52 



EPIDEMIC AMONG TROUT IN NEBRASKA. 



In May, 1895, a serious loss of brood trout occurred 

 in the ponds at the State hatcheries of Nebraska. 

 This was -made the subject of the following letters to 

 the Secretary of the Nebraska Fish Commission, by 

 Superintendent M. E. O'Brien: 



Board of Fish Co.mmissioners, 

 State of Nebraska, 

 State Hatcheries, Omaha, May 3d, 1S95. 



Mr. James B. Meiklk, 



Sec'y Fish Commission, 

 Omaha, Neb. 

 Dear Sir : 



I sincerely regret to have to report to )Our Hon- 

 orable Board that an epidemic has broken out among- 

 our trout, that is causing them to die at an alarmingly 

 rapid rate. The first time that I noticed anything 

 wrong with the trout was about the 20th of March, 

 when we found four dead trout in the ponds. A few 

 days after we found ten dead trout, and two days later 

 fifteen more. At this time the ponds were getting quite 

 foul with the green scum or "conferva" wdiich forms in 

 the ponds every spring, and concluded that this was 

 the cause 01 the fish dying. I immediately put the 

 men to work cleaning out the ponds, drawing off the 

 water from each pond separately, and raking out the 

 leaves and scum and rotten vegetation. During the 

 time this work was going on the fish were dying at the 

 rate of twelve or fifteen a da)'. This was considerable 



