Ixxviii REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



16.— The sterlet. 



The sterlet, {Acij)e)iser ruthenus,) a small species of sturgeon, found in 

 Eussia, has a superior reputation as a table-fish. The Eussian minister 

 of Crown lauds has caused it to be introduced from its original home in 

 the Volga to the vicinity of St. Petersburg. 



As the embryo has so short a period in the egg stage, the transporta- 

 tion of the latter for long distances is attended with many difficulties. 

 By means of a carefully-constructed apparatus, and provision for the 

 anticipated hatching of the eggs en route, in 1870, a considerable number 

 of the young fry were transported from Russia and introduced into the 

 waters of Sutherlaudshire, Scotland, in apparently good condition. 



It has been, on several occasions, suggested that it would be a valua- 

 ble acquisition to the United States for such waters as the Ohio and 

 Mississippi Kivers, which are said to be very similar in their character 

 and in their related climate to the Volga, of Russia, in which the species 

 is native. 



Quite recently a number of sterlet were brought from St. Petersburg 

 to the Brighton aquarium, where they form a conspicuous feature. They 

 were obtained in the Volga, and transported 1,400 miles in the well of 

 a fishing-boat to St. Petersburg, and thence by steamer to London. 



It is from the roe of the sterlet that caviare of the finest quality is 

 made, which constitutes an article of commerce and trade in Russia ; 

 and of which, in late years, a limited quantity has been made m the 

 United States from the lake and Atlantic coast sturgeons. 



17. — Eybrid Jish. 



In certain establishments in Europe much attention is paid to the ar- 

 tificial production of crosses between certain closely-allied species of the 

 Salmouid family, as the Salmon, the Brook-Trout, the Lake-Trout, the 

 Siibbliug, &c. The fish thus produced, though for the most part barren, 

 and requiring a continuation of the operation in successive years, are 

 of very superior quality, of tender flesh, and grow with great rapidity, 

 as is usually the case with animals with deficient organs of generation. 

 They, indeed, bear the same relations to other fishes of their kind, as 

 do domestic cattle, hogs, chickens, &c., when altered to the perfect 

 animal. Salmon thus hybridized lose the instinct of migration to the 

 ocean. There is no reason why the same method may not be applied to 

 other fresh-water species, and to certain sea-fish, with corresponding 

 results. 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



It is perhaps hardly necessary to summarize here the steps taken to 

 increase the supply of shad in the United States, as the subject has 

 already been fully treated of. 



As shown in the earlier part of the present report, my efforts, in 1872, 



