Biological Survey — Oswego Watershed 



73 



The Habits of the Adult Carp.— The limited space at our 

 disposal makes it necessary to consider only those elements in the 

 behavior of this fish, which seem to be directly associated with 

 the problem of carp control. The habits of the carp in Oneida 

 lake agree in general with the description set down by Cole.* 

 Certain habits of breeding and migration seem to be modified to 

 suit the local conditions. 



Carp habitats.- — An examination of the shores of the lake and 

 islands reveals seventy-two regions inhabited more or less fre- 

 quently by carp. These stations fall into three distinct types : 

 (1) Rocky shoals typically covered with growths of water-willow 

 (Diamthera americana), American bulrush (Scirpus americanns) 

 or scattered beds of pickerel-weed (Pontederia cordata). Such 

 shoals lying near the feeding grounds as well as deep water afford 

 a place where carp can rest in water made tepid by the summer 

 sun. (2) Protected bays with a bottom of sand, clay or mud 

 which have a wide stretch of shallows separating them from deep 

 water. This type of habitat is rarely visited by large schools of 

 carp although single individuals or small schools seem to live in 

 such places continuously throughout the summer. (3) Protected 

 bays similar to the preceding but close to deep water. Such 

 regions furnish the ideal feeding grounds for the adult carp. 

 Being easily • accessible to deep water the fish need travel but 

 a short distance in search of food or escape in case of molestation. 

 During July and the first part of August the shallow parts of 

 such bays supporting growths of cat-tails or bulrush offer excel- 

 lent places for the carp to rest in the warm water. 



The most dominant forms of plants identified in the second and 

 third types of habitat are as follows : 



Narrow-leaved Cat-tail 



Floating Pondweed 



Clasping-leaf Pondweed 



Sago Pondweed 



Narrow-leaved Arrow-head 



Broad-leaved Arrow-head 



Wild celery, Eel-grass 



American Bulrush 



Lake Bulrush 



Duckweed 



Duckweed 



Pickerel-weed 



Cow Lily 



Sweet-scented Water-lily 



Swamp Loosestrife 



Water-milfoil 



Water-willow 



Typha angustifolia 

 Potamogeton natans 

 Potamogeton perfoliatus 

 Potamogeton pectinatus 

 Sagittaria arifolia 

 Sagittaria latifolia 

 Vallisneria spiralis 

 Scirpus americanus 

 Scirjms occidentalis 

 Lemna trisulca 

 Spirodela polyrhiza 

 Pontederia cordata 

 Nymphoea advena 

 Castalia odorata 

 Decodon verticillatus 

 Myriophyllum verticil hi I n m 

 Dianthera americana 



When the seventy-two stations are grouped according to the 

 types of habitat there are fourteen in type one; fifteen in type 

 two ; and forty-four in type three. This last named group, which 

 represents good feeding grounds for carp, is distributed evenly 



Loc. Cit. 



