80 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
storeroom at a central point for the proper housing of boats and 
equipment; also for two dwelling houses to serve as quarters for the 
men in immediate charge of the ‘work. 
Since the Mississippi River is largely a boundary water, most of 
the States regard the rescue operations as a work ‘belonging to the 
Federal Government rather than to the States. Most of the States 
have rendered excellent cooperation; but in many cases their appro- 
priations for rescue and fish-cultural work have been more or less 
sporadic, hence the work could not be well organized nor efficiently 
handled. Moreover, most of the States have a “problem in maintain- 
ing the fish in their interior waters. 
Citizens throughout the Mississippi Valley have urged the bureau 
to extend this valuable work, arguing that they are entitled to fresh 
fish as a food, and that it should not be necessary for them to depend 
upon the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, or the Great Lakes for 
their supply. They can not understand why an earnest effort should 
not be made to save the millions of fish that are dying in pools along 
the river. 
METHODS EMPLOYED IN RESCUING FISH. 
A rescue crew usually consists of five men and a foreman. A 
launch is employed in going to and from the field of operations, 
and the equipment for each field comprises two seines of one-fourth- 
inch mesh, from 50 to 75 feet long and 5 feet deep; six galvanized- 
iron tubs of 14-bushel capacity ; small dip nets; two tin dippers; and 
a small flat- bottomed boat, the latter being used in ponds too deep 
for wading. 
After making a haul the fish are assorted into tubs by species and 
size. The number per tub is ascertained by noting the water dis- 
placement, one or more rings having been made on the inside of each 
tub, and the number established by actual count. The count is veri- 
fied several times during the season, as the fish in some instances are 
subject to rapid gr owth. 
When first taken from the warm water the fish will not safely 
stand a long railway journey. Therefore those intended for dis- 
tribution are taken to the nearest holding station and hardened 
by being held for several days in cool running water. While the 
number of fish diverted for supplying applicants at a distance may 
seem large in the aggregate, it represents less than 1 per cent of the 
total collections. Such diversions during the fiscal year 1921 
amounted to 660,110 fish of miscellaneous species. 
REVIEW OF THE WORK. 
The aggregate number of fish rescued during the fiscal year 1921 
amounted to 120,656,420, a decrease of almost 36, 000,000 as compared 
with the record of the previous year. Two causes contributed to this 
result. Labor conditions were unsatisfactory, making it difficult to 
obtain efficient crews at all points at the rate of compensation offered. 
The river remained at a high stage for a longer period than usual, 
thus permitting large numbers of fish bred in the overflow waters 
to return to the river unaided. This appears to have been particu- 
larly true with reference to such species as the carp, buffalofish, 
and catfish. 
