SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE CULTURE OF 

 YELLOW PERCH IN PONDS 



By W. B. Gorham 



The following facts concerning pond culture of yellow 

 perch (Perca flavescens) were noted while the writer was 

 acting as fish culturist at the Erwin, Tenn., station. As 

 many ponds unsuited for the propagation of the basses 

 could be utilized for the culture of this other excellent fish, it 

 seems possible that these facts may prove of interest to the 

 members of this Society. 



Upon my arrival at this station our brood stock of yellow 

 perch consisted of one pair, about eight inches long, that 

 had been saved from a consignment of bass brought by car 

 from Meredosia, 111. During my stay they received no par- 

 ticular attention, the other warm water fishes being given 

 precedence in every way, yet from this little family about 

 2,000 fine healthy fish were distributed annually. 



The pond in which they were reared was of the dumb- 

 bell shape designed by the late William F. Page and of small 

 surface area, being about one hundred and twenty feet long 

 by thirty feet wide and contracted in the centre to a width 

 of ten feet. The extreme depth at one end was twelve feet. 

 shoaling to eighteen inches at the further end. The banks 

 were for the most part rather steep, and were fringed with 

 willows, the roots of which, with hair-like fibres, extended 

 well out into the pond. 



The fish spawned early in the spring at this station, the 

 eggs being deposited in conglutinated masses on the willow 

 roots, in water of an average depth of five feet through, the 

 roots floating about eighteen inches from the surface. The 

 eggs soon hatched, usually in ten to twelve days, the small 

 fry hiding, and appearing later in schools as fingerlings, 

 when they could sometimes be observed feeding along the 

 shore line, if one tised extreme care in approaching the 

 pond. The adults were always left in the pond with their 



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