00 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



older little trouble is experienced in that respect. Fish that have been 

 kept a week or more in the retaining-ponds are in prime condition to 

 bear transportation, but if sent to the distribution cars direct from the 

 tield where collected great mortality results. 



The season of 1901 was an unusually disastrous one, all kinds of 

 fishes perishing in the shallow overflowed ponds, owing to the high 

 temperature, when in ordinar}^ seasons they live and flounder around 

 until all the water is gone and they are absolutely left on the bare 

 mud. The total distributions of fish thus collected for the year were 

 as follows: Black bass fingerlings, 50,900; adult black bass, 600; adult 

 crappie, 2,170; adult warmouth bass, 100; adult sun-fish, 300; also 

 158 adult assorted fish. 



At the close of the year the water in the river was 13i feet higher 

 than the normal level, and too high throughout the month of June for 

 the collecting of fish. 



Manchester Station, Iowa (R. S. Johnson, Superintendent). 



During the year various improvements and repairs were made to 

 the buildings, grounds, and waterways, the most important being the 

 construction of three new ponds. These ponds were 15 feet wide at 

 the top by 10 feet wide at the bottom, and 291 feet, 254 feet, and 140 

 feet in length, respectively. 



Congress having made a special appropriation of $5,000 therefor, 

 a stern-wheel steamboat was constructed by Kahlke Brothers, of 

 Rock Island, 111., under the supervision of the superintendent. Other 

 particulars in regard to this boat will be found elsewhere. On the 

 morning of May 18 a violent rainstorm and cloud-burst broke over the 

 station, flooding the southeast section of the reservation, destro3'ing 

 the wagon bridge and road from the main-entrance gate, and doing- 

 much other damage to the grounds. The upper spring reservoir was 

 completely choked with mud, cutting off the water supply temporarily 

 from the hatchery building and ponds. This resulted in the loss of 

 about 76,000 of the 328,000 fry which were being held in the hatchery 

 troughs. The property damage resulting from the flood was repaired 

 by the station employees, assisted l)y temporary labor. 



The output of fish and eggs during the year has been most gratify- 

 ing, exceeding the work of all previous years. 



The 60,000 brook-trout fry on hand at the opening of the year were 

 reared to the fingerling stage, and in the fall 49,200 were distributed, 

 2,275 being held for brood stock. The loss incurred in rearing 

 amounted to 8,525. The brood stock of brook trout, consisting of 

 1,209 two and three year old fish, were kept in one of the stock ponds 

 in an apparently healthy condition until October, when they were 

 transferred to the 80-foot ponds with plank sides, in readiness for the 

 spawning season. Soon after the transfer was made the same peculiar 

 disease which has attacked the brook trout at this station for the past 



