202 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



The fisb are worth 50 cents apiece as they come from the water, their 

 average weight being 7 pounds each. 



y-d\ne of the 4,391,882 pounds due to fish culture $313, TOG 00 



Cost of hatching and planting 2,500,000 fry 3, GOO 00 



Annual net profit 310, lOG 00 



The expenditures by the United States Fish Commission on this 

 work and the number of eggs obtained from 1877 to 1882 were as fol- 

 lows : 



Fiscal year. 



1877-'78.... 

 1878-'79.... 

 1879-'80.... 

 1880-'81.... 

 1881-'82.... 



Total 



Amonnt ex- 

 pended. 



$7, 853 96 

 12, 730 64 

 12,875 55 

 13,587 20 

 C, 653 51 



$53,700 76 



Eggs pro- 

 duced. 



7, 033, 000 

 10,310,000 

 0, 650, 000 

 5, 800, COO 

 7, 500, 000 



37, 293, 000 



Average cost per million eggs, $1,440. 



This expenditure was greater than would be necessary merely to in- 

 crease the supply of fish in the river. Of the 37,293,000 eggs obtained 

 during tliese five years but 11,000,000 were used to produce what young 

 were returned to the river. The other 20,293,000 eggs were sent to the 

 Eastern States and to foreign countries. Additionally, the experience 

 of the past will enable the commissioners to exercise greater economj^ 

 One of the California commissioners stated to a committee of the legis- 

 lature that " a million of salmon could be artificially hatched and placed 

 in the river for less than $800; and if it were desirable, and the legis- 

 lature made sufficient appropriation, the commissioners could fill the 

 river so full of salmon that it u-ould he difficult for a steamboat to pass 

 through themP Considering the fact that food does not have to be 

 furnished, these fish, coming from their ocean feeding-grounds to the 

 rivers, as they do, merely to spawn, his statement may be within the 

 bounds of reason. 



Writing under date of January 6, 1882, Mr. B. B. Eedding, of San 

 Francisco, Cal., said: "Since we commenced putting young salmon 

 into the Sacramento, Pitt, and McCloud Rivers the number of canneries 

 with money invested has more than trebled, and more jiersons are invest- 

 ing money in new canneries. Eequests are coming fiom other parts of 

 the State to have salmon hatched. Fish-hatching-, for the i^urpose of 

 su])plying food, has at length become popular." 



U. S. F. C, Washington, D. C, April 15, 1884. 



