182 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March L>4, 1887. 



E. Hill, and J. E. Clinio, of Cleveland; J. A. Waite, G. 

 W. Bills, Joseph M. Spencer and F. W. Oswald, of Toledo; 

 .Frank N. Beebe, of Columbus; J. C. Zollinger, Joseph F. 

 Kilby. William Melville, Ira T. Davis, and T. L. Williams, 

 of Sandusky. The club decided to have the large grist 

 mill on its property sold and removed, and Messrs. Kilby, 

 Williams, Johnson and Storey were appointed a committee 

 to dispose of the building and machinery. The following 

 officers were re-elected for the ensuing year: President, 

 J. C. -Zollinger; Vice-President, Gr. W. Bills; Secretary, B. 



F. Ferris; " Treasurer, William Melville. A pleasant 

 feature of the meeting was the presentation by the club 

 to its efficient secretary, Mr. B. F. Ferris, of a magnificent 

 Leonard split bamboo rod, case, reel, fly-book and landing 

 net, an outfit which cost $200. The presentation speech 

 was made by W. S. Robinson, and was happily responded 

 to fey Mr. Ferris. At a meeting of the Cold Creek Trout 

 Club, held in the afternoon, W. S. Robinson, of Cleveland, 

 was chosen president. The Cold Creek Sporting Club 

 Company has just had a new stream, half a mile in length, 

 cut through its property, and now lias one of the best trout 

 fishing grounds in the West. The capital stock of the 

 company is $40,000. It has an elegant club house and a 

 fine hatchery, in which there are now 30,000 well 

 developed rainbow trout awaiting planting in its waters. 



Size of Brown Trout.— That the brown trout, which 

 is the common brook trout of Europe, recently introduced 

 into this country, grows to large size is attested by the 

 following from the London Field: "It may interest some 

 of your readers to hear that I have just caught a brown 

 trout on Lough Derg weighing 191bs., length alongside 

 •m. 10in., over back 3ft. , and girth tft. cHin. It is not 

 unusual at this season of the year to hook trout of from 

 81bs. to lOlbs. in weight, but I have heard of only one 

 larger than the above-mentioned being killed on fins lake 

 within the last twenty years. — Huber Koe (Feb. 28). 



WEATHER AND THE MIGRATION OF FISH. 



BY J. W. WILLIS BUND. 



[From the Journal of the National Fish Culture Association,] 



r IMIE laws that govern the migration of fish have not 

 _L hitherto received the attention their importance de- 

 serves. The migration of birds has been for some years a 

 favorite study: but beyond ascertaining the fact that certain 

 kinds of fish migrate to and from the sea, their movements 

 have excited but little attention, except as to one kind, the 

 salmon, But beyond the knowledge that salmon migrate to 

 and from the sea at certain times of the year the legislature 

 does not inquire into their habits before legislating. 



The migration of fish is a fascinating subject to any one 

 who cares to study it; pai'tly because it is almost new ground 

 an observer has to work out each fact for himself: partly be- 

 cause the more migration is studied the more complex the 

 effort to trace the movement of the fish becomes. 



At first everything appears so clear, a 'priori, it would 

 seem that the same rules should apply to the migration of fish 

 from the sea and their migration to the sea. yet observation 

 tends to show that this is not the case and that the migra- 

 tion from and to salt water rests on totally different states 

 of facts. I must premise by stating I have no wish or de- 

 sire to dogmatize upon the subject. I know so little, and 

 the facts upon which the conclusions are founded are so 

 few, I feel 1 may he only stating coincidences and not re- 

 sults. 



For the purpose of what J have to say, the migratory fish 

 of the English waters may be said to be of five kinds: (lj The 

 different kinds of migratory salmonida?; (2) the eel; (3) the 

 shad; (4) the lamprey; (5) the lainpern. Nos. 3 and A resort 

 to fresh water simply for breeding purposes, and this done 

 return at once to the sea. The salmonida? resort to the fresh 

 water to breed, but whether only for breeding is a question. 

 The eel breeds in the salt water and migrates there for that 

 purpose. The lampera resorts to the fresh water to breed, 

 but beyond that fact little definite seems known as to its 

 movements. 



It would appear to be a general rule that all these five 

 kinds of fish, in migrating from the sea to the fresh water 

 are, to a great extent, influenced by the presence or absence 

 of the same condition of things, in connection with the 

 weather. A good year of one kind of migratory fish is usu- 

 ally a good year for the other kinds. While if it is a bad 

 season for one kind it is usually a bad season for all. I say 

 "usually," for it sometimes happens that there is a wonder- 

 ful year for one of the sorts of fish, and a very bad year for 

 the other sorts, hut this is the exception, not the rule. 



It therefore seems to follow that the same causes which 

 lead to a large migration of one kind of fish will produce a 

 large migration of the other kinds, always assuming that the 

 stock of each kind of fish is kept up in the same proport ion. 

 An investigation of what these causes are should, therefore, 

 throw some light on the subject of migration, and if it hap- 

 pens that the same results are produced by the same state of 

 weather in other countries, the inference would be that we 

 are on the right road toward forming some accurate conclu- 

 sions on the matter. 



I.— The first, thing to be noticed in connection with mi- 

 gration is the effect of the tide. I believe that solitary 

 migratory fish creep up on almost every tide, not only during 

 the migratory period proper, but throughout the year. Y et 

 it seems that the majority of the fish— the shoals— only 

 migrate on spring tides, and mainly on the six or eight 

 spring tides preceding and following the highest spring. A t 

 the very highest tide there seems to be a cessation, or partial 

 cessation, of migration; at least this is my experience, but 

 on the other rivers this is said not to be so, 'but at all events, 

 just before and just after the highest tide the largest run of 

 fish occurs, the largest being just before the highest tide. 

 This is certainly the case with salmon, still more with eels, 

 so much so that the fishermen, who fish for the young eels 

 when they are on their upward journey, only fish the spring 

 tides. At the present time the eel fishermen on the Severn 

 are seeking an extension of the legal season tor taking young 

 eels, locally called "elvers," on their migration from t he sea 

 to the fresh water, and their proposal is not that a definite 

 extension of the season should be granted, but that they 

 should be allowed to fish the two periods of spring tide next 

 after the 20th of April. 



It may be said that the reasons for the migration of fish on 

 the spring tides are obvious; the high water will carrv the 

 migratory fish over the lower obstructions in a river. While 

 this explanation should not be lost sight of, it fails to ex- 

 plain everything. If the river is full of land water, so that 

 there are practically no obstructions, and the tides are 

 "neap," fewer fish will runup than if there was less land 

 water, and the tides are spring. I believe I am correct; I am 

 certainly so as far as my observations go, in saying that 

 shad always run on a spring tide, hardly ever oh a neap. 

 Salmon run more frequently on a spring tide than on a neap. 

 Eels invariably, and lamperns usually, do the same: thus, for 

 some reason, the main migrations' of fish take place on 

 spring tides. 



The next point is that the fish run more before the tides 

 reach their maximum height than after they have done so. 

 More fish run during the change from neap 'to spring than 

 during the change from spring to neap. I am not asserting 



that fish do not run at both 'periods; they do; but more run 

 during [the first than at the second period, or, to put the 

 statement into fishermen's language; There are more fish 

 about when spring tides are coming on than when they are 

 going off." 



The higher the tide the better the fish run. It is true ex- 

 ceptionally high tides do not seem to exceptionally affect the 

 movements of fish, but a series of high spring tides generally 

 give a larger run of fish than a series of moderate spring- 

 tides. This fact, if conclusively proved, should have an im- 

 portant bearing on the question of the migration of salmoni- 

 da?. It at once directs at tention to the causes of high spring 

 tides. The causes differ in different places. On one part of 

 our roasts the causes w hich produce high tides have the 

 contrary effect on other parts. If fish only migrate in con- 

 siderable number's on, high spring tides, and these tides only 

 occur under different circumstances at different places, it 

 follows that the time of the migration of fish cannot be ex- 

 pected to be the same on different river; this is just what we 

 find to be the ease. 1 am not putting this fact forward as the 

 true solution of "early and late" rivers, but it is a point to 

 be taken into consideration in arriving at the solution of 

 that question. The direction of the wind and the barometric 

 pressure affect, both the time and height of high water. In 

 the North Sea a low barometer and a north-northwest gale 

 wi 1 1 affect the surface rise of the tide some two or three feet, 

 and on the east coast of England may delay the time of high 

 water as much as half an hour. If it is an accurate 

 conclusion* that fish run up with the Hood tide and 

 should they not reach fresh water with the flood tide on 

 which they run. they drop backward With the ebb, and start 

 up again on the next flood, it follows that f ho N. \\ YV. wind 

 and a low barometer, by causing a longer flow of the tide, 

 give the fish on the east coast a better opportunity tor run- 

 ning up the rivers than any other state of weather, as (hey 

 have a longer time to travel up the river on the liood to the. 

 freshwater. But while this state of the weather may help 

 the east and north coast rivers, it has the opposite effect on 

 rivers on the other parts of the coast. On the south coasts 

 of Devon and Cornwall, southwest winds and a low barome- 

 ter raise the surface height of the tide and cause it to flow 

 longer than if t he wind was riorf h west . This should, there- 

 fore, best snit the migration nf fish on ihose rivers. Space 

 will not allow a detailed examination of the different Eng- 

 lish rivers which are said to be early and late, with the effect 

 of the tide upon the movements of the fish in them; but it 

 the proposit ions arc true t hat fish migrate most on high 

 spring tides, that certain conditions of the wind and atmos- 

 phere bri ng a honi high spring tides, that these conditions 

 vary in different places, it would seem to follow that the 

 time of the migration of fish to the different rivers would 

 depend, to some extent, on the presence and. absence of these 

 conditions. I would add that I am told that the experience 

 of the Tyne does not bear out this reasoning, for on that 

 river the best runs of fish are found to take place with a 

 southwest wind, 



If. — Passing from the tide, the next subject to be noticed 

 in the connection between the weather aud the. movement of 

 fish is the wind. 



On the Severn, aird. 1 believe, on all the Bristol Channel 

 rivers, fish run best— that is, the migrations from the sea 

 are the largest with a wind from the west or southwest. 

 This bears out w hat has already been stated as to the tide, 

 for wind from the southwest is from the quarter fhar 

 produces the highest tide in the Bristol Channel. If further 

 observations establish the proposition that the higher the 

 tide and the longer it flows the better the run of fish, t hen, 

 t he wind from west or southwest being one of the causes tha f 

 produce this. one. of the elements for a run of fish in the 

 Bristol Channel is a west or southwest wind. This seems 

 to he generally recognized, and on the Usk it is said that a 

 southwest wind brings a run of fish because they smell the 

 rain. 



II I. — As to barometric pressure. The effect of pressure on 

 the migration of fish does not seem to have been much 

 studied, yet every angler knows how carefully he notes the 

 baromet er before going fishing. With a falling barometer fish 

 usually will not raise, it may be because they are moving. 

 I am convinced that one of the most important things to 

 study in the migration of fish is the movement of the 

 barometer. I regret to say that there are but one or two 

 points on which there are any data to give in connection 

 with it. 



(a) if there is a gradual rise in the barometer from the 

 west, it is often followed by a run of fish. If any one will 

 take the trouble to study the weather reports in the Ti/mes, 

 he will note that if after considerable fluctuations in move- 

 ments of the barometer it is reported to be steadily, not 

 rapidly, rising, either after a fall or long continued low 

 readings, this is usually followed by a run of fish, and 

 also that when the barometer has risen to a certain height, 

 about twenty-nine degrees fifty minutes, and remains at 

 that height or higher, the run of. fish falls off. 



I have tried, and so far in vain, to trace any result when a 

 depression is telegraphed as coming from Anrerica, all that 

 I have so far been able to trace is, that, as a rule, with very 

 high or very low readings of the barometer, fish do not run: 

 that they run best when the barometer is low, hut rising. 



(h) Again, referring to the daily weather charts published 

 by the Meteorological Office, so far as I have heen able to 

 trace, fish run better when the barometer is lower on the 

 west coast, than on the east coast. This fact will he dealt 

 with more fully presently, but it must be understood that 

 the Severn is the only river from which I get regular reports 

 of the movements of fish, so that this fact may. and very 

 likely does not hold good with regard to rivers on the east 

 coast. On the Severn and in the Bristol Channel fish run 

 best when the barometer is lower in the Bristol Channel than 

 in the North Sea. Here, also, it may be said, that as this is 

 the usual state of things, it is thus to be accounted for. This 

 may be an explanation or a partial explanation, but if the 

 maps are studied week by week, and compared with obser- 

 vatiorrs as to the movements of fish, it will be found that 

 whatever the weather, and however the fish migrate, fish 

 run best at those times when on the left side of the map the 

 readings of the barometer are lower than on the right. 



(c) As to the height of the barometer at which fish run 

 best, here again more observations are urgently needed, but 

 so far as present results show, it seems that when the 

 barometer ranges from twenty-nine degrees to twenty-nine 

 degrees fifty minutes, fish run better than at any other 

 height. This is also open to the objection that the barometer 

 is more frequently about that height than any other; it can 

 only be replied that fish run bet t er in the usual rather than 

 in an unusual state of the weather, and that they will not 

 generally run with a barometer above twenty-nine degrees 

 fifty minutes, but with a barometer steadily rising up to 

 that height they do. 



IV.— Temperature forms the next important element in 

 the migration offish, especially the respective temperatures 

 of the river and the estuary. Sufficient data on which to 

 base satisfactory conclusions "are here also wanting. It is 

 often said that the cold water of the sea induces the fish to 

 seek the warm water of tire river, and this theory is some- 

 times put forward as the reason why the east coast rivers 

 in Scotland are, as a rule, early. I am inclined- to 

 believe that this is not the complete'explanation. At some 

 points of the coast the temperature of the estuary is at. cer- 

 tain times of the year higher than the temperature of the 

 rivers. On the Severn, in May, the estuary temperature 

 varies from fifty to sixty degrees, while that of the river 

 varies from forty to fifty degrees. It may well he that the 

 effect of the high temperature in the estuary induces a too 



♦See "Salmon Problems," p. 173. 



rapid development of the reproductive, organs in fish that 

 migrate, like salmon, and this may lead to an immediate 

 upward movement. As far as present observations go. it 

 seems clear that with a low temperature in the estuary the 

 fish do not leave it so readily as with a high one. It is when 

 the temperature rises the "upward movement begins. A 

 warm May generally produces a larger migration than a 

 cold one, it may, therefore, well be that temperature will 

 account for much that at present cannot he explained in the 

 movements of fish. Tt often happens that in the case of 

 rivers with a common estuary, the fish will resort to -one 

 more than the other, and fish will only resort to certain 

 tributaries of the main river at; certain times of tire year. It 

 maybe well that with further observations oir the compara- 

 tive temperature of the different streams a reason mav be 

 found. 



V.— The next important element, and, perhaps, the most 

 important one in English rivers, is rainfall. Our rivere are 

 now so obstructed and polluted that without a rise in the 

 river-water fish cannot or will not pass up. It follows that 

 the fish only run when there is a rise of laud-water. 1 am, 

 however, by no means certain that if our rivers were in their 

 natural state, that this would be so much the case as it is 

 at present. On this — do fish only migrate if there is a rise 

 of land-water? — the experience of those who live on rivers as 

 yet unobstructed and unpolluted — if there are any — would 

 be valuable. It is now a general rule in England that no 

 large migration of fish takes place without a rise in the 

 land-water, This does not, however, apply to all the migra- 

 tory fish. Elvers run up if the other conditions are suitable, 

 without waiting for a rise of the river. It also does not 

 apply to shad, for they will often run up, if they can. with 

 the land-water low and clear, As to this fish, muddy water 

 will often turn them back and prevent them ascending 

 further. In saying that a fresh is necessary to bring up fish, 

 it by no means follows that every fresh brings up fish. Fre- 

 quently often what would appear to be just the water to in- 

 duce fish to ascend, no .fish can be seen; while when there 

 has been no water, or next to uone, the fish have run irp. 

 Indeed, on the Usk, it is said the first fresh after drought 

 never brings up fish, but other freshes do. Rainfall is a very 

 important element in migration, but I am not sure that too 

 much attention has not been given to it, to the exclusion of 

 other matters. 



The different elements that, on the Severn, are required to 

 tiring about a good run of fish appear, therefore, to be the 

 following: 



(1) A spring tide. 



(3) A southwest wind. 



(3) A higher temperature of the water in the estuary than 

 the land-water in the river. 



(4) A low but steadily rising barometer to a height of 3fl 

 degrees 50 minutes. 



(5) A muderate rise of land-water. 



When all these conditions are combined, a good run of fish 

 usually takes place, but if any of these. are wanting, the run 

 is either much smaller than it ought to be, or absent alto- 

 gether. It is obvious that under the most favorable circum- 

 stances this combination can only take place occasionally, 

 and hence the run of fish must, of necessity, be more or less 

 intermittent. 



Having, as far as I can at present ascertain, stated the con- 

 ditions of weather required for a good run or fish, it remains 

 to be seen if it is possible to lay down any rules as to when, 

 if at all, these conditions are either likely or unlikely to 

 occur. Meteorology has classified the different types of 

 weather, and stated when their recurrence may he expected. 

 Can this knowledge be applied in studying the migration of 

 fish? Of the two great types of weather, the cyclonic, an 

 area of low pressure with rains aud strong winds circulating 

 from west to east, is more favorable to the migration of fish 

 than the anti-cyclonic, an area of high pressure and fine 

 weather and light winds circulating from east to west: or in 

 popular language, "changeable weather,' - is more conducive 

 than settled weather to the migration of fish. It follows 

 from this that the next point to ascertain is what is meant 

 by "changeable weather." 



There is a considerable variation ot weather from day to 

 day, and a considerable local variation in different localities, 

 while the type of weather remains the same. Yet neither 

 this daily or local variation can be said to be changeable 

 weather so long as the same type exists for a more or less 

 continuous period. Every one is familiar with this state- 

 ment in popular lauguage: "How long will the east winds 

 last?" "When shall we 'get a spell of line weather?" Par- 

 ticular types of weather recur at particular seasons— east 

 winds irr March, a cold period in May, a wet period in Sep- 

 tember — and it is a change from one of these types to an- 

 other that is referred to when "changeable" or a change of 

 weather is spoken of. These changes are most usually found 

 to be from one to another of four distinct types, into which 

 the weather may be roughly divided. It is therefore neces- 

 sary to see which of the types are most favorable to the 

 movement of fish, or in other words, in which type do we 

 find the conditions mentioned above as those best suited to 

 the migration of fish prevail the most. The four usual types 

 of the weather are: 



1. The Sontfit'iln. — If this type of weather prevails, on 

 looking at a map of the British Isles, anti-cly clones lie to 

 the east and southeast, while cyclones come from the Atlantic 

 aird beat up to the northeast. 



i. The Wc&berVU- — iHere. the anti-cyclone lies to the south, 

 and cyclones from the central Atlantic pass over the British 

 Isles to the east and northeast. 



3. The Xo rthcrly.— Here, the Atlantic anti -cyclones stretch 

 to the west and northwest of Great Britain, cyclones form 

 and move to some point of east. 



Tlie Easterly. — Here anti-cyclones appear in northeast 

 Europe, and cyclones pass from the S. E„ or are delayed by 

 the anti-cvelones. 



Of all these types t he southerly is tire one usually found in 

 the winter, and upon its presence or absence the warmth of 

 the winter depends. Its chief characteristics are high tem- 

 perature, steady southerly winds, and a low barometer. 

 Looking at a map of the British Isles from the south, if this 

 type of weather prevails, the pressure is usually lower on 

 the left hand than on the right, and as has been already 

 stated, when this is the case fish migrate best; therefore, a 

 continuance of the southerly type of weather is the best for 

 a migration of fish. 



The westerly is a very common type, something like 70 

 per cent, of our weather being of this type, as when a cyclone 

 passes to the north of the British Isles with the wind south 

 and southwest, and a moderate rain aird average tempera- 

 ture. As a rule, when this type of weather prevails, on 

 looking at a map of the British'lsles, pressure is the highest 

 in the British Channel, and gradually decreases toward the 

 north. Fish general I v run well while this type of weather- 

 lasts, but in the Bristol Channel not so well as during a con- 

 tinuance of the southerly tvpe. 



The northerly type gives practically the converse of the 

 southerly type.' pressure beiug higher on the east coast than 

 on the west. While this type continues, there is usually a 

 period of low temperature— northerly winds— a state of 

 things never conducive to a good run of fish on the Severn. 

 It will be important to ascertain if, during a continuance of 

 weather of this type, fish run well on rivers flowing, into the 

 North Sea. From the very slight information I have been 

 able to get, I should say they do not, but I have not yet got 

 sufficient data to enable me to make any positive statement. 

 The northerly is the common type of weather in winter and 

 spring, especially in March. 



The easterly type is a period of low temperature, black and 

 bitter weather, with local rains. It usually occurs in the 



