﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  29 
  

  

  INVESTIGATIONS 
  OF 
  LAKES 
  AND 
  STREAMS. 
  

  

  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  River 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  

   the 
  discharge 
  of 
  sewage 
  through 
  the 
  Chicago 
  Drainage 
  Canal 
  were 
  

   brought 
  to 
  a 
  conclusion 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  a 
  report 
  thereon 
  has 
  

   been 
  prepared. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  

   effects 
  of 
  stream 
  pollution 
  on 
  the 
  fishes 
  and 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  

   that 
  the 
  results 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  solution 
  

   of 
  problems 
  which 
  are 
  yearly 
  growing 
  more 
  acute. 
  This 
  work 
  was 
  

   conducted 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  Illinois 
  Natural 
  History 
  Survey 
  

   under 
  conditions 
  of 
  great 
  advantage 
  to 
  the 
  Government. 
  

  

  The 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Truckee 
  River 
  Basin 
  in 
  California 
  and 
  Nevada 
  

   have 
  been 
  under 
  investigation 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  As 
  

   has 
  been 
  indicated 
  in 
  previous 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  this 
  system 
  for 
  irrigation 
  purposes 
  has 
  already 
  reached 
  a 
  

   stage 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  valuable 
  food 
  

   fishes. 
  It 
  appears 
  inevitable 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  irri- 
  

   gated 
  the 
  streams 
  eventually 
  will 
  be 
  reduced, 
  in 
  places, 
  to 
  practically 
  

   dry 
  beds 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons, 
  and 
  the 
  native 
  fishes 
  will 
  become 
  a 
  

   negligible 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  supply. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  a 
  way 
  may 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  compensate 
  for 
  this 
  deficiency 
  by 
  introducing 
  other 
  species 
  

   of 
  nonmigratory 
  habit 
  Vv^hich 
  can 
  be 
  acclimatized 
  in 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   waters, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  yearly 
  becoming 
  more 
  evident 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   in 
  some 
  cases 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  frank 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  more 
  and 
  

   cheaper 
  food 
  can 
  be 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  irrigation 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  than 
  by 
  

   the 
  conservation 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  streams. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  investigation 
  to 
  determine 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  develop 
  the 
  

   one 
  source 
  of 
  food 
  supply 
  while 
  maintaining 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1912 
  the 
  Bureau 
  continued 
  its 
  examinations 
  

   of 
  lakes 
  in 
  Washington 
  and 
  Idaho 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  physical 
  and 
  

   biological 
  characteristics, 
  particularly 
  as 
  they 
  may 
  affect 
  the 
  culture 
  

   and 
  acclimatization 
  of 
  fishes. 
  It 
  frequently 
  happens 
  that 
  disap- 
  

   pointing 
  results 
  follow 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  lakes 
  which 
  superficially 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  recent 
  investiga- 
  

   tions 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  failures 
  are 
  often 
  due 
  to 
  deficiencies 
  in 
  the 
  

   physical 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  deeper 
  waters. 
  This 
  work 
  is 
  demanded 
  

   not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  information 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  its 
  

   fish-cultural 
  operations, 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  urgently 
  requested 
  by 
  the 
  

   State 
  authorities. 
  Similar 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  for 
  several 
  

   years 
  in 
  Wisconsin 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  Wisconsin 
  Geological 
  and 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  Survey. 
  A 
  reconnoissance 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  lakes 
  in 
  the 
  Superior 
  National 
  Forest 
  Reserve 
  in 
  northeastern 
  

   Minnesota, 
  which 
  differ 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  their 
  fauna 
  from 
  the 
  

   lakes 
  of 
  more 
  calcareous 
  water 
  farther 
  south. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  investigations 
  were 
  begun 
  on 
  Lake 
  

   Champlain 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Vermont, 
  to 
  determiae 
  

  

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