560 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



POND-FISH STATIONS 



The output of stations in the Southern States engaged in the propa- 

 gation of the so-called warm water pond fishes is devoted to the stock- 

 ing of comparatively small bodies of water, many of them ranging 

 down to a half acre in area. Since there is a multitude of such ponds 

 in many sections of the country, the demand for bass, sunfish, crappie, 

 etc., is extremely heavy and great difficulty is experienced by the 

 bureau in keeping abreast of the work of filling applications for these 

 species. A review of the year's operations makes evident the fact 

 that the output was seriously affected by unusually severe weather 

 conditions. Storms and unseasonably low temperatures resulted in 

 the loss of numerous nests of eggs during early March and retarded 

 spawning over the entire territory covered by the pond-fish hatcheries. 

 Notwithstanding this handicap, the results obtained from later 

 spawning were very satisfactory. The Tupelo (Miss.) station has 

 continued to operate on a highly successful scale and during the past 

 year it produced and distributed, in seven different States, close to 

 900,000 bass and sunfish. The recently established Dexter (N. Mex.) 

 station has already proved of inestimable value in supplying bass to a 

 territory which has in the past been difficult and expensive to reach. 

 With an available total of only about 2,000 brood fish of all species the 

 station produced and distributed well over 50,000 young bass, and 

 at the close of June the ponds still contained many fingerling bass, 

 in addition to large numbers of crappie, catfish, warmouth bass, and 

 bream. 



The Warm Spring (Ga.) station established a new high record, its 

 output of fish for the year exceeding 1,000,000, over half of which 

 were bass fingerlings. The prolonged period of extremely dry weather 

 prevailing in the Valdosta (Ga.) field reduced the station water supply 

 to a point where only a negligible production of fish was possible. 

 Tliis diflQculty will continue to handicap the Valdosta work until 

 funds for completing the station in accordance with the original plans 

 are made available, these plans including the provision of an adequate 

 water supply, obtainable in the immediate vicinity. In addition to 

 its work with the anadromous species, which is discussed elsewhere, 

 the Edenton (N. C.) station propagated and distributed almost 

 500,000 fingerling bass. This record was made possible largely by 

 giving increased attention to the fertilization of the limited pond area 

 available for the work. At the Louisville (Ky.) station, where the 

 principal activity is the propagation of smallmouth black bass, various 

 conditions, including unfavorable weather and an inadequate supply 

 of brood fish, curtailed the year's output to a point considerably below 

 the normal annual production in that field. Although this station 

 also has a very limited pond area, experience has shown that it will 

 be necessary in the future to rear its own brood stock in preference 

 to depending upon collections obtained from outside sources. 



The Mammoth Spring (Ark.) station, which concentrates on the 

 propagation of both largemouth and smallmouth bass, reported the 

 most successful output of both species produced in this field in recent 

 years. The superintendent continued to cooperate with the Arkansas 

 State avithorities, and by the reciprocal filling of requests for fish it 

 has been possible to avoid an accumulation of unfilled applications. 

 The Orangeburg (S. C.) station has been working on an enlargement 



