 

 study of this question by this worker brought no evideuce of this 

 kind against the carp. Carp may occasionally find and devour 

 spawn in searching over the bottom for other food, but the asser- 

 tion that they extensively seek out and eat spawn remains to be 

 proven. 



The most tenable argument against carp in relation to other 

 fishes is that they compete for food. Tn connection with this 

 point it is important to study the food of both young aud adult 

 carp. 



The stomachs of twelve* young carp (I'/s to 2% inches long) 

 taken from Casadaga creek (Chautauqua couuty, N. Y.) on 



Julv 14, 1925, were examined : 



Ao. o/ 

 >S'/o//K/(7/.s- 

 in ic /licit 

 I'ood Ittnt^ Voni (lined 



('ru.slacea 9 



Ostracoda 7 



Oladocera 7 



Copepoda 2 



Aquatic insects S 



Diptera {adults) o 



Diptera ( larvae or pupae ) a 



Zygoptera ( nytnphs ) 2 



Pupae (urmidentified ) 1 



Snails 4 



Rotifera 1 



Algae 2 



Cladophora 1 



Green algae ( unidentified) 1 



A 4%-inch car]) from Cayuga lake (Tompkins county, N. Y.) 

 on October 6, 1926, contained nearly 1(30 i)er cent animal food, 

 including snails, midge larvae (Chirononiidae) , plankton crusta- 

 ceans {CJadocera, Copepodd), caddis larvae {Trichoptera) and 

 fragments of an unidentified insect. Bits of fine mud and numer- 

 ous unicellular plants {diatoms, desmids) indicated that some 

 food, at least, was from the bottom. Adults of the carp (Forbes 

 and Richardson, 1908) are ''omnivorous feeders, taking princi- 

 pally vegetable matter, but insect larvae, crustaceans and mollusks 

 and other small aquatic animals as well." They feed principally 

 at the bottom aud sort out snuill aninud life from the mud. 



It is j)r(>l)abl(' that both young and adult carj) c()m))ete for food 

 with our game fishes. In tui-n, it is quite probable that young 

 car|) may sorvc as food t'oi- i)re(lac(M)ii.s game fishes, such as the 

 basses, pikes and Ihe pikcpci-ch. 



I'll () 



f tlie cximiiiiiil ioMs \)\ hlmiiu'liiu' Moor 



