REPORT OF THE FISH CULTURIST. 



Hon. Thomas H. Guy, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Fish 

 and Game: 



Sib. — I present herewith a report upon the fish cultural work 

 of the Conservation Commission during the fiscal year ended 

 September 30, 1911. 



This includes the annual statements of the foremen of the 

 nine hatcheries now operated by the State and of the experi- 

 mental work with the pike in Lake George, together with prac- 

 tical notes made during inspection trips as to the condition of 

 the hatcheries and ponds and the habits, reproduction, diseases, 

 enemies and culture of the fishes and other aquatic animals of 

 the State. It contains also statistical data concerning the output 

 of the various stations, its money value and its increase during 

 the last five years. 



The number of fish furnished to applicants for stocking public 

 waters was 701,448,394, an increase over the distribution of 

 1910 of 164,152,419, or more than 30 per cent. The growth of 

 the work can best be appreciated by the simple statement that 

 in 1907 the entire yield of the nine stations was 250,656,600 fish. 



In order to arrive at a clear and fair statement of the money 

 value of the fish sent out in 1911 the circulars of commercial 

 fish hatcheries have been carefully examined and compared, and 

 when no other guide was available I have taken the market value 

 of the food fish as a basis of computation. The private hatcheries 

 have to do with only a few species of fish including several kinds 

 of trout, black bass, yellow perch, white perch, sunfish of several 

 kinds, roach and catfish. 



The State hatcheries not only furnish game fish for sport and 

 food but they also cultivate important food fishes, both fresh- 

 water and marine, so that thirty-three or more species are under 

 our care. 



The shad, river herring, whitefish, frostfish, lake herring, 

 tullibee, smelt, pike, pikeperch, blue pike, yellow perch, white 

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