﻿EEPOET 
  OP 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  PISHERIES. 
  57 
  

  

  collected 
  in 
  July. 
  The 
  weather 
  conditions 
  throughout 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   season 
  were 
  unusually 
  adverse. 
  A 
  succession 
  of 
  storms, 
  very 
  cold 
  

   water, 
  and 
  high 
  water 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  lakes 
  operated, 
  resulted 
  

   in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  collecting 
  period, 
  and 
  only 
  7,446,060 
  eggs 
  were 
  obtained, 
  

   or 
  only 
  a 
  httle 
  over 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  at 
  the 
  various 
  pond-culture 
  stations 
  

   during 
  the 
  year 
  were 
  in 
  general 
  staisfactory. 
  A^Tiile 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   shght 
  faUing 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  basses, 
  considerable 
  

   gains 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  sunfishes 
  and 
  other 
  species. 
  

   It 
  is 
  impossible, 
  however, 
  with 
  the 
  present 
  facihties 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  

   basses, 
  crappies, 
  sunfishes, 
  and 
  catfishes 
  in 
  sufficient 
  numbers 
  to 
  meet 
  

   the 
  constantly 
  increasing 
  demands. 
  

  

  "While 
  the 
  game 
  fishes 
  constitute 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   the 
  Bureau's 
  output, 
  their 
  cultivation 
  is 
  valuable 
  as 
  an 
  incentive 
  to 
  

   private 
  fish 
  culture 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  in 
  pubUc 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

   supply 
  of 
  fishes 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  by 
  anglers. 
  The 
  construction 
  of 
  

   private 
  ponds 
  and 
  the 
  estabhshment 
  of 
  large 
  fishing 
  preserves 
  are 
  

   increasing 
  each 
  year, 
  and 
  the 
  Bureau 
  is 
  rehed 
  upon 
  to 
  furnish 
  brood 
  

   stock 
  for 
  such 
  waters. 
  

  

  RESCUE 
  OF 
  FISHES 
  FROM 
  OVERFLOWED 
  LANDS. 
  

  

  The 
  Bureau 
  has 
  continued 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  rescuing 
  fishes 
  from 
  the 
  

   temporary 
  lakes 
  and 
  pools 
  formed 
  when 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  

   tributaries 
  subside 
  after 
  the 
  annual 
  freshets. 
  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  

   gradual 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  operations, 
  the 
  collections 
  from 
  tliis 
  

   source 
  have 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  been 
  falling 
  off 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  are 
  appreci- 
  

   ably 
  smaller 
  than 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  ago. 
  However, 
  the 
  

   work 
  durmg 
  1914 
  was 
  more 
  favorable 
  than 
  for 
  several 
  seasons 
  past, 
  

   and 
  2,500,000 
  fish 
  of 
  all 
  species 
  were 
  saved, 
  this 
  number 
  being 
  about 
  

   three 
  times 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  These 
  fishes, 
  which 
  

   would 
  inevitably 
  have 
  perished 
  from 
  the 
  drying 
  or 
  freezing 
  of 
  the 
  

   ponds, 
  were 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  streams; 
  but 
  the 
  

   basses 
  and 
  alhed 
  species 
  thus 
  obtained 
  are 
  rehed 
  on 
  to 
  supplement 
  

   the 
  pond-cultural 
  operations, 
  ,and 
  are 
  utiUzed 
  for 
  stocldng 
  waters 
  in 
  

   the 
  contiguous 
  States 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  important 
  work 
  inaugurated' 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  of 
  rescuing 
  from 
  

   the 
  Chesapeake 
  & 
  Ohio 
  Canal 
  various 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  fishes 
  that 
  

   become 
  stranded 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  drawn 
  off 
  in 
  winter, 
  was 
  prose- 
  

   cuted 
  in 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  between 
  Point 
  of 
  Rocks, 
  Md., 
  and 
  

   Shcpherdstown, 
  W. 
  Va. 
  Approximately 
  19,500 
  adult 
  and 
  fingerUng 
  

   large-mouth 
  and 
  small-mouth 
  black 
  bass, 
  crappie, 
  sunfish, 
  white 
  

   perch, 
  yellow 
  perch, 
  and 
  catfish 
  were 
  taken 
  and 
  transferred 
  to 
  

   adjacent 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac 
  River. 
  

  

  MISCELLANEOUS 
  FISH-CULTURAL 
  ACTIVITIES. 
  

  

  The 
  hatching 
  of 
  pike 
  perch 
  at 
  the 
  Swanton, 
  Vt., 
  station, 
  though 
  

   considerably 
  retarded 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  spring, 
  was 
  successful. 
  The 
  egg 
  

   collections 
  were 
  above 
  the 
  average, 
  amounting 
  in 
  round 
  numbers 
  to 
  

   134,000,000, 
  and 
  being 
  of 
  very 
  fine 
  quaUty. 
  The 
  losses 
  during 
  incu- 
  

   bation 
  were 
  small. 
  The 
  most 
  gratifying 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  however, 
  

   was 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  undertaken 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  of 
  

   holding 
  brood 
  fish 
  to 
  ripen 
  in 
  pens 
  constructed 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Champlain. 
  All 
  previous 
  attempts 
  in 
  tliis 
  direction 
  had 
  met 
  

  

  