188 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



tioned the various species of basses, perches, sunfishes and cat- 

 fishes, which are well distributed in our eastern stat'iS, and 

 there are other species inhabiting our western and southern 

 states which are also available for pond culture. 



My connection with a public aquarium has brought me into 

 correspondence with many persons who have desired to under- 

 take the raising of fishes, but whose efforts have been limited 

 to the mere stocking of natural ponds. Comparatively few 

 have realized the necessity of proper equipment and actual 

 cultivation, which involves the complete control of the water 

 and of the fishes contained therein. Very little can be ac- 

 complished with a single natural pond ; it is necessary to have 

 several artificial ponds which can be readily controlled, while 

 the various operations of pond culture require frequent at- 

 tention and considerable actual labor. 



The requirements for the successful management of several 

 kinds of pond fishes have already been worked out at public 

 fish hatcheries and there is more or less official information 

 on the subject. It is not necessary at present to give instances 

 where success has been achieved ; my object, as already stated, 

 is to keep before the public the fact that success in private 

 fish culture is possible and that considerable fish food may be 

 produced with the same amount of labor and intelligent effort 

 that is necessary for the raising of fowls. There has been 

 much agitation over the high cost of living, and it is time to 

 consider what the individual citizen can do in the way of as- 

 sisting in the production of fish food. 



In some of the countries of central Europe the cultivation of 

 fishes in private waters has been going on for centuries. In 

 Austria and Germany fish farming, as it is often called, is a 

 common industry. While it is much practiced by small land- 

 owners, there are many large estates which maintain hun- 

 dreds of ponds in active cultivation. Much of this private 

 fish culture is based on the various forms of the carp, but 

 other European fishes are also cultivated for sale, such as the 

 tench, ide, rudd, bream, perch and pike. Some European fish 

 culturists are now raising American basses and perches. 

 There are many villages in Austria where fish ponds are main- 

 tained at the expense of the community. In view of these 

 facts, it is remarkable that immigrants from Europe have 

 neglected to practice their ancient art of pond culture in this 

 country. 



Aside from commercial trout raising, which is practiced to 

 a limited extent, we have nothing of such pond culture in 

 America. Our numerous fish hatcheries, maintained under 

 the direction of state commissions, are devoted almost entirely 

 to the stocking of public waters with young fishes. Very little 

 of the product is reared to maturity and none of it is sent to 

 market direct. If our fish culturists could be commanded to 



