American Fisheries Society. 205 
in 1899 the catch of carp in Lake Erie amounted to 3,633,697 
pounds, worth $51,456. In 1900, as nearly as I could determine, 
the catch was 4,598,090 pounds, with a valuation of $68,971.35, 
wholesale. Indications are that in the succeeding years it was 
even greater, while the fisheries of the Illinois River appear to 
exceed considerably those of the Great Lakes. This is enough 
to give an idea of the extent to which carp are now being used. 
Some attempt has been made at smoking the larger fish, and 
other methods have also been used to preserve them, but those 
products appear never to have gained any considerable demand. 
The smoked fish, nevertheless, compares favorably with many 
other kinds now used for that purpose, and it would seem that 
persistence in this line should finally meet with success. 
As illustrating the ways in which the carp may be said to be 
of use more or less incidentally, it may be noted that in Izaak 
Walton’s time it was considered to be worthy of the angler’s 
attention, and that even now in this country its capture fur- 
nishes amusement as well as acceptable food to many, especially 
those of the poorer classes. Furthermore, it is probably of value 
for its destruction of mosquito and other aquatic larvee, and it 
has recently been shown to be an important factor in some sec- 
tions of the country in keeping in check the parasite known as 
the liver fluke, which attacks sheep, often killing them in large 
numbers. Certain of the stages of this parasite are passed in the 
pond snail, which is eaten by the carp. It has also been found 
that the young carp, which can easily be raised in large quanti- 
ties, make very good food for trout and bass. 
The carp has sometimes been spoken of as “the poor man’s 
fish,” and such is essentially the position it would appear to be 
destined to occupy in the economy of our country. Those who 
are able to obtain better fish will undoubtedly continue to prefer 
them. But for feeding the great communities of foreigners and 
newly-made citizens in our large cities, any source of cheap 
wholesome food is of much importance, and, as has been shown, 
the use of carp for this purpose is increasing with each year. 
One often hears it stated that a bounty should be put upon 
these fish in order to attempt their extermination, or at least to 
keep them in check. It must be recognized that it is sheer non- 
sense to think of their extermination by any such means, and the 
