The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-26


only few of the lakes and streams re-
ceiving any fishes. Shoshone lake was
a beneficiary to the extent of $4,000 lake
trout, however, while 12,G00 of the same
species were divided between Neg
Perez creek and the west fork of the
Gardiner river above the falls. Gardi-
ner river also received $3.50 Won Baer
trout, and some thousands of Loch-Le
ven trout were placed in other streams.
Ten thousand whtefiSh We're put into
the Yellowstone river above the falls,
and in Twin lakes 1000 whitefish.
The Yellowstone park covers an enor-
nous area, and has an immense num-
Der of lakes and streams suitable for
stocking. A few thousand fish are not
of much Importance in these days, when
a small hatchery can turn out the finny
youngsters by the tens of millions lit
orally. All of the plants above de-
Scribed were made in waters that con-
tanned no fishes whatever, except in the
case of the whitefish put into the yell
lowstone river Strange to say. moth
ing has been seen of those 10000 white
fish since, and the same is true of the
whitefish consigned to Twin lakes. The
trout have thrived and multiplied
amazingly. In 1898 brook trout We're
planted in Shoshone creek and that
stream is now literally alive with them,
from one and a half pounds down.
II is expected that before long the
government will establish a fish-hatch-
ing station in the park, which will be
able to keep the lakes and rivers stock
ed with enough finny game to afford
the finest sport in the world for lovers
of angling. This plan has been in con-
temptation for long time. In the sum-
mer of 1889 United States Fish Com
missioner Mcdonald visited the reser-
walton, examined its waters and decided
that much could be done in this way
toward enhancing the attractions of the
great national pleasure ground. He
found that most of its streams and
lakes We're entirely destitute of fishes,
owing to causes which are easily ex-
planned. With an immense abundance
of fish food both animal and vegetable
and all conditions suitable for the
maintenance of an abundance of fish
life. there was not so much as min
now in many considerable bodies of
water; not a trout i'll majority of the
streams.
The Yellowstone park is a high pla-
teau, having a general elevation of T.
900 to 5000 feet above the sea. Nearly
! the whole of its surface is covered with
lava and other volcanic products. This
mass of volcanic stuff covers to a great
depth what was previously basin III
the mountains. The lava flow was fatal
to all fish life in the region. But since
| the lava has become c0ld-the volcanic
flow was of comparatively recent date
| the streams unaffected with the sub
| stocked with aquatic vegetation insects
| and crustaceans, such as fishes feed
/ upon. However, they are for the most
| part destitute of fishes, as before said.
and the cause of this absence is to be
| found in the fact that nearly all of the
/ streams of the park, on leaving the
/ lava beds, do 50 by vertical waterfalls,
/ situated in the deep canyons. The fish
/ es cannot climb over these falls, and SO
! the waters above the cataracts are bar
] rem of fish life.
Many of the falls referred to are of
/ enormous height. The so-called Great
! falls of the Yellowstone are sos feet
! high. Next come the Osprey falls, with
an elevation of $50 feet. The Tower
! falls are 132 feet high; the Crystal falls
! are 129 feet, the Wrath falls 1903 feet,
/ and many others from 80 to so feet in
4 height 1t is obvious that no fishes can
! possibly get past such tremendous cat
I aracts.
Formerly it was supposed that SER
/ ious obstacle to the spread of fish life
/ in the Yellowstone park existed in the
! innumerable hot springs and geysers,
| for which the region is famous But,
| although these springs exist in almost
| every lake basin or other depression in
the reservation, the fish commission
| does not think that they would stand
| in the way of the stocking of the wat
ers with fish. Strange to say, the water
of the geysers and other springs does
not seem to be Objectionable to the fish
which now exist in the park. In Yellow
stone lake trout are particularly album
i dant about the hot overflow from the
Lake Geyser basin. The hot water
| flows for a time on the surface, and
trout may be taken Immediately under
the hot current. Indeed, trout have
been known to rise to a fly through the
scaldng hot surface current.
This seems truly remarkable in view
of the fact that trout ordinarily seem
to prefer very cold water. In Yellow
| stone lake they are observed to iinger
! in the neighborhood of hot springs in
the bottom-probably owing to the
abundance of food in those warm wat
ters. About the mouth of Hot river
| trout abound, and here the convention
al trick of catching trout in cold wat
er and boiling it Immediately in hot
| water found close by is practicable. At
| the same time there are a good many
/ springs in the park which discharge sui
| phurous liquids that are fatal to fishes.
An expedition sent out by the fish
| commission to the Yellowstone park
not long ago did some pretty extensive
/ fishing in the various streams and
/ lakes both with seine and rod. The
! list of fishes captured included suckers,
| clubs, grayling, mountain Whitefish,
| red throat trout, brook trout and Ioch-
i Leyen trout. There We're large numbers
! Of mountain Whitefish in few streams
/ below the falls. This is a slender and
/ graceful fish, readily taking the fly
1t is most abundant in the eddies and
deeper places in swift streams. Appar-
entity it is essentially a river fish, rath-
| er than an inhabitant of the lakes.
The trout of Yellowstone lake and of
| some Of it's tributaries are infested by
| parasitic worm, which was for a.
/ long time a mystery from the scientific
point of view. Some of these worms
| are as much as 10 inches in length
/ They are found in the flesh, in the liver
and in the abdomen. In nine-tenths Of
! the adult trout in the Yellowstone lake
they occur. so that the fish are render
| ed worthless for eating. Now, it his
been discovered recently that the peli-
| cans, which are numerous about the
/ lake. are actually responsible for these
parasites of the trout. The bird is
| what is termed the intermediate host"
of the parasite. i eats the infested fish
and the worm could not accomplish its
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