IMPEOVEMENT IN THE SALMON FISHERIES OF SWEDEN. 167 



that protection and rational inanagemeDt of lislieries ^Yill give satis- 

 factory results, even without the labor and expense of artificial breeding ; 

 nevertheless, that artificial breeding, without any doubt, acts a very 

 important part in promoting the improvement of fislieries. For every- 

 where in nature we find that in some years or seasons the propagation 

 of certain plants or animals suffers from unfavorable accidental cir- 

 cumstances. The same is the case with the fishes; and it may be, at 

 least in part, counteracted by artificial breeding-establishments, which 

 offer some protection against destructive changes in temperature, against 

 floods of muddy water, or the attacks of numberless enemies. 



Furthermore, in many even extensive systems of waters, some species 

 of valuable fish have disappeared almost entirely, and it would require 

 many years to increase the stock from the few individuals left. In such 

 cases artificial propagation will offer effective and useful means for 

 obtaining more rapid and certain results from protection, &c., which will 

 be always required for improving extensive fisheries. 



The great importance of artificial fish-breeding undoubtedly consists 

 in the facility of introducing new varieties, by means of artificial impreg- 

 nation, transportation, and hatching of the eggs. It is, of course, neces- 

 sary to success to select the water, nourishment, location, &c., so as to 

 be adapted to the habits of the species to be transplanted. NorwHy, 

 and more recently Sweden also, have thus obtained the most valuable 

 results. In Norway salmon are now fre(iuently caught, where they were 

 introduced only a few years ago. l^clmepel ( Ooregonas oxyrlnjmhus) of 

 C pounds' weight are found in Jemtlaud, and red salmon Salmo aljnrms 

 of 13 pounds in the North Sea, Black Sea, Orange, where before 18G0- 

 '04 (/. e., the time of their introduction) none were to be met with. 



In the river between the Lakes Hunu and Tisnaren great numbers of 

 young salmon are now to be seen, having been transplanted in 18CG and 

 18(;7. The interest in raising valuable fish is constantly increasing. 

 Oestanbiick and Gullspaug cannot supply the yearly demand of eggs. 

 Three hundred and twenty-five thousand sclmepel eggs were sent from 

 Gullspang in 18G8. At present five new fish-breeding establishments 

 are about to be started. 



As a lucky and, in its kind, peculiar transfer may here be mentioned, 

 that smelt were, in 18G0 and 1807, introduced into the Lake Walloxen, 

 near Stockholm, and in the succeeding spring were found to have 

 greatly increased in number. Since the occurrence of miclt in any 

 water is so far of importance as it shows the water adapted for breeding 

 Saltnonidce, &c., this experience of the Swedish fish-propagating estab- 

 lishment is in many respects remarkable. 



