REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 53 



A forraal request from a large nnmber of the members of the legis- 

 lattire of New York, made through the Hon. Frank Hiscock, for the ser- 

 vice of the Fish Commission in adding to the supply of shad in the 

 Hudson River, was responded to by sending an entire car-load of the 

 young fish and depositing them in the vicinity of Albany. 



Next in importance to shad, and perhaps of even greater promise for 

 the future is the carp, the distribution of which has continued on a 

 very large scale. It has seemed almost impossible to sup pi j" the demand, 

 coming as it does, from every county of every State in the Union. All 

 the resources of the Commission are taxed from the first of October 

 until the first of April or even May in sending out the fish in response 

 to requests, and very many thousands of ponds are now stocked with 

 this fish. Its distribution is made partly by express, partly by sending 

 a certain number in charge of special messengers ; but the most impor- 

 tant mode is by shipment in cars especially constructed for the Commis- 

 sion for the purpose. In these as many as 20,000 carp can be loaded 

 at a time and carried with perfect safety even ts far as California and 

 Western Texas, the fish being delivered to applicants who have been 

 authorized to apply for them. So far it has been impossible to meet 

 the demand, and it will probably be many years before the carp are 

 so thoroughly introduced as to render further action of the Commis- 

 sion unnecessarj'. The calls are loud, and equally strong from Wash- 

 ington Territory, Texas, and Florida as they are from points much nearer 

 home. It is quite safe to say that more than 15,000 ponds have been con- 

 structed in the United States especially for the purpose of receiving the 

 fish bred by the Commission. The promise of the carp as an article of 

 food is very great, and the fish is considered entitled to rank among the 

 domesticated animals and to be capable of as profitable cultivation as 

 poultry or pigs, feeding as it does on the same vegetable matters and 

 making a considerably larger amount of flesh with the same materials. 



The operations in connection with the California salmon have not 

 been carried on, on as large a scale as usual, in view of the fact that the 

 fish does not seem adapted to the Eastern waters. A few have been 

 distributed east of the Rocky Mountains, but the experiment has proved 

 less satisfactory than had been expected. The several millions placed 

 every year in the Sacramento River have, however, maintained the 

 abundance in that stream to a remarkable degree ; and it is believed 

 that at no time since the occupation of the country by the Americans 

 has the yield been greater. 



The work with the Penobscot salmon has continued to be very satis- 

 factory. A large number of fish hatched out have been planted for the 

 most part in the streams of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massa- 

 chusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania, in waters believed 

 to be best adapted to them. The supply of the salmon in the rivers of 

 Maine, formerly almost exhausted, ha« greatly increased and is rapidly 

 assuming very large proportions. The other States, less adapted, as 



