78 Conservation Department 



and arrangement of the fins. The back is much lighter in color 

 than that of the adult, being a light mouse gray. At the base of 

 the tail there is a vertically placed black bar, while the abdomen 

 has a distinct yellowish tinge. When young carp are caught in 

 a dip net this yellowish color and the deep body distinguish them 

 from many other species of fish. It is very difficult to identify 

 young carp in the water when looking down on them from above, 

 but a triangular area somewhat lighter than the back can be seen 

 in good light lying just back of the head. 



All the small carp found during the past summer were confined 

 to a very characteristic environment. In general this consisted 

 of a region protected against waves by the presence of a sand bar 

 from the open lake. At Lakeport a wide stretch of cat-tails and 

 bulrushes served to break the force of the waves. The bottom of 

 these carp grounds was invariably sandy or a combination of sand 

 and mud, the latter being usually found near shore and therefore 

 associated with the very young carp. In all the habitats observed 

 the water was free from sediment, decaying vegetable matter or 

 contamination from creeks. The temperature of the water in these 

 protected regions ran about ten degrees warmer than that of deep 

 lake water. The( shores bordering these carp habitats consisted of 

 low land covered with a growth of meadow grass or bulrushes 

 with here and there small bayous extending shoreward. Each of 

 these set-backs was carpeted with tender grass, Elodea, Chara, or 

 Myriophyllum among which the young carp lived. As the carp 

 increased in size they moved lakeward into deeper water. By 

 September first the young carp were living in one or two feet of 

 water close by scattered beds of Pondweed (Potamogeton pectin- 

 atus) or of Hornwort. 



The rapid rate of growth of young carp is remarkable. This is 

 shown in the following table which gives the dates the fish were 

 caught, the ranges in size and the locality. 



July 12 10 mm. long (about % inch) Lakeport 



July 21 12 mm. — 26 mm Damon's point 



July 27 14 mm. — 30 mm dough's bay 



July 29 12 mm. — 40 mm Lakeport 



Aug. 12 38 mm. — 42 mm Frenchman's island 



Aug. 20 41 mm. — 78 mm Damon's point 



Sept. 5 80 mm. — 112 mm Frenchman's island 



Sept. 7 72 mm. — 106 mm Damon's point 



Nov. 25 50 mm. — 110 mm Damon's point 



The carp caught on July 12 at Lakeport were very young for the 

 yolk-sacs were still present. They were living close to the shore 

 in not over one inch of water. The fish taken in Clough's bay on 

 July 27 were living in the short meadow grass in about four inches 

 of water. The carp taken during August inhabited water six 

 inches to one foot in depth, while those taken the first week of 

 September were living in water from one to two feet deep. Further 

 observations are necessary to determine when the young carp go 



