﻿162 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   GROWTH 
  AND 
  WEIGHT. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  wide 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  way 
  

   by 
  which 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  a 
  bkick 
  bass 
  can 
  be 
  determined 
  from 
  its 
  size. 
  

   Some 
  are 
  comparatively 
  large 
  from 
  the 
  moment 
  they 
  -^re 
  hatched, 
  and 
  

   grow 
  much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  than 
  the 
  smaller 
  members 
  ot 
  the 
  same 
  school. 
  

   The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  adults 
  varies 
  in 
  different 
  localities, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  vary 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  in 
  any 
  particular 
  locality. 
  The 
  

   variations 
  depend 
  ujion 
  initial 
  vitality, 
  upon 
  the 
  scarcity 
  or 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  food, 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  range 
  and 
  space 
  given 
  the 
  fish. 
  At 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  

   5 
  or 
  6 
  months 
  the 
  young 
  bass 
  measure 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  8 
  inches, 
  according 
  to 
  

   locality 
  and 
  surroundings, 
  though 
  a 
  certain 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  will 
  

   always 
  run 
  large. 
  In 
  1892, 
  at 
  Neosho 
  station, 
  a 
  black 
  bass, 
  which 
  was 
  

   positively 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  under 
  18 
  months 
  old, 
  weighed 
  on 
  the 
  scales 
  1 
  

   pound 
  9^ 
  ounces. 
  

  

  Large-mouth 
  bass 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  weigh 
  23 
  pounds. 
  They 
  are 
  

   not 
  infrequently 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Marcos 
  Eiver, 
  Texas, 
  weighing 
  

   from 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  pounds, 
  and 
  a 
  6 
  pound 
  or 
  8-pound 
  bass 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  

   tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  inland 
  lakes 
  of 
  Florida 
  excites 
  

   no 
  surprise. 
  The 
  small-mouth 
  bass 
  does 
  not 
  grow 
  so 
  large, 
  2^ 
  pounds 
  

   probably 
  exceeding 
  their 
  average 
  size, 
  though 
  they 
  occasionally 
  reach 
  

   5 
  or 
  6 
  pounds. 
  The 
  rock-bass 
  fry 
  grow 
  slowly, 
  those 
  G 
  months 
  old 
  

   seldom 
  averaging 
  2 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  adult 
  usually 
  weighs 
  from 
  

   i 
  to 
  f 
  pound, 
  occasionally 
  reaching 
  1 
  pound; 
  and 
  examples 
  have 
  been 
  

   recorded 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  3 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  crappie 
  and 
  the 
  strawberry 
  bass 
  will, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  not 
  exceed 
  1 
  

   pound 
  in 
  weight, 
  though 
  in 
  Missouri 
  the 
  former 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  as 
  

   high 
  as 
  3 
  pounds. 
  Under 
  like 
  conditions 
  of 
  pond 
  environment, 
  at 
  6 
  

   months 
  old 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  both 
  these 
  species 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  black- 
  

   bass 
  fry 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age, 
  possibly 
  a 
  little 
  smaller. 
  Each 
  school 
  will 
  

   have 
  a 
  few 
  individuals 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  majority. 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  HABITAT 
  AND 
  DISTRIBUTION. 
  

  

  The 
  large-mouth 
  and 
  small-mouth 
  black 
  basses 
  are 
  widely 
  distrib- 
  

   uted. 
  The 
  natural 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  large-mouth 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  

   and 
  the 
  Red 
  Eiver 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  to 
  Florida, 
  Texas, 
  and 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  

   west 
  to 
  the 
  Dakotas, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  Kansas. 
  The 
  small-mouth 
  bass 
  

   ranged 
  formerly 
  from 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  to 
  Manitoba, 
  and 
  southward 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Alleghanies 
  to 
  South 
  Carolina 
  and 
  Arkansas. 
  The 
  

   adaptability 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  to 
  extremes 
  of 
  temperature 
  and 
  their 
  great 
  

   tenacity 
  of 
  life 
  under 
  seemingly 
  adverse 
  conditions 
  has 
  rendered 
  their 
  

   distribution 
  comparatively 
  easy, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  l^een 
  successfully 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  into 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  not 
  native, 
  and 
  into 
  England, 
  France, 
  Germany, 
  and 
  Finland. 
  

   They 
  have 
  been 
  planted 
  in 
  California, 
  Washington, 
  Utah, 
  and 
  other 
  

   Western 
  States 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  In 
  three 
  years 
  

   they 
  became 
  so 
  numerous 
  in 
  Utah 
  that 
  30,000 
  pounds 
  were 
  caught 
  and 
  

   marketed 
  from 
  one 
  lake. 
  

  

  