THE FISHEEY INTERESTS OF AUSTRIA. 589 



ists in all parts of the country, and to form a central agency for pro- 

 moting the fisheries, and for facilitating the raising and shipping of fish 

 so as to benefit the whole population. 



Through the efforts of this society, Berlin and other inland cities 

 receive an increased supply of fresh sea fish; it has also suggested 

 the introduction of the sterlet and other finer species of fishes instead of 

 the common food-fishes, which have hitherto been supplied to the mark- 

 ets from sadly neglected fish-ponds. 



In May, 1871, the society addressed a petition to the chancellor of 

 the German empire that, for a number of years, an annual sum of $37,500 

 should be appropriated from the imperial German treasury to extend 

 pecuniary aid to deserving pisciculturists and piscicultural societies, 

 and to promote the interests of the sea-fisheries by procuring models 

 of vessels and implements. 



The circulars of the Deutsche FiscJwrei-verein, which are edited in 

 a model way, give from time to time information both on the proceed- 

 ings of the society and on all matters of interest to pisciculturists. 



The society likewise directs its attention to the improvement of exist- 

 ing legislation. Thus, in its second session, it was urged to remedy the 

 existing defects in the fishery-laws of North Germany, which at present 

 contain no clauses enforcing the building of weirs in such a manner as 

 to leave a free passage for migratory fish. The draught of a new fishery- 

 law for Prussia, which has been published recently, owes its origin to a 

 great degree in the exertions of this society. 



8. — CONDITION OF PISCICULTURE IN AUSTRIA. 



From the report of the ministry of agriculture for 1868, and from 

 numerous special reports on piscicultural establishments, it will be seen ' 

 that fish-rearing is gaining ground in Austria, and private enterprise 

 has been successfully employed in this branch of industry. In nearly 

 all the provinces of Austria there are piscicultural establishments, 

 several of which have been very successful. Although there are no 

 complete statistics, we shall, in the followiug pages, give all the inform- 

 ation which can be gathered from the official reports and from articles in 

 various journals. In comparison with the vast arrangements of other 

 countries as described above, we can only chronicle small beginnings. 



In Salzburg, a central establishment for fish-breeding was founded 

 in 1864, by a joint-stock company, which has not, so far, been a pe- 

 cuniary success, but which, nevertheless, has exercised a most bene- 

 ficial influence on fish-culture throughout Austria. Since its founda- 

 tion, it has sent a large number of eggs to nearly all the provinces of 

 Austria and to foreign parts. During the season 1867-'68, it shipped 

 253,000 eggs of lake- trout, Rhine salmon, brook-trout, and pike. Dur- 

 ing the winter 1869-'70, orders for 815,000 eggs were received at the 

 establishment, but only 572,000 could be shipped, partly because there 

 was a lack of eggs on account of unfavorable weather and inundations 



