THE CULTIVATION OF COARSE FISH. 377 



among salmon, trout, and grayling fishers ; it has been far 

 greater among those who, not having the means or opportunity 

 of fishing for the Sabnonidce, give their attention to our other 

 freshwater species. A few years ago the angling clubs of London 

 and the provinces could be counted by the dozen, now they 

 number many hundreds with many thousands of members. 

 But, while anglers have been increasing in this wonderful man- 

 ner, the fish have been most certainly decreasing. The cry 

 from the clubs is : How can we get fish ? 



Something must be done for these thousands upon thou- 

 sands of anglers, for without fish their recreation is gone, and 

 that they should be encouraged will be admitted by every one 

 who gives the matter a moment's reflection. The larger portion 

 of the coarse-fish anglers are working men and youths, me- 

 chanics, artizans, miners— toilers in our mills and factories in 

 the great centres of industry — men to whom every inducement 

 should be held out to attract them into fresh air and scenes in 

 their spare time. How, then, is the decrease in those fish, in 

 the capture of which they take such delight, to be stopped ? 

 and how can the thousands of miles of water which might yield 

 them sport be replenished ? 



That these questions need answering at all proves that, in 

 this country at least, very little has been done in the direction 

 of cultivation of coarse fish, though, as a matter of fact, in the 

 case of most of them it presents far less difficulty and expense 

 than is attendant on the breeding of the Salmonida. 



The first thing to be recognised is that, consequent on the 

 great difference in the modes of spawning of the Salmonidm 

 and coarse fish, a widely different method must be adopted. 

 Salmon, trout, and grayling eggs are non-adhesive, and each 

 egg can thus be manipulated separately — they take months to 

 hatch out. The eggs of the coarse fish are adhesive, making 

 their manipulation extremely difficult— so much so, that while 

 ninety-five per cent, of salmon and trout eggs can be hatched 

 out, those who have attempted to treat coarse fish eggs in the 

 same way have rarely succeeded in rearing even five per cent. 



