XrV KEPORT TO THE SECEETARY OF COMMERCE 



this head. Pike perch and cisco showed large increases, the Put In 

 Bay (Ohio) station producing a veiy satisfactory output of the 

 former. The whitefish production exceeded that of 1930, due mainly 

 to more satisfactory working conditions in the Michigan field. Not- 

 withstanding the fact that carp propagation was suspended at the 

 Put In Bay station, a large increase in the carp output was made 

 possible through operations conducted at Bellevue and Guttenberg, 

 Iowa, in the La Crosse (Wis.) field. 



PROPAGATION OF GAME FISHES 



Although a number of the commercially important fishes are sought 

 by anglers for their sporting qualities, many of them are not in- 

 cluded in the category of game fishes. Only the trouts, basses, sun- 

 fish, crappie, catfish, pike, pickerel, grayling, and related forms are 

 comprisecl under that heading. 



During the year difficulties were experienced at some of the pond- 

 fish stations on account of the prevailing drought. Large losses of 

 black bass and other pondfishes were also sustained because of the 

 varying weather conditions experienced during the spawning season. 

 Notwithstanding these handicaps, however, the year's distribution 

 of the pondfishes was only slightly lower than in 1930. In all 

 sections a sufficient number of the various species was produced to 

 fill all applications on file and to allow for the utilization of an ample 

 surplus for carrying on extensive cooperative activities with States, 

 sportsmen's organizations, and individuals. 



RESCUE OPERATIONS 



The extent of the rescue work in the Mississippi River territory 

 exceeded that of the previous year. The total of salvaged fish han- 

 dled in the fiscal year 1931 amounted to 182,534,861, and of this 

 number less than 1 per cent was used to fill applications outside of 

 the rescue district. Weather conditions were unusually favorable 

 during the season, and the number of fish rescued constituted a new 

 record. The results of the rescue work in the fields surrounding 

 the Fairport (Iowa) biological station were also very successful. 



COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES 



The cooperative nursery system has become an integral part of the 

 bureau's propagation work. Through its activities the bureau has 

 been enabled to extend materially the scope of its fish-cultural opera- 

 tions. The removal of large numbers of young fish to be reared at 

 the nurseries has reduced the mortality formerly resulting from the 

 crowded condition of the hatcheries and has made possible the con- 

 centration of effort in rearing the retained stock to a comparatively 

 large size prior to distribution. While the drought and other con- 

 ditions caused the suspension of activities at a number of these 

 establishments, the 119 in operation received for rearing during 

 the year a total of 4,109,622 young fish produced at the bureau's 

 hatcheries. 



