PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1932 557 



construction at the Mammoth Hot Springs auxiliary was completed 

 and placed in operation during the fish-cultural season. With the 

 completion of the residences now undergoing construction the Yellow- 

 stone Park unit will be one of the most adequate and complete of the 

 bureau's hatcheries. 



The establishment of the new pond fish cultural station at Dexter, 

 N. Mex., was started on October 7, 1931, and by the end of the fiscal 

 year the work had been carried to a point making possible a distri- 

 bution of over 50,000 bass, with a large number of fingerlings remain- 

 ing in the ponds for later shipment. Three residences, a garage and 

 shop building, an office building, and a pump house were erected; and 

 a pond area comprising almost 100 acres was completed and placed in 

 service, making this station one of the largest bass and pond fish 

 plants operated by the bureau. The rapidity with which this station 

 was placed on a productive basis is noteworthy, and it was particu- 

 larly needed for the propagation of warm water fish for stocking an 

 extensive area throughout the Southwest which is not suitable for 

 trout. 



In addition to the strictly fish-cultural work conducted in Rocky 

 Mountain territory investigations previously undertaken in connec- 

 tion with a biological study of the national parks and national forests 

 were continued. As a result of these inquiries reports were rendered 

 as a basis for a stocking policy on 15 separate national forests in 

 Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, and on the Rocky Mountain National 

 Park. Biological surveys of a more scientific character were made by 

 field parties of the waters of Teton National Park and the Wasatch 

 National Forest, in Utah, and near the close of the fiscal year a party 

 of investigators had entered Glacier National Park to resume studies 

 previously instituted along the same lines. It is interesting to note 

 in this connection that the Wasatch National Forest has been desig- 

 nated by the Forest Service as an experimental field for fish-cultural 

 work. Further recognition of the biological character of the work 

 of the bureau's Salt Lake City staff is evidenced by the invitation 

 extended to the bureau's district supervisor by the University of 

 Utah to establish his office headquarters on space allotted by the 

 university. 



The staff of regional investigators and fish-culturists devoted some 

 time during the year to a study of fish diseases and feeding experi- 

 ments, principally at the Springville station. At Bear Lake, Utah, a 

 tract of land has been donated for use as an auxiliary trout-rearing 

 station and plans for its development were being considered at the 

 close of the year. A similar auxiliary on a smaller scale has been 

 installed for Teton National Park, and a survey has been made of a 

 tract of Government-owned land known as Powell Slough, which has 

 been made available for bass and other pond fish rearing operations. 

 Certain difficulties as to title have delayed the inception of actual 

 construction on this site. The greater part of the activities outside 

 of routine fish-cultural operations at the older hatcheries has been 

 developed within the past two years, since regional headquarters were 

 instituted at Salt Lake City. The wisdom of establishing this new 

 administrative unit has been well demonstrated by the advances made 

 and the interest displayed by State fish and game authorities and 

 sportsmen generally throughout the intermountain region. 



