80 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



storeroom at a central point for the proper liousino; of boats and 

 equipment ; also for two dwelling houses to serve as quarters for the 

 men in immediate charge of the work. 



Since the Mississippi River is largely a boundary water, most of 

 the States regard the rescue operations as a work belonging to the 

 Federal Government rather than to the States. Most of the States 

 have rendered excellent cooperation ; but in many casps their appro- 

 priations for rescue and fish-cultural work have been more or less 

 sporadic, hence the work could not be well organized nor efficiently 

 handled. Moreover, most of the States have a problem in maintain- 

 ing the fish in their interior waters. 



Citizens throughout the Mississippi Valley have urged the bureau 

 to extend this valuable work, arguing that they are entitled to fresh 

 fish as a food, and that it should not be necessary for them to dei)end 

 upon the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, or the Great Lakes for 

 their supply. They can not understand why an earnest effort should 

 not be made to save the millions of fish that are dying in pools along 

 the river. 



METHODS EMPLOYED IN RESCUING FISH. 



A rescue crew usiuilly consists of five men and a foreman. A 

 launch is employed in going to and from the field of operations, 

 and the equipment for each field comprises two seines of one-fourth- 

 inch mesh, from 50 to 75 feet long and 5 feet deep ; six galvanized- 

 iron tubs of If -bushel capacity; small dip nets; two tin dippers; and 

 a small flat-bottomed boat, the latter being used in ponds too deep 

 for wading. 



After making a haul the fish are assorted into tubs by species and 

 size. The number per tub is ascertained by noting the water dis- 

 placement, one or more rings having been made on the inside of each 

 tub, and the number established by actual count. The count is veri- 

 fied several times during the season, as the fish in some instances are 

 subject to rapid growth. 



When first taken from the warm water the fish will not safely 

 stand a long railway journey. Therefore those intended for dis- 

 tribution are taken to the nearest holding station and hardened 

 by being held for several days in cool running water. While the 

 number of fish diverted for supplying applicants at a distance may 

 seem large in the aggregate, it represents less than 1 per cent of the 

 total collections. Such diversions during the fiscal year 1921 

 amounted to 660,110 fish of miscellaneous species. 



REVIEW OF THE WORK. 



The aggregate number of fish rescued during the fiscal year 1921 

 amounted to 120,656,420, a decrease of almost 36,000.000 as compared 

 with the record of the previous year. Two causes contributed to this 

 result. Labor conditions were unsatisfactory, making it difficult to 

 obtain efficient crews at all points at the rate of compensation offered. 

 The river remained at a high stage for a longer period than usual, 

 thus permitting large numbers of fish bred in the overflow waters 

 to return to the river unaided. This appears to have been particu- 

 larly true with reference to such species as the carp, buffalofish, 

 and catfish. 



