BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 169 



84.— P£NNINO OF SAIiMOIV IN ORDER TO 8EC1JRK TIIEER F:00S. 

 By C. J. BOTTEI»IA]¥WE, M. D. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.] 



In the Dutch "Economist" of 1874 I gave a description of the fish- 

 breeding establishment of the State of New York, and therein I men- 

 tioned the United States salmon-breeding establishment on the Penob- 

 scot, principally for the j)enning of the salmon from June till breeding 

 time. As you are likely aware, the Dutch Government pays yearly 

 $4,800 to salmon breeders for youug salmon delivered in spring, at the 

 rate of 10 cents for yearlings, and not quite (f ) one dollar per hundred 

 for those that are about rid of the umbilical sac, and ready to shift for 

 themselves. For the latter they receive payment only if there is money 

 left after delivering the yearlings. 



The breeders get their eggs from Germany from Schuster in Frei- 

 burg, and from Gloser in Basel; but complain always that the eggs are 

 from too young individuals, that there is always too much loss in trans- 

 portation, that the eggs are so weak that after the fish have come out 

 there is great mortality in the fry, &c. 



In this month's " Economist" I published the results on the Penobscot, 

 and figured out that if breeders here set to work in the same style they 

 would get at least four eggs to one, at the same price, and be independentv 



We have an association here for promoting the fresh- water fisheries, 

 of which the principal salmon fishermen are members, and also several 

 gentlemen not in the business, including myself. In the December meet- 

 ing I told them all I knew about the Penobscot; and one breeder got a 

 credit for $200 for getting ryje salmon and keeping them in a scow till he 

 had what he wanted, and he has succeeded pretty well. Still this is only 

 on a limited scale. I want to put up larger pens and in the style of the 

 Penobscot. In order to do this I must know exactly what is done on the 

 Penobscot and how. 



What is the size of the pen, how large area, how deep? Is it above 

 tidal water? (This I take for grauted.) What is the situation of the 

 pond compared with the river! What kind of failures were there, and 

 the probable reasons therefor? In short, I would like a complete de- 

 scription of the place, with the history of it. I hope you will excuse 

 my drawing on you for such an amount, but as the United States is the 

 authority in practical fish-breeding, we are obliged to come to you. 



I am sorry to say that I cannot report the catch of any iS*. quinnat, yet 

 three fish have been sent in for the premium we held out for the first 

 fifteen caught, but they proved not to be quinnat. Lately I heard that 

 there were so many salmon caught in the Ourthe, near Liege, Belgium 

 (the Ourthe is one of the feeders of the Maas), which was an astonishing 

 fact, as salmon are seldom taken there. 



BERGE^sf OP Zoom, Netherlands, January 12, 1884. 



