584 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



they are then put into the breeding-boxes which are covered by fresh 

 running water protected against all hurtful influences, and they are 

 shipped as soon as the eyes of the little fish can be seen through the 

 skin of the egg. Up to the autumn of 1864 more than 110,000,000 eggs 

 of fresh- water fish, among these 41,000,000 salmon and trout, had been 

 impregnated at Hiiuingen, and shipped from there. This number has no 

 doubt since then increased more than double. 



The new German government, recognizing the beneficial influence 

 which this establishment has had on the increase of fish in France, 

 through the Deutsche Fisherei-verein takes all the necessary measures 

 to make this new acquisition a benefit to the German fisheries. It has 

 been made an imperial establishment, and the shipping of eggs is con- 

 tinued, no longer gratis, however, but at a moderate price — GO cents per 

 thousand for impregnated eggs of the salmon-trout. 



Eecently successful experiments in sending fish-eggs to a consid- 

 erable distance have been made in other establishments, as at Freiburg in 

 Baden, but especially at Salzburg. From England, 100,000 salmon and 

 3,000 trout eggs, packed first in moss, and then in ice, were some years 

 ago sent to Australia, where they arrived safely. In the autumn of 1869, 

 110,000 salmon-eggs were sent to iSTew Zealand. Now they have in 

 Australia trout measuring 19£ inches in length and weighing 3£ pounds ; 

 two-year-old salmon have also been seen, and some of them have been 

 observed spawning. (Zeitschrift fur wissenscJiaftliche Zoologie, 1869.) 



The most famous British fish-breeding establishment is at Stormont- 

 field, on the river Tay, where the young salmon raised from artificially- 

 impregnated eggs are cared for and fed in several ponds till they are 

 able to commence their journey to the sea as smolts. Originally calcu- 

 lated for 300,000 eggs, this establishment has been considerably en- 

 larged. A similar establishment is located on the river Dee, in Scot- 

 land, which makes a business of raising and selling eggs and young fish, 

 and realizes a considerable profit, although the managers pay an annual 

 rent of $6,000. 



The Irish "salmon-factory" of Thomas Ashworth, in Galway, like- 

 wise raises millions of eggs every year, and increases in importance 

 from year to year. The establishments founded by private individuals, 

 by associations, or joint-stock companies, seem to flourish most, while 

 those which have been founded and are supported by the government 

 have not in all cases been as successful. It seems to be sufficient if 

 the government confines its activity to giving encouragement and as- 

 sistance to these local enterprises. 



The organization of artificial fish-breeding asssociations involves 

 expenses which, in smaller bodies of water, are not in due proportion to 

 the extent of water, nor does every fishing water offer a suitable place. 

 For this reason, many proprietors of small fisheries prefer to buy im- 

 pregnated eggs from the larger establishments, and place them in suit- 

 able places in the waters, in shallow and quiet sand bottoms near to 



