Culler. — FisJi Cultural Work in Mississippi Valley. 191 



The above-outlined fish-cultural operations, including rescue 

 and mussel infection work, are of more than local interest. The 

 food fishes of the Mississippi River Valley receive a wide distribu- 

 tion in the trade, while the number diverted for stocking other 

 waters is of national importance. In fact, the importance of this 

 fish-cultural and reclamation work as a means of increasing the 

 food supply, furnishing sport for the angler, and maintaining the 

 pearl button industry, can hardly be equalled in any other field, 

 when cost, results, and quick returns are considered. 



Discussion. 



Mr. E. W. Cobb, St. Paul, Minn. : We have received each year con- 

 signments which we have taken out and distributed to applicants. Formerly 

 we carried on rescue work down nearly to the Iowa line. To work over 

 the same ground with the Bureau of Fisheries, of course, was useless dupli- 

 cation ; so we took the territory north of Prescott, the Bureau working 

 our side of the river south of Prescott; and they send us numbers of fish 

 for distribution. 



Mr. G. C. Leach, Washington, D. C. : In the past few years the 

 various states along the upper Mississippi River have conceded to the 

 Bureau the right to rescue fishes along the border waters of that river. 

 Very amiable arrangements have been made, and I believe that they have 

 been the means of increasing the efficiency of the work. In the early days 

 the state legislatures did not seem to recognize the importance of the salvage 

 of large numbers of food fishes. They would make a small appropriation 

 and expect it to run over a period of two years. If it happened to be a 

 very good year for the salvage of food fishes, the state would probably ex- 

 pend the fund in the first year; the next year they would have no funds 

 and would appeal to the Bureau to take up the work. In view of these 

 sporadic arrangements with regard to funds, it was fotmd necessary for 

 the Bureau to take over the major part of the work on a cooperative basis, 

 and the states very generously assisted. We have, therefore, been working 

 in close cooperation, and I think that is one reason why we have been able 

 with our personnel to obtain greatly increased numbers of fish. The states 

 are assisting to a considerable extent in the distribution of fish, receiving 

 them at the Bureau's holding stations located at certain points along the 

 river, and distributing them in their own waters. That is one thing that 

 the Bureau has considerable difficulty in doing; the railroads in the states 

 seem to recognize that the state should have certain concessions in regard 

 to rates that they would not grant to the Federal Bureau. 



Mr. W. E. Barber, Madison, Wis. : What proportion of the fish rescued 

 are of the bass family? 



Mr. CuU-ER: Last year we rescued about 700,000 bass. The greatest 

 number rescued were catfish, crappie, sunfish, carp, and buffalo. It might 

 be interesting to refer to the sunfish. Four years ago, out of 34,000,000 

 fish rescued we handled only 600,000 sunfish; last year, out of 178,000,000 



