PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1940 595 
fingerling fish per acre of water accounted for a total production of 
slightly less than 700,000 fish. Bream are propagated in conjunction 
with bass and crappie. The control of predatory animals and birds 
presents one of the major problems at this station. 
New major construction projects were not undertaken at the Marion 
(Ala.) station during the year. Holding house No. 2, however, which 
was under construction at the close of last year, was completed and 
equipped with an electric pump for filling distribution receptacles, and 
a gasoline pumping unit was installed in holding house No. 1 to assist 
in areating the water in the holding tanks and to facilitate the filling 
of distribution pails. All buildings were wired for electric current. 
Adverse weather conditions during the height of the bass spawning 
season greatly reduced the production of that species. Although the 
total output was below last year’s, a production of approximately 
5,000 fingerlings per acre of water was obtained. The production of 
bream was not noticeably affected by the unfavorable weather. 
Breeding stocks of both largemouth black bass and bream were sup- 
plied to the units at Elkmont, Ala., Cohutta and Warm Springs, Ga., 
and Tupelo, Miss. As usual, the Alabama Department of Conserva- 
tion and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources assisted in the 
transportation of fish for the stocking of waters in their respective 
areas. The cooperation of these departments kept the expense of 
distribution to a minimum, thereby enabling the station to expend its 
funds for fish production. 
The Carbon Hill (Ala.) station was incomplete at the end of the 
year. Seven of the fourteen ponds originally planned have been 
finished and four more are approximately 50 percent completed. Two 
wells were drilled to supply water for the ponds and domestic use. 
This unit is being constructed largely under the auspices of W. P. A. 
There was no construction or repairs to station buildings at Tupelo, 
Miss., during the year. The subzero weather experienced during the 
winter caused the loss of approximately 1,200 of the station’s bream 
brood stock, and these fish were replaced with adult bream from the 
Marion (Ala.) hatchery. All ponds are stocked with both bass and 
bream and the results obtained from this type of propagation have been 
very satisfactory, as is proved by a production of 35,693 fingerling 
largemouth black bass and 15,836 fingerling bream per acre; a total 
output of 51,529 fingerlings per acre of water. 
The Lyman (Miss.) station distributed a total of 332,990 fingerling 
bass and 840,500 fingerling bream for the stocking of Mississippi and 
Louisiana waters. The cost of production at this station is very low, 
due to an abundance of natural food. The fresh-water shrimp which 
were planted as forage in 1938 and 1939 are apparently increasing, 
even in the brood-stock holding pond. Nocturnal insects, attracted 
by lights which have been placed near the surface of the water, are a 
promising source of auxiliary food for fingerling bass. Shrimp heads, 
a local waste product, are secured free of cost and are proving very 
satisfactory as a pond fertilizer. Construction at this unit was largely 
limited to repairing and general conditioning of levees, roads, and 
fences. An all-weather road around the ponds was constructed by 
treating the main levee roads with oystershells. Giant bamboo and 
bamboo cane were planted to serve as windbreaks for the ponds, and 
black locust, kudsu, honeysuckle, and wisteria were planted at needed 
points for erosion control. 
