Buck. — Fishways for the Rank and File 113 



way ; and I will tell you why. I ran across a fishway on a dam after 

 I had driven 20 miles to get a man to construct the fishway for a 

 farm, but when I got there I found he had already constructed one. 

 He built it out of two boxes made of planks, in which he had bored 

 two-inch auger holes to let the fish through, and we found a bullhead 

 in every hole, but not another fish. I know that bullheads will go up 

 fishways because it is in them. But I believe that the fishway is vastly 

 overrated. There is a good deal of myth connected with fishways, 

 although it is true that trout and salmon will go up fishways. 



Mr. Seymour Bower, Detroit : I would like to inquire what advan- 

 tage there is in fishways, anyway. T am not speaking of their use for 

 salmon and trout, and perhaps some other kinds ; but do you have any 

 idea that you will produce any more fish in a river with a series of 

 dams in it, where they cannot pass from one pond to another, than if 

 they had free range? I do not believe you will have a pound more 

 of fish with fishways. If not, what is the use of going to the expense 

 of building them ? 



President: That is my view. 



Mr. Bower : Some of the rivers in Michigan are being utilized for 

 water power, thus creating large reservoirs and greatly increasing the 

 water area ; and there is no question but what these rivers, as a whole, 

 are producing more pounds of fish today than they were before, 

 whether fishways are installed or not. 



Mr. Fearing: I would like to state an experience in Long Island, 

 N. Y. This whole question of fishways is becoming a serious business 

 with breeders of trout in the natural trout streams on Long Island. 

 In the old days there were a certain number of small fishways in all 

 the streams on Long Island. Trout naturally will seek salt water if 

 they can get to it. They go down to salt water, clean themselves, and 

 in the breeding season came back. In nearly every stream emptying 

 into Great South Bay in the old days there were fishways and the trout 

 ran in and out. In the multiplication of fishing clubs, sporting clubs, 

 etc., everybody is jealous of everybody elses' waters, and those fishways 

 are then shut up. The result has been that all the trout of Long 

 Island have gradually been dying out. I wish Dr. Bean were here, 

 because he has studied the question very deeply ; and all the best 

 authorities in the east have come to the conclusion that the fault lies 

 absolutely in the inbreeding of the trout ; and that is all due to the 

 fact that the trout have no means of replenishing their blood ; that 1 ' 

 the same trout inbreed and inbreed, and they breed tremendously, and 

 the young fry grow to be fingerlings and then they die, and there has 

 been found no other explanation. At first they thought it was bad 

 water, but it is absolutely now supposed to be from the fact that there 

 is no new blood, and in all the places on Long Island where they breed 

 trout now, they put in a certain amount of new blood, fish taken from 

 Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts; and the 

 fish are all coming back again. 



