124 , SALMON DISEASE. 



in water. There was another kind of fruit which the fungus 

 produced, viz., the resting spores, so called from the fact that they 

 remain from one season to another, at the bottom of the water. 

 The heads of the fungus were so slender that it was almost 

 marvellous how any impression could be made upon the scales of 

 the fish. It would seem, however, that any injured portion of the 

 body was especially liable to be attacked, and fish received injuries 

 through fighting, or at weirs, or by coming in contact with any 

 obstruction. 



We have in the human body a disease called diphtheria, and it 

 was believed that diphtheria would readily attach itself to any 

 wound on the body ; and thus salmon disease was likened by 

 some to diphtheria. There were other conditions which seemed 

 to predispose to the disease besides injuries, such as debilitated 

 condition of fish due to want of food or low water. Overstocking 

 and an ill-aerated condition of the water had been connected with 

 the fungus, more especially in aquaria ; and what was more 

 important than all, the fungus seemed to attack spent fish, or fish 

 that had just spawned and were much out of condition. It was 

 thought at one time that only unclean fish were attacked, but it 

 was now recognised that spawned fish were simply more liable 

 than others to be diseased. 



Coming to the consideration of the cause of the disease, they 

 were met with a sea of doubt, a wilderness of opinion ; for, take 

 any cause that had as yet been suggested, and it was quite possible 

 to show that the disease was present in totally different circum- 

 stances. He showed that the disease existed in rivers polluted, 

 and rivers unpolluted. Whilst pollution might not be a direct 

 cause of the disease, there could be no question that anything 

 which interfered with the purity of the water must indirectly interfere 

 with the health of the fish; and, therefore, through sewage contam- 

 ination or other impurity, salmon might become less able to resist 

 the attack of the fungus ; and this should induce authorities in 

 towns on the higher waters of rivers, not to allow the sewage or 

 other refuse to pass into the river ; whilst for towns near the 

 mouths of rivers, sewage should be, if allowed to go into the river, 

 emptied as near the tideway as possible. In confirmation of this, 

 it had been found that a good supply of clear water was a certain 

 cure for fungus when it appeared in the tanks in aquaria. 



No disease had been reported from Norway, where the rivers 

 were frozen over until May ; but, on the other hand, Mr. Byers 

 had seen thousands of diseased salmon in the Harrison River, in 

 British Columbia. Incidentally he stated the disease was a fresh 

 water disease, salt water curing it. Much evidence going to show 

 the possible influence of a low condition of the water upon salmon 



