A Sportsman 303 



streams, covering a period of several years, indicates 

 that the hatching out and increase of salmon at the 

 several streams has been decidedly favorable. 



The success of artificial propagation of ova from 

 a large variety of fishes has been so successfully in- 

 dicated that it would be most unfortunate if that 

 of the monarch of all fish, from a fisherman's point 

 of view, should fail; and the apparent diminution 

 of salmon, where hatching works have been estab- 

 lished, is believed by some familiar with the subject 

 to have occurred more from the persistence with which 

 the seining of salmon has been followed, than from 

 a failure in the artificial propagation. 



It is estimated that less than four per cent of the 

 ova naturally distributed by the female salmon is 

 hatched out to successful life, owing to the various 

 adverse conditions which surround the fish during its 

 young life, while seventy-five per cent, of the impreg- 

 nated eggs are hatched under the careful attention be- 

 stowed at the hatcheries. The amount of ripe ova 

 found in a matured salmon spawner is often of the 

 weight of three or four pounds. 



Experience has shown that the liberation in free 

 water of the freshly hatched salmon is almost in- 

 variably fatal to its life, as it steadily falls a victim 

 to other fish and the variety of water feeders which 

 destroy it. If retained in proper receptacles, how- 

 ever, and properly fed until it is five or six inches 

 in length, it is found to take good care of itself and 

 have favorable prospects of reaching maturity. 



The salmon of the Pacific, singular to say, do not 

 take the artificial fly so readily taken by those of 

 the Atlantic. They will take it if trolled under 



