FISHERMEA 'S O WN BOOK. 



113 



^?T^Z_ 





Importance of Fish Culture. 



Day after day this wonderful enterprise is meeting with greater and great- 

 er encouragement. The fact of reproducing fish artificially is based upon 

 the practical experiences of a Frenchman nearly a century ago, and although 

 its success proved largely beyond his expectations, the world remained, as 

 many people do to-day, skeptical as to the feasibility of the experiments _ 

 As in all other important events discovered by accident, science was essen. 

 tial to the thorough illustration in the matter of fish culture. The advances 

 made within the last half century are simply bewildering. The brook trout 

 was first propagated by artificial means ; now even salt-water fishes, includ- 

 ing lobsters and oysters, are destined to yield to the manipulation of man, 

 and have their number increased beyond the limits of calculation. 



Necessity, the admitted mother of invention, should have prompted the 

 European scientists to make the greatest efforts, yet the facts are, it is to 

 those of our young republic to whom the honors have been awarded for the 

 great work, though surrounded by an abundance. Under the skilful direc- 

 tion of Prof. S. F. Baird, the world renowned Seth Green, and others, the 

 propagation of fish and inventions pertaining thereto, have won for these 

 gentlemen notoriety unequalled by any pisciculturists of the world. Hatch- 

 eries, transporting implements, acclimatizing of fish, fishways, and the like, 

 have been perfected in the United States to such a degree that the European 

 Fish Congress held a year ago in Germany awarded their most valuable 

 prizes to gentlemen of our country. The State Fish Commissioners have 



