ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



489 



THE SOLUTION OF THE CARP 

 PROBLEM. 



A dozen years ago, only a very few students 

 of the fisheries of the United States, believed 

 that any good could result from the introduction 

 of the European carp into America. 



These few were studying the supply of food 

 fishes in our markets and held steadily to their 

 opinion that this marvelously productive fish was 

 needed in our waters, because of the fact that it 

 breeds abundantly in streams which on account 

 of many forms of pollution, are being deserted 

 by native species. Our extensive fish cultural 

 work — the most effective the world has ever 

 seen — is already very seriously hampered by the 

 condition of the rivers wherever the population 

 is dense and manufacturing industries well de- 

 veloped. Some branches of the fish cultural 

 work might as well be abandoned until the 

 American public appreciates the fact that sewage 

 and factory wastes are ruining our waters, and 

 destroying the supply of certain native fishes 

 formerly of great commercial value. 



A change cannot be expected very soon. In 

 the meantime we are throwing into the breach 

 more than twenty million pounds of carp a 

 year, caught in thirty-five different States. 



The increasing value of carp in the markets 

 is not its only importance ; fish culturists every- 

 where recognize its value as the chief food of 

 some of the best native fishes. 



The Fish Commissioner of Pennsylvania, who 

 for many years has maintained that the intro- 

 duction of carp was a mistake, announces at 

 some length in a recent report, that its growing 

 value for food purposes in the great cities can- 

 not be overlooked. More than two million 

 pounds are sold in Philadelphia yearly, some- 

 times at prices exceeding ten cents a pound. 



New York uses about eight million pounds of 

 carp a year, and the weekly market reports this 

 winter have frequently quoted it at seven cents 

 a pound. Its high price is due in part to the 

 fact that some of the supply is sold alive. 



The Illinois River contributes very largely 

 to the carp market, and a recent report gives the 

 carp catch of this river, from September 1 to 

 December 15, at nine million pounds, the out- 



put going to New York, Philadelphia, Boston. 

 Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Memphis. 



The report of the Wisconsin Fish Commis- 

 sion for 1908, states the following respecting 

 the fisheries of the Mississippi River and its 

 tributaries in Wisconsin, the Mississippi being 

 the western boundary of that State: "The carp 

 is the principal fish caught. The fishermen on 

 these waters are making more money by catch- 

 ing and marketing carp than they ever made in 

 past years from all other kinds. 



"As an indication of what the Mississippi 

 River carp fisheries amount to a fish dealer lo- 

 cated at Bay City, Wisconsin, states before the 

 Fish and Game Committee of the legislature of 

 1907 that he was one of four principal buyers 

 of fish along the Mississippi River in our State 

 and that during the previous winter he had 

 shipped one hundred and fourteen car loads of 

 fish for which he paid $127,000. 



"Sharp, Spriggles and Amoth of Bay City, 

 Wisconsin, caught, in December, 1907, with one 

 haul of a seine seven hundred feet long, 55,000 

 pounds of carp for which they received four and 

 one-half cents per pound. 



"In the fall of 1907, Mr. L. F. May caught in 

 a single haul of a seine 90,000 pounds of fish, 

 principally carp. From this haul he marketed 

 71,660 pounds for which he received $3,171.42. 

 The 'No. 1' carp brought him from five to five 

 and one-half cents per pound. During the year 

 1907 he marketed 216,822 pounds of fish, over 

 one-fourth of which were dressed before weight 

 was taken. More than three-fourths of the en- 

 tire catch for the year were carp. His income 

 from fishing during the year exceeded $10,000. 

 These are instances which have come to my 

 notice. Doubtless others have done as well." 



"New York is the principal market for the 

 carp and buffalo fish caught by the Mississippi 

 River fishermen." 



The preceding are only a few of the state- 

 ments respecting the carp fishery in the numer- 

 ous reports of the year from State commission- 

 ers. If the recent yearly increases in the price 

 of carp continue, we shall materially reduce the 

 numbers of the carp and at the same time find it 

 a source of profit and an important item in the 

 supply of fish food. 



The "carp problem" of a few years ago is 

 undoubtedly settling itself. 



