752 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



TRANSPORTATION OF FISH. 



In distributing young fish from the hatcheries to the waters they are to 

 stock, six special cars are employed. They are equipped with all necessary 

 apparatus for the safe carriage of young and adult fishes and each is provided 

 with a buffet and sleeping accommodations for a crew of five men. The cars 

 are attached to passenger trains, and many of the railroad companies, appre- 

 ciating the benefits arising from stocking waters along their lines, haul the cars 

 gratis; others make special rates for cars and crew. When plants are made off 

 the main railroad lines, the fish are carried in baggage cars in charge of members 

 of the car crew. 



In addition, distributions are made from many stations without the aid of 

 the special cars, the station employees caring for the fish in baggage cars. For 

 this service the railroad companies usually charge regular fare for the attendants 

 but transport the fish and return the empty cans gratis. 



Fry and young fish are usually transported in lo-gallon round-should6red 

 iron cans, tinned for fresh-water work and galvanized for marine work. With 

 fresh water galvanized iron often proves toxic, and should never be used in the 

 transportation of fresh-water fishes. On the cars it is possible to aerate the 

 water in each fish can by air pumped through a reservoir, from which it is taken 

 through lines of piping along the sides of the car. The piping is equipped with 

 pet cocks, from which the air is carried to the cans in S/^-inch rubber tubing and 

 forced into the water through liberators made of porous wood, preferably the 

 American linden {Tilia americana), placed in hard rubber holders. For best 

 results these liberators must not be placed in the water until air pressure is on 

 and must be removed when air pressure is stopped. 



In putting up cod fry and fry of other marine fishes for shipment it is cus- 

 tomary to have several quarts of water in the transportation cans and then 

 carefully dip the fry from the hatching boxes, lowering the dipper to the water 

 in the cans before emptying it. When the box is nearly empty the remaining 

 fry are removed from it to a can by means of a siphon. When transported on 

 a vessel having a conveniently arranged well, linen scrim is securely fastened 

 over the top of each can containing fry and the cans are laid horizontally in the 

 well, the top toward a perforated supply pipe through which water is pumped 

 into the well, thus maintaining a constant current. 



Lobster fry may be carried in scrim-walled containers, or boxes, suspended 

 in the well of a vessel, the motion of the vessel and the constant circulation of 

 water in the well keeping the fry in good condition and preventing their settling in 

 a mass at the bottom. The boxes are made of a framework covered on the four 

 sides and bottom with scrim, which allows a free circulation from all sides. 

 Each box, 42 inches by 29 inches by 29 inches, will hold from 2,000,000 to 



