Giant Catfish, King of U.S. Bureau Exhibits, Dies Victim of Chlorine

Evening Star March 14 1924 page 44 Newspaper Article Giant Catfish, King of U.S. Bureau Exhibits, Dies Victim of Chlorine 74-Pound Monster Succumbs to Substance Used to Purify District Water Supply for Humans- Stock for Nearby Streams Produced Here. The featured exhibit at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries at 4th and B streets in Washington was a 74 pound. It recently died due to the addition of chlorine to the city water system. On several occasions the fish there have shown signs of ill effects of the chemical and staff have relocated the stock to Baltimore for a time to recover. The fish display has two purposes. They provide an interesting, educational opportunity for the public and they are used to stock streams in the area. In 1923 1,300 goldfish with weights up to three-quarters of a pound have been sent from the facility to be used in park fountains and six thousand were sent to the zoo. Salmon eggs a particularly good exhibit to show the hatching process of fish has also been featured. The resulting hatchlings have produced 8,000 chanook. For a few years these have been release into Susquehanna river. On rare occasions reports are received of a catch of these fish from that body. Conditions there are not generally conducive to a successful commercial enterprise. Salmon need water from glaciers. From the leased bureau hatchery in Lakeland, Maryland 100,000 fingerling large-mouth black bass and 100,000 fingerling crappies were sent to the Potomac and other streams. Other fish produced there for are the same kind of catfish as the former “king” as well as sunfish. Now the exhibit tanks in Washington contain whitefish and lake herring. Once the whitefish grow beyond the hatchling size they will be sent to norther new York as more southern areas are not part of their habitat. There is a move by the bureau to buy the hatchery in Lakeland as it is said to be one of the best in the nation. Assets of the Lakeland site include its location close to Washington and easy access of rail transpiration. The Lakeland hatchery is known to be a great producer of gold fish. This source has provided fish for fountains in Washington DC

Date

1924