7G4 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, 



had (lone, as United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisberies, in the 

 disposition of the appropriation by the Grovernment, and the introduc- 

 tion of useful food-fishes into rivers and lakes of the United States. 



He referred to the action of the meeting of the Fish-Culturists' Associ- 

 ation at Albany in February last, and the appointment by it of a com- 

 mittee to visit Washington and memorialize Congress, of which Mr. 

 George Shepard Page was chairman. The efforts made by Mr. Page 

 were stated, resulting ultimately in the final passage of an appropria- 

 tion of $15,000 for the contemplated work. 



Eeference was made to the late date at which the bill was passed, and 

 the necessity of calling a meeting of fish -commissioners and fish-cultur- 

 ists for advice as to the best manner of applying the appropriation. A 

 meeting was held for this purpose on the 13th of June in Boston, and 

 some conclusions were arrived at, more particu larly with reference to 

 the introduction of shad into certain streams at once, as the season had 

 nearly closed when it would be possible to do this. 



The arrangements made with Messrs. Green and Clift, and the results 

 of their work, were stated, namelj', tiie placing of several thousand young 

 shad in the Allegany at Salamanca, and in the Mississippi at Saint 

 Paul, and in Lake Champlain,by Mr. Green; and a much larger num- 

 ber at Salamanca, in the White River at Indianapolis, and in the Phitte 

 at Denver, by Mr. Clift. 



The question whether shad could be successfully planted in the more 

 southern and western rivers was alluded to, and the opinion expressed 

 that all the rivers emptying into the Atlantic could be thus stocked 

 As to the Mississippi and its tributaries, experiment alone could decide 

 its susceptibility to sustain shad; though there was no reason why this 

 might not be the case, while the fact that shad are now, and have been 

 for many years, taken in the Ouachita River, goes to show that the 

 experiment of stocking other tributaries of the Mississippi w^ould be 

 likely to succeed. If shad can ascend to the vicinity of Hot Springs, 

 Ark., as they do, there is no good reason why they may not go higher. 



Dr. Goldsmith, of Vermont, said he had taken shad at the falls of the 

 Ohio River several years since. 



Professor Bated concluded that, as far as the question with reference 

 to the shad is concerned, there is every reason to look with hope to the 

 future. The next most important fish to be considered was the salmon. 

 These formerly abounded in the rivers of the New England States, 

 but never occurred spontaneously west of the Connecticut River, or 

 at least of the Housatonic. The fish referred to by Hendrick Hudson, 

 which was caught in September in large numbers in the vici^iity of New 

 York, and described by him as the salmon, was undoubtedly the sque- 

 teague, or weak-fish, [Cynoscion carolinensls.) 



Salmon were formerly plenty in Lake Champlain and in Lake Ontario, 

 but whether the Ontario salmon went to the ocean and returned again 

 lias not been determined. There is little doubt that everv river in the 



