Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09

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as well as plankton nets and
technical traps-and they always bring home
the bacon or rather the over1owing creels OF
fish.
Fishermen modern and amiable Ananiases,
have been telling fishing fables ever since Jonah
explored the internal workings of the whale,
These amazing tales, fabricated chiefly from
fiction, are now devoid of spectacular features
when compared with the astounding fish
stories which filter from the research labora-
tories of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural
History Survey, directed by DIR. E. A. Birge,
president emeritus of the University of Wis
consin.
For more than 80 years DR.. Brge has been
engaged in fishing fish facts from 1913 Wis
consin lakes-the most studied group of lakes
in the world This scientist has sought to solve
inland lake secrets, even as experts study soils
and ascertain their adaptabilities for the pro-
duction of various crops.
The stocking of lakes with breeding fish has
been a ht-or-niss proposition ever since the
dawn days of such conservation activities.
Science did not know what varieties of fish
were adapted to certain lakes nor did it APP
praise the available fsh-food contents of such
bodies Of fresh water. These were but a few
of the riddles which DR.. Birge began to study
when bicycles were still in style.
To produce in each lake, the maximum
amount of game fish that it Is capable of de-
tensive investigation involves careful study of
the biology, physics and chemistry of various
lake waters which, combined, provide valuable
data in determining the fish best adapted to
each body of water.
No two lakes are exactly alike. Each Wis
eonsin lake has its individual characteristics
Some are ideal for trout while others are best
adapted for bass and pike To locate the most
suitable varieties of game fish in the proper
lakes where the essential supplies of fish food
are most abundant is the aim and ambition Of
DR.. Birges tireless work.
WHY is it that ciscos grow only one-half as
w fast in Northern Wisconsin lakes as in
Lake Erie? Why do the lakes of Southern Wis
consin provide more fish food than those of
the northern sections of that State? How can
science take accurate fish censuses in inland
lakes? Why is it that, in cold-water lakes the
oxygen supply is deficient at lower depths
that only such upper-water fish as bass and
sunfish can exist in these lakes during the
Summer season? How does the penetration
Of sunlight in lake waters influence the growth
Of aquatic plants and dictate fish population?
The scientific fishing experiments are answer
ing these and many similar questions which
previously have challenged all attempts at
luton.
This interesting research, which Is laying the
foundation for the scientific conservation OF
lake life, collects data on water temperatures
at various depths surveys the algae. plankton,
crustacea and aquatic plants growing in the
lakes, makes chemical analyses of water sam
ples lifted from different levels, and generally
keeps tab on all conditions which affect the
maintenance and multiplication of fish schools.
Thousands of fish have been caught in order
to obtain samples of fish scales from which the
ages of the finny swimmers may be determined.
whenever the scientists lowered lines or nets,
it was not long until they raised representative
catches.
First Of all, they made dependable tests to
locate the most favorable sections Of the lake,
where the finest fish would eongregate. There