﻿THE 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  OF 
  HSH 
  AND 
  FISH 
  EGGS 
  DURING 
  THE 
  

   FISCAL 
  YEAR 
  I9I3, 
  

  

  CHARACTER 
  OF 
  THE 
  WORK. 
  

  

  More 
  than 
  95 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  tlie 
  fish-cultural 
  stations 
  

   consists 
  of 
  important 
  commercial 
  species, 
  notably 
  the 
  salmons, 
  shad, 
  

   whitefish, 
  pike 
  perch, 
  yellow 
  perch, 
  white 
  perch, 
  lake 
  trout, 
  cod, 
  

   pollock, 
  haddock, 
  flatfish, 
  and 
  lobsters. 
  These 
  are 
  hatched 
  in 
  lots 
  of 
  

   many 
  milUons 
  annually 
  and 
  planted 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  the 
  fresh-water 
  

   species 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  coastal 
  streams 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  

   the 
  marine 
  species 
  upon 
  the 
  inshore 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

  

  The 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  waters, 
  generally 
  classed 
  

   as 
  game 
  fishes, 
  although 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  

   output, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  work, 
  supplying 
  as 
  

   it 
  does 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  for 
  pubhc 
  streams, 
  lakes, 
  and 
  ponds, 
  

   fishing 
  preserves, 
  private 
  ponds, 
  private 
  streams, 
  etc., 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States. 
  Among 
  the 
  fishes 
  most 
  extensively 
  produced 
  for 
  

   these 
  purposes 
  are 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  trout, 
  the 
  grayling, 
  the 
  basses, 
  

   crappies, 
  bream, 
  and 
  catfishes; 
  various 
  others 
  also 
  are 
  handled. 
  

  

  The 
  trouts 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Salmonidae, 
  whose 
  eggs 
  can 
  be 
  

   artificially 
  manipulated, 
  are 
  produced 
  in 
  adequate 
  numbers. 
  The 
  

   black 
  basses 
  and 
  aUied 
  species 
  are 
  not 
  susceptible 
  to 
  artificial 
  propa- 
  

   gation, 
  and 
  for 
  its 
  supplies 
  of 
  such 
  fishes 
  the 
  Bm-eau 
  must 
  depend 
  

   largely 
  upon 
  the 
  natural 
  reproduction 
  of 
  brood 
  fish 
  held 
  in 
  ponds 
  

   prepared 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  This 
  supply 
  is 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  demand. 
  

   During 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  their 
  existence 
  young 
  bass 
  in 
  ponds 
  are 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  dangers 
  of 
  many 
  kinds. 
  Snakes, 
  frogs, 
  turtles, 
  various 
  

   water 
  insects, 
  fish-eating 
  birds, 
  amphibious 
  animals, 
  ail 
  are 
  destruc- 
  

   tive 
  to 
  the 
  fry, 
  while 
  the 
  larger 
  specimens 
  of 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   school 
  prey 
  upon 
  their 
  weaker 
  bretln-en. 
  

  

  The 
  degree 
  of 
  success 
  attained 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  also 
  governed 
  largely 
  

   by 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  other 
  natural 
  conditions 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   control 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  Located 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  along 
  the 
  shoal 
  pond 
  

   margins, 
  the 
  nests 
  receive 
  the 
  full 
  effect 
  of 
  atmospheric 
  changes. 
  A 
  

   sudden 
  fall 
  in 
  temperature 
  will 
  often 
  cause 
  the 
  parent 
  fisJti 
  to 
  desert 
  

   their 
  nests, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  young, 
  being 
  extremely 
  sensitive, 
  are 
  

   frequently 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  cold 
  or 
  their 
  development 
  retarded. 
  Another 
  

   unfavorable 
  feature 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  in 
  

   shallow 
  water 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  force 
  of 
  sm-face 
  

  

  