130 American Fisheries Society 



embrace lake herring and blue pike particularly, and whitefish from 

 eggs taken mostly on the Canadian side, also some few taken in con- 

 finement by the fisheries department of Pennsylvania. As a result, the 

 catch has greatly increased. In the Pennsylvania section alone, cover- 

 ing only 45 miles, the industry increased in eight years from a little 

 over $200,000 to $600,000 a year, with a proportionate increase in the 

 number of boats. 



It may be said that you may travel anywhere along Lake Erie from 

 one end to the other, and you will hear nothing but exclamations of 

 enthusiasm with regard to the work of the United States and Ohio 

 and Pennsylvania on Lake Erie, and what has been accomplished there. 

 Phis is very flattering, since it so often happens that commercial men 

 and others look upon the fish cuiturist and the fish protectionist as 

 their natural enemies. 



Mr. W. < ). Buck, Neosho, Mo.: One point wherein this paper is 

 especially gratifying is that it shows results from artificial planting of 

 fish. That is to my mind a most important point. Merely working up 

 a record showing that we have collected so many eggs and turned out 

 so many fry looks very well on paper, but it does not amount to any- 

 thing really, if that is the end of it. When we actually can find that 

 the catch of fish is increasing because of our plants, it is encouraging. 



And it is especially so. if results can be shown in the case of pike- 

 perch' because of the extreme delicacy of this fish. During the last 

 two years I have handled pike-perch eggs, having had no previous ac- 

 quaintance with them, and although a fair proportion of living fish 

 have been turned out I have not found great satisfaction with them, 

 because the fry are so delicate that 1 have feared they would perish 

 soon after being turned out. I am not in position to know whether 

 they did or not. Mr. Downing, being in charge of the collecting work, 

 knows what he is talking about when he says that his work has pro- 

 duced results. 



Mr. Meehan : While this Society was in session at Washington in 

 1908, 1 received a telegram from the city of Erie, saying that the boats 

 brought in so many herring that the dealers were unable to handle 

 them. Word was sent up town to the people in Erie to come down 

 and take away what they wanted. There was a surplus of 25 tons. 

 That was the beginning of the big jump. The following year the 

 dealers filled their houses very promptly, or nearly so, ami they issued 

 orders to the boatmen not to bring any more than an average of three 

 tons of herring per day. They cut out half their nets for several weeks. 

 They did the same thing last year for about a week; so that the 

 increase was very marked in the catch. 



Mr. Downing: I would like to cite one other instance where it is 

 proven that the planting of fish is a benefit. 



One season while I was in charge of the Alpena, Mich., station, I 

 collected pike-perch eggs at Saginaw Bay. A part of the fry resulting 

 from these eggs were returned to the waters of Saginaw Bay, and the 



