54 



On Sea-Fish Hatching. 

 (W. A. Herdman.) 



In the Twelfth Annual Keport of the Sea-Fisheries 

 Inspectors for England and Wales (1898), under the mar- 

 ginal heading " Sea-Fish Hatcheries" (p. 29), Mr. C. E. 

 Fryer enters upon such a severe and detailed criticism 

 of the results attained that it cannot be regarded as 

 other than an attack upon the practice of artificial 

 hatching of sea-fish eggs as developed in America. It is 

 fair to say that it is the results of the hatcheries in America 

 that are attacked, as, although Scotland and Norway are 

 mentioned, these countries are treated very briefly, and no 

 conclusions are drawn from the few statistics quoted. The 

 greater part of the discussion deals, then, with Canada, 

 Newfoundland, and especially the United States. I gather 

 that Mr. Fryer has not himself visited the hatcheries he 

 discusses, and that his information is entirely derived from 

 the published annual reports — an unexceptional source, so 

 far as it goes, but one which may usefully be supplemented 

 by personal impressions and conversation with those 

 engaged in the work. { 



I regard Mr. Fryer's paragraphs as a most useful state- 

 ment, drawing attention to the present position of the 

 hatching question from the critic's point of view, counter- 

 acting any exaggerated opinions that may have been 

 expressed, and impressions that may have been enter- 

 tained, in regard to the immediate and enormous results 

 to be obtained from artificial operations, but requiring 

 some criticism, some modification, and some additions 

 before it can be accepted as a wholly satisfactory state- 

 ment of the matter. For although Mr. Fryer seems rather 

 carefully to avoid drawing any formal conclusions, he 



