PLANTING FISH vs. FRY 



BY JOll-X L. l.KAKY 

 U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, San Marcos, Texas 



There comi's a. report Troin all over this l)i'()a(l coimtrv of the 

 growing searcity of iiiarkctahle fish, especially is this true of our 

 Atlantic coastal fishes, and sneh varieties as visit fresh waters to 

 spawn, along with the whitefish of the lakes, and I might say 

 with all the varieties that are handled in the work of propaga- 

 tion. Mneh of this may he the chronic ei-y of the disa]jpointed 

 fisherman, yet I do not think we gi4 the results, or that the 

 catch of adult fish is what it should be, when compared with the 

 immense ])lants of fry made, not only )jy the bureau of fisheries, 

 but the state industries engaged in the work of fish culture. 

 And while I have no specific remedy to increase the catch of our 

 economic fishes 1 do l)elieve that by building large retaining 

 ponds in connection with our hatcheries, we could rear many 

 millions of fish to the size of fingerlings, that would escajje the 

 many enemies that the poor little fry fall a prey to. Many fry 

 are often made doubly weak by distant tranportation in close 

 quarters, when planted are so weak and inactive that they are 

 readily destroyed l)y minnows, small fish etc., that are abundant 

 in most watei-s. Now with large retaining ponds, built at some 

 convenient po'nt to tlie hatchery, if ])ossible near some stream or 

 lake, where a certain number of fry could be reared to finger- 

 lings, and the surplus fry could be jjlanfed as we are now doing, 

 I think we could largely increase the catch of marketal)le fish. 

 \\'i' will take the shad, one of the most delicate fish we liandle. 

 yet many of their fry were reared to fingerlings in the ponds at 

 Washington, D. Q., and liberated in the early fall. Many years 

 ago when I was a fisherman, I observed often in the shallow 

 waters along the shores of the Albemarle sound, schools of young 

 shad making their way out to salt water, also many young striped 

 bass. ;> to 4 inches long. This migration occurred during Au- 

 gust and September. 1'liis jn'oves to my satisraciion. tliat they 

 could be ponded in fresh or lu'ackish water for st'veral months. 

 a period that would change the little weak frv to a strong finger- 



