The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-19
The u. S. Govt Reports
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SUPERIOR to aU Others.
THE FOOD OF UTAH FISHES.

A few weeks ago I published brief re-
! port of the work did on the food of our
native fishes during the month of August.
1897. CSee Salt Lake Tribune of March T.,
1885, .
ed regularly from the streams in and
around Salt Lake City and the contents
of their stomachs carefully examined.
The collections have been made ABOUT
twice each month. but the variation in the
food eaten was so slight that this report
will he given under the heading OF
months, rather than species. Once more
wish to call attention to the fact that
there is no more practical work at the
present time than careful biological and
chemical study of our waters. This study
must be made before we can place nsh
raising on practical basis. Until such
a survey is made fish culture must be
largely guess work. and in this scientific
age guess work can only result in failure
OCTOBER.
During the month the following fishes
were examined: Seven trout, three inches
Ions All of these were living on
strictly ANNA l diet. Gammari were
found in the stomachs of all. Three had
eaten a few caddis flies. Two had eaten
largely of some species of eutimoStracdn,
probably belonging to the genus daphnla
One had eaten two or three limpets. an,
other a leech. and OF two others one mad
eaten a smaller trout and the other
carp A trout four inches long taken from
the same stream, in the northwestern
part of the city. had its stomach We'll
distended with gammari and alloichestes
In several of the above named trout
small pieces of water creSS were founo
/ suspect that these were introduced acci-
! dentally when the trout were after the
gammari. as these -crustaceans are found
very abundant in the creSS.
One carp five inches long was taken. Its
stomach contained one gammarus and
considerable quantities of water cress and
chara IT is probable that the gamm2rus
accidentally while
was eating creSs.
NOVEMBER.
on the 18th of this month eight trout
three inches long were taken from
streams in thu northwestern part of the
city. All of them had fed on the gam
r1arus three had eaten one or more
! small carp and five had eaten few
anhnia.
Two trout six inches long We're taken
AT the sam. time. Both of these had
eaten literally Of gaTnmari and caddis
flies. and one had eaten club three
Six carp three inches long taken at the
same time had eaten water cress and
chara A few entomostracaus were
found in their stomachs, but I think these
We're introduced with their vegetable food.
JANUARY.
Seven trout varying from one and "a
half to two and a half inches IN length.
The weather was very cola when these
/
sluggish The stomachs of three OF them
were perfectly empty, and they evidently
had not eaten for several days. Two or
the seven had eaten q few gammari, and
one had the remains OF some algae in its
stomach. The alga appeared TO be soma
species of oscillatoria.
FEBRUARY.
Nineteen trout varying In length from
one and half TO two Snd half inches
were taken. Fourteen OF these had eaten
sl.E- All
whose stomachs contained anything had
esrten gammari. one had eaten chiron-
vera % larva and two leeches Another
small beetle and two leeches. Still an
other had fed on eutomosbacaus. and a
species of cladocera and daphnia were
found in its stomach. One such.r two
inches long had only water cress and
chara in its stomach.
Two clubs about the same size had
eaten the same kind of food. and one carp
seven inches long had eaten only the roots
and stems of water creSs.
careful reading of these notes shows
that the trout during the fall and winter
at any rate. is a strictly carniverous flSh,
wbila the carp is as strictly vegetarian.
So few specimens OF the sucker and club
were examined that no general conclusion
can be drawn. IT also appears that dur
ing the very cold weather fishes eat very
little Probably the gammarus is the
most important food of the trout living
in our smaller streams. and as water
cress seems to be the favorite food of the
gdmlndruS II Is ltldt lIliS plifl
may profitably be introduced into all
trout ponds.
During the winter q number of young
trout from the pond of Messrs. Turnhow
& Miller near Murray. were sent to the
laboratory f.. examination. The young
fishes were q ing in large numbers A
careful mIcrC. copical examination Of them
revealed the presence of q fungus which
was growing on them. BY way of ex-
pertinent TWO or three seriously affected
by the fungus were placed in a weak so.
luton of formaline and kept there until
they became perfectly helpless. They
were then transferred to fresh water. in
which they soon recovered. and although
they were kept for two weeks there was
no return of the fungus growth. The
same result was attained in the large
pond by subjecting the fishes to a strong
solution of salt and keeping the young
fishes in this as long as possible without
killing them. c. A. WHITING.