Reighard. — Knowledge of Breeding Habits 101 



forms are destroyed, or greatly limited. The new shore 

 is usually of soft mud or marl without the stones need- 

 ful for the small-mouthed bass and the smaller fishes 

 mentioned above. From the shore the water deepens 

 rapidly so that few shallows are left for any of the fishes. 

 Lowering the lake level has thus destroyed or greatly 

 limited both the food and the breeding grounds of the 

 game fishes. 



Raising of lake levels by damming their outlet may 

 have a like effect by making the water over the shoals too 

 deep for breeding fish. In this case new shoals are usual- 

 ly created by the overflow of flat lands and the fishes in 

 time utilize these as breeding grounds. 



It is evident that in all these cases the prolonged action 

 of natural forces has brought the lakes and streams into 

 such a condition that they afford to their native fishes 

 both food and breeding grounds. The majority of fishes 

 are more accurately adjusted to breeding conditions than 

 to food. These conditions must be maintained or the 

 fishes will greatly diminish or disappear. 



3. Protection of Breeding Grounds. We are accus- 

 tomed to protect fishes by forbidding fishing during the 

 breeding season. The breeding season is not fixed by the 

 calendar and may begin before the closed season or con- 

 tinue after it. The closed season is commonly too short 

 to cover the breeding time, and the fishes suffer. In most 

 waters there is always an open season for some fishes 

 and the waters are never free from anglers, who are 

 tempted to take whatever fish they can get, whether pro- 

 tected or not. 



The breeding grounds, on the other hand, are of lim- 

 ited extent and may be definitely located by one who has 

 knowledge of breeding habits. They may be marked by 

 buoys and fishing on them prohibited while it is permit- 

 ted elsewhere. For nest building fishes, like the basses, 

 this method might prove more effective in preventing 

 depletion than the present method of pond culture. It 

 need not be more expensive. Under it fishing in a lake 

 would be permitted during all seasons of the year, but 



