WALLEM ON AMERICAN FISHERIES. 



107 



much farther, and hatched them both more safely and cheaper — uniformly 

 cheaper. It will, therefore, be interesting to see the prices of saluion- 

 egg's. I shall tirst, however, premise the remark that, according to the 

 statement, salmon of both sexes must be bought from the fishermen 

 and then brought to the establishment to spawn. The expenses of this 

 plan naturally become considerably greater than with the little shad, 

 because salmon ready to spawn are costly. The table refers to an estab- 

 lishment in Penobscot, Me. : 



In the last-named year 3,039,000 salmon-eggs were gathered, assorted, 

 and packed for the price of $2 jjer thousand eggs ; the whole operation 

 cost $6,000. A similar condition obtains with the trout; but, notwith- 

 standing, this is so profitable that this hatching is carried on as an 

 industry by fishermen and countrymen. And so great importance do 

 they attach to the general distribntion of salmon and trout in all waters, 

 that the fish-commissioner ot the State of JSTew York has decided that 

 the State establishment, which can now produce the young indefinitely, 

 shall deliver to every owner of small streams or lakes as many young 

 as he desires to plant in his waters, whereas hitherto only the great waters 

 were supplied. They desire that the edible fish shall spread to all 

 waters, even to the smallest streams and ponds. 



In connection with this benevolence and generosity with which the 

 fishery-inspectors are animated, to oblige all interested, it should be 

 mentioned that they instruct the people in hatching and rearing young 

 fishes. And the work enlarges so as to include more and more kinds of 

 fishes, so as to succeed gradually by study and experiments in learning the 

 peculiarities of the fishes concerned, and what there is to notice with 

 regard to the temperature of the water, the nature of the bottom, arti- 

 cles of food, &c. For this study material is collected from the whole 

 world ; even from the interior of China information is seen to be brought 

 on breeding; and it was, therefore, not surprising to see that the Norwe- 

 gian spring-herring question also, and the dispute between Axel Boeck 

 and Ossian Sars about their new herring-theory has found a place in the 

 official reports. In a fishery-meeting in ]Srew York in IST^, to which I 

 was invited, they wished even to have an account of the Norwegian 

 legal provisions for the preserving of fish, on which occasion I, on a 

 special summons from the directors, was obliged to come forward with a 

 discourse. A fishery-inspector from Holland also, who, by chance, was 

 present, was questioned on his country's fishery-relations. 



Besides the proper fish hatching and rearing they have also applied 



