70 With Rod and Gun in New England 



The Doctor was right. 



The destruction of fish kept pace with that of game. The net and 

 seine and spear, and every other engine of destruction were employed at 

 all times and seasons, and rivers which were once teeming with salmon 

 and other valuable fish, became exhausted of their supply. The increase 

 of these fish under natural conditions is so small, that even if a few breed- 

 ing fish were to escape their enemies, they could not keep the rivers 

 stocked, and the result has been that in many magnificent streams they 

 were absolutely exterminated. Those rivers are now, thanks to perfected 

 fish culture, again bountifully stocked, and the good work is going on in all 

 directions. 



The success attained in the propagation of these fish is now so great 

 that, as already stated in a preceding page, probably ninety-five per cent. 

 of the eggs become fry ; a proportion great, indeed, when compared with 

 nature's results of about five per cent. 



The process of artificial impregnation of the spawn is very simple. 

 When the female fish is ready to extrude the eggs, she is held under the 

 left arm, or between the knees of the operator, who passes his hand along 

 the abdomen, gently squeezing the eggs from her into a pan ; the milt is 

 then added to them in the same manner, and the mass is stirred for a 

 short time until every perfect egg is impregnated. The fish are not 

 injured in the slightest degree, but, as soon as they are "stripped," are 

 returned to the water and allowed to escape to their ocean homes. The 

 eggs are now placed in trays in the hatching houses, through which a 

 current of clear water is kept in motion, and the only attention they require 

 is care in keeping all sediment and uncleanliness from them, and providing 

 them with a constant supply of water. 



The Canadians have had great success with their hatcheries, most of 

 which are elaborate and expensive affairs. I have visited a number of 

 them, as well as several of our own, and was deeply impressed with the 

 magnitude of the work that is being done. One of the finest hatcheries in 

 the Dominion is at Dee Side, on the Upsalquitch river, about fifteen miles 

 from Matapedia, in Quebec, where over 2,000,000 salmon eggs are handled 

 annually. The hatcheries on the Miramichi, near Newcastle, and at 

 Sydney, Cape Breton, are also very complete establishments, their annual 

 product being about 1,500,000 fry. 



In the various houses in Maine and other States there are also great 

 numbers of salmon and trout propagated, the score running into the mil- 

 lions, and at Wood's Holl, in Massachusetts, where sea-fish are handled, 



Maine adapted to these fish, which we are stocking as fast as our limited 

 means will allow. They will live in warmer water than the trout and thrive 

 with the pickerel, but the lakes, to be successful, should contain deep, pure 

 water." 



