THE DISTRIBUTION OF FISH AND FISH EGGS DURING THE 
FISCAL YEAR 1915, 
CHARACTER OF THE WORK. 
The fish-cultural work of the Bureau of Fisheries may be said to 
have two general objects—the restoration and maintenance of the 
commercial fisheries of the country and the stocking of its interior 
waters with the more important food and game fishes to which they 
are adapted. In the prosecution of the former of these objects, which 
is concerned with the salmons, whitefish, lake trout, pike perch, shad, 
white perch, yellow perch, cod, lobster, pollock, and other commercial 
species, the Bureau acts on its own initiative, carefully planning its 
distribution of young fish with the view of conserving and increas- 
ing the importance of existing fisheries and of establishing a basis 
for their extension through the systematic annual planting of fish of 
suitable species in fertile but unproductive fields. 
In that part of its work which relates to the stocking of interior 
lakes and streams the Bureau solicits the participation of the public. 
It cooperates with individuals or associations who may be interested 
in deciding as to the waters to be stocked, considers their suggestions 
as to the species of fish best suited therefor, and relies upon them to 
see that the fish furnished are properly planted in the waters for which 
they are assigned. 
While this branch of the work is relatively small, constituting only 
about 5 per cent of the annual output, the benefits accruing there- 
from are considered invaluable, not only in the economic sense of 
increasing the food supply by the utilization of many waters hereto- 
fore unproductive, but also because of their educational effect in 
developing and fostering a sentiment favorable to the protection and 
growth of the fisheries. The fishes principally produced for such 
waters are several of the native trouts, the grayling, the black basses, 
crappies, sunfishes, and catfishes. 
Owing to the practicability of hatching the eggs of the trouts by 
artificial means, the demands for such species can readily be supplied. 
On the other hand, the resources for the production of the warm-water 
species, commonly known as “pond fishes,’”’ are extremely limited, 
and it is with the greatest difficulty that the insistent and growing 
demands for them can be met. These fishes must of necessity be 
cultivated naturally in open ponds, where the eggs and young are sub- 
jected to many hazards, chief among them being sudden temperature 
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