THE GERMAN CARP IN THE UNITED STATES. 547 
Carp distributed by the United States Fish Commission. 
Res eae, Number SA et: Number 
Fiseal year. of fish. Fiscal year. oftishi 
BOO eae teeters scs.c2 mescees seseseee so 12, 265 BSOE A ctaciscthereaae efatartlscereeaierelate alors sie ee 170, 402 
LSE Qa oe Cea) AO ee ee Se ee Se GBs G5 7 SOO bec erciets Sa leertncy- ms eae seni sp eae 26, 316 
its} e. 5 Sais SS ee ee eee TASHGIG | LOOM sm ~ ctoreyslere sate eieeieel= seiciele se s/smeraieiaige 3338, 809 
CRB See ae nO See eee ee ee a eee SOO RTEBN BOR ees fo oe SS. aon set sami Soe go ees 157, 093 
epee ee aes atecoi ao a's Sisyoe cle siaisinte ehrerateice a G2 QOOT | eA SOS «cman cae s|sisiesie s,s cee om occas eee 72, 481 
GR eats fale ions das Sess sepse ees RG Te SA Ge WL BOM ie 2) (aa datats einisictatee wis -. ta dele<stlao acme 47, 757 
PSS Ope ate ee ere eteniaoiate oraicicieies Bose eo cie we seine DAO OAS ROU O iam cee cote see ciated ee ceinte sate erseetas 33, 935 
ROSES ats I Imp 5 as iS trcis e Swe nwsiete Be eleaaie fey USS GON SOGOme ok ese ee eee scene 87, 203 
Js telel SeCR SEE eC EEO eae WE Naee cers te ne See ee | 175,410 
| 
aIn 1894 400,000 young carp were used for feeding bass. 
bIn 1896 about 600,000 young carp were used for feeding bass, and since that date all the carp 
hatched by the Government have been used for the same purpose. 
At the present time the carp has come to have a very general dis- 
tribution, especially in the temperate portions of the world. Its 
distribution in Asia and Europe has already been mentioned (p. 537). 
It is now found in abundance all over the United States wherever the 
waters are at all suitable. Many were sent to Canada by this Govern- 
ment shortly after the introduction of the species, but with the excep- 
tion of some of the waters of Ontario, especially in the vicinity of the 
Great Lakes, it does not appear to have become very abundant, owing 
without doubt to the coldness of the waters. From this country a num- 
ber of lots were sent to Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico, where it was 
said to be thriving. It was introduced into the Hawaiian Islands from 
California, and Cobb (1902, p. 452) reports it as being found now on 
the islands of Maui and Kauai. On the former it is quite common in 
the irrigation ditches near Wailuku, where it is said to have been first 
planted. The fish are not often sold, as they are not popular with the 
whites and natives on account of their muddy flavor, but they are 
caught and eaten by the Japanese and Chinese. 
In reference more particularly to the history of the carp in the 
Great Lakes region, there can be little doubt that prior to 1879 there 
were no carp here. In that year the first distribution was made by the 
United States Fish Commission, and those who received fish were 6 
applicants in Ohio, 5 in Indiana, 2 in Illinois, and 1 in Wisconsin. In 
the following year a large number of persons in these states received 
carp either directly from the United States Commission or indirectly 
through their state commissions, and the real introduction of this fish 
into the waters of the Great Lakes basin may be said to date practi- 
eally from that year. This was only twenty-five years ago, and the 
wonderful increase of carp since that time is in many ways compara- 
ble to that of the English sparrow in this country. 
The distribution of carp in 1880 did not take place until late in the 
year—in November for the most part—and it is not likely that many 
reached the public waters that fall. Many of them surely did so the 
following season, however, to say nothing of those that were planted 
