382 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



63 A VERDKT AGAINST ARTIFICIAL. FISH CULTURE, AND 



AN ANSWER TUEKETO.' 



[From "Deutsche Fischerei-Zeitung," Vol. VI, No. 15, Stettin, April 10, 1883.] 



Professor Malmgren, inspector of the Finland fisheries, at the request 

 of the Imperial Senate of Finland presented a memorial on the 20th 

 January last to the Agricultural Commission of that body, as to the 

 advisability of introducing artificial fish-culture in Finland, and, more 

 especially, whether the method followed at the piscicultural establish- 

 ment of Nikolsk, situated in the Government of Nowgorod, could be 

 applied in Finland. A German translation of this memorial, printed by 

 J. Simelii's Heirs at Helsingfors, has been sent to us. It is a remarkable 

 document, principally because it is the first instance in the literature 

 on fisheries of an author almost entirely denying the results of fish- 

 culture, at least as carried on at present. Dr. Malmgren speaks freely, 

 and without the slightest reserve, what he thinks. He has no praise to 

 bestow, but says in other words that, as far as his experience and his 

 information go, the results of fish-culture almost amount to nothing. 

 His advice is, therefore, not to introduce in Finland such useless and 

 expensive establishments, as they do not pay. Is he right i That is the 

 question. Following his instructions, the professor first of all visited 

 the remote establishment of Nikolsk. He there found a vast and ex- 

 pensive establishment for hatching millions of eggs, whilst the annual 

 production of 100,000 to 200,000 eggs was no more than is produced by 

 a second-rate German establishment ; 100,000 to 200,000 roubles have 

 been lost; the founder — once a wealthy man — has become a pauper, his 

 successor became a bankrupt, and now the Government has taken the 

 establishment, which is under the superintendence of a learned gentle- 

 man. The thing did not work, it does not work now, and it never will 

 work. The men who founded the establishment were mere theorists 

 who had no practical knowledge of nature. The spawning fish had 

 to be brought a distance of 350 wersts [233 miles] ; there is plenty of 

 water in the neighborhood, but none which is suitable for the young 

 fish. The young fry of trout and Coregonus (maranen) have been placed 

 in lakes, in large numbers, just as with us ; but they only became food 

 for other fish; hardly any were caught again. No wonder: out of 

 100,000 embryos nature sometimes allows a few to reach maturity, but 

 very often she does not let any reach that point, for she cannot provide 

 the food necessary for so many mouths. The theorists never thought 

 of this. Of what use are sterlets in a lake, or lake Coregonus in a river? 

 Propagation is not to be thought of under the circumstances. Occa- 

 sionally fish of some new kind were made to flourish in a lake, but not 



* " Fin Verdikt gegen die kiinstUche Fischzucht und eine Antwort daravf." Translated 

 from the German by HERMAN Jacobson. 



