128 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHEEIES 



POND-FISH CULTURE 



FAIRPORT STATION 



The work of this station, which is under the direction of Dr. 

 A. H. Wiebe, is devoted entirely to problems relating to pond culture. 

 The main water supply is pumped from the Mississippi River into a 

 reservoir whence it flows by gravity to the ponds. There is also a 

 limited supply of well water which can be used in several of the 

 smaller ponds. The entire pond system, comprising 24 dirt ponds 

 of various sizes up to 3)^ acres, is available for experimental work. 

 In addition there are a number of concrete pools and indoor tanks 

 and aquaria which are used for investigations requiring carefully 

 controlled experiments. 



Largemouth bass. — As in previous years, the pond experiments have 

 been concerned primarily with largemouth bass although other species 

 have received considerable attention. Owing to serious infestation 

 of the brood bass with the tapeworm Proteocephalus ambloplitis the 

 production of fry was much less than in previous years and it 

 was consequently impossible to stock some of the ponds as heavily 

 as planned. 



Although experience has shown that the use of nursery ponds to 

 which the bass fry can be removed and reared during the summer 

 affords many advantages, there is increasing evidence that good 

 results can frequently be obtained when the young are reared in 

 ponds in which they were hatched. The greatest objection to this 

 method is the fact that the fish are less under control, and there is 

 no way of determining if the pond is properly stocked with fry. 

 Nevertheless, very satisfactory results can be obtained with this 

 method as shown by the results in a pond of 0.71 acres stocked 

 May 4 with 3 male and 4 female largemouth bass, and 568 adult 

 golden shiners for forage. The pond was given no further attention 

 except that it was fertilized with 283 pounds of a mixture of dry sheep 

 manure and superphosphate. This was applied in small amounts at 

 intervals of about 10 days. The pond was drained September 8 and 

 7,376 fingerlings removed which is at the rate of 10,400 per acre. 

 This is believed to be a very satisfactory yield since very little labor 

 is required to produce fish by this method. 



Smallmouth bass. — Although conditions at Fairport are quite differ- 

 ent from those usually thought to be necessary for the culture of small- 

 mouth bass a small stock of brood fish has been maintained for several 

 years and the production of fingerlings has been fully equal to that of 

 the largemouth. The fry and fingerlings are handled in the same way 

 and reared in nursery ponds stocked with forage fish. In an attempt 

 to determine the relative value of blackhead and blunt-nosed minnows 

 for forage purposes two nursery ponds, with an area of 0.359 and 0.39 

 acres, respectively, were stocked with smallmouth fry at the rate of 

 25,000 per acre. Blackhead minnows were used for forage in one pond 

 and blunt-nosed minnows in the other. The number of minnows in 

 each pond was at the rate of 1,500 adults per acre. In all other 

 respects the treatment of the two ponds was identical. When drained 

 the first week in October the pond stocked with blackhead minnows 

 yielded 12,282 fingerlings per acre, a survival of 49.3 percent, while 

 the production in the one stocked with blunt-nosed minnows was at 



