FttKEST AND STREAM. 



339 



_ y*i. 



1 dtL H" i boa r.liat Com- 



ni i.M From 1 1 u ■ vai-joi > n „, ,,, .■,...,,, 



mission ■ . 



as tlicj can transport:, ml have facilities to hatch out, the num- 

 Im-i distributer! to various Stales ranging (run, 60,000 to 600,000 

 annually. A large number of California salmon eggs will be 

 virlli Carolina thi.-, Mason to stork llleriversof that 

 State, thts. State Connnisslonershavuig shown great activity in 



the propagation of fc inshtss. Hatching, hoases hare been 



erected at the headwaters of seveial .streams in the mountains, 

 and great interest lias been manifested in lish culture throii"h- 

 OUt the State. 



The transportation of California salmon eggs, which are 

 about the size of a entrant, is a matter of some importani 

 requires mueh eare. Heretofore they have been carried in 

 boxes between layers of damp moss, and the temperature kept, 

 down by blocks of ice placed on top of the hoses. Last fall 

 the experiment of transporting them in refrigerator ears 

 tried and proved stieessfnl. It will be adopted hereafter iu all 

 cases where such cars can he obtained. In these ears a small 

 percentage only of the eggs are lost. Sometimes the eggs hatch 

 out in the moss during the journey and then the voting fish 

 soon die. Over 400,000 California salmon eggs were sent to 

 New Zealand last fall for distribution in the waters ot those 

 islands, and but lew of them were lost «J r<»tt>\ As an evidence 



i : i ipace required, for the transportation of salmon ta 

 may be mentioned that 5,000,000 of them are equal to 120 busk 

 els. and with the requisite packing will till three or four 

 freight cars. 



It" is the object of the U. S. Fish Commission to always 

 strengthen as far as possible the hands of the .state Kisli Com- 

 missions, and nearly everyreport of the Stale Commissions ac- 

 knowledge favors from the U. S. Commission. Thereis no 

 jealously whatever between them, but all work in perfect har- 

 mony. The State Commissions devote 1.0 eat attention to 

 hatching shad in their own streams. New York replenishes 

 Ihe Hudson, New Jersey the Delaware, North Carolina the 

 Cape fear River, and Maryland the Susquehanna ; hut none of 

 them can do anything toward hatching shad in the great 

 waters which traverse several States, for the reason that the 

 shad require the headwaters of the streams to develop their 

 best condition. Ohio, for instance, could not stock the waters 

 of that State , because the fish would go to the Oulf, and upon 

 their return eight or ten States would have a chance to catch 

 them before I hey could reach the waters in which thev were 

 placed; therefore, Ohio would get no benefit from them, hut 

 the States bordering on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers be- 

 tween thai State ami the Cull' of Mexico would. The object 

 Of the t*. S. Commission is not to enrich one State hut to in- 

 crease the food fishes throughout, the country, and, therefore, 

 all rivers are stoeked with the lish that they may be taken in 

 Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio or any other waters through which 

 they pass ontheir journey to and from the sea. 



Over 5,000,000 salmon eggs were distributed last fall, and it 

 is expected a greater number will be sent out to the various 

 State Commissioners next full. The Commission is engaged 

 during the spring in hatching shad, and the fall is devoted to 

 the propagation of salmon. 



Although the appropriations were considerably reduced 

 during die last session of Congress, the work of fish culture 

 was not seriously crippled; more might have been accomplished 

 this season had Congress been more liberal. The recent eaten 

 of shad at Louisvilleshows that the labors of the Commission 

 during the past five years have not been in vain, and it is to be 

 hoped that generous appropriations will bt- made hereafter to 

 carry out the great undertaking of stocking all United States 

 waters with fish. The work in the hauds"of Prof. Baird is 

 pushed forward with great vigor. He is a gentleman in every 

 way qualified for tie- piv.uion of Fish Commissioner, having 

 devoted years to the study of fish culture. He is surrounded 

 by a corps of competent assistants and much good has already 

 in 11 accomplished with the small appropriations placed at Ids 

 disposal. 

 f ~*-^ 



Pnor-AGATiNO Ebls.— Niks, Midi., June 17, 18*?.— 

 A little talk, "may it please your honors," about. Mr. Eel, 

 Willi him we have just concluded a short, hut very success- 

 ful campaign, obtaining our supply of 250,000 from "the Hud- 

 son at Troy. They were caught iu large numbers with a dip 

 wire-cloth net, and kept in wire-cloth covered boxes lloating 

 upon the river till convenient to pack and ship to Michigan. 

 The period of their "run" lasted only about five days, 

 during which time millions upon millions filled the waters ; 

 all headed " up the creek." 



The peculiar feature of the campaign was the method 

 adopted in their transportation. Mr. O. U. Chase, tie 

 eelist in charge, made experiments prior to shipping for the 

 purpose of testing what way the eels could best endure the 

 hardships and perils of then- emigration to the West. Re- 

 placed some in water at a temperature of 76 to 80 deg. Some 

 in water at a much lower temperature, and some in water at 

 a temperature between the two extremes. He tried some 

 with frequent changes of water; some in water made as 

 roily as possibly, and some be packed in ice ; and still others 

 he placed in cars with a layer of mud on the bottom of two 

 or three inches, and filled with fresh cut or pulled 1 

 grass, the whole kepi cool and moist with small quantities of 

 ice placed on the top of the grass. The eels packed in this 

 Way he found, after being iu the cars 30 or 4s hours, were by 

 far in the best condition of any experimented with ; ap- 

 parently as fresh and active as when first placed iu the can. 

 The cans used were the ordinary fish-depositing cans, in 

 this way all were shipped, and all arrived in excellent condi- 

 tion, the reports from the various depositors uniformly being 

 that the little wrigglers arrived iu tip-lop order; scarcely a 

 dead one in the lot. Some tour or five thousand were placed 

 iu a ten or twelve gallon can. The advantages of this 

 method of shipment are many. The can is not over one-third 

 as heavy as when filled with water— a ureal saving in freight ; 

 no changes as when shipped in water, " Nothing to be done 

 by the attendant or attendants, except now and then the 

 putting into the cans small quantities of pounded ice, keeping 

 the temperature of the can at a little below 00 deg. Fahren- 

 heit, in this way one alt cudant will move more eels, and 

 with less labor, than will three by the old method of 111 

 in cans of water. 



As respects the introduction of the eel into our Mich. 1 

 waters, our people Seem to he divided into three elu 

 The red-hot eelist, the stone-cold and the luke-wann. 1 

 think the red-hot ones are in a very decided majority. They 

 see in the eel lots of sport and food fit for the gods. The 

 stone-cold class cry at the top of their lungs, "Suaiks," and 

 think St. Patrick should be invoked to keep the "varmint" 

 from ever infesting the warbling brooks and silver lakes of 

 their loved Michigan. The hike-warm class are quite numer- 

 ous. They don't-care " three skips of a louse" one way or 

 the other, provided they are not asked to row the boat, ami 



these points. I 



the whole subject of the life ol food fiahesaud produced these 

 questions which have been found of great value in collecting 



I'H m. 'i 'I-' ixpi , ■ [lections 



this year will be continued until the latter part of "September. 

 -her. 

 Prof. Baird, ia a recent conversation with your correspon- 

 dent, staled many interesting facts connected with the work 

 of the Commission, and explained at length what had been 

 • is well as what new plans are proposed for the multipli- 

 cation 01 the food fishes of the United States, and stocking 

 of various waters with them. When the Commissiol 

 first organized, the headquarteis ioi collection of the various 

 species, testing currents, temperature of the water, food of 

 the. lish, etc, was at Wood's Hole in Buzzards Bay, off the 

 coast Of Massachusetts, The next year IvLstpoi t, Maine, was 

 visited for the same purpose; the following year the operations 

 were eoudiieled at Portland. Maine; then Noank, on the coast 

 of Connecticut. In 1875 Wood's Hole was again tin: head- 

 quarters, but last year the Commission being engaged at the 

 Centennial made no collections of or experiments in regard to 

 sea-coast fisheries. 



ink v,iij;i; SOOOttBSPUTj. 



The first practical result of the hatching of shad has been 

 demonstrated this season by the catch of these fish in the Ohio 

 River at Louisville, Ky. Prof. Baird recently received a 

 genuine Potomac or white shad, weighing four pounds, caught 

 at Louisville, being the first of the catch at that plane; and he 

 has received information to the effect that shad httve iCt 

 catlghl 1 C 1 m -si 9, Louisania, Indiana and other Western 

 . 1 he river; of which were stocked four or five years ago. 

 Up to this season the Commission has been working on faith 

 in slocking Western rivers. Time enough had not elapsed, nor 

 were the experiments sufficient to showwhether the waters of 

 the didf into which the shad descend were suited to them, hut 

 the work of stocking the rivers was kept up year after year 

 with the full confidence that the work would ultimately be 

 successful. During a period of eight or ten days nearly on^ 

 hundred of these shad were enught daily at Louisville, an 3 ii it 

 fair to suppose that quite a large number passed up the stream 

 and escaped the seine. These fish are the result of about 200.- 

 000 young shad placed in the headwaters of the Alleghany 

 River iu Western New 7 York about live years ago; and it is 

 thought those caught at Louisville were about two months in 

 their journey from the Gulf to that place. This year was 

 the tirstthat any satisfactory fish could be expected, and there 

 is considerable rejoicing in the Fish Commission over the re- 

 sult. It is anticipated that the run of shad in Western rivers 

 next year will be quite large, and that it will steadily increase 

 as the stocking of the rivers was increased year after .year. 

 When Prof. Baird first learned that shad had been caught at 

 Louisville he felt some anxiety on the subject, having sev- 

 eral times previously been informed that shad bad been 

 caught in Western waters, but when specimens reached 

 him he found, to his disappointment, that they were 

 not the genuine shad, but what are known as Tay- 

 lor shad, which are foimd in the Mississsippi River — a fish 

 sornewdiat larger than a herring, but not as large as a shad and 

 much inferior to that fish iu quality. "When the Louisville 

 specimen reached him, however, he found it to he the genuine 

 white shad like that found iu the Potomac. 

 i-ijoi-acation of shad. 



An efficient corps of assistants of the fish commission have 

 been at work at Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna River 

 this season gathering shad spawn and hitching our the young 

 shall in Connection wiih the Maryland Fish Commission. By 

 the co-operation of the 0. S. Fish Commission and the Mary- 

 land Pish Commission greater results have been accomplished 

 (by file expenditure of a comparatively small amount of money 

 than if the two bodies had prosecuted the work separately. 

 Thus Ear about nine million young shad have been batched out 

 and over one million distributed by the 1 . S. Commission m 

 Louisiana. Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Kansas and 

 Missouri. About 100,000 young fish are now en route to Cal- 

 ifornia to be placed in the waters of that State. A large num- 

 ber have been distributed in Mary laud waters by the Maryland 

 commissioners and others will be placed in various waters of 

 Maryland and other States by the two bodies. 



The joint labors of the U. S. Commission and Maryland 

 Commission have been entirely satisfactory to both and at- 

 tended with great success. The l'. S. Commission has found 

 it impossible to hatch shad for reproductive purposes in any 

 stream south of the Susquehanna for the reason that fiv jtn 1 -, 

 occurring high, muddy waler in some sections. ■;- . ., , : _ in.ji. 

 clear, low water in other sections, prevented the fish peaching 

 places where they could be taken: besides in most of the 80 tth- 

 eru streams the supply of shad has been so reduced that the 

 chance to procure ripe spawners has been very poor. 



SUA!) IS TITK POTOMAC 



A few years ago about half a million young shad were hatch- 

 ed out and placed in the Potomac, but as yet no increase in 

 the supply of this river has been noticed. In a stream already 

 supplied with them ii is rather difficult to discover the first 

 appearance of the fish when they return to the spawning 

 grounds, and besides surticeut time has not yet elapsed for any 

 noriceami ai 1 uxthesupply. It ia thought thai many of 

 those hatched, out in the river will return next year, though 

 observations thus far have not been able to ascertain the exact 

 time required for the return of the lish. It is thought they re- 

 turn in about four years from the time of first being placed iu 

 the stream. Of the half million placed in the Potomac one lot 

 was turned loose near the Lornr Bridge, at Washington, and 

 .another near Cumberland, the headwaters of the stream. As 

 an instance of what the extent of the Potomac fisheries were 

 forty years ago it maybe mentioned that in 1834 about 150 

 landings were successfully fished on this river, employing 

 6 500 men, 450vesselfl and 1,350 men tonavigate these vessels; 

 The number of sh.id taken during the season was 22, .500. 000 

 and the number of herring 750,000,000. To cure these lish 

 995,000 bushels of salt were required and 995,000 barrels to 



«g 



contain them. The season probably continued about six weeks, 

 audit is esti . . weight of the ii-h , 



000,000,000 pounds or an average of 100,OOl>,000 

 week. . Tin ■ ,,.. :U ,- given 



by I'mf. Baird after the most careful research and are baaed 

 upon undoubted authority, la those days shad sol 



and herring were in many instances sold for I he 

 merest trifle. The fish were then cared and used for food 

 during the whole year Now the supply has decreased to 

 such an extent that none are cured, the entire catch of Ihe 

 season being consumed in the cities as last as taken from the 

 stream. Probably a half million shad have nol been captured 

 in the Potomac this season. The supply has been gradually 

 decreasing from year to year as shown by the inspections i'n 



the Washington market alone. A few years .1. 1 , , , 1 



lish were inspected annually,- in 1875 about 300,000 were in- 

 spected, ami this year the number probably will not exceed 

 800,000. Washington being the largest city on the Potomac 

 or in its immediate neighborhood, it is fair to presume that a 

 great majority of all the fish taken come to this market. 



UOOK FISH OK STRII'ED ItASS. 



This fish, so desirable for Ihe table as well as affoi 



sport for the angler, holds a high place among cd 



food fishes, but its presence in most of our rivers lias dirninshed 

 gradually year by year. The experiment of hatching them 

 has been tried by the Fish Commission but the great diuieulty 

 has been in Obtaining spawners. About four year's 

 ago some few ripe rock fish Here found in the Roanoke River 

 N. C, and about 100,01.11) young fish were hatched from the 

 spawn Obtained, If the spawneis could be procured as de- 

 sired, an immense business could be done and many thousand 

 young fish hatched out annually. One of the causes assigned 

 for thedimiiritiouof this 03 1 is the fuel that they are raar- 

 1 11 they reach maturity. Prof. Baird expresses the 

 opinion that it would be a very wise provision of law to forbid 

 the marketing of t he fish under any circumstances when less 

 than twelve inches long. Ruck fish, it must be remembered, 

 I requently attain a weight of sixty and eighty pounds, audit 

 has been argued that i hey do not spawn Until they attain a 

 weight of aliout twenty" pounds, therefore, any fish of tins 

 Species less than twelve inches in length should be regarded as 

 an embryo, and it should be made a penal offence to sell buy 

 or have iu possession such fish. Sueh a law would protect 

 them, and the great evil of marketing the young fish would 

 be remedied. 



Although every effort has been made to discover the spawn- 

 ing grounds of the rock lish, so far they have been unsuccess- 

 ful. No douht some ascend oar rivers to spawn, but the fa- 

 vorite spawning grounds of the large) fish have not been 

 certained. In Massachusetts it has been found nece ssa ry 

 pass a law for the protection of lobsters, which ptmis he s 

 one having 111 possession a lobster less than eleven inche 

 length. Of course no national law could be passed to protect 

 rock ush. but il is hoped by the members of Ihe Fish Com- 

 mission, and those interested in the propagation of food fishes, 

 that the States will pass laws of the nature indicated to prevent 

 the further diminution of the fish. Cast year an effort was 

 made to obtain rock lish ready to Spawn at an extensive fisberv 

 on the Delaware. Prof. Baird had a competent person station- 

 ed at this landing several weeks, for the pur; - 

 such fish, but he \ras unsuccessful 



OAEP. 



Tie introduction of carp into waters of the United States 

 has engaged the attention of Prof. Baird for some months past 

 and he has alreadv had imported some of the besl 

 German carp, which are regarded as ihe best in ihe world 

 -hail of these lish were recently received by the Steamer Neck- 

 er, and they have been placed in the p.. mis at Druid UU1 Park 

 near Baltimore, Md., in charge of the Maryland Fish Com- 

 mission. J hey will be keptfor breeders and soon ponds for their 

 reception will he constructed near Washington with the view 

 to obtaining as many young tishas possible to stock Souther! 

 waters. The carp does n0t promise to be as valuable as' the 

 mackerel, shad or salmon, but it is a lish o: ■ -■ -e cnmmcri : 

 importance, for the reason that many can be kept in a small 

 body 1 if water. They are vegetable feeders and thrive equally 

 well on breadcrumbs, cornmeal, etc., which can be givento them 

 in addition to the vegetable matter thee procure 7u the water 

 They ot ten at tain a weight of four pounds in two years, and 

 Ihe _ warmer the temperature 01 the; water, the heller the lish 

 thrives. It is a fish eminently suited for Southern si reams, 

 and n is proposed to stock those streams with them. It is ex- 

 peci.cd that a large number of young fish will be obtained this 

 year from those now in the Druid Hill park ponds, and they 

 will be distributed in the South. The meat otthe cam is verv 

 palatable, free from bones, and as a food fish it stands hi "h, 

 though, as above stated, does not equal the mackerel or salmon! 

 BLACK bass AUTJ BBOOK tiiout. 



r hel r\?' V', mUliS "" ; !'i baB ^ ivc " "" alu ' ntio » to the propa- 

 gationof black bass and brooktroui, tlieeultureof those species 

 being felt entirely with the variousState Commissions. These 

 fish are regarded as luxuries and not as important commercial 

 OOdfish. They are looked upon as holding a similar place in 

 the fish creation as early strawberries or dwarf peaches raised 

 under glass do in the lists of fruits, they are luxuries to be en- 

 joyed by the few. but not by the masses. Besides black bass 

 do not live in harmony in the same streams with young shad 

 and herring. The bass, being a carniverous lish, plays-haVOC 

 Willi thi young shau and is not a suitable fish to inhabib the 



same stream, every bass of two pounds weight being good foi 

 the destruction ot one or two thousand young shad. ' 



SALMON. 



_ An evidence of the success of salmon propagation and stock- 

 ing rivers with this delightful fish has been manifested In, ihe 

 recenJ capture da nine-pound salmon iu the Delaware River, 

 ihe nsh was what IS known Its the California salmon will. 

 wmen ihe Ueiaware, f otomtic, Susquehanna and other rivers 

 were supplied about five years ago. It is anticipated that they 

 wall make their appearance in the Potomac soon, though no 

 tune can be fixed for their return to the waters in v, hi, 7 ,, 

 were placed when young. It is supposed they return. in five 

 or six .years, though diiference iu the temperature of the water, 

 currents, etc., may have more or less influence upon their return, 

 andmakflttie period longer or shorter. When the fish do 

 come ,1 will be with a rush, and no doubl will be plentiful un- 

 til lie time for their departure for dee!, water. 



I he most importani salmon hatching establishment is On the 

 m I lover ,n California, where numerous eggs are pro- 



cured annually and transported Last to be hatched out and 

 placed in our waters. The hale-hint: establishment for Eastern 

 salmon is at Bucksport o,, the Penobscot, JMoine, where the 

 young fish are hatched to stock Eastern rivers, and that fol- 

 ia clung land-locked salmon is at eirand Lake Stream near 

 balms. Maine. 1 he salmon iiaichingestablishmentsthrouirhout 

 the country are under the direction of the U. S. Commission 



