Part III.] Pond Fish Culture. 189 



bring their annual yield of fry to maturity, and deliver it to 

 the market, they would be at a loss how to proceed; we are 

 really not fish raisers, but producers of fry. At that stage 

 our efforts cease. The rest is left to nature and negligently 

 cast into waters that we imperfectly protect and utterly neglect 

 to keep pure. While our achievements in public fish hatching 

 are notable, private fish culture has made no headway. A few 

 of our state commissions are making efforts in pond culture 

 for the benefit of farming communities, notably in Kansas, and 

 it will be interesting to observe what progress can be made. 

 Perhaps the vast natural yield from our coast, lake and river 

 fisheries is responsible for the lack of private effort. 



Our fish supply in general is large and well distributed, but 

 we could consume a much greater supply, especially in view 

 of the fact that in some sections the natural supply is being 

 depleted by over-fishing and the pollution of waters. There 

 are many sections of the country inadequately supplied with 

 fish food, which could be produced locally by pond cultivation, 

 and such supplies would find convenient home markets. 



It is possible for the private citizen to obtain pond fishes for 

 breeding purposes, but he needs assistance and direction. Ob- 

 ject lessons on approved methods of fish culture could be ob- 

 tained by visiting public hatcheries, but this he is not likely 

 to undertake. It would be advantageous to the country if 

 state fish commissions generally could supply the coarser fishes 

 for cultivation in private waters, and furnish the public free 

 information as to the methods to be followed. 



We should not rest content with the mere fact that such in- 

 formation exists in public documents. The editions of state 

 documents are neither large nor well distributed and rural 

 population may remain unaware that useful fishery informa- 

 tion may be had for the asking. State fish commissions should 

 not only prepare inexpensive pamphlets on the cultivation of 

 common fishes, but see that they reach many communities and 

 be announced and reviewed by the rural press everywhere. 

 Model ponds distributed about the state for demonstrative 

 work would of course be educational, like agricultural colleges 

 and state experiment farms. I am not prepared to set forth 

 the best means of doing this work; perhaps no two states 

 would undertake it ^ the same way. 



I am convinced that some of the energy put into the produc- 

 tion of fry is misdirected. The output is amazing; 6000 mil- 

 lion last year by the National Bureau and perhaps as much 

 more by the states. Practically all of it is hurried into the 

 nearest river and none of it raised. We are all doing about 

 the same thing and have settled into the rut of fish hatching in 

 hatchery buildings. No one is doing anything new except as 

 connected with the competition for increased output. 



