American Fisheries Society. 103 
It is not a pleasant subject to dwell on, but I fear most of 
us must face the situation sooner or later. 
Mr. North: When in Campbellsport I visited the Pleasant 
Valley hatchery. Everything seemed to be in good shape there, 
but they cannot keep a brood trout in the hatchery. 
Dr. Evermann: ‘The gill parasite was discovered a great 
many years ago. Long before fish culture began in this country, 
long before trout of any species were kept or cultivated in 
artificial ponds, and that species or other species are found in 
various portions of the Umited States. I have seen them on the 
Pacific coast salmon, upon the blue back salmon, upon the cut- 
throat of the Salmon river, upon rainbow trout in southern 
Oregon, and on other wild trout. But [ am not ready to say 
that these gill parasites were affecting those fishes very seriously. 
There was nothing to indicate that they were. 
But that is a somewhat different question from what would 
be the effect of these same parasites upon brood fish at hatcheries 
and in the Adirondacks. Mr. Whish, I think, makes an excel- 
lent point when he speaks of the changed conditions existing 
in the Adirondacks, due to deforestation, the establishment of 
pulp mills and other manufacturing establishments upon those 
streams, changing very materially the character of the water in 
them. 
I have visited a number of lakes and streams in the Adiron- 
dacks, including the Racket River, and lakes connected with it: 
and although [ was not fortunate enough to see those waters 
before they were so changed, | could readily believe that the 
change has been very great from the conditions that existed 
when the forests there were virgin, when the banks of streams 
were lined with vegetation down to the water’s edge, when there 
would be dropping into the stream various sorts of insects, and 
insect larve from the overhanging trees and bushes. The 
waters of those streams were doubtless colder than now, and 
flowed much more uniformly then than now, aside from the 
more serious question of pollution which come from mills of 
various sorts. Take the Racket River as an illustration. During 
the spring of the year when there is a flow much above the 
average in that stream, the taste of the tannic acid in the water 
