ARTIFICIAL HA TCHING OF MARINE FOOD-FISHES. 263 



the Fisheries Department of the Board of Trade nearly 

 reaches the first sum (,£3000), and yet no scientific inves- 

 tigations, no expenditure for a steamer, and no marine fish- 

 hatching have to be met. Indeed, another ,£1000 is given by 

 the Government to the marine laboratory at Plymouth for 

 scientific fisheries' work, making the annual income of this 

 establishment about ,£2200. As Dr. Fulton has shown, 

 the United States spends annually ,£70,000 on fish-culture 

 and scientific investigations, and employs two large steamers 

 and a sailing- vessel exclusivelv for the work. Besides 

 this large sum, the fish commissioners of the various States 

 also disburse considerably on the development of their 

 fisheries. Canada, again, expends ,£100,000 yearly on her 

 fisheries, of which a sum of about ,£10,000 is devoted to 

 fish-culture. 1 



Finally, were the establishment of a proper series of 

 statistics the only benefit that had already accrued to the 

 fisheries of the country since scientific attention had been 

 directed to the subject, such would be no trifling boon. 

 Overweening confidence on the one hand, and pessimistic 

 views on the other, have been toned to moderation, 

 and at least a basis for guidance afforded where only 

 conjecture existed. But during the last decade the studies 

 on the reproduction, development, and life-histories of our 

 food-fishes and shell-fishes, and the distribution of the im- 

 mature fishes, have made it possible to proceed with the 

 artificial culture of them. Much knowledge has also been 

 gained concerning the rate of growth, the size at which 

 maturity occurs, the food — both on the bottom of the sea 

 and in mid-water — the latter in abundance at all periods of 

 the year, and often presenting no connection with locality. 

 Besides, in questions more or less practical, such as the 



1 Keeping the ,£1800 for Scotch scientific fisheries' investigations in 

 view, a glance at the estimate for sundry grants in aid of scientific investi- 

 gations, etc., in the United Kingdom (year ending 31st March, 1895), and 

 amounting to ,£26,247, may be taken. Of this sum, ,£21,800 goes to 

 England, ,£2877 to Ireland, and ,£1570 to Scotland. But, in addition, 

 provision is made in other estimates for expenditure in connection with such 

 service of ,£17,834, the total thus being ,£44,081. 



