Ward. — Fish Parasites and Parasitic Diseases 241 



Wright, R. R. — Continued. 

 1S87. Argulus and mortality of fishes. American Naturalist, vol. 

 xxi, p. 188. 



Refers to Washburn (1886) and records fatal epidemic in whitefish 

 of Lake of the Woods due to an undetermined species of Argulus, 

 not the same as those from Europe where similar epidemics are not 

 uncommon. 



Y \KKoW, H. C. 



1874.- Notes on the shad as observed at Beaufort Harbor, N. C, 

 and vicinity. Report U. S. Fish Commission 1872-73, p. 

 453-456. 



No disease has ever been noticed prevailing as an epidemic, nor do 

 parasites as a rule infest shad; although occasionally sea lice are found 

 hanging near the gills. They are carried into fresh waters by the 

 migration of the shad. 



DISCUSSION 



Mr. Meehan : This is a subject which interests every one of us. 



Prof. L. L. Dyche, Pratt, Kan. : I must express my appreciation of 

 that paper. I shall be glad to see it in print. Most fish culturists know 

 what it is to contend with a great number of diseases that we do not 

 know very much about. 



I have only been in this business a short time, but I have had to 

 fight three or four small epidemics already; and not knowing just the 

 nature of these epidemics made it hard to light them. When we know 

 what the trouble is, we stand a better show to fight it. 



This fungus disease is one we do not know how to fight very well. 

 It appears in clear water, cold water and warm water. We find it 

 almost any time of the year in our part of the country. In planning 

 for the new fish hatchery we go above a city, build a dam and get pure 

 fresh water above the place where the city sewage enters the stream. 

 It may be that a certain amount of sewage in water may be good for 

 fish, according to some reports, from a fish food standpoint, but I 

 doubt whether it is good for fish from a parasitic and disease stand- 

 point. The natural process of reasoning would suggest to us that we 

 want pure, clean water to raise fish in. The water supply of the old 

 or present fish hatchery at Pratt, Kan., and that of a number of private 

 ponds along the water course comes from the Ninnescah River and 

 from a point below where the city sewage is emptied into the river. 

 This sewage water is from a septic tank system. Yet in the ponds 

 supplied from this water the fish have suffered from repeated attacks 

 of the fungus diseases, and in some instances raw blood-shot places 

 (sores) from the size of a dime to a dollar appeared on the fish, es- 

 pecially affecting the hickory shad and afterward the giant crappie 

 or strawberry bass. At times these affected fish would be seen swim- 

 ming near the surface of the water and resting near the shore. The 

 dead fish would be found lodged along the shore in different places. 

 The sick and dead fish were most noticeable along the stream and 

 ponds directly receiving water that was affected with the sewage. 



