Where to he Found 39 



for one, — was stocked with fry in 1882; but it 

 was not until 1886, four years after, that adult 

 fish were seen in the river, and those which 

 were taken at the Troy dam, illegally, of course, 

 were from ten to sixteen pounds in weight. In 

 one year, according to the late Mr. Cheney, State 

 Fish Culturist, over three hundred fish from ten 

 to thirty-eight pounds each were taken in nets 

 in the lower Hudson, every one contrary to law. 

 Fishways have been built by the state at Troy, 

 Mechanicsville, and Thompson's Mills. I have 

 seen but one of them, that at Mechanicsville, 

 which was built by some incompetent person 

 on plans of his own, and was utterly inadequate 

 for its purpose. At this Mechanicsville dam 

 salmon gathered in small numbers, and were 

 caught by hooks ostensibly baited with pieces of 

 pork, and dragged along the bottom till the 

 "sportsmen" at the other end could feel them 

 against a fish, when a hard jerk sometimes fast- 

 ened the hook in the luckless creature. I 

 suppose a few salmon are still taken and sur- 

 reptitiously sold by the netters, and the great 

 state of New York has had no officials who 

 knew enough or were honest and strong enough 

 to take means to enforce the laws which would 



