The Development of Modern Fish Culture. 173 



develop an inability to hunt for itself. This means two things — 

 it is not fitted for the competition and rigours of a natural 

 environment and, also, too much food and very little exercise 

 invariably causes a diseased liver. This was the type of fish that 

 was and is produced where the demand for the largest possible 

 size has to be supplied. This is the type of fish i^hich is grown 

 for the food market, but it is useless for stocking purposes. 



The type which the fish culturist has found to be the best 

 where their life is to be passed in lake or river is a fish that, while 

 not being underfed, has always been kept in such condition that 

 he is a keen feeder. He will not be so large a fish as the one we 

 have had under consideration, but he will be a much more beauti- 

 ful fish with colour markings that indicate health and also the fact 

 that he has been in the habit of supplementing his food supply 

 from the natural food contained in the water. He is well made, 

 lively, and hardy, a great contrast to the colourless over-fed and 

 sluggish fish that has had his digestion ruined. 



Though it is only comparative!}- recently that the discovery 

 of the importance of preparing fish for their natural environ- 

 ment has been thoroughly understood, the earlier fish culturists 

 were aware that there was some influence at work which rendered 

 large trout less certain to thrive in loch or river than small ones, 

 and a reference to the literature on the subject of ten to twenty 

 years ago will reveal the fact that iry were most strongly recom- 

 mended for stocking purposes. At this age contact with man had 

 not impaired any of their instincts, nor had their digestions been 

 ruined by the mistaken process which resulted in a forced growth. 

 Fish culturists found that it was not only necessary to grow fish 

 but to produce a class of trout fitted in every way to fend .for 

 themselves when turned into waters Avhere they were dependent on 

 the natural food supply, and to-day it may be said that the hand 

 rearing of trout is carried on in such a way that this result is 

 attained. 



It was early found that no amount of care on the part of the 

 fish culturist was sufficient to ensure a satisfactory growth in loch 

 and river if the conditions prevailing there were not favourable 

 to the fish. All over the country different results were arrived at 

 as the result of stocking and in many cases these were disappoint- 

 ing. When the matter was gone into it was found that where 

 results were poor invariably the native stock of fish was of poor 



