﻿EEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  67 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  fell 
  from 
  7,000/)00 
  

   pounds 
  to 
  less 
  than 
  1,000,000 
  m 
  15 
  years; 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  the 
  

   same 
  meteoric 
  history 
  was 
  enacted, 
  a 
  catch 
  of 
  over 
  3,000,000 
  pomids 
  

   annually 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  nineties 
  bemg 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  pounds 
  in 
  later 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  decade, 
  with 
  no 
  improvement 
  

   since 
  that 
  time, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  the 
  yield 
  declined 
  more 
  

   than 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  18 
  years. 
  In 
  the 
  American 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  

   the 
  Woods, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  recent 
  grounds 
  for 
  the 
  exploitation 
  of 
  

   the 
  sturgeon, 
  the 
  catch 
  decreased 
  over 
  96 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  10 
  years, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  a 
  more 
  active 
  prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  fisliing. 
  

  

  The 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  as 
  a 
  v/hole 
  reached 
  its 
  climax 
  about 
  1890. 
  

   For 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  the 
  annual 
  catch 
  was 
  12,000,000 
  to 
  15,000,000 
  

   pounds. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  total 
  yield 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  1 
  ,000,000 
  

   pounds, 
  and 
  every^vhere 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  steady 
  downward 
  trend 
  in 
  the 
  

   catch. 
  Some 
  rivei^s 
  that 
  formerly 
  supported 
  a 
  flourishing 
  fishery 
  

   are 
  now 
  absolutely 
  depleted. 
  The 
  scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  and 
  the 
  

   demand 
  for 
  their 
  flesh 
  and 
  eggs 
  have 
  run 
  up 
  the 
  price 
  to 
  an 
  extraor- 
  

   dinary 
  figure, 
  never 
  attained 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  fish, 
  either 
  in 
  America 
  

   or 
  elsewhere. 
  A 
  mature 
  female 
  sturgeon 
  often 
  brings 
  the 
  fisherman 
  

   more 
  than 
  $150 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  poor 
  fish 
  that 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  sold 
  for 
  $20 
  to 
  

   $30 
  on 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  serious 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  is 
  that, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  decimation 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  breeding 
  fish 
  and 
  to 
  pecuUarities 
  in 
  

   spawning 
  habits, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  unpossible 
  as 
  yet 
  to 
  inaugurate 
  sturgeon 
  

   cidture 
  anywhere 
  in 
  America. 
  Attempts 
  at 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  

   have 
  proved 
  utter 
  failures 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  Lake 
  of 
  the 
  Woods, 
  

   Lake 
  Champlain, 
  Delaware 
  River 
  and 
  other 
  waters, 
  and 
  the 
  expendi- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  considerable 
  sums 
  of 
  money 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  sometimes 
  

   failed 
  to 
  yield 
  a 
  single 
  batch 
  of 
  eggs 
  suitable 
  for 
  incubation. 
  

  

  Everywhere 
  in 
  America, 
  under 
  existmg 
  conditions, 
  the 
  sturgeons 
  

   are 
  doomed 
  to 
  commercial 
  extmction, 
  and 
  it 
  requires 
  no 
  prophet 
  to 
  

   foretell 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  comparatively 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  w*ill 
  be 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  extinct. 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  demanded 
  in 
  every 
  State 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  fishes 
  exist 
  or 
  

   have 
  existed 
  is 
  absolute 
  prohibition 
  of 
  capture 
  or 
  sale 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  

   term 
  of 
  years, 
  certainly 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  10. 
  To 
  advocate 
  any 
  less 
  

   radical 
  treatment 
  would 
  be 
  only 
  trifling 
  with 
  the 
  situation. 
  

  

  A 
  possible 
  relief 
  may 
  be 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  through 
  the 
  

   transplantmg 
  in 
  our 
  waters 
  of 
  young 
  sturgeon 
  from 
  other 
  countries; 
  

   and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  desirable 
  

   species 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  Danube 
  Eiver 
  and 
  the 
  Caspian 
  Sea 
  has 
  been 
  

   kindly 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  Roumanian 
  Government. 
  The 
  successful 
  

   administration 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  fisheries 
  of 
  southeastern 
  Europe 
  and 
  

   the 
  feasibflity 
  of 
  undertaking 
  the 
  importation 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  best 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  American 
  waters 
  should 
  receive 
  attention. 
  

  

  