152 NEW SOUTH WALES 



excellent the fish may be. But in those species in which the roe is 

 large, such as the salmon, and the proportionate increase slow, the 

 effect of fisheries rapidly tells. Thus it has been computed, according 

 to given data and accurate calculations made by Messrs. Ashworth 

 and Buist from the returns of fisheries, that only one salmon's egg 

 out of every thousand deposited by the parent fish ever becomes 

 a fish fit for human food. Other fish no doubt both in fresh and salt 

 water suffer in proportion, the principal enemies being : — 1. Floods and 

 accidents to which the ova themselves are subject. 2. Fish devouring 

 the ova, which includes in many cases the parent-fish. 3. Prawns and 

 small Crustacea. 4. Birds in fresh waters, ducks and swans especially. 

 5. Human enemies who kill or disturb the female fishes in spawning- 

 time. 



From nearly all these evils are the ova preserved by pisciculture, and it 

 has now come to pass that there is not a single salmon river in Europe 

 Avhich does not have annually put into it a much larger number of artifi- 

 cially reared fish than is taken out of it. Up to a very recent date the 

 most eminent establishment for pisciculture was at Huningue, near 

 Basle. In this magnificent iiistitution the eggs of fish are kept and 

 advanced in their hatching until they arrive at the period at wliicli they 

 will bear travel. By this means many rivers in France have been 

 actually restocked most abundantly with fish, employment given to 

 hundreds of poor fishermen, and the food of the people greatly increased. 

 The fish cultivated are the common trout, salmon- trout, lake-trout, 

 Bhine salmon, Danube salmon, charr, grayling, and fei-a.* 



The French Government has for the last thirty-five years tni'ned its at- 

 tention especially to Pisciculture, and may be said to have taken the lead 

 of all other nations on the subject. In the commencement of the work 

 the rivers and lakes of France were almost destitute of fish, but through 

 the establishment at Huningue, they have been abundantly re-stocked ; 

 even though every man is allowed to fish with a line in all rivers and 

 lakes, not on private property. The Huningue establishment was opened 

 in 1852. The object in view was to stock the rivers with fish by the 

 introduction of ova and young fry of the best kinds, and those of rapid 

 growth. Over 20,000,000 of ova are partially hatched and sent away 

 each year. " Working hard and enthusiastically," Mr. Frank Buckland 

 says, " in the cause of improvement of fisheries are several French 

 scientific gentlemen, to whom the highest possible praise should be 

 accorded." Foremost amongst these is M. Coste, justly called the Father 

 of European Pisciculture. It is owing to his exertions that millions of 

 fish ova were sent not only throughout France but also to every 

 European nation that requested them. Amongst these the British nation 

 owes a debt to France for the aid thus afforded. 



* A small Scalmon (Coregomis acronius), which when fully grown is 12 inches in 

 length. Each fish produces a large quantity of eggs (ten to twenty thousand), but as 

 it is very small the quantity is uncertain. Fera are called the herrings of the lakes, 

 and are jirincipally caught in the night. The young fish on leaving the egg can 

 scarcely be seen in the water and passes through very small openings. In this way 

 it escapes from hatching boxes so that its number cannot be correctly ascertained, 

 but great quantities have been sent to stock the rivers and lakes of France. It 

 lives in deep fresh waters and only frequents the borders of lakes to dej^osit the 

 spawn. See Report of M. Coumes on Fisheries of France, 1861. 



