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s OFFICIAL STATE FEBRUARY, 1937 PUBLICATION AN G LE fC Vol. 6 No. 2 <??ti= 3&- PUBLISHED MONTHLY COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA by the BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS 1 1 1 Five cents a copy — 50 cents a year MEMBERS OF BOARD MILTON L. PEEK Devon ALEX P. SWEIGART, Editor CHARLES A. FRENCH South Office Bldg., Harrisburg, Pa. Elwood City HARRY E. WEBER Philipsburg SAMUEL J. TRUSCOTT Dal ton NOTE DAN R. SCHNABEL Johnstown Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either EDGAR W. NICHOLSON by check or money order payable to the Common­ Philadelphia wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. KENNETH A. REID Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. Connellsville H. R. STACKHOUSE Secretary to Board PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contribu­ tions and photos of catches from its readers. Pro­ per credit will be given to contributors. All contributions returned if accompanied by first C. R. BULLER class postage. Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefonte me ==1^ IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address Please give both old and new addresses Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given Vol. 6. No. 2 FEBRUARY, 1937 'ANGLER? EDITORIAL more on this subject. There is a great Does not this single incident serve Conservation's Greatest Need deal of encouragement for those of us to impress upon us how little our interested in betterment of fishing children today know about the fish in As we enter the year 1937, we are and hunting through proper conser­ our streams ? Is it fair for us, who, in confronted on all sides by serious vation methods in this apparent eag­ many instances have never taken the Problems threatening the future not erness of our boys and girls to learn time or made the effort to teach the only of wild life conservation but of all it is possible for them to absorb boys about us concerning matters I conservation of fish life as well. relative to fish life and wild life. that are common knowledge to most While the disastrous winter of 1935-6 How often has the individual fish­ anglers, to condemn and rant about struck a body blow to conservation of the accidental catching of a bass out various species of game birds and erman observed, during a day animals, an equally disastrous flood astream, the curiosity with which a of season by some boy fisherman who and the 1936 summer drought that boy fishing nearby approached him to did not know the difference between followed seriously affected the fish look over a bass, pickerel, trout or a bass and a sucker? To the average Hfe of the inland waters. In the years other fish captured? Probably, too, boy, who has not had the advantage to come, we must put forth every ef­ he may have had a few questions to of learning more concerning our fish fort to restore the favorable balance ask, all pertaining to that particular life, a fish is a fish, no matter to what of wild life and fish life which existed species it happens to belong. Prior to these great natural disasters. fish. This desire to learn, but far It seems that there is no more essen­ more important, the ability of a boy Here, then, fellow sportsmen, is a tial need in the successful carrying to learn at this age, makes the teach­ challenge to every one of us. It is a out of this program than the educa­ ing of our youth in conservation mat­ ringing call for our great army of tion of our youth, the sportsmen and ters comparatively easy. There is, Pennsylvania fishermen and hunters sportswomen who will enjoy the out­ after all, a basic longing in all of us to shoulder, individually, the respon­ doors of tomorrow, to the essential sibility of acquainting our youth with that may be traced back to the earli­ features of conservation. Here is the facts relative to the sports we love so groundwork upon which any compre­ est days of man. Fishing and hunting well. We cannot, if we look to the hensive effort to better present day today are sports; in the dawn age for future, evade this responsibility. conditions for the hunter and fisher­ men they were vital necessities of Rather, we should welcome the op­ man must be laid. life. The instinct still lingers strongly portunity, each one of us, to do his in many of our boys and girls today, How may this program of youth part, in a state-wide program of edu­ e as well as in us. ducation in conservation best be car­ cation of our youth. Every convert ded forward? First, of course, there We recently heard of a little inci­ we make to the conservation cause, a are our public schools. One of our dent that serves to typify the real cause that today needs our whole­ field officers during the past month need for conservation education for hearted support more than it ever did atid also during the winter school our youth. A bass fisherman, return­ before, is a stepping stone to the fu­ term last year, traveled to a number ing home with a fine smallmouth ture of fishing and hunting that must °i the schools in northeastern Penn­ bass, weighing three pounds, was sylvania, displaying a collection of be engaged in by those who are to showing it to a friend. Two little follow. Counted fish and explaining the hab- chaps sauntered by, and with usual ] *ts and characteristics of inland Educate the youth of Pennsylvania curiosity, crowded close to see the water fishes found in Pennsylvania. to the need of sportsmanship and to a catch. ^e reports that invariably he found knowledge of conservation, and a vi­ 111 audiences of school children excep­ "Mister," said one of them, "That's tal stride will have been made toward tional interest and the desire to learn a nice carp you caught." future success of our program. 2 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER had to be covered with secrecy, as it is a general custom to greatly advance the price of land desired by any public agency. And in order to avoid this in but a few instances the investigators, when studying proposi­ tions, did not reveal their purpose to the land owner. In July, 1932, a site having most of the assets, was located on the headwaters of the Yellow Breeches Creek, Penn Township, Cumberland County, near the village of Huntsdale. An option was taken and the purchase made in September, 1932. The geographic location is very favor­ able from the standpoint of the fish distri­ bution, as it is near many outstanding trout and bass waters. The soil is of a nature that builds water tight pond banks. The fall or drop in elevation from the head of the property to the lower section is not as much as is desired, but this is offset by the high oxygen contents of the water, as it comes from the springs or creek. The spring water supply, while of a very peculiar nature, is abundant. During the most severe drought period, since the prop­ erty has been acquired, the combined mini­ Aerators at Huntsdale mum flow of the spring did not fall below 5,000 gallons per minute. Irishtown Gap Bun, which heads in the mountain south of the village of Huntsdale, flows through the hatchery property, and HUNTSDALE HATCHERY has sufficient flowage to provide the right kind of water for the warm water fish pond By MILTON L. PEEK, development. Member, Board of Fish Commissioners Geographically, the site comprises a most peculiar phenomenon, and in my judgment, would prove of great interest to those par­ HE older established State hatcheries for fish, increased facilities in the way of ticularly interested in this subject. The top Twere originally located and constructed new hatcheries were necessary. soil, to a depth of four to eight feet, con­ for the purpose of hatching fish eggs and Those in charge of the task of locating sists of rubble sandstone; underlying this is the planting of the fish at a very early likely sites for the construction of a State a strata of limestone. Through the sand­ stage of development. Fish hatchery work, Hatchery were confronted with numerous stone permeate numerous springs. All of where the crop is planted, or disposed of problems. The Board was desirous of lo­ these springs are assumed to be deep seated. when very small, requires but very little cating and building a development adapt­ Regardless of rain-storms or floods, they pond space and a comparatively small water able for the growing of trout, as well as never become turbid, being so clear that ob­ supply. The work is more or less seasonal warm water fish species such as black bass, jects can be seen as plainly in the water, and the financial investment relatively bluegill sunfish, catfish and others. For the almost, as in the air. The spring consists of small, as compared to a Fish Farm, where trout work, this required a site where a six groups, all originating within an area the crops are grown in the plant until they large dependable flow of spring water of of three acres. are sufficiently large to be caught and outstanding quality could be had. For the In most sections of the country, in a par­ legally retained by the angler. warm water fish development, it required ticular locality, all deep seated springs are It has long been the policy of the Board a water supply of high summer tempera­ inclined to have a uniform water tempera­ of Fish Commissioners to centralize pro­ ture and low winter temperature, prefer­ ture.

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