REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 39 



DISTRIBUTION. 



In the distribution of fish it is the general polic}^ of the Bureau to 

 plant certain species as fing'crlings or yearlings at an age of from 

 two to twelve months. This is found especialh^ desirable with such 

 species as the brook trout, but as some of the stations are not adapted 

 for the rearing of trout, owing either to the extreme high temperature 

 of the water in summer or to the presence qf bacteria, in these cases 

 the product is planted as f ly. At stations where fingerlings and year- 

 lings are reared, it is necessary to reduce the stock to prevent over- 

 crowding as the fish become larger, and in such cases, so far as it is 

 possible to do so, the precaution is taken to select for the earliest 

 distribution waters where the fish will l)e least preyed upon by the 

 larger fishes and other aquatic animals. 



At the stations devoted to the propagation of black bass, much atten- 

 tion has Ijeen given to the subject of the age for distribution. From 

 experience thus far, it appears veiy desirable to distribute the young 

 fish when they are from 1 to 3i inches in length, beginning the collec- 

 tions for this purpose soon after the young fish have broken up their 

 schools and are scattered along the shores of the ponds. Bass five- 

 eighths of an inch long will eat their young companions, one of this 

 length having been found at the Fish Lakes station choked to death in 

 its attempt to eat a younger fish of its own species. At the San Marcos, 

 Tex., station it is customary to begin the distribution of black bass 

 and other pond fishes in April, continuing throughout the summer. 



The commercial species, such as the lake trout, white-fish, pike 

 perch, cod, etc., which are hatched bj'^ tlie hundred million, are neces- 

 sarih" planted as fr}^, and it is customary to distribute them just 

 before the umbilical sac is absorbed. 



The work of distributing the fish collected along the overflowed 

 lands of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is entirely dependent upon 

 higK and low water conditions. During the past year the water was 

 so high throughout the summer that the work of saving fish usually 

 confined and doomed to perish in the lagoons caused by the receding 

 waters was unnecessary. The fish distributed from these collections 

 vary in size . from fingerlings to 6 to 8 inches in length. All fish 

 seined from these overflowed lands are either planted in adjacent 

 waters or transported by car to other parts of the country to supply 

 individual applicants for both public and private waters. Prepara- 

 tions were made during the past year for extending this field of oper- 

 ations by the establishment of an additional distributing station at 

 North McGregor, Iowa, for collections in the lagoons along both 

 sides of the Mississippi River from Dubuque, la., to La Crosse, Wis. 



In the following tabulation all plants of fish and allotments of eggs 

 are shown bj^ species and waters stocked, the latter being grouped 

 according to States, which are listed in alphabetical order. 



