90 
THE BOOK OF FISHES 
Photograph by Clifton Adams 
THE GREAT LAKES ARE RESERVOIRS OF FISH FOOD 
A Lake Michigan power fishing boat just in from the morning’s work with the nets, Charlevoix, 
Michigan. Lake trout fill its crates. The trout are sent to local packing plants, frozen in ice shavings 
and then placed in cold storage until sold. Mid-west cities out of reach of the seaboard are familiar with 
the fresh fish of the Great Lakes. 
Little can be learned definitely about 
the ages attained by fishes, unless indi¬ 
viduals are kept under observation in cap¬ 
tivity. 
AGE, GROWTH, AND HABITS OF FISHES 
The records of public and private 
aquariums, however, furnish data that we 
may consider reliable. The European Eel 
has undoubtedly lived for long periods in 
captivity. According to accepted authori¬ 
ties, a few specimens kept in aquariums 
have lived for periods varying from 20 
to 55 years. Boulenger, in the Cambridge 
Natural History, states that an Eel kept 
by the French naturalist Desmarest for 
“upwards of 40 years” reached a length 
of four and a half feet. 
It is recorded that four Russian Sterlets 
had lived in the private aquarium of Cap¬ 
tain Vipan in Northamptonshire for 25 
years. He also had a Golden Orfe still 
living after 24 years of captivity. A 
record from the Brighton Aquarium is 
that of a Sterlet which died after having 
been kept there “about 38 years.” 
The Australian Lung-fish is known to 
have lived at the London Zoological Gar¬ 
dens more than 19 years. 
There are accounts of European Trout 
said to have been kept in captivity for 53 
years, and of Carp still longer, but such 
are hardly comparable in verity with the 
records of existing public and private 
aquariums. 
The New York Aquarium still has 
specimens (1924) of the Mudfish or Bow- 
fin and the Long-nosed Gar which were 
received in 1903. There are also living 
Short-nosed Gars brought from the Mis¬ 
sissippi River in 1904. 
In the Aquarium certain North Ameri¬ 
can fishes have lived for long periods, 
viz.. Striped Bass, 20 years; Whitefish 
hatched in the building in 1913 are still 
living; Large-mouth Black Bass, 11 
years; Muskellunge, Calico Bass, Rock 
Bass, and Yellow Perch, 10 years. The 
last four were adults when received and 
are still living. 
A Striped Bass kept in captivity for 19 
years weighed 20 pounds and was three 
