176 Thirty-iiiiith Auiuial Meeting 



of \'ery good carp ponds, l)iit none that are operated by the 

 government. The work at lliesc ])rivate ponds is in general 

 xery well done. 



As fish in Rnssia are hecoming \ery scarce and high in 

 l)rice, Mr. Borodine is endeavoring to have fish-cultnral 

 work condncted on a large scale under an organization like 

 the U. S. Bureau of I'^ish.eries. There is no special bureau 

 for fish culture, such work being attended to by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, one of the branches of which is in 

 charge of fisheries, fish culture, game culture, bee culture, 

 and the rearing of silk worms. Only 5 persons are engaged 

 in all this work, 3 being specialists in fish culture and 

 fisheries, and one inspector of fisheries, all consulting- 

 specialists with no defined duties. Beginning with 1907 an 

 advisory fish committee was organized at the Department 

 of Agriculture; the members are special officers of the de- 

 l)artment and two are also representatives of the Russian 

 Fisheries Society. 



The Russian government appropriates about 800,000 

 roubles ( 1 rouble=about $0.55) annually for fish culture, 

 exclusive of the salaries of regular employes, whose com- 

 pensation ranges from 600 roubles for fish culturists to 

 3,000 roubles for the chief specialist. 



The output of the hatcheries is generally distributed as 

 fry. Idiere is no gratuitous distribution, but a charge is 

 made at the rate of about 3 roubles for 1000 fertilized trout 

 eggs or for 100 fry. The transportation facilities by rail- 

 road are so poor and the cost so high that the eggs and fry 

 are bought only by very wealth)' men. 



Data showing the extent of fish culture in Russia are 

 very incomplete. The annual out]nit is very small, as may 

 be judged from the following statistics of the fertilized 

 eggs in the Nikolsk hatchery and its branch at St. Peters- 

 bur«- : 



