Part III.] Pond Fish Culture. 105 



vantage when compared with haphazard methods. Ponds that 

 are not properly stocked and cared for do not, as a rule, pro- 

 duce a good crop of fish. 



This is not altogether true when it comes to raising a certain 

 quantity of fish for home consumption with the least possible 

 care and expense. The pond that has several kinds of fish 

 thrown into it usually produces as many fish as the food supply 

 will support. The so-called "game fishes"* feed upon the 

 other varieties, and when food is scarce they feed upon each 

 other, the larger and stronger fish devouring those smaller and 

 weaker than themselves. While it is true that about as many 

 fish can be raised in any pond as the food supply will support, 

 a number of conditions must be considered and met. The 

 natural enemies of the fish in any pond must not be forgotten. 

 They may exist in such numbers as to destroy most of the fish 

 in the pond. A few old large fish may eat up nearly everything 

 in the pond, or there may be so many fish, such as bullheads and 

 crappies, of nearly equal size that are not real cannibals that 

 all will get poor and for want of food develop a disease and die. 



Special Note on Spawning Habits. 



In the spring of 1911 we found a spot where three bass were 

 guarding their nests in a little narrow protected body of water 

 in the Ninnescah river, just north of the Hatchery ponds. It 

 was our custom to go every morning, and at other times during 

 the day, to make observations on these fish. When we first ap- 

 proached the nests the fish would show signs of nervousness 

 and swim excitedly from place to place. By sitting quietly by 

 some bushes that we had temporarily stuck in the ground, the 

 fish would soon come to rest over their spawning beds and re- 

 sume the regular duties of "incubation," paying little or no 

 further attention to our presence. The spawning beds were 

 not more than ten or fifteen feet from our position. The little 

 narrow strip of water was formed by a sand bar that had been 

 thrown up about ten feet from the shore to protect the south 

 bank from being undermined by the river. In this special 

 locality this body of water was so protected that it was usually 

 quiet, not being interfered with by the current of the river or 



* The term "game fish" is not well defined. The trout is always spoken 

 of as a game fish, and so is the Black bass. There are a good many fish 

 that anglers speak of as "game fish." The Channel catfish is frequently 

 spoken of as a good game fish by some lovers of the rod. The crappie 

 is too slow to be considered a good game fish. The sunfishes are fre- 

 quently spoken of as "game" for their size. The bullheads are on the 

 doubtful list and are not considered by some as game fish. 



The terms "game fish" and "food fish" are surely not well defined if 

 we are to judge from the way they are commonly used. Most game fishes 

 are good food fishes. However, many food fishes, such as the buffaloes, 

 the carp and the suckers, in general are not considered game fishes. In 

 this bulletin the Black bass, the crappies, the sunfishes and the catfishes 

 are, for convenience of terms of designation, all treated as game fishes. 



