130 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Considerable time was spent at Port Clinton, Ohio, as this is the 

 principal market for carp on the lakes. The wholesale dealers here 

 rendered every possible assistance to Mr. Cole, including- all the carp 

 needed for examination and a room in which to work. Many carp were 

 here examined with reference to their food, and the study of various 

 related subjects was made possible by the abundance of material. 

 During the course of the season all important points between Buffalo 

 and Detroit were visited, and the fishermen and dealers in each place 

 were interviewed. Among the data thus obtained was a statement 

 from each wholesale dealer of the quantity of carp received from Lake 

 Erie fishermen in 1900, this representing the approximate catch of 

 carp in the lake. The figures as tabulated give 4,595,000 pounds as 

 the carp product in 1900, an increase of 961,000 pounds over the pre- 

 vious year; of this quantity about 4,0(39,000 pounds were landed at 

 Monroe, Toledo, Port Clinton, and Sandusky. 



Carp ponds at Monroe, near Sandusk}^, at Port Clinton, and on 

 Catawba Island were visited and information regarding the feeding, 

 etc., of carp was obtained. 



In the fall of 1901 the inquiries were addressed particularly to the 

 relation of the carp to the white-fish during- the spawning season of 

 the latter, and were conducted at the Bass Islands and Port Clinton. 

 As a basis for the investigation, the following assertions of the fisher- 

 men of North Bass Island were taken: Carp are abundant about the 

 Bass Islands when the white-fish are spawning; carp cat the spawn of 

 other fish, especially white-fish; white-fish spawn has been taken from 

 a carp's stomach; when carp are numerous on a reef, the white-fish are 

 not there, being driven away by the carp. 



At Port Clinton Mr. Cole made trips to the fishing-grounds with the 

 fishermen and also examined the carp landed by the fishermen ; and at 

 North Bass Island examined carp brought in by fishermen using white- 

 fish gill nets on the reefs. He reports that very few carp were caught 

 on the white-fish grounds, and that the result of their examination was 

 entirely negative as to any damage done by carp to white-fish. The 

 evidence indicates that the number of carp on the white-fish spaw ning- 

 grounds in fall is very small, and the carp which are there have not been 

 found to contain white-fish spawn. The eggs of the white-fish, not 

 being adhesive to any great degree, prol^ably become widely scattered 

 over the rocky reefs; and unless the carp were present in large num- 

 bers, the relative number of eggs destroyed would be small. There is 

 no direct evidence as to the destruction of white-fish fry by carp, except 

 that during the entire course of this investigation no 3'oung wdiite-fish 

 or any other kind of fish were found in carps' stomachs. Considering 

 the shape of the carp's mouth, the lack of teeth, and other anatomical 

 peculiarities, it seems very doubtful that the fish-eating charge against 

 the carp could be very serious. 



