730 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
As a general rule the bureau delivers fish in the order in which the 
applications are received. Failure to make delivery within the time 
specified on the formal notice sent to the applicant invariably is 
because the output at one or more of the bureau’s stations has been 
light. Applications remain on file until delivery of the desired fish 
can be made, so that in the event of a failure of the output of a station 
in one year the applications in that region are given special considera- 
tion when the next year’s output is available. The bureau does not 
carry a stock of fish on hand at all times for distribution. 
The heavy expense involved in shipping fish necessitates rigid 
economy in planning the itineraries of cars and messengers. Delivery 
of fish to an applicant in a remote section of the country can not be 
made until a sufficient number of applications from that section have 
been received to warrant the expense of making a messenger ship- 
ment. Shipments of trout from the bureau’s eastern stations usually 
are made during the months of May and June, and applications 
received after March 1 are carried on file for attention in the following 
year. The distribution of trout from stations in the Rocky Mountain 
regions is made from May to October, and applications from that 
section should be submitted prior to May 1 in order to assure early 
delivery. Requests for such species as bass, sunfish, and crappie 
should be on file with the bureau prior to May 1, as deliveries of such 
species are made between May and December. 
RECEIVING AND PLANTING FISH 
It involves considerable expense to produce and transport fish to 
their destination, as they must be accompanied by a skilled attendant. 
In order to attain the best results from a given number of fish, appli- 
cants should acquaint themselves with the following instructions: 
The fish should be hurried to the waters where they are to be 
planted. 
Keep the water cool and avoid sudden changes in temperature. 
To lower the temperature use ice on the lids of the vessels or place 
it in the water. Wet sacking wrapped around the vessels will help 
to keep the temperature even. The lids of the vessels should be 
perforated to permit the entrance of air. 
While in transit over rough roads the splashing of the water in the 
cans will provide sufficient aeration for the fish. In case of delay 
en route to the waters in which the fish are to be planted, the water 
in the vessels should be dipped up and allowed to fall back into the 
container from a height of about 18 inches. This process causes tiny 
bubbles of air to become mixed with the water. 
When fish come to the surface and gasp it is evident that the supply 
of oxygen is exhausted and that the water needs dipping. Thewarmer 
the water the less oxygen it holds in solution and the more attention 
the fish require. A uniform temperature of 60° F. for bass and 
50° F. for trout is desirable, as at these temperatures the fish in the 
containers will not require much attention. 
Before planting the fish the temperature of the water in the con- 
tainers should be made to equal that of the water in the stream in 
which they are to be deposited. This can be done by removing some 
of the water from the containers and replacing it with water from the 
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