58 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



freely, and that the young fish can easily slip through the openings. 

 At one end of these jjonds there is a movable gate fastened at the 

 bottom to a mud-sill and protruding obliquely about one foot over the 

 surface of the water. Whenever a haul is made near the " pond," the 

 net with the fish is pulled through the gate by i)ushing the gate down 

 with a pole ; and the fish are emi^tied into the pond without being 

 touched by human hands, and without leaving the water, so that the 

 fish with the young reach the pond in an entirely fresh condition. ■ An- 

 other arrangement, partly for making net-fishing easier and partly for 

 keeping the young fish, is found near Havre de Grace (not far from Bal- 

 timore), and consists of floats or " batteries'' with movable aprons ®n 

 three sides, on which the net is hauled in such a manner that the fish 

 and their young go direct from the net into a fish-pond in the float, from 

 which the young fish can through small openings pass easily into the 

 open water. These "fish-batteries'' are only used in shallow water 

 and in places where net-fishing could not well be carried on without 

 some similar arrangements, and are moved from one place to the other 

 wherever it is thought that there will be good fishing. The idea of the 

 three movable aj^rons, which touch the bottom when the float lies still 

 and can be raised np by means of chains whenever the float is to be 

 moved, is this, that the influence of the current may be avoided by haul- 

 ing the net in on that side where the current will not interfere with it. 

 On the float are long poles, which are stuck into the bottom when the 

 float is to lie still, and are raised when it is to move again. The aprons 

 are then raised so high above the water that their corners can rest on 

 frames and thus be held np until the next anchoring jjlace is reached. 

 There are also on these floats winches worked by horses for hauling in 

 the nets, and dwelling-houses and sheds for keeping and preparing the 

 fish. These floats are generally manned by GO to 70 fishermen. The 

 fourth side, which has no apron, is used for taking the fish on shore. 

 Such an arrangement modified accortling to local demands would prove 

 very useful in our countr}" wherever nets cannot be hauled on shore in 

 the usual manner. 



It is impossible for me to give in this place a detailed description of 

 the hatching-houses and fish-ways ; all the more so as it would require 

 drawings to make it perfectly cleai'. I therefore refer the reader to the 

 above-mentioned Reports for 1875 and 1876, published by Mr. Seth Green 

 and Mr. Ferguson, which contain plates. These Eeports may be obtained 

 hj addressing Prof. Silencer F. Baird, Smithsonian Institution, Wash- 

 ington. 



Great exertions have been made of late years to stock the American 

 rivers and lakes with foreign and domestic fish by transporting live fish 

 and impregnated fish-eggs by railroad from California, and from Europe 

 by steamers, in boxes specially constructed for the purpose. These en- 

 cleavors have partly succeeded beyond all expectation, so that at pres- 

 ent eastern waters contain not only the highly-prized California salmon 



