SH .WGA5 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATIONS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN HEARINGS BEFORE THE b,^.c..,>... COMMITTEE ON THE MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES HOUSE OF REPKESENTATIVES SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS THIRD SESSION ON .• J. «30^0 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1921 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1021 COMMITTEE ON THE MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES. House of Representatives, sixty-sixth congress. WILLIAM S. GREENE, Massachusetts, Chairman. GEORGE W. EDMONDS, Pennsylvania. FREDERICK W. ROWE, New York. FRANK D. SCOTT, Michigan. WALLACE H. WHITE, Jr., Maine. FREDERICK R. LEHLBACH, New Jersey. SHERMAN E. BURROUGHS, New Hampshire CHARLES F. CURRY, California. EDWIN D. RICKETTS, Ohio. CARL R. CHINDBLOM, Illmois. FRANK CROWTHER, New York. CLIFFORD E. RANDALL, Wisconsui. WILLIAM N. ANDREWS, Maryland. Rene G. de Tonn.\ncour, Clerli RUFUS HARDY, Texas. PETER J. DOOLING, New York. LADISLAS LAZARO, Louisiana. DAVID H. KINCHELOE, Kentucky. WILLIAM B. BANKHEAD, Alabama. WILLIAM C. WRIGHT, Georgia. EWIN L. DAVIS, Tennessee. THOMAS H. CULLEN, New York. LIBRAKY OF CONGRESS RECEIVED AUG 1 ^ 1924 * OOC U MENTS_DIIVISIO_N_ j ESTABLISHMEiNT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Wednesday^ January 12^ 1921. The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. William S. Greene (chairman) presiding. The Chairman. We will take np H. E. 15525 and will hear from Representative Esch first. The bill is as follows : I H. 11. 1.5525, Sixty-sixth Congress, third session.] A BILL To piovide fov the establishment on the Mississippi River, in the State of Wis- consin, of a flsh-rescue station, to be under the direction of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Department of Commerce. Be it citactcd hij ihe Senate and House of Rcijresentatires of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be established on the Mississipiti River, in the State of Wifaeonsin, a station for the i-escue of fishes and the propagation of mussels in connection with fish-rescue operations, to be under the direction of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Department of Conunerce, at a point to be selected by the Secretar.v of Commerce, and for this purpose there, is authorized to be appropriated the sum of .$7.5,000 for the construction of buildings and the purchase of equipment, boats, and such other accessories as may be deemed necessary for the successful operation of such station. Sec. 2. That in connection with the establishment of such flsh-rescue station there is authorized the following personnel, namely : One district supervisor at $3,000, to have general charge of fish-rescue and fish-cultural operations in the Mississippi Valley ; a field superintendent at .$2,400 ; two field foremen at $1,800 ; five fish-culturists at large at $1,400 each; one engineer at large at $1,400; one clerk at $1,200 ; two coxswains at large at $1,200 each ; and two apprentice fish-culturists at $1,800 each. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN J. ESCH, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CON- GRESS FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. Mr. Esch. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, this bill is to provide for the establishment on the Mississippi River, in the afte of Wis- consin, of a fish-rescue station, to be under the d?t"edtion of the Bureau of Fisheries, Department of Commerce. ^^^ The fish-rescue work is something- of a departure in connection with the work of the Bureau of Fisheries, although it began some- thing like 18 or 20 years ago, so far as the upper Mississippi River is concerned, under the direction of R. S. Johnson, who, at that time, was an official in the Bureau of Fisheries. He conceived the notion that much beneficial work could be done by rescuing fish in the landlocked waters of the upper river upon the subsidence of the river, beginning with the midsummer months and continuing until 4 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. the freeze-up; but he had small equipment and had very sinall ap- propriations, so that the work was practically tentative for quite a number of years. In 1914, however, the fish rescued in the upper river amounted to about 2,500,000, and from that year on there has been a very mai'ked increase in the amount of fish rescued. Rescue ^vork, so far as is concerned in this bill, means the sein- ing of landlocked puddles, pools, bayous, lakes, ponds, and so on, in the upper river, and t»ansporting the fish thus seined out of the pools, lakes, bayous, etc.. to the main- channel. The reason for this is simple. The Mississippi River, in its upper reaches, fluctuates from 12 to 15 feet and there are vast bottom lands, the valley of the upper river being from 200 to 500 miles in width, traversed by numerous cross streams or bayous and lagoons in which the fish propagate. The water in the upper river begins to subside about midsummer after the June rise, and remains low practically throughout the balance of the year. As the water recedes there are many lakes, pools, and puddles created, and the fish that have been bred therein are landlocked, can not escape, and so, in many, many instances, perish. They perish, first, because the pool itself may become abso- lutely dry or become so shallow that there is not sufficient food therein to preserve life: secondly, they perish because, if they hap- pen to survive until winter comes, the ice forming over them abso- lutely destroys them, because the ice in the upper river sometimes reaches a thickness of 30 inches, and the pool being frozen over there is no air and they suffocate. In fact, there are many cases in which the pools freeze absolutely solid. Rescue work, therefore, means the saving of these fish in these landlocked pools, lakes, and bayous and putting them back in the main stream. Mr. Chindblo]\i. It is one of the few cases. Congressman, where nature does not seem to provide for itself. Mr. EscH. It does not. and therefore man, Avith his intelligence, must come in to save the fish. The work has grown to such a rapid extent that it is necessary to have a station established from which all operations in the u])per river would be conducted. The bill provides such a' station — building the structures, providing the neces- sary water equipment, and providing for the necessary personnel. I do not know that I can give you a better idea of the necessity, character, and value of this work than to give you my experience one day the middle of September last. I was invited by Supt. Collier, who has charge of the upper river rescue work, to accom])any him to the fichJx " .operations near Lynxville, Wis., 40 miles below La Crosse, my^lsw-|ie town. We reached the station at Lynxville early in the morning and in a launch went to a landlocked sluice which was to be seined that day by two crews consisting of five men each, each with a foreman. That sluice was one-third of a mile from the river bank. 1,500 feet long, and an average of 150 feet wide. The crews started wdth a seine about 150 feet long at, say, the lower end of this lake, and dragged the net up to the center. The net consisted, I think, of an 8-inch mesh, the top cord being buoyed with cork buovs to float it and the lower cord being fitted with leaden weights to keep it on the bottom. As the crews at each end of the net, walking along the banks, drew the net toAvard the center, all the fish were o-raduallv driven ahead of the net. When that net had been drago-ed^^out four ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. 5 or five hundred feet toAvard the center of the hike it was staked and made fast, so that no fish conld get below it. Then the crew took another net of about the same length and about 150 feet long, and starting at the upper end of the lake and dragging toward the center. When they got to the center they Avove together the two ends of the net, leaving the other two ends disengaged. That made an area of water something like 100 feet in diameter surrounded by the net. The men began pulling in the net. constricting the diameter "gradually. As they did that, they utilized the open the disengaged ends of the nets in making a runway in the middle and opening into clear -water, something like 50 feet in length and with the distance of the nets 3 or 4 feet apart. When the diameter of the net had gotten down to 50 feet we noticed considerable agitation upon the surface of the water. In some cases the larger fish jumped out, evidently much agitated, and a few leaped over the cork edge of the net and escaped — a very few. When the diameter had gotten down to about 25 feet, the surface was almost in full agitation, there was such a mass of fish. The men got out at the outside of this circle and gradually pushed the net in toward the entrance to the ruuAvay. a*nd the fish finally were all driven into the runway. Then the men took tubs and with dip- nets lifted the fish into the tubs, and as the tubs were filled they were carried about a third of a mile and dumped into the main river. In that small pool or lake in that one day these 12 men took out 98 tubs of fish, aggregating 560,000 buffaloes, rough fish and game fish ; there were literally thousands of black bass, pike, bull heads, catfish, and crappies, and then of rough fish, such as carp. That is an illustration of the w&.j in which this rescue work is carried on. That was a banner day, I admit it, but the average last year of a single crew was 110,000 fish rescued a day. To give you some idea of the importance of this work, as I stated, in 191-t there were about two and a half million rescued. In 1918 they had rescued 34,000,000. in 1919 they rescued 157,000,000. and in this last sejtson, owing to the fact that it was shorter and owing to the fact the wages of the men were higher, they rescued 116,750.000. I do not know that we can comprehend what that means. The pond fishes that are propagated in the 140 hatcheries of the Ignited States, according to a statement I have given me b^^ Mr. Leach, aggregated only 1.800,000. 8o you have in this rescue work many, many more times the amount of game fish rescued than are propagated artificially in the Government hatcheries. Xow, as to the cost. ]Mr. Leach, in a letter to me of January 14, states as follows : In reply to your question some time ago, regarding the cost of producing fisli at tlie bureau's stations, you are advised that during tlie calendar year 1919 1.800,000 pond fishes were produced at the various stations operated by the bureau. Their approximate cost per thousand was .$4.42 for flngerlings No. 2A. What does that mean? Mr. Leach. That means 2^ inches in length. Mr. EscH (continuing) : You will therefore readily see that the 156,388,000 tish rescued during the past season by the bureau at a cost of 20 cents per thousand furnishes a good illustration of the great value of the work. 6 ESTABLISHMEXT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IX WlSCOXSIlsr. Mr. Randall. And the cost last year was higher than the year before, was it not? ' Mr. EscH. Yes. The cost last year was about 21.7 cents per thousand, while the year before, 1919, the cost was approximately 20 cents. I think, gentlemen, that you can not put Government money to more valuable use in the matter of conservation and food production than in this rescue work on the Mississippi River. It can not be done. Now, as to the value. In 1918. the rough fish, that would be the carp and buffalo, amounted to 2,500,000 pounds, aggregating enough to make 400 carloads. The3^were shipped to the eastern markets, the chief market being New York, and the amount received therefor was $250,000. This gives you some idea of the commercial side of this remarkable work, not saying anything about the side of the angler. In a letter sent to me by Commissioner Smith, under date of Janu- ary 18, 1920, he states : Durinjj the senson recently closed — That would be the season of 1919 — 156.338,000 food flshes from li to 4 inches long, representin::: iwaeticully all the commercial species han assist in the operations and inoculate tlie fishes with the mussel spaAvn that ESTABLLSHMEXT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. 11 AAas present in enormous (|uantities in all of the res«-ue centers. Anil that Avork, in which the pearl-button manufacturers cooperated dui'- ino- the past season, in October and November and probably into De- cember, resulted in the salvage of 5,841,000 of the food and trame fishes of the Mississippi and we estimate that nearly 5()(),0()0.000 young- mussels were inoculated on those fishes and started on their independent career. The Chairman. Hoav do you dispose of those fishes; are they sold to the market? Dr. Smith. These fishes are immediately })lanted in the Missis- sippi because they are young; they are fishes that have come into existence during the period of high water, which usually comes at a time when a majority of the fishes in the river are in a spawn- ing condition, and when the water subsides the eggs and the young are left behind. Most of the old fish are able to find theii' way back to the main channels, but these helpless young are left behind and they are the ones that we rescue, and by the time our crews reacli these landlocked waters the young have attained an average letigth of several inches. We regard this woik as of very great importance, because of the enormous quantities of food fish we can save from certain destruc- tion. I may say we have never had proper recognition from Con- gress for this work and never had a special appropriation for it. We have been carrying on the work because it seemed to be an ob- vious duty, and we have been paying for it out of our general ap- propriations and conducting it under our general authority. We would be very glad if Congress would indicate its appreciation of its importance and give us specific authority to carry it on, as pro- A^ded in this bill. Mr. White. How much money have you been s})ending in work of this nature heretofore? Dr. Smith. The amount we expended in 1919. Avhen we leached the high-Avater mark and rescued nearly loT.000,000 fishes, was about $30,000, was it not, Mr. Leach? Mr. Leach. Yes, sir. Dr. Smith. That was taken from our general propagation fund. The Chairman. You propose here to recommend an apnroj)ria- tion of $75,000? Dr. Smith. Yes, sir: because we have not begun to cover all the available territoiy. Mr. Chindblom. I observe that the $75,000 reconmiended here is for the construction of buildings and for the piij^thase of equipment, boats and accessories. Mr. EscH. And the personnel. Mr. Chindblom. And the payment of salaries of the personnel. Mr. EscH. That would be a permanent proposition. Mr. Chindblom. That would be a separate appropriation, would it not? Mr. EscH. Yes. Mr. Chindblom. But the $75,000 is intended for buildings and equipment? Mr. EscH. Yes. Mr. Chindblom. That need not be an annual appropriation? 12 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATIO^iT IX WISCONSIK". Mr. EscH. Oh, no. Dr. Smith. Once made, it would not be necessary to renew it. Mr. Chindblom. But of course the appropriation requested for the personnel would become an annual appropriation? Mr. EscH. Yes. Mr. Chindblom. And the total of that is how much, Dr. Smith? $14,200. I make it— about $15,000 per annum. Mr. EscH. You might state. Doctor, what would be put into the permanent structure. Dr. Smith. We would need some buildings and facilities for holding the fish while they are being inoculated with the mussels and while they are being hardened preparatory to shipment to dis- tant parts of the river. We need vessels ; we want to equip a num- ber of new crews with the vessels and launches and Avith house-boats for the holding of the men and their equipment while the actual operations are going on. Mr. White. I do not ask this question as indicating any hostility of my own to this proposal, but if we recommend this appropriation, is there an unlimited field for this kind of work, or would it prop- erl}^ be confined to those few streams running through land of this general character, Ayhere you have this large rise and rapid reces- sion of waters? Dr. Smith. The greatest need for this kind of work is in the Upper Mississippi. Mr. Whitj:. And we are not establishing a precedent that Avould carry us to every other stream in this country, but only to the streams of this particular character where there is this rapid rise and sudden fall of water? Dr. Smith. That is the case. And with the facilities that would be provided by the proposed appropriation for equipment and per- sonnel we would be able to care for all the apparent needs through- out the Mississippi River and its major tributaries. Mr. White. This personnel could operate not only in the winter months, but. when there would be no possibility to do rescue work in the upper river, they could go elsewhere? Dr. Smith. That is what we have in mind. Mr. White. So that they will have a continuous line of Avork? Mr. Smith. While the rescue work, as now conducted in the upper half of the Mississippi covers only about six months, it is possible to do that work throughout most of the year by entering at present unoccupied fields. Mr. White. An(^there is a limit to the fields, we can properly say ? Dr. Smith. There is a limit, the available fields as we now recog- nize them would be covered by such a bill as this. Mr, Lazaro. Mr. White, a while ago, spoke of a number of bills for fish hatcheries that had been api^roved by your bureau, but that had not been enacted into law because of the hard times and the seeming unwillingness of Congress to appropriate the money. Do you not think it would be good economy for Congress, to appro- priate money not ontj for a measure of" this kind, to reseue fish, but to carry these bills through and establish these stations, on ac- count of meat being so high all over the country, and fish being a good food and a cheap food and a healthy food? ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH EESCUE STATION IX WISCONSIN 1?> Dr. Smith. We would he much pleased to see additional fish hatch- eries established in various parts of the country. I am not so sure this is the opportune time, however, because of the oreatly increased cost of construction. In early times, when we got most of the hatch- eries we now have, the lands and the buildings and the ponds could 1)6 provided for from twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars. In more recent years Ave have found at least $50,000 is lecjuired for that purpose. And I am not prepared to say that $7r),000 would be adequate with the present condition of the lal)or and materials markets. ^Ir. Lazaro. But in cases where the States, for instance, would be willing to contribute Dr. Smith. I believe there is no authority by which a State can assist in the construction of a Federal building. That would give the State a hold which Congress might not be willing to permit. ]Mr. Lazaeo. If my memoiy serves me right, I think in our State our legislature has giA'en the conservation commission authority. Dr. Smith. In your State, we have established a field station for hatching one of your most valuable food fishes and we have been doing most excellent work there in cooperation with your vState conservation commission. Mi\ Lazaro. You remember that when the legislature gave them the authority? Dr. Smith. Yes. Mr. Lazaro. And the State is cooperating; is not that true? Dr. Smith. Yes. sir. We cooperate with the States everywhere, and our own effectiveness and the value of the State work is greatly increased as a consequence; but this particular station to which Dr. Lazaro refers is one we regard as a field station. It has no perma- nent equipment, can be moved from place to place, and has not per- sonnel except what we detail from other stations. ^Ir. Davis. Of course Ave all realize the increased cost of construc- tion under present conditions; but. generally speaking, Avould it not be a matter of economy to liaA^e more widely distributed hatcheries, on account of the cost of transportation for long distances and also the loss of life of the young fish Avhere they are carried too far ? Dr. Smith. I think as a general proposition, sir, there ought to be additional hatcheries because of the A'arious ]3oints Avhich you make. We haA'e to distribute the hatchery output over very long distances noAv, in order to meet the demand, and railroad transportation for our young fishes has increased about 100 per cent in cost during the last fcAv years. Mr. EscH. You have your OAvn cars? Dr. SiMiTH. We haA^e our OAvn cars, but the cost of transportation has practically been doubled since 1914. The Chairman. I have a letter from the Department of Com- merce explaining their interest in this bill Avhich I Avill put in the hearing. (The letter referred to is as follows :) Depaetj[ent of Commekce, Washington, January 11. 1921. My Dear Co^gkessmax : In reply to .vonr letter of January 8, asking' for a report on H. R. 1.5.52.5, to provide for the establishment on the Mississippi River, in the State of Wisconsin, of a fish-rescue station, I beg to advise that a full 14 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. considerutioii of tlie coiuUtions wcmld indicate llie need for such a station. As a conservation project it stands foremost on account of tlie great number of food fislies tliat may be saved and placed in waters where they will be of ultimate value to the public. By the conservation of this natural resource the food supply of the Mississippi Valley will be greatly augmented. Through the establishment of such a station, rescue operations can be more economicallv conducted than at the present time, thus resulting in the saving of public funds. As now conducted the personnel for the resfue work is drawn from four separate and distinct permanent stations, and it is therefore not as efficient nor as well trained as would be the case were a personnel especially provided for the purpose. The importance of the work as a means of increasing the food supply of the country can hardly be equaled in any other manner, cost, results, and quick returns being considered. The Commissioner of Fisheries advises me that in his opinion the appropria- tion specified in this bill will be ample for the purpose, and that the bureau's output of the commercial fishes of the Mississippi Valley can be increased from 100 to 200 per cent through the agencies authorized by the bill. For the purpose of broadening the bill and making it of more general interest, it is suggested that in line 6, after the word " operations," there be inserted rhe following: "Throughout the Mississippi Valley." Sincerely, yours, J. W. Alexander. Secret fn-y of Cnmmcrrc. Hon. William S. Greene. Chairman Committee on the ?J( reliant Marine ami Fisheries, House of Representatives. Dr. Smith. Mr. Leach, who is in charge of our fish-cultural Avork and is personally familiar with conditions on the upper Mississippi, is here and would be glad to answer any questions that might be asked as to the details of this work. STATEMENT OF MR. G. C. LEACH, IN CHARGE OF THE DIVISION OF FISH CULTURE, BUREAU OF FISHERIES. Mr. Leach. I believe the committee can better follow my remarks by referring to a map I have here. The places indicated "vvith the black cross marks represent the points where we are at present doing rescue Avork. Those in red show the possibilities of the field, com- mencing with Prescott, Minn., and extending down into Louisiana. You will notice in practically every State there are lowlands along the Mississippi River which overflow every spring and in Avhich the fish go in large numbers to deposit their spawn. After spawning the waters usually recede and the old fish, folloAving their natural in- stincts, seek the main river and leave their eggs and possibly some of the young fish, too small to folloAv them, in the landlocked pools. Mr. White. When do the fish usually spawn ? Mr. Leach. The fish usually spawn in May and June in the upper reaches of the river and in April and May in the lower sections, down in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. There is a large territory in the States of Illinois, Kentucky, and Mississippi, and there is a very large territory in the vicinity of La Crosse. Mr. White. When do the fish spawn up in the northern regions? Mr. Leach. The fish spawn in the upper river — Minnesota, Wis- consin, loAva, and Illinois — in May and June. Mr. Chindblom. There is considerable room for this work in the Illinois River? ESTABLISH xMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IX WISCONSIN 15 Mr, Leach. Yes ; there is a lot of room for it in the Illinois River. Mr. Chindblom. Incidentally, I think, the Illinois River produces the hu'fjest number of fish in the world. Mr. Leach. The catch is possibly 70 per cent carp and similar rough fish, the remainder being- bass and catfish. From Meredosia, 111., for a distance of about 40 miles each way there is a section that is entirely flooded during the overflow stages in the spring. jSTu- merous small pools, bayous, and lakes are formed, in which the fish seek spawning grounds. Mr. White. Are all these fish you have mentioned food fish? Mr. Leach. Practically every one of them ; some few nonedible fish, like gars and dogfish are taken, but not many, Mr. White. Those that are not food fish are destroyed ? Mr. Leach. We do not enumerate any except food fish in our list of fish rescued. The nonedible fish are either destroyed or utilized for fertilizers. Mr. Randaij.. May I ask right here why you ship and sell what you call rough fish ? Mr. Leach. The carp and buffalo ? Mr. Randall. Yes. Mr. Leach. The bureau does not sell any species of fish. However, commercial fishermen sell large quantities of carp and buffalo fish on the eastern markets. Carp are sold mostly alive in New York City. Large amounts of carp and buffalo fish are sold in the mining dis- tricts and other places where a cheap class of fish food is highly de- sirable. In the bureau's rescue operations 99 per cent of the fish saved are from 1 to 3 inches in length. Mr. Chindbloom. There is a large demand for carp and buffalo in Boston. Dr. Smith. You do not get the idea, sir, that we are shipping and selling those fish ; that the Government is doing that ? Mr. Randall. My understanding was that part of the fish recap- tured were shipped to market. Dr. Smith. About one-tentii of 1 per cent of the number which we rescue iwe sent into the surrounding States for stocking the local waters, but they are not sold. They are young fish furnished gratis for stocking purposes and are not suitable for food. But there is a very large business in commercial fishing in this whole region. Mr. Leach. Under the present arrangement, we draw our personnel from the Homer (Minn.) station, the Manchester (Iowa) station, and the Louisville station. These men must handle the rescue work, and this means that the output of their home stations is more or less curtailed. It means we must also take from the funds for the regu- larly established fish-cultural stations the money with which to con- duet the operations. What we require is a permanent rescue per- sonnel to take care of that work, leaving the present personnel to man the stations and handle their fish-cultural duties. Until we have a regularly established personnel for this fish-rescue work, men trained and efficient, who understand all this territory here and loiow where to seek the pools wiiich dry up first, we are always going to be handicapped. We can not use new men in that field, because they have to know which pools dry up first and where they are to be found. 16 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH KESCrE STATION IN WISCONSIN, Mr. White. Are the physical conditions snch, as a general proposi- tion, that yon can do yonr rescue work in Louisiana without neglect- ing it up here in Wisconsin and Minnesota, or vice versa? Mr. Leach. I might explain that by saying that our operations start in the upper reaches of the river, at Prescott, Minn., along yi July, and continue until December. What we call the upper river is that section from Prescott, Minn., down as far as Cairo, 111. At the close of the work in December the equipment is stored and left at one of the main stations. Along in January. February, and March our crews are down in Louisiana and that section of the river. Down there they rescue the more A'aluable commercial species, such as the l)uffalo fish. Be- fore we undertook that Avork the eggs of the buffalo fish were sent to market and lost. Last year we were instrumental in distributing something like 110.000,000 buffalo-fish fry; and if our men had not undertaken the operations all of those fish would have been lost. The operations can extend northward from Louisiana to the mouth of the Ohio River, Avhere the work would be undertaken in June,, and in the Illinois River it could be undertaken some time in May. Tliere is a peculiar situation in regard to the Illinois River. It overflows the dikes in the spring, and then the companies up there interested in land undertake to pump the water back into the main river. That leaves the fish high and dry on the land, or else they have to pass through the pumps, where they are destroyed. We* find it advantageous to send men into that field during the season when they are pumping aild gather up the fish and put them back in the main river. Some two or three years ago, I believe, we rescued something like four or five hundred thousand fish at one point in just a few days. By working our crews that way they will be busy throughout the year. That is why we Avish to make this bill broad enough to include the entire Mississippi Valley. That is the only region Avliere rescue operations can be conducted, and that is the Avork for which Ave Avish the establishment of certain buildings. We find it advantageous to distribute some of the fish in the sec- tion outlined in red on the maj) and place them in the upper tributary Avaters of the Mississippi. I believe better results are obtained in this Avay than by putting them all back into the main river. It giA^es the people in that section of tlie country a cliance to get fresh fish for home consumption. OtherAvise the fisli Avould have to be shipped in from the Pacifi^f coast, the Great Lakes, or the Atlantic coast. They see no reason Avliy they should not be entitled to fresh fish, and they are continually beseeching us to extend our operations. Mr. Chindblom. I notice the station in the neighborhood of Cairo Avould cover operations in the States of Kentucky and Tennessee. Mr. Davis. I do not think that covers Tennessee. Mr. Leach. There are great possibilities around the region of Reelfoot Lake and LoAver St. Francis RiA^er, in Arkansas and throughout southeastern Missouri, in the swamp regions. We haA'e neA^er had sufficient equipment to cover that field. All of our equip- ment has been purchased through our funds appropriated for fish- cultural work. Mr. EscH. You might explain how you connect up the large Avork of mussel propagation with the rescue Avork. ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. 17 Dr. Smith. Wherever these fishes are being rescued there are likely to be found pearl mussels in spawning condition, and it is the simplest thing in the world to open those mussels in a tub of water, liberate their free-swimming young, and then i)ut fishes into the tubs. They inoculate themselves. By examining their gills from time to time, 3^011 can get a very good idea of the intensity of the inoculation, because the young mussels, which are light in color, show up distinctly on the red gills. Then the fish are simply dis- tributed as though they had not been inoculated, and they are serv- ing a very useful double purpose in that Ava}'. Mr. EscH. And your experience as to the number of glochidia that a^given size of fish can carry you might explain that. Dr. Smith. Yes : we do not overimpregnate the young fish, but do the work judiciously. The number we put on an adult fish at the special station at Fairport, on the Mississippi Eiver, averages about 2,000 to 3,000. The fish are selected Avith reference to the particular mussels wdiose young w^e have available. Mr. Chindblom. How large a fish would that ])e that would carry 3,000— a foot long? Dr. Smith. Yes. A black bass of a couple of pounds could carry 2,500 or 3,000 young mussels without sluj inconvenience. There is no evidence that this inoculating does them any harm. There is a little irritation obviously set up. because the young soon become em- bedded in mucus, but as soon as they fall off the gills become normal. Mr. EscH. I noticed in one of your folders the result of the experi- ments you carried on at Lake Pepin. You impregnated a given size pike with 3,000 glochidia. They were put in on the 19th da}'- of August and they were sloughed off about the 1st day of May; and of the 3,000 that were impregnated on a given fish, 883 were dropped off as clams, showing a production of 27 and a fraction per cent. Dr. Smith. One of the most valuable mussel shells abounds in that particular section and it was that species which we, in cooperation with the button manufacturers, inoculated on some 5,000,000 rescued fish last fall. About 500,000,000 young mussels were put on those rescued fish in the short season of 1920. The Chairman. What do you do with these young mussels ; do you dispose of them ? Dr. Smith. They are inoculated on the fishes, the fishes are liber- ated, and at a certain stage the mussels drop off and go to the bottom of the river to begin their independent existence, and then are taken out in a few years and made into buttons. The Chairman. You have nothing to do with that part of it ? Dr. Smith. We have nothing to do with that part of it, although, as a matter of fact, we have reared at the Fairport station these young mussels that have been inoculated on the fishes' gills and we have made buttons from mussels we have grown in this artificial way. Mr. Chindblom. How long does it take a mussel, ordinarily, to get large enough for commercial purposes? Dr. SiiiTH. Four or five years, possibly, is the youngest age at which they attain a marketable size or should be taken for manu- facture. Mr. Davis. You do not think this inoculation of the mussels on the gills of the fish retards the growth of the fish during that period ? 291.58—21 2 18 ESTABLISHAIEXT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IX WISCOXSIX. Dr. Smith. We have no reason to believe so. sir, because in the state of nature this same thintj is going on: only in a state of natiiri- the right kind of fish suitable for given mussels when they ai'e in a spawning condition are not always present. We bring the fish and mussels together and in that way improve on nature. When the Fatheii of Waters (Joes on a ItA:\ii'A(;K. AN ACCOUNT OF THE SALVAGING l)E FOOD FISHES 1 MOM THE OVEHF!.0\V El) LANDS OK THE MISSISSIPPI KIVER. |By Hugh H. Smith, United States Commissioner of Fisheries.] Oii«:^ of the most iiiipoitant of the varied fiuiotions of the United States Bureau of Fisheries is a mighty effort to vmdo one of nature's apparent lilunders and mitigate tlie damage done annually to the prospective food supply of tlie coun- try by a cataclysm involving untold millions of the best lishes in the ilississippi River and its tributaries. This effort, yielding large practical results and coming at a period when there is most urgent demand for the prevention of waste and tlie maintenance of re- sources, must be rated as of great public importance and as worthy of .general recognition and support. The Father of Waters is a serious offender against the host of food and game ti.shes which populate its turbulent course, and exhibits mai'ked disregard for the welfare of the entire tish tribe. Every year, and several times a year, it overflows its banks, wanders far from its proper haunts, and then subsides, leaving behind temporary pools, ])onds, and lakes in which are myriads of young fishes whose destruction is inevitable unless human agency comes to their aid. Inasmuch as these tishes represent a large part of the future adult supply of all the leading species, their rescue and return to the main stream is ji matter of the utmost importance. For many years there has been ;i realization of this stuiKSidous annual w;iste of food tishes, and stei)s have been taken to rejiair some of that waste. It was only recently, however, that the efforts bore an adequate ratio i extended from ^Minnesota and Wisconsin to Arkansas and Mississipiii. The places that were headqu.-irters for rescue i)arties were Homei-, Minn.; La Crosse. Wis.; Bellevue and North McGregor, Iowa; (^uincy and Cairo. 111.; Clarksville and Canton, Mo.; and Friars Point, Miss. The record-nnUving efforts in 1919 resulted in the saving of about ir)(>,t)r>7,<)(>0 food fishes. All parts of the river ai'e not ecpially productive and all .sections were not covered with the same degree of thoroughness. The territory reached from the base stations in Minnesota. Wisconsin, and Iowa yielded by far the largest returns in rescued fishes. There the conditions are especially favorable for an enormous annual destruction, and the need for salvage work is most pressing. All the major ;ind many of the minor food fishes of the river are represented lete if no refei'cnce were made to the sending of small numbers of salvaged fishes to waters i lore or less re- mote from the Mississippi. These fishes ser^■e the same pur]>ose as do the product of the hatcheries. They are intended for replenishing depleted waters or for stocking newly formed lakes and ponds that may have no fish life or no suitable supply of food or game fishes. Fishes as taken from the landlocked waters of the Mississippi Valley are not in a condition to stand distant shipment. It is therefore necessary to sub.iect them to a hardening pr(»c('ss before it ,iis safe or wise to send them on a long railway joui*ney. The hardening is done at several depots along the river, notably at La Crosse, Wis., and Rellevue. Iowa. At these and several other points are small buildings containing tanks in whiiili the fish are kept, without food, in cool, clear, running water for several days. The fish, then ready for sliipment. are placed in large cans and loaded hito- i-ailway cars, in which the\- make their journey m safety and comfort. Minor shipments for short distances may be made in Ijaggage caFS, with an attendant. The new all-steel distributing cars of the Bureiui of Fisheries embody the very h'test iidea in fish trans])ortation. These cars, with their permanent crews and vvith all modern improvements for keeping fish supplied with water and air. are hauled on fast passenger trains and have been used for forwarding from the I\Iis- sissipoi the special lots of rescued fishes desiigned for phmting in adjoining States. Sometimes a carload of fish may be taken in its entirety to a single point of deposit, but more frequently detachments are delivered en i-oute to applicants who have been noticfied in .-idvance. by mail or telegraph, to meet a given train with receptacles for taking their fish away. Lest there may be created the impression that large numbers of salvaged fishes that should be returned to the parent stream are being diverted to outside waters, it may be stated that in 1()lf) less tlian six-tenths nf 1 jter cent of the fishes saved from the IVIississippi floods were consigned to outside waters. This altogether negligible number consisted chiefly of catfishes, sunfishes, crappies, and basses. From what has already been stated, it must be apparent that this work on which the fisheries service of the Federal Government has voUmtarily embarked is of very great value, not only to the States immediately concerned, but also to distant parts of the country, for the food fishes of the Mississippi Basin receive a wide distribution in the trade. As a matter of fact, the importance of this effort as a means of maintaining and increasing the food supply of the country can hardly be equaled in any other field \\'hen cost, certain results, and quick returns are fallen into consideration. In most of the States bo)-dering on the ^lississippi there is a growing public interest in and ui-gent demtind for a continuation and extension of the rescue ESTABLISHMEXT OF FISH RESCUE STATTOX IX WISCOXSIX 2P) work; aiul along tlie Ohio, Missouri, aud otlier tributaries of tlic Mississijiiii, wliere tliere prevail essentially the same conditions as in the main stream, the desirability of this form of food conservation is being seriouslv considered. In the districts now only partly covered and in the sections where u]) to this time It has been impossible to undertake anv operations, there exists an oppor- tunity for very productive work. There are unbroken stretches of river 500 miles in length, where the floods are yearly causing large sacrifice of food fishes, on which no attempts at rescue have heretofore been made because of lack of funds and personnel, and the major tributaries of the Mississippi present m virgin field of unknown possibilities. Tr should be understood that Congress does not appropriate funds especially for this particular work, and that the money now employed is in realitv part of a general appropriation for fish culture, and the persons and equipment detailed for the rescue operations are temporarily drawn from other branches of the service. What is needed, in order that this service may be conducted in a manner and on a scale that its importance justifies, is specific recognition by Congress through the providing of special funds and personnel, so that the work mav not lie contingent on the necessities of other duly established activities. STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY E. HULL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF IOWA. Mr. Hull. Gentlemen of the committee, just briefly at the start I want to siio-o-est merely that in your bill you put an "amendment on line 6, after the word " operations." by in.sertino- " in the Mississippi Valley." I do that simply so that itVill explain its nature better. T realize very well you did not intend to confine its operations to the State of Wisconsin. Mr. EscH. Not at all. Mr. Hull. But the members won't know how far this work can go. It o-oes the entire lenoth and breadth of the Mississippi Valley, as I understand it. Then, briefly, I want to call your attention to the importance of the pearl-button industry and how much that industry depends upon work of this character. The pearl-button industry is an industry that Avas started in the early nineties. It is a very remarkable in- dustry. At the present time it has a product approximated of $90,000,000 and employees some 20,000 people in different States. It ]>ractically covers the entire Mississippi Valley, in a good portion of the Eastern States, extending even into the State of Massachusetts and quite extensively into New Jersey, and also in New York, where they have great factories. As you know, the pearl-lmtton industry is the production of pearl buttons, and it is of great importance to the people of this coimtry to have that industry. It i)roduces a but- ton that is much better for the purposes for which it is used than any other button. Up to the time of the introduction of this in- dustry they depended largely upon bone for their small buttons. To-day a much better button, from the sanitary standpoint, and a cheaper button for the people of this country, is produced from these mussels, and everybody wears them. All of you have them on you right now. And it is due to the fact they have found they can use the clam, which we used to go out and dig up in the bottom of the river and wonder what use could be made of it. It produces the pearl button to-day. That industry has got to find a way for the re])roduction of tlio clams in the river bottoms, because largely they Avent ont in the bed-' of the river and dug up the clams that had been formerly laid there 24 ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IN WISCONSIN. and nobody paid any attention. To-day they are running short, and it is largely due to the fact that the mussel does not naturally repro- duce itself in sufficiently large quantities for the industry. Mr. Davis. If the pearl industry should receive the benefit of the very valuable assistance Avhich would be carried by the enactment of this bill I presume they would be willing to AAai\e their claim for a protective tariff, would they not ? Mr. Hull. If you wanted to kill the industry and transfer it to Japan, thej would. We do not think so. But that is another angle to the situation, of course. This rescue work, I think, is of wonderful importance to the people of this country, not only in the production of food, but also in the production of pearl buttons. These gentlemen who have the scientific knowledge have covered the case very comjDletely. The inoculation of the fish with the clam larvae does not hurt the fish at all. At the present time this work is carried on to some extent, but only in an experimental way, at the Fair Port biological station, Avhich is located in my district, and that is how I come to know some- thing about it. Also, the industry is very extensive in my district, and in the town of Muscatine the largest factory is located of any of the factories in my district. Xow, this Fair Port biological station is one of tlie greatest in the world: I guess it is the best-equipped biological station in the world. Dr. Smith. Fresh water. Mr. Hull. It is a fresh-water biological station. I attended the dedication of it last summer, and I was very much amazed to notice the scientific people gathered there. Thej^ were gathered there from all over this country; practically every university had scientific men there, telling of tlie great benefit to the people of this country such a station would be. Mr. Davis. Over what territory do the operations now extend with regard to gathering these shells? Mr. Hill. Practically 20 States are covered at the present time, and I presume there are more — it has been expanding all the while — and there is no place, I presume, except in the Mountain States, but where the clam can be propagated. Mr. Davis. Are the}- gathered by these manufacturing concerns or largely by parties who gather for themselves (' Mr. Hull. The clam gatherers are largely individuals who go to work and gather the clams, and they have boats and processes by which to do it, and they sell the clams just like you sell corn or any- thing else. It runs from $25 to $100 a ton, I guess. Sometimes they run very high and then they go down, as they get more. But they are going higher all the while. The general trend of the market is higher, because they are more scarce. That is the object of my appearing before you to urge the passage of a bill like this, which, as has been demonstrated by other gen- tlemen here, would very extensively expand the industry ; and the pearl-button industry, t think, is one of the important industries in this country to-day. producing, as it does, a cheaper button, a better button, and a button everybody uses. Its benefits go to the common people, and it gives them a very, very high-grade button. Mr. Randall. Is it not a fact, also, that in these mussels you find a large number of pearls ? ESTABLISHMENT OF FISH RESCUE STATION IX WISCONSIN. 25 Mr. Hull. Yes; they can find pearls, but that is just a side issue. They do find them and there are men all the while running there. Wherever they are picking up clams on the bed of the river there are men waiting to hear of some fellow finding a pearl, and if thej hear of them, they go and try to negotiate. But that, of course, is purely a side issue. STATEMENT OF MR. W. P. FICKETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., REP- RESENTING THE BUTTON MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION. Mr. FicKETT. I might say, Mr. Chairman, we are very much in favor of this bill and we want to support it. We have prepared a moving-picture film which outlines this rescue work very thoroughly and, if arrangements could be made with the committee to show it we would be glad to do so. The Chairman. That would have to be shown down in the Bureau of Fisheries ? Mr. FicKETT. Yes; we could show it there. This film tells the story of this work in a way, I think, to impress you very thoroughly. Dr. Smith. May I ask Mr. Fickett whether this motion-picture film to which he alludes was prepared by and at the expense of the pearl-button manufacturers ? Mr. Fickett. Yes, sir; the pearl-button manufacturers had this picture taken at their own expense when we were doing the rescue work Dr. Smith referred to this fall. The doctor has seen the pic- ture and I think he knows what it is. Dr. Smith. May I say just a word apropos of the suggestion of Congressman Hull. He has mentioned the desirability of an amend- ment in line 6, and will you permit me to call attention ta the fact that in a communication on this bill, sent at your request by the Secretary of Commerce, the same amendment is urged. Mr. Fickett. And may I add that the pearl-button manufactur- ers' association concur in that amendment and would like to see this bill made as broad as possible. ^ Mr. EscH. I wish to thank the committee for this hearing.