62 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The work of fitting up the Bellevue collecting station and over- 

 hauling the equipment preparatory to the season's work was begun 

 May '27 and completed June 15. Active fishing operations commenced 

 on Jul}^ 1, under the direction of Mr. H. Crasser, assisted by the launch 

 W(ff<'r Witch and a temporary crew of six men, P'ishing continued 

 until October 12, an extra launch and an additional crew of five men 

 being empkwed during the month of August. As a result of this work 

 100,1»76 black bass, 24,680 crappie, 16,820 cat-fish, 1,700 perch, 4,340 

 sun-fish, ()00 bream, 305 pickerel, 75 pike perch, and 26 carp were 

 collected in the lakes and bayous formed by the overflows of the Mis- 

 sissippi River. These fish were distributed by means of the U. S. Fish 

 Commission cars to various applicants and planted in public waters 

 throughout the United States. 



While making the collections of young black bass and crappie large 

 numbers of the more common varieties of fish were seined from the 

 warm shallow lakes and liberated in the Mississippi River between 

 Dubuque, Iowa, and Savanna, 111. On account of the large number 

 of fish handled and the necessity of transferring them quickly, it 

 was not practicable to count them, but it is estimated that there were 

 transferred in this way 5,000 black bass, 700,000 crappie, 600,000 sun- 

 fish, 500 pickerel, 43,500 cat-fish, 35,000 carp, 500 pike, and 200,000 

 bufl'alo, a total of 1,584,500. This is regarded as a conservative esti- 

 mate, and it is believed to fall short of the actual number transferred. 



The fish on hand at the close of the year were as follows: 



San Marcos Station, Texas (J. L. Leary, Sitperintendent). 



An appropriation of $8,000 for enlarging and improving the station 

 having been secured, two tracts of land (one cutting into the south- 

 west corner of the grounds and the other extending about 300 feet 

 along the river front) were purchased at an expenditure of ^3,200. 

 This property rounds out and adds greatly to the appearance of the 

 station and makes it possible to conduct operations on a much larger 

 scale. 



Four ponds, covering about 3 acres, were constructed at an expense 

 of $2,252, and a pumping plant of 1,000 gallons capacity was installed. 

 The latter consists of a 10-horsepower gasoline engine of the Spring- 

 field type and a No. 6 centrifugal pump, with 6-inch suction and 



