Oiiiitlii Lake I-'tshcs 331 



lial>its that are reiirchensililc. As a cumincrcial proiKjsition, the brinjjing of the 

 carp to America has Ijeen of immense l)enefit, for today it is one of the common 

 food fishes of the country." 



Culture of the Carp. The Carj) has Wen cuhivated extensively in ponds in 

 this country, and its presence in wild waters has been due, as above noted, to its 

 escai)e from these |)onds throuRh carelessness or neglect. Carp may l)e raised with 

 considerable i)rofit in ponds, under some circumstances, and Leach ('19. pp. 3-J2) 

 gives am])le directions with diagrams for the construction and care of such jxtnds. 

 Cole (05, jip. 6^J-630) has also many suggestions for pond culture of Carp; and 

 likewise Smiley ('83, i)p. 244-249 ), but details of pond construction and care 

 need not l>e given here, esjMxially since Oneida Lake and the abundance of other 

 suitable Carj) waters in New York State do not pre.sent important jkmuI culture 

 I>roblcms. However, we do need to give more attention to the fish where they 

 now occur, and some knowledge of Carp culture in ponds will Ik- of use to us, 

 es|)ecially in connection with small water areas. M present. Carp are said to be 

 abundant in discarded ]x)rtions of old canals, and here they might well be cared 

 for. W. .\. Dence saw a good many Carp on June 20. 1927. and also on later 

 occasions, in parts of an oKl Erie Canal feeder near Fayetteville. X. V.. where there 

 was a very ])rofusc growth of vegetation on a muddy bottom. It may l)e advisable 

 under .sfime circumstances to fee<l the fish. Cole ("05. p. ^130) tells of this l)eing 

 successfully done by using young corn plants one to two feet high. Leach 

 ( '19, p. l6) however, recommends cooked vegetables, such as cabbage, potatoes, 

 com. or tuniips. and .says they will thrive on a low grade of flour, bran, or shorts 

 made into a brea<l thfiroughly cooked as if for table use. If Carp arc to Ix; raised 

 or encouraged in any waters, these should have abundant vegetation if possible. 

 .Smiley ('83. p. 244) names the following plants as l>est for Carp waters: crow- 

 foots, cowslips, water milfoil (Myriophyllum). bladderwort (Utrieuhria). horn- 

 wr>rt (Ciralopliylluiii), cress, water rice (Zicaiiia), water-mace, water <«ts. Indian 

 rice and water lilies. 



.\s to the im]M«rtance of Carp as pmd fish. Dr. Smith ("ic*, p. 1405) writes: 

 "It is not as a great market fish, however, that the carp is destincti to attain its 

 highest im|M)rtance among us. but as a fi>h for private culture and home con- 

 sumption. The numU-r of farmers and small landowners who are alive to the 

 l>enefits of private fish |>onds is increasing at a very rapid rate, and hundre<Is of 

 thousands of such in all parts of the cnuntry, but particularly in the great central 

 region, will find in the carp a fish well a<I.ipti"<l to their nee«ls anil conditions." 



.hiiiliiifi and Methods of Capture. Many methinls arc employe<l in Carp 

 capture. ( onunercial fish are caught with nets such as fyke nets. |N>und nets, 

 drag seincN. traninul iiits. and gill nets ( Canfield. "iS. ]i, it. Farmers often 

 sjK'ar Carp when they are running into the shallows for bri-eding ; pitchforks 

 are conunonly use»l. J. I). Black informed us of their capture in this way alniut 

 the lowlamls along Cbittenaiigo Creek: and W. .\. I)cucc has seen nwny taken in 

 this way in tribut.iry streams of ( )iieidn River at Hreweiion. Durand ("ll. p. 30) 

 lists the metluxls UM-d in capturiii^ coinmercial I'arp. with the |K>unds of fish 

 taken bv e.ich method. Hie figure* are as follows: 



