Conservation Commission 351 



Small-Mouthed Black Bass 



The first great difficulty met with in our efforts to raise bass 

 fry to fingerlings is the lack of water. In No. 4, or the new pond, 

 the inlet and outlet are nearly opposite each other at the east end 

 of the pond so that the west end has no circulation. 



The abundant growth of algae which furnish plenty of oxygen 

 and minute Crustacea in the early stages of growth of the young 

 fry does not continue after they become more advanced. As the 

 water is taken from the pond above the hatchery it is greatly 

 diminished in the dry weather generally prevailing in June and 

 July when we need a generous supply bringing with it food for 

 the young fish. When conditions obtain such as have occurred 

 for the last two seasons, the vegetable life in the ponds, and es- 

 pecially the algae, makes a very rapid growth. The algae cause 

 a great deal of trouble when taking the advanced fry and finger- 

 lings out of the ponds, as the young fish become entangled and a 

 great many of them are gilled. Often, in taking the bass out of 

 the nets for shipment, we find them rolled in the grass, bruised 

 and dead. 



This past season we experienced great difficulty in getting our 

 fingerlings in several of the ponds. 



As to artificial or ground food for fry and fingerlings, such 

 as the white meat of pickerel, chub and suckers, we have ground 

 it fine, strained it through cheese cloth, and when we put it in 

 the tank or ponds the fry or fingerlings would go to it and turn 

 away from it; but they would not touch it. We have tried very 

 patiently to induce the young bass to eat ground food but without 

 success so far. Even in this month (December) we feed small 

 chubs or suckers to the eighteen small mouthed fingerlings which 

 we have at the hatchery. This is perhaps unusual at this time 

 of the year when the bass are usually dormant. Older bass, like 

 brood bass which have been in captivity for some time, will, 

 perhaps, take ground food. 



The young bass devour black fly larvae very readily. The fry 

 or fingerlings will devour, if they can, anything that has life. 

 We have fed them small worms, and we have had specimens 

 of fingerlings that have choked on live fish almost as large as 

 themselves. 



