NATURE 



[November 26, 1908 



The recognition of the freedom of the seas by the 

 stronger maritime Powers has been slow and grudging, 

 and the crystalhsation of the now recognised distinctions 

 between international and territorial waters has been the 

 growth of comparatively recent years. The conventions 

 which have been entered into between nations respecting 

 the regulation of the fisheries common to the subjects of 

 the contracting parties have been surprisingly few consider- 

 ing the importance of the interests involved, though this 

 is not surprising to those in a position to appreciate the 

 biological, legal, and practical difficulties presented for 

 solution. 



These international fishery regulations fall into two 

 classes, the one for the conservation of the resources of 

 the sea, the other for the maintenance of order and the 

 protection of life and property. Concerning the necessity 

 for the latter there was not much difference of opinion, 

 and, in fact, most of the accomplished fishery conventions 

 between nations have been for these purposes. That the 

 resources of the sea are in actual need of conservation 

 through international agreement or the concurrent action 

 of the maritime nations was by no means clear to many 

 who took part in the discussion, though most were agreed 

 that the fisheries for sessile organisms, such as sponges, 

 corals and pearl oysters, or for whales, seals, and other 

 marine mammals, were doomed unless means can be 

 devised for the extension of protective measures beyond 

 the present recognised limits of territorial jurisdiction. 



It was contended with considerable force that in the 

 case of sessile organisms (as distinguished from ferae 

 naturae) susceptible of culture involving actual occupation 

 ■of the bottom, not only justice, but necessity, demands the 

 extension of a restricted form of property right beyond the 

 marine league from shore. The requirements of man have 

 outrun the bounty of nature, and the barren bottoms 

 covered by the high seas should no longer be permitted to 

 go to waste. In other words, it was held that the present 

 and future needs of mankind demand the extension to 

 •certain international waters of the measures which experi- 

 ence has shown to be necessary for the edible oyster within 

 territorial limits. 



The recent convention between the United Kingdom and 

 the United States, looking to the enactment of concurrent 

 legislation for the control of the fisheries in waters con- 

 tiguous to the United States and Canada, was referred to 

 with approval by speakers from both countries interested, 

 and among the American participants in the discussion 

 there was a surprising unanimity favouring Federal control 

 of the fisheries in inter-State waters now subject to several 

 State regulations. 



In the field of aquiculture two very important papers 

 were submitted by Prof. A. D. Mead. The first was a 

 description of an apparatus for hatching, rearing, and 

 transporting fishes and other aquatic animals. In this the 

 great departure from former methods is that the hatchery 

 ii taken to the water rather than the water to the hatchery. 

 It " consists essentially of creating and maintaining 

 within an enclosure of ' native ' water a gentle upward, 

 swirling current " by means of propellers revolved through 

 the medium of suitable gearing by a gasoline engine or 

 other motor. The rotary currents set up by the propellers 

 aerate the water, eliminate the toxic gases' of respiration, 

 and prevent the suffocation of the eggs and larvae by 

 their massing on the bottom and sides or through the 

 deposit of sediment. For hatching and rearing the com- 

 partments or units, about lo feet square, are mounted on 

 suitable floats surrounded by the open natural waters, 

 which maintain the cars at an equable optimum tempera- 

 ture. For transporting fishes the same principle is applied 

 to receptacles packed in ice. 



Prof. Mead's second paper was an exposition of the use 

 of this apparatus in hatching and rearing lobsters. The 

 artificial hatching of these crustaceans presents few diffi- 

 culties, but, on the other hand, it possesses no very great 

 advantage over the natural method. The heaviest mortality 

 m this species is in the period of three or four weeks 

 between the emergence of the voung from the <:%% and 

 the period when it assumes its bottom habit. During this 

 time the larvjE are helpless and exposed to many enemies, 

 and Dr. Mead's method is the only one yet proposed which 

 NO. 2039, VOL. 79] 



permits the young to be reared to a stage where they can 

 care effectively tor themselves. Equally good results can 

 be attained with various fislies passijig through similar 

 critical stages, and fish culturists now have in their 

 possession an entirely new and simple method, not only 

 for hatching fishes, but for economically rearing them in 

 large numbers to an age when they can care for them- 

 selves. The method is a wide departure from those 

 previously employed, and marks the greatest advance in 

 tish culture within recent years. It may be added that it 

 has for several years demonstrated its practical utility. 



The " lobster question " in general provoked consider- 

 able debate, in wliich English, Canadian, and American 

 representatives participated. Dr. Geo. W. Field proposed 

 a radical departure in tlte regulation of this fishery, advo- 

 cating the use of apparatus which will automatically 

 exclude the large breeding lobsters from capture, while 

 taking those between g inches and ii inches in length, 

 which produce few or no eggs. This proposal was strongly 

 combated, especially by the advocates of artificial hatch- 

 ing, who contended that present methods are now result- 

 ing in an increase in the lobster catch, and that a change 

 would prove disastrous. 



Three papers by Messrs. Paul Reighard, Frank N. Clark, 

 and S. W. Downing, on the subject of the promotion of 

 white-fish production in the Great Lakes, while dealing 

 with a fishery in which the United States and Canada only 

 are concerned, precipitated a discussion of international 

 interest. The three writers, reasoning along somewhat 

 different lines, all reached the conclusion that artificial 

 propagation offers the only feasible plan for increasing 

 the white fish ; that a close season during the spawning 

 period is worse than futile, especially where there are 

 offered facilities for taking and hatching eggs ; and that 

 closed seasons and restrictive measures should not be 

 applied to the spawning fish, but to small and immature 

 specimens. These propositions, while representing the pre- 

 ponderance of .'\merican opinion on the subject, met with 

 vigorous opposition from Mr. Chas. E. Foyer, of England, 

 and from several .'\merican delegates, while Prof. E. E. 

 Prince, of Canada, doubted the practical feasibility of 

 preventing the capture of small fish if fishing were per- 

 mitted at all. 



Dr. P. P. C. Hoek, of the Netherlands, presented a 

 paper on the propagation and protection of the Rhine 

 .salmon. The Rhine is distinguished among the salmon 

 streams of the Atlantic basin by its productiveness, and 

 Dr. Hoek demonstrated that, as under existing conditions 

 comparatively few salmon reach their natural spawning 

 grounds, the present supply of fish is maintained prin- 

 cipally by artificial propagation. To be effective, however, 

 this must adhere in many particulars as closely as possible 

 to nature's method ; especially must the fry be planted 

 in these upper waters in which the proper conditions exist 

 for their year-long stav in fresh water. The loss sustained 

 in the long downward run to sea must be compensated 

 for by more extensive planting in the headwaters. 



Bearing upon this question of the utility of fish culture, 

 an interesting paper was presented by Mr. L. G. Ayson, 

 of New Zealand, on the introduction of American fishes 

 into New Zealand waters. New Zealand, though bounti- 

 fully provided with rivers and lakes, presents the extra- 

 ordinary characteristic of an almost total lack of fresh- 

 water commercial and sporting fishes. About twenty-five 

 years ago three consignments of eggs of the steelhead 

 trout, Salmo gairdtieri, were planted, and the species 

 artificially propagated, with the result that to-day they 

 exist in extraordinary numbers in nearly all streams and 

 lakes in the northern part of the country. The Chinook 

 salmon, Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, was planted between 

 iqoi and 1907, about two million eggs being imported. 

 The first returns were in 1905, when a few were caught 

 by anglers, and as there has been a spawning run each 

 year since, it is believed that the species is now firmly 

 established. .Several other American fishes have been 

 introduced into the waters of New Zealand, where they 

 have become thoroughly acclimatised. The results of 

 olanting certain .American Salmonidas in Europe are well 

 known, and recent experiments in carrying them to 

 .Argentine have been favourably reported on. Experi- 

 ments in the acclimatisation of fishes, however, have not 



