5G0 KEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [1)4] 



cliuetl lo doubt this, altbougli there iiuiy be a 4;iaiu of truth in it. Tor 

 on what should the pike live, especially in a sky poud, if not on the youny; 

 of the carp. I had 10 per cent pike in four large stock ponds (sky 

 ponds), which in two years grew to a very respectable size, although 

 besides the carp there were in these i^ouds only a few tench, on \Yhose 

 young ones, in addition to the ])Oor fry of carp from the raising ])ouds, 

 the pike could not possibly live and reach, as they did, a weight of i to 

 (J pounds. It must, therefore, be supposed that if not all, at any rate 

 the greater i)ortion of the carp, had spawned, and thereby furnished am- 

 ple food for the pike. If the carp had Jiot spawned, no young fry could 

 have been fished from the i)oud, and the (puintity taken therefrom was 

 very considerable. 



The stock ])onds are generally fished in October; but the lish may 

 also be allowed to renuiin in them during winter, and the fisheries take 

 ])Iace in spring or summer, if there is reasonable hope that at that season 

 the lish will fetch a higher price than in autumn. The losses, however, 

 which are unavoidably connected with summer fisheries, will in most 

 cases neutralize any possible gain caused by the higher price of lish. 

 Summer fisheries should always take place in the cool of the morning, 

 and with as much expedition as possible. One should always be pre- 

 ])ared for considerable losses in the stock pond fisheries. We have 

 already, in a previous chapter, spoken of the average amount of the 

 losses during the fisheries; but it nmy be useful to (]Uote ^'on IJeider on 

 this subject. He says: " In the stock ponds one should always count 

 on some losses, altliougli it will be im]»ossible to determine tlu'ir extent 

 Ix'forchand ; for a great deal will de])end on the location of the stock 

 l)onds, whether they are sui rounded by forests, in which case birds of 

 prey will make havoc among the fish, whether there is nuich thieving 

 going on in the neighborhood, whetlier there is danger of inundations, 

 c^'c. According to these Aarying circumstances one should always count 

 as loss one tenth to one-twentieth of the number of fish placed in the 

 ])onds. Some people always count the loss as one-fifth, and therefore 

 overstock the ponds very much, which, however, does more harm than 

 good, as it de})rives the fish of sufficient room and food, and keeps them 

 small. It will be better to understock than t)verstock the stock ponds, 

 and if there are too many fish on hand from the raising ponds, it will 

 be better to sell those which are iu)t needed." 



As the largest ])onds are generally selected for stock ponds, the food 

 which they oifer is, as a rule, of a more varied character than in small 

 ])onds; and with the view to derive the greatest possible ])rofit from them, 

 it will be advisable to stock them with some other fish besides car[». 

 Large stock ponds not only offer a larger variety of worms and in- 

 sects, thus providing the projier food lor different kinds of fish, but also 

 they generally receive their sui)ply of water from rivers and brooks, 

 when, in spite of the grates,, fish of all kin<ls will get into tlie ponds. 

 Such fish are of no direct value to the pond cultivator, and can be util- 



