Evening star., 1903-10-06
FIRST SHIPMENT MADE
DISTRIBUTION OF FISH FROM
PROPAGATING PONDS.
Work of the Commission in Stocking
the Streams Of the
Country.

The fall work of the government fish
propagating ponds. near the Washington
monument. was commenced in earnest yes
terday afternoon. when the first shipment
of large-mouth bass and crappie was made
to northern waters. The shipment con-
sisted of 5.4oO bass and several hundred
crappie in ten-gallOn cans. 125 of the fishes
being placed in each receptacle. The work
of taking the bass from the retaining ponds
with small seines was performed by expert
fishermen who are employed by the fish
commission under the direction of Superin-
tendent c. X. Green.
The bass sent away yesterday ranged in
size from 31a to inches in length. There
are now 10000 of these fish in tanks await
ing shipment to all sections of the country,
but this number represents only a very
small percentage of the bass still at large
in the surrounding lakes or ponds. All
these will be taken out and placed in tanks
or retaining ponds when the large ponds are
drawn next month.
Bass are such cannibals." said Superin-
tendent Green that we have to assort
them into four sizes before placing them in
the tanks. otherwise the larger fish would
devOur the smaller ones. The yield of bass
this season will be away above the average.
There viii be fine output and the fish are
in excellent condition"
The superintendent also said the bass
can be kept alive very much longer in
transit on cars or other vehicles when the
water is agitated than when it is still. The
constant agitation of the water aerates it
and renders frequent changing unnecessary.
When the tanks are placed aboard the
specially arranged cars of the fish commits
sion air is forced into them by contriv-
ance connected with the locomotive
Considerable difficulty has been expert
enced during the past season by the pre-
datory visits to the ponds of various
enemies of the young fishes These include
&c
water snakes. musk rats, a small species of
the duck family known as hell divers, i"
marsh hens. herons, cranes. king fishers,
gulis and fish hawks. raid was recently
made by the attaches of the fish ponds on
stray cats which infested the locality. One
cf the employees said he saw a gaunt gray
cat catch and haul from the water with
its paws full-sized breeding bass. After
Gevouring this fish the cat dipped It's head
ertirely under the water in a pail full Of
sunfsh and captured a full-grown speci-
men, which was also devoured.
Work Of Hauling Seine.
In hauling seine in the ponds during the
past few days for bass and crappie mil
liens of bull minnows' and young carp
were captured. These have been placed in
large retaining pond and will be used as
live food for the breeding bass during the
winter months when they are kept in tanks.
The introduction of bass, rock and other
game fish in the Potomac hereabouts,"
said one of the oldest employees of the fish
ponds. has resulted in greatly reducing
the number of smelt and other weak fish
in the adjacent waters. A few years ago
the Potomac fairly alive with smelt
but many of them have fallen prey to the
rapacious appetites of the gamies, and
they are now comparatively scarce. Small
boys did a thriving business catching sme.t
from the fish wharf at the foot of It'll.
street. They used hoop nets with sturgeon
spawn tied in them. These were sunk to
the bottom of the river and when hauled
up the receptacles were full of squirming
snIelt. These were sold to restaurant and
eating house proprietors and served crisp
and brown to customers as Washington
SardneS. ="