692 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



A fish hatched in cold water in a hatching apparatus differs in nowise 

 from a fish naturally hatched in the open water. Just as little as all the 

 naturally hatched fish are destroyed by their enemies, just as little will 

 this be the case with artificially hatched fish. 



The artificially-hatched chicken does by no means x>resent a parallel 

 case, for even a fish born in the open water does not enjoy a mother's 

 tender care. 



The pisciculturist has done enough by protecting the eggs and those 

 young fish which still have au umbilical bag against their enemies. 

 Fish that are able to swim about must protect themselves and fight 

 their own battle for existence. 



I consider it already as an immense gain if of the young fish placed in 

 open waters only 10 per cent, grow up to be fit for human food. In 

 nature scarcely 1 per cent, of the eggs laid develop into mature fish ; for 

 even 1 per cent, would in a short time fill our rivers to overflowing. 



It would, however, be too rash a conclusion if we were to maintain 

 that the only right way in all cases would be to place the young fish in 

 open waters at a very early age. I therefore repeat what I said before, 

 "I recommend it as a general rule." 



As far as our European salmonoids and the more common kinds of 

 Coregonus are concerned — of whose eggs it is easy to obtain many 

 millions — it is decidedly best to place them in the open water imme- 

 diately after the umbilical bag has disappeared. 



In the case of fish, however, of whose eggs only a few thousand can i 

 be obtained, e. g., the American Salmo fontinalis and Coregonus maroena, , 

 it would be decidedly wrong not to let these valuable fish enjoy further 

 care. In this case it becomes a duty to put off the fight for existence as 

 far as possible, and not to place them in open waters until they have 

 outgrown most of their enemies. 



But even here it will be preferable to raise the young fish strictly in I 

 accordance with the dictates of nature. Fish which are to be placed in i 

 open waters should, therefore, not be confined in too narrow receptacles 

 and be fed in too artificial a manner, but in ponds carefully cleared of 

 all enemies and fully secured against intruders by grates. Fish which 

 are to be raised for the open water are not intended to be tamed. 



Thus, e. g., the Madui-inaroenes flourishes in ponds one to two meters 

 deep, fed with spring water, without introducing any artificial food. The 

 number of fish should, of course, be in due proportion to the size of the 

 pond. In such ponds the marcenes may be kept one or two years and 

 then placed in a lake. 



Also, regarding the saibling, I rather incline to the opinion that it is 

 better not to place this fish in open water until it is one to two years old. 



The saibling has the peculiarity of living (with the sole exception of 

 the spawning-season) at a very great depth. It has, therefore, never 

 learned to know its enemies, and has never learned to fight for its own 

 existence. 



