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DC BOOTH – USING "OLD FISH STUFF" TO ANSWER MODERN QUESTIONS
It was a simple phone call, with only one question. What strain of rainbow trout was stocked into a farm pond in Grand Mound, Iowa? The pond was to be stocked again and they wanted to put the same strain into the pond. The only problem was that the fish were last stocked around 1937. The answer was found in several boxes in the basement of the Collection Management Facility at the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, in Spearfish, SD.
Historic fishery archives and objects have been sent to DC Booth since 1978. In 1995, a state of the art facility was built to store, preserve, and use these collections. There are currently almost 900 boxes of archival material at DC Booth, along with 7000 or so objects. This material has come from all over the United States. It includes early publications of the Fish Commission, the oldest federal conservation agency (1871) and the beginnings of today's Fish and Wildlife Service. Stocking records, annual reports from hatcheries and fisheries offices, log books, photographs, planning documents, personal papers, and more can all be found at DC Booth.
Located at the ten acre historic hatchery, the collections are used for research, for exhibits in the Von Bayer Museum of Fisheries History, and for loan to other museums, e.g., the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC). About 150,000 people visit DC Booth each year.
Hundreds of requests for historic fisheries information have come from all over the country. Most of these are handled by site staff, including volunteers and interns, as time allows. Priority is given to Fish and Wildlife Service employees, and to other federal and state employees. Many documents can be copied, with care. An increasing number of researchers make an appointment and arrive to do their own research.
A biologist from Eastern Washington University needed stocking records for his area. A chef in Florida was looking for cookbooks from a series published by the Fish and Wildlife Service. A photo of the Manchester, Iowa tombstone, "DEATH: OVERWORK AT FISH HATCHERY" is a regular request, especially from hatchery employees! Some requests ask for information about structures no longer owned by Fish and Wildlife, usually for preservation or exhibit purposes. Photos of past activities are frequently needed for publications. Lists of employees and information about family members are sometimes requested.
Confronted with records concerning fish listed as No.1, No.2, No.3, etc., a western hatchery manager asked what exactly those numbers meant. It would help in writing a Comprehensive Hatchery Management Plan. They were found to have been defined at the 1905 meeting of the American Fisheries Society, when members unanimously agreed on the size of a No.1 fish. In case you are curious, a No.1 is 1-2", a No.2 is 2-3", and so forth.
Bull trout, salmon, water resources, mussel propagation, Yellowstone National Park, brown trout, shad tubes, water quality, lot numbers, brook trout, and the Dipnet are just a few of the subjects researched. A recent fun project was providing some photos to use in the 2003 Fisheries Conservation calendar, produced by the Friends of NCTC. It sure showed that history repeats itself!
Preservation begins when someone decides to send material to DC
Booth. A big THANK YOU goes to Service employees everywhere that
have sent archives and objects to DC Booth. The environment there
is clean, fire and intrusion protected, and has a stable temperature
and relative humidity. Acid free storage materials are used and
inventories are made. A computerized collection management system
is used. This system makes searches for information easier, as searches
can be made for anything, including names, places, species, dates,
organizations, and activities.
Remember to watch for "old fish stuff" in your work that should be added to the historic record. If you need preservation advice or a safe and secure place to send o'fish'al things for preservation, contact the Curator, DC Booth HNFH, 423 Hatchery Circle, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-642-7730, ext 215. DC Booth is a proud member of the Service's Heritage Committee and works closely with NCTC to preserve the rich heritage of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Note: The fish stocked into that farm pond in 1937 were most likely Shasta strain rainbow trout. A number of hatchery records and reports were consulted to make the connections.
Randi Smith
Curator,
DC Booth HNFH
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