Uiuida l.ak-i- l-islus 321 



i 1k\ .xwim slowly about, often with their dorsal fins ami sonK-tinKs with i^jrlions 

 of their lacks out of water (Cole, 05, p. 575). Car[) spawn when two years of 

 age, under proper water and food conditions, according to Leach ('ly, p. 13), and 

 are then from 16 to 18 inches long. Warm days with a light south wind seem 10 

 be most often selected by Carp for spawning, according to Richardson ('13, ]>. 

 3<jo) ; and Cole (05, p. 575) says that they a|)parently spawn most frequently in 

 the early morning hours. 



Shallow weedy swamps are favorite spawning grounds. Such situations were 

 found by Cole ('05, p. 575) along the Sandusky River, who described them as 

 follows: "Shallow water, one to two feet deep, and pretty well grown up with 

 aquatic grasses, sedges, and flags, but with numerous open places from a few feet 

 to a few rods in diameter, where the vegetation was not so abundant. The bottom 

 was fairly solid, being composed of the routs of the plants and much dead grass." 

 The region about Billington Hay of (Jneida Lake (Fig. 193), where Carp were 

 said to .spawn, was similar to the breeding habitat described by Cole. Sometimes 

 they spawn in water as deep as 5.5 feet, according to Richardson ('13, p. 307 )• 

 The eggs arc scattered over the vegetation of the shallow breeding habitat. Rich- 

 ardson (p. 391) noted 100-2500 Carp eggs to a square yard of bottom on their 

 breeding grounds. Their eggs are adhesive and cling to the plant surfaces. Evi- 

 dently many are lost through falling in loose soil but this loss is negligible con- 

 sidering the number produced by such a |)rolific species. Gill ('05. p. jo6) records 

 j.ooo.OfX) eggs in a Carp weighing I'l.s pounds. The ovaries weighed 5.5 pounds. 

 .\ccording to Leach ('19. p. 14) the nunil)er of eggs deposited by a female during 

 an entire season will vary from 300,000 to 700,000 according to size, but not more 

 than 400 to 500 are deposited at one time. 



The eggs hatch in about five to twelve days, dependent on the water tem|iera- 

 ture (Cole, '05, ]>. 578). The fish matures in two or three years (I.e., p. 573). 

 During the first year they may become alnnit six to eight inches long ( ForlK-s and 

 Richardson, '09, p. 107; Embo<ly, '15, p. 22y). Leach ('19, p. i^i) gives the fol- 

 lowing data as to size at difTcrent ages: 



I year, '/. j»ound. length 9 inches. 



from a tributary of < )iieida River, which ranged from alxuit J to j'j inches in 

 length. r;ill ('05, p. J07), however, s;iys that the fish reach a jK)und or more the 

 first year, with abundant foo<l. Hcan ( '02. p. 290) tells of a growth to 23 inches 

 eleven months after planting. The maximum siic of the S|K"cies is large. Nichols 

 and Heilner ( 'jo, p. i ) give this as <>o |M>unds for a fish taken in Switzerland altout 

 1S25. TI1C largest Carp noted by Cole in his extensive studies of the sin-cies in the 

 Great I-akes was twenty pf)un<ls (Cole. '05. p. 535). The Danulnr has a record 

 of one weighing 67 jmuiuls (Hean, '02. p. 3(fo). Smith ('07, p. 106) says they 

 l>ecome as large as 40 innimls in the United Slates. Mr. Dcncc has Ixrcn infonne<l 

 by fishermen that the average individual size in the many tons of Carp taken from 

 Oneida I -ike and put on the market in I«j27. was alMnit eight pounds, and the 

 largest taken weighc<l 33 |Miunds. 



