﻿REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  PROPAGATION 
  AND 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  OE 
  

   FOOD 
  FISHES. 
  

  

  By 
  John 
  W. 
  Titcomb, 
  Assistant 
  in 
  Charge. 
  

  

  The 
  division 
  of 
  fish 
  ciiltare 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  artificial 
  propaga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  fishes, 
  the 
  rescue 
  of 
  fishes 
  from 
  overflowed 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  and 
  Illinois 
  rivers, 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  eggs, 
  and 
  the 
  

   stocking 
  of 
  public 
  and 
  private 
  waters 
  with 
  suitable 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  

   fishes. 
  

  

  The 
  demand 
  for 
  fish 
  is 
  now 
  greater 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  The 
  number 
  

   of 
  applications 
  received 
  during 
  1903 
  was 
  4,315 
  — 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  13 
  per 
  

   cent 
  over 
  1902 
  and 
  of 
  il 
  per 
  cent 
  over 
  1901. 
  A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   these 
  applications 
  was 
  from 
  anglers 
  or 
  sportsmen, 
  and 
  called 
  for 
  such 
  

   fishes 
  as 
  the 
  basses, 
  trouts, 
  and 
  salmons. 
  The 
  total 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  hatch- 
  

   eries 
  was 
  1,226,057,457 
  fish 
  and 
  eggs, 
  of 
  which 
  11,381,866 
  were 
  the 
  

   species 
  commonly 
  classed 
  as 
  game, 
  while 
  1,211,675,609 
  were 
  those 
  

   species 
  which 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  methods 
  of 
  fish 
  culture 
  have 
  been 
  followed 
  

   as 
  heretofore, 
  a 
  few 
  changes 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  certain 
  

   fishes. 
  Thus 
  at 
  the 
  various 
  stations 
  where 
  bass 
  are 
  propagated, 
  where 
  

   heretofore 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  reared 
  for 
  fall 
  distribution 
  as 
  finger- 
  

   lings, 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  this 
  season 
  were 
  distributed 
  as 
  "baby 
  

   fingerlings." 
  This 
  term 
  has 
  been 
  applied 
  b}^ 
  fish 
  culturists 
  to 
  fish 
  1 
  to 
  

   3 
  inches 
  long 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  ponds 
  in 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  July. 
  It 
  has 
  

   been 
  found 
  tliat 
  there 
  is 
  such 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  

   early 
  and 
  late 
  broods 
  that 
  some 
  measures 
  are 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  disposi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  last 
  hatched 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  destruction 
  by 
  

   the 
  larger 
  fish. 
  In 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  stripping 
  and 
  fertilizing 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  salmons, 
  the 
  normal 
  salt 
  solution 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  

   extensively 
  used 
  than 
  heretofore; 
  and 
  some 
  experiments 
  at 
  the 
  Clack- 
  

   amas 
  station 
  have 
  tended 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  a 
  larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   can 
  be 
  fertilized 
  1)}^ 
  cutting 
  the 
  fish 
  open, 
  removing 
  all 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  

   washing 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  salt 
  solution, 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  usual 
  method 
  of 
  stripping. 
  

  

  At 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  stations 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  eggs 
  can 
  at 
  times 
  be 
  

   purchased 
  from 
  private 
  fish 
  culturists 
  at 
  less 
  expense 
  than 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  

   collected 
  from 
  wild 
  fish. 
  In 
  purchasing, 
  care 
  is 
  taken 
  to 
  secure 
  eggs 
  

   of 
  fish 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  and 
  one-half 
  years 
  old, 
  it 
  having 
  been 
  proved 
  

  

  