﻿60 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  Middle 
  West 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  and 
  Southern 
  States 
  embrace 
  

   many 
  thousands 
  of 
  acres 
  unsuited 
  to 
  agriculture 
  which 
  might 
  

   economically 
  and 
  profitably 
  be 
  converted 
  into 
  ponds 
  for 
  the 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  valuable 
  food 
  fishes. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  this 
  latter 
  enterprise 
  that 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  is 
  giving 
  special 
  attention. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  to 
  see 
  ponds, 
  swamps, 
  and 
  small 
  sheets 
  of 
  water 
  

   lying 
  entirely 
  useless 
  and 
  marshy 
  meadows 
  producing 
  nothing 
  except 
  

   a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  inferior 
  grass. 
  With 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  labor 
  and 
  

   capital 
  such 
  places 
  might 
  be 
  transformed 
  into 
  ponds 
  which 
  aside 
  

   from 
  their 
  value 
  for 
  fish 
  culture 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  material 
  benefit 
  to 
  farmers 
  

   as 
  reservoirs 
  for 
  the 
  storage 
  of 
  water 
  for 
  irrigation 
  during 
  periods 
  of 
  

   protracted 
  drought. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  waste 
  lands 
  in 
  

   this 
  manner 
  would 
  decrease 
  to 
  a 
  measurable 
  extent 
  the 
  liability 
  of 
  

   disastrous 
  floods 
  and 
  tend 
  to 
  equalize 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  neighboring 
  streams. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  localities 
  ponds 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  damming 
  of 
  small 
  

   ravines 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  diking 
  of 
  small 
  portions 
  of 
  marshy 
  soil 
  depressions. 
  

   Such 
  lands 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  for 
  agriculture, 
  and 
  the 
  benefits 
  of 
  their 
  

   use 
  for 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  fish 
  would 
  more 
  than 
  offset 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the* 
  

   pond 
  construction. 
  The 
  water 
  supply 
  could 
  be 
  provided 
  by 
  diverting 
  

   the 
  current 
  of 
  some 
  small 
  stream, 
  utilizing 
  the 
  overflow 
  from 
  a 
  

   spring, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  windmills 
  and 
  suitable 
  weUs. 
  

  

  In 
  ponds 
  so 
  constructed, 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  temperature 
  does 
  not 
  

   fall 
  below 
  50° 
  F. 
  in 
  the 
  spawning 
  season, 
  the 
  black 
  basses, 
  crappies, 
  

   sunfishes, 
  catfishes, 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  successfully 
  cultivated 
  

   with 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  expenditure 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  money. 
  

  

  The 
  Bureau 
  has 
  in 
  many 
  ways 
  endeavored 
  to 
  encourage 
  the 
  rais- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  food 
  fish 
  on 
  farms; 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  supply 
  consignments 
  

   of 
  young 
  fish 
  for 
  stocking 
  ponds, 
  but 
  will 
  gladly 
  furnish 
  such 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  needed 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  undertaking. 
  

  

  If 
  people 
  desiring 
  fish, 
  either 
  for 
  stocking 
  ponds 
  or 
  for 
  public 
  waters, 
  

   will 
  make 
  the 
  fact 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  they 
  wiU 
  be 
  supplied 
  with 
  

   blanks 
  upon 
  which 
  to 
  submit 
  formal 
  application, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  proper 
  

   distributing 
  season 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  for 
  a 
  brood 
  

   stock, 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  described, 
  will 
  be 
  delivered 
  

   free 
  of 
  charge 
  at 
  the 
  applicant's 
  railroad 
  station. 
  All 
  that 
  is 
  asked 
  

   in 
  return 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  shall 
  receive 
  adequate 
  attention 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   tection, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  applicant 
  submit 
  a 
  report 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  undertaking. 
  

  

  COOPERATIVE 
  STOCKING 
  OF 
  NATIONAL 
  PARKS 
  AND 
  FORESTS. 
  

  

  The 
  Bureau 
  has 
  undertaken 
  cooperative 
  work 
  with 
  the 
  Department 
  

   of 
  the 
  Interior 
  and 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  

   stocking 
  with 
  suitable 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  fishes 
  the 
  various 
  waters 
  

   witliin 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  national 
  parks 
  and 
  forests 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  

   and 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  plan 
  covering 
  such 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  agreed 
  upon. 
  

   Prior 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  no 
  definite 
  or 
  sustained 
  pohcy 
  looking 
  to 
  maintain- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  increasing 
  th3 
  fish 
  supply 
  in 
  these 
  vast 
  areas 
  had 
  ever 
  been 
  

   followed; 
  and 
  no 
  adequate 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  oppor- 
  

   tunities 
  that 
  are 
  presented 
  for 
  augmenting 
  the 
  attrastiveness 
  and 
  

   usefulness 
  of 
  the 
  national 
  parks 
  and 
  forests. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  following 
  national 
  parks, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  already 
  

   made 
  investigations 
  which 
  afford 
  information 
  concerning 
  their 
  

   present 
  fish 
  fauna 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  whose 
  introduction 
  is 
  best 
  suited 
  

  

  