REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXI 



(lant, and where, it was thouglit, a large number of eggs might be 

 obtained and transferred to the West. The most suitable point on this 

 river was some distance below Fredericksburgh ; and at Mr. Green's sug- 

 gestion I api^lied to the governor of Virginia, asking the loan of one 

 of the State fishing-steamers for my aid, which was promptly acceded 

 to, and I was informed that the steamer Tredegar, in command of Capt. 

 Orris A. Browne, wouhl be at my service at any time after the 1st of May. 

 It, how^ever, was found impossible to occupy more than two stations at a 

 time, owing to the small force at my command, and when the experiment 

 at Weldon was given up, and Messrs. Welsher and Green proceeded to 

 the Rappahannock, they found the season had passed, and that no 

 success was possible. Another year it may be expedient to commence 

 operations on this river, especially m view of the fact that it affords a 

 convenient point from which to transfer the young fish to West Virginia, 

 Kentucky, and Tennessee. 



0— MULTIPLICATION OF FISH IN GENEEAL. 



15. — GENERAL HISTORY OF FISH-CULTURE. 



Having presented in the introductory portion of the present report a 

 general account of the measures taken to carry out the intention of Con- 

 gress in establishing the Commission of Fish and Fisheries, I now 

 proceed to give in more detail a statement of what has been done gen- 

 erally in regard to the multiplication of the species offish con'sidered of 

 most importance, and the various interests connected with the fisheries, 

 to which a brief sketch of the theory and practice of so-called fish-culture 

 may not be an unacceptable preliminary.* 



The subject of securing from the fresh waters and the sea a larger 

 supply of fish than they w^onld spontaneously afford has attracted the 

 attention of various nations from a very remote period; one of the sim- 

 plest methods consisting in the collection of fish into natural or artificial 

 ponds or reservoirs, and by allowing them to prey ujion each other, or 

 else by supplying food to them artificially. This was in vogue amoug the 

 Romans especially, and it is asserted that not unfrequently the food chus 

 supplied consisted of the fiesh of slaves, which it was claimed imparted 

 to the fish a delicate flavor, especially to the lampreys and other fav- 

 orite species. This method of treating fish is, however, scarcely to be 

 regarded as a branch of fish-culture in its restricted sense. 



According to Soubeiran, in a recent and very complete summary of 

 the history of fish-culturet, the first essays made in this direction in 



*A fuller accouut of this will be found iu the History of Fish-Culture, p:ige 465. 



tLa pisciculture et la i)e(!he eu Chiue par P. Dabry deThiersant, consul de France, 

 meiubre honoraire de la Societe d'acclimatation ; ouvrage acconipagnc de 51 planches, 

 repr^sentaut les principaux instruments de pisciculture et eugius de peche employ6s 

 par les Chinois et quelques uouvelles espfeces de poissous recueillies eu Chine par P. D. 

 Thiersant, precede d'un introduction sur la pisciculture chez les divers peuples par le 

 Dr. J. L. Soubeiran, professeur agr6ge a Fficole de pharmacie de Paris, secretaire de la 

 Societd d'acclimatation. 



