20 FISH CULTURE. 



Yet thousands of these fish "were formerly caught hy 

 poachers yearly, and tons of them exported weekly 

 to France, or were smoked or kippered, and their 

 nature being thus disguised, they found a ready 

 market hoth at home and abroad. The destruction 

 thus caused was immense. But through the agita- 

 tion of the Fisheries' Preservation Association, the 

 Government was induced to pass an act prohibiting 

 the exportation of salmon during the fence months, 

 and this has, no doubt, been useful in repressing to 

 some extent this noxious practice, though it cannot 

 be hoped that the mischief is entirely done away 

 with. When the kelt is in this state, it becomes 

 necessaiy for the fish to seek the salt water, partly 

 to rid himself of the parasites which are devouring 

 him, and partly for the plentiful food which he finds 

 there. Accordingly, with the first fresh of water the 

 kelt drops down from pool to pool, until he reaches 

 the sea. There, by change of water and abundant 

 food, he soon recovers his strength; and, in from 

 three to four months' time, he returns once more to 

 the river, to procreate his race, a splendid salmon, 

 with flesh firm and red, and increased in weight to 

 an extent which bears no proportion to the growth 

 of anything else in nature. A kelt which wiU go 

 down to the sea weighing 41bs. or 51bs., will come 



