Jan. 6, 1894.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



0 



hundred miles beyond Kamloops Lake. It is one of our 

 commonest fish. Millions of all kinds of salmon pass 

 through Kamloops Lake every year on their way to the 

 North Thompson and the tributaries of the Great Shus- 

 wap Lakes. This fish, the so-called Kamloops landlocked 

 salmon, rarely goes over 41bs., and gives one excellent 

 sport with the fly. 



••The two species of fish I mentioned above are never 

 seen except at spawning time, and are fouod in lakes to 

 which sal mon have access as well as those that are inac- 

 cessible. I will, however, send you a specimen of each, in 

 spirits, next year." 



As to the ouananiche being found in the lakes of Brit- 

 ish Columbia, I think Mr. Buxton must be mistaken, un- 

 less they have been planted artificially, for there is no 

 evidence that the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), for that 

 is what the ouananiche really is, was ever found in the 

 Pacific coast waters. But he does not make a point of this 

 as he does that the Kamloops Lake salmon is not land- 

 locked, and upon this subject he speaks from his personal 

 familiarity with this fish and the waters where it is found. 



Who the writer in Forest and Stream may be that is 

 referred to I do not know, but Jordan described and 

 named the fish in Forest and Stream Nov. 10, 1892, 

 although it is not likely that he is the man. Jordan, it is 

 quite apparent, has no'personal knowledge of the habitat 

 and habits of the fish, for he quoted the information fur- 

 nished him on these points, but as to his classification, it 

 will require a brave man to question it successfully. 



Tne same issue of Forest and Stream that contained 

 Jordan's description of this new Kamloops salmon has an 

 article with the caption "Salmo Kamloops," but it sheds 

 no light upon the subject in question. It is possible that 

 the small landlocked salmon mentioned by Mr. Buxton 

 may be Bean's O. kennerleyi, a landlocked salmon found 

 in British Columbia and Washington, and reaches a 

 weight a little above a pound. When the promised speci- 

 mens arrive next year they will undoubtedly aid to solve 

 all difference of opinion on the subject that may now 

 exist as to the identity of species. 



Sturgeon Eggs. 



Dr. Bashford Dean writes me, supplementary to his 

 paper on "Spawning Conditions of Sturgeon," printed in 

 Forest and Stream Dec. 16, as follows: "The fish were 

 all brought in by fishermen — in poor condition, out. of 

 water several hours, and in most cases probably stunned 

 at time of capture. The fertilization, nevertheless, was 

 readily accomplished. The eggs are easily taken from 

 the spawning fish and the name ,given these locally, 

 'runners,' shows the fluid manner of egg extrusion. 



"Several estimates were made of the number of eggs 

 spawned, and it is safe to say that 2,000.000 is perhaps the 

 average. In three fish I think they ran 2,300,000, 1,880,000 

 and 1,950,000." 



I have not had any extensive experience with sturgeon 

 fishing, but in the little that I have had, which was lake 

 fishing, the fishermen, as the net was lifted and the 

 sturgeon's head came within reach, gaffed the fish with a 

 short-handled gaff like a meat hook — oftentimes two men 

 gaffed the fish at the same time, and then proceeded to be- 

 labor it over the head with a club until it was dead, when 

 it was thrown into the bottom of the boat to remain for 

 several hours perhaps before the boat even returned to 

 shore. I have often wondered if under such conditions 

 the vitality of the spawn was destroyed, and judging 

 from Dr. Dean's letter that I have quoted from, it is not. 



The Howietoun Fishery. 



I think that it will be admitted generally that at the 

 Howietoun Fishery, Sterling, Scotland, of which Sir 

 James Maitland is the proprietor, fishculture is conducted 

 as carefully, thoroughly and scientifically as in any sim- 

 ilar establishment in the world. I have recently received 

 the circular of the Howietoun Fishery for the season of 

 1893 and '94, and upon comparing it with the circular of 

 1892-3 I find a marked change in the language used when 

 that w as issued. 



Speaking of trout for stocking or restocking waters: "If 

 there is any depth of water, big two-year-olds will always 

 be the safest and the speediest mode of stocking, but in 

 many lakes, and in some rivers, the quantity of fish re- 

 quired is so large that, in the interest of due economy, 

 time must be sacrificed, and some mode of stocking 

 cheaper than by two-year-olds resorted to. If there are 

 many small, gravelly streams suitable for young fry from 

 alevinage to six months old, and clear water in abundance, 

 their ova-sown in redds is undoubtedly the best method; if 

 there are small streams feeding the water to be stocked, 

 but not sufficiently clear to insure the success of ova sown 

 in redds, then three-month-olds fry are to hs recom- 

 mended; but our experience is that there is no half-way 

 house between ova sown in redds and three-month-olds 

 fry. Younger fry are too risky: they may do, but only 

 where ova would do as well, and at half the cost." It 

 may be well to say in this connection that "redds" are 

 not unlike spawning beds, artificially prepared, in which 

 the eyed ova, at the point of hatching, is planted. The 

 circular continues: "Yearlings are, par excellence, the 

 size for general purposes. They are strong enough to find 

 their own food, thus avoiding the principal cause of mor- 

 tality among fry, namely, starvation; they are easily 

 carried, and stand the journey well; they accommodate 

 themselves with the greatest facility to new water, and 

 they thrive so fast in ponds that they will be found a very 

 profitable investment." 



These are excellent reasons why yearlings should be 

 used for planting, and I have faith that it will not be 

 very long before those who now advocate the planting of 

 fry the moment the umbilical sac is absorbed will be con- 

 verted to the use. of yearlings. 



I see that fish are cheaper in England than in the 

 United States. Native English trout, fario. cost as year- 

 lings, delivered at the railway station, §50, and two-year- 

 olds cost $125 per thousand each. In this country our 

 native trout are held, as yearlings, at $65 per thousand, 

 and as two-year-olds at $150 per thousand. 



Pennsylvania Fish Commission. 

 In a personal letter f r om Fish Commissioner Demuth, 

 of Pennsylvania, occurs this paragraph: "Our hatcheries 

 are in good shape this year. At Allentown and Corry we 

 have 1,600,000 eggs each in process of hatching, and we 

 expect to have at least 3,000,000 trout fry for distribution 

 in the spring of 1894. We also intend to build a hatchery 

 for shad on the Delaware River, and be ready to operate 

 it on the spring run of fi3h. We will have trouble with 



our applications for fish this season, as the Legislature 

 passed an act making it necessary for all applications to 

 be signed by a member of the House or Senate before 

 going to the hatchery. We have always endeavored to 

 give every applicant fish, without regard to location, if 

 the waters were suitable." This is a strange provision on 

 the part of the law makers, and smacks too much of 

 politics and "pulls," and that sort of thing. Even New 

 York has not got to that point, although it was once 

 advocated by one of the superintendents some years ago, 

 and I understand he tried to put this method in practice. 

 Fish Commissioners are appointed for the purpose of 

 making the very best use of all the fish raised by the 

 State, and it is for their own interest and to their credit to 

 make the fish go as far as possible in stocking the suitable 

 waters of the entire State, and to a man up a tree it 

 would appear that the whole matter of fish rearing and 

 fish planting could be left in their hands, without inter- 

 ference on the part of a middleman to approve of appli- 

 cations, who in the very nature of things is not supposed 

 to know as much about proper waters for certain fish as 

 the men to whom the applications would otherwise go 

 direct. A. N. Cheney, 



Mississippi Fish Slaughter. 



Chicago, 111., Dec. 23.— The Dubuque (Iowa) Trade 

 Journal prints the following in its November issue. Will 

 the present or incoming Fish Commissioners of Iowa 

 please copy into his hat: 



"Vandalism in regard to the fish in the Mississippi 

 River at Dubuque is on the rampage. Seiners are drag- 

 ging the stream to the complete destruction of the life 

 therein. Cartloads of the fish appear in the market, of 

 all sizes, from the largest down to five inches in length, 

 the latter weighing probably two ounces. Smaller fry 

 are thrown on the bank to perish. All kinds of game 

 have been exterminated in this region, and the fish in the 

 noble river seems similarly doomed. And this, too, not- 

 withstanding the fact that it is understood that the Gov- 

 ernment has to some extent been restocking the water. Is 

 there no way to "stop this wholesale slaughter of the finny 

 tribe? Wisconsin has taken the matter in hand and those 

 draggers of seines and owners of nets are liable to penal- 

 ties as far as its shores extend. Iowa ought to copy its 

 laws, if not, make more stringent ones, and sportsmen 

 and others ought to see that they be enforced." E. H. 



Jfidmtlfure and Jfwh $joteciion. 

 THE COAST FISHERY CONFERENCE. 



Proceedings of Conference Held to Consider 

 the Subject of the Exhaustion of 

 Coast Line Food Fishes. 



OFFICIAL REPORT BY SECRETARY E. P. DOYLE. 



The conference was held pursuant to the following 



CALL. 



New York, Nov. 15, 1893. 

 DEAR Sir— The growing scarcity of edible fishes along our 

 coast line, from Maine to Virginia, is a matter of importance 

 that should not be overlooked by the States interested. The 

 cause or causes of this diminution should be ascertained, and 

 some remedy, if possible, should be applied at once by the 

 enactment of simple and uniform legislation in all of the sea- 

 hoard States, before the now reduced supply becomes further 

 exhausted. With this object in view, and with a desire for 

 a full, impartial and thorough examination of the whole 

 subject, we, the" undersigned citizens of the State of New 

 York, have deterrnineu that some effort should he made to 

 obtain a conference of the Commissioners of Fisheries, as well 

 as other citizens of the seaboard States interested, who have 

 made the matter a study, in order that some plan of action 

 be adopted to secure the protection and preservation of food 

 fishes. We, therefore, invite you cordially and request that 

 you will personally invite such citizens of your State as may 

 feel sufficient interest in this matter, to attend a conference 

 to be held at the office of the Commissioners of Fisheries of 

 the State of New York, at No. 53 Broadway, New York city, 

 Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1893, at 10 o'clock A. M. This invitation 

 or request will be extended to all members of the Commis- 

 sions of Fisheries of the States of Maine, Massachusetts, 

 Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela- 

 ware and Maryland, and the Commissioners in addition will 

 be requested to invite such citizens of their States as would 

 be likely to take sufficient interest in the matter to attend 

 such conference. 



We sincerely hope that your State may he represented by 

 you, as well as by other citizens, at this conference, and that 

 the results may prove of benefit to all the seaboard States. 



Please acknowledge the receipt of this communication as 

 promptly as possible, and give such expression of your senti- 

 ments on the subject as you may entertain, and advise us 

 whether you will be present at the conference. We remain 

 yours very respectfully, 



Austin Corbin, 

 Henry W. Bookstaver, 

 Henry P. McGown, 

 Robert B. Roosevelt, 



H. C. Fahnstock, 

 John L. Hil, 



W. C. Harris, 

 Charles E. Whitehead, 

 Henry S. Wilson, 

 W. B~. Williams, 

 Albert E. Cochran, 

 James E. Hulshizer, 

 Edwin M. Felt, 

 Thos. N. Cuthbert, 

 T. B. Williams, 

 James W. Beers, 

 Silas C. Force. 



I. F. Parker, 

 George H, Penniman, 

 Jenkins Van Schaick, 



William K. Vanderbilt, 

 Calvin E. Pratt, 

 Phineas C. Lounsbury, 

 Wm. P. Clyde, 

 W. Bayard Cutting, 

 Richard V. Hartnett, 

 Charles B. Reynolds, 

 George G. DeWitt, 

 Alex. Taylor, Jr., 

 Wm. M. Fleiss, 

 Samuel F. Prentiss, 

 John S. W. Thompson, 

 Timothy L. Woodruff, 

 Paul Worth, 

 H. A. Craft, , 

 S. W. Doubleday, 

 Fred Mather, 

 Ezra S. Connor, 

 Watts T. Miller, 

 P. Howard Worth. 



.Arthur M. Hunter, 



L. D. Huntington, T 

 W. H. Bowman, Commissioners 

 David G. Hackney, \ of Fisheries 

 Robert Hamilton, State of New York. 

 A. Sylvester Joline, J 

 The convention was called to order at 10:30 A. M. Wednes- 

 day, Dec. 13, 1893, in the reception parlor of the Gerlach, 

 55 West Twenty-seventh street, New York city. William H. 

 Bowman, one of the Commission of Fisheries of the State of 

 New York, was elected chairman, and Edward P. Doyle, sec- 

 retary and engineer of the same Commission, was elected 

 secretary. Tlie following delegates were present: Bushrod 

 W. James, Philadelphia, Pa. E. A. Brackett, Commissioner 



of Fisheries, Massachusetts. Leonard Hulitt, Asbury Park, 

 N. J. D. T. Church, Tiverton, R. I. Sylvanus Smith, 

 Gloucester, Mass. David Banks, 10 West Fortieth street, 

 New York. B. T. De Butts, Boston, Mass. H. B. Joyce, Bos- 

 ton, Mass. Atkins Hughes, Truro, Mass. J. M. R. South- 

 wick, Commissioner of Fisheries, Newport, R. I. A. Wal- 

 ling, Jr.. Keyport, N. J. James F. Edge, Asbury Park, N. J. 

 Caleb Haley, 'Fulton Market. New York. George M. Vail, 

 Orient, L. %., N. Y. J. O. Lewis, Wickford, R. I. Luther 

 Maddocks, Boothbay, Me. George N. Bliss, East Providence, 

 R. I. Parker W. Page, Commissioner of Fisheries, Summit, 

 N. J. Robert D. Foote, Commissioner of Fisheries, Morris- 

 town, N. J. James B. Church, Tiverton, R. I. John T. Han- 

 gard, New York. James F. Church, Bailey's Island, Me. A. 

 W. Rowe, Philadelphia, Pa. A. E. Potter, New York. 

 Edward G. Wbitaker, New York. Alfred Hand, Philadel- 

 phia, Pa. Charles F. Chamberlayne, Bourne, Mass. Nelson 

 Lockwood, North Long Branch, N. J. S. M. Johnson, Bos- 

 ton, Mass. Henry C. Ford, Philadelphia, Pa. H.O.Wilbur, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. John F. Sudler, Commissioner of Fisher- 

 ies, Maryland. C. H. Augur, New York. A M. Spangler, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. B. L, Douredoure, Philadelphia, Pa. Jas. 

 H. Miller, Philadelphia, Pa. Cyrus S. Detre, Philadelphia, 

 Pa. Harry W. Quick, Philadelphia, Pa. Wm. Thompson, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. George Coe, Bay Shore, L. L, N. Y. 

 Edward Thompson, Northport, L. I., N. Y. George T. Moon, 

 New York. I. C. Young. Long Wharf, Boston, Mass. Wm. 

 Findlay Brown, Philadelphia. Pa. Henry A. Reeves, Green- 

 port, L. I., N. Y. Robert B. Chalker, Saybrook, Conn. I. 

 Spieer Learning', Cape May City, N. J. Colonel Mar- 

 shall McDonald, United States Fish Commissioner, 

 Washington, D. C. Dr. Bashford Dean, Columbia, S. C. 

 Robert F. Walsh, New York, Fred Mather, Cold Spring 

 Harbor, N. Y. Dr. John D. Quackenbos, Columbia College, 

 New York. Edward Sternfeld, New York. Robert E. 

 Follett, Commissioner of Fisheries, Connecticut. Judge 

 Henry P. McGown, New York. Edwin R. Kelsey, Connecti- 

 cut. Col. John Gay, Commissioner of Fisheries, Pennsyl- 

 vania. Joseph Belser, New Haven, Conn. L. D. Huntington, 

 Commissioner of Fisheries, New York. W. H. Bowman, 

 Commissioner of Fisheries, New York. Robert Hamilton, 

 Commissioner of Fisheries, New Y T ork. David G. Hackney, 

 Commissioner of Fisheries, New York. Edward P. Doyle, 

 Secretary Commission of Fisheries, New York. Albert E. 

 Cochran, New York. Robert B. Roosevelt, New York. Dr. 

 William M. Hudson, Hartford, Conn. Mayor Frank L. Ten 

 Broeck, Asbury Park, N. J. Alvin P. Hildreth, Riparian 

 Commissioner, New Jersey. William T. Fox, New York. 

 Watts T. Miller, New York. Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Sakaye Sawatari, Japan. Frank J. Amsden, 

 Rochester, N. Y. Isaac Smith, Staten Island! M. F. Collins, 

 Staten Island. M. Fitzgerald, Staten Island. M. Fitz- 

 gerald, Jr., Staten Island. J. Warren Pond, Chief Game 

 and Fish Protector, Malone, N. Y. C. B. Reynolds, New 

 York. John A. Githens, Asbury Park, N. J. Robert Potter, 

 Long Branch, N. J. A. Val. Woodruff, Brooklyn, L. I., 

 N. Y. F. R. Jorgensen, Gravesend, L. I., N. Y. Julius 

 Nelson, State Geologist, New Brunswick, N. J. John Hen- 

 nessey, North Long Branch, N. J. J. W. Adams, Boston, 

 Mass. M. C. Lohrens, Belford, N. J. Pulaski Benjamin, 

 Fulton Market, N. Y. J. R. Reed, Boston, Mass. Owen E. 

 Houehton, D. D. S., Brooklyn, L. L, N. Y. A. A. Adams, 

 199 Fulton street, New York. L. P. Streeter, Morristown, 

 N. J. Louis Streuher, Commissioner of Fisheries, Harris 

 burg. Pa. W. F. Round, New York. W. B. Williams, New 

 York. Alexander Taylor, Jr., Mamaroneck, N. Y, James 

 Allen, New York. 



Mr. W. H. Bowman, on taking the chair, stated the ob- 

 ject of the meeting, and said that there was no purpose in it 

 other than to learn the truth as far as possible, and to ascer- 

 tain the reasons for the complaints of the scarcity of food 

 fish for hook and line men and anglers; that this interest, 

 and the invested capital on a large scale, if found to conflict 

 with each other, should endeavor so to adjust their relations 

 toward each other as to remove friction in order that all 

 might enjoy fishing privileges, and at the same time the 

 food fishes of the coast be preserved by some efforts to he de- 

 vised toward that end, should it be found that a depletion is 

 going on. 



At the suggestion of Mr. Roosevelt, the representatives of 

 the various firms and interests in attendance upon the con- 

 ference had their names and the names of their principals 

 recorded. 



Mr. James M. R. Southwick (Rhode Island) criticised the 

 call as heing "upside down." in that he construed it as he- 

 ginning with a statement that there is a scarcity of fish and 

 concluding with requesting an investigation. 



The Chair said that the object of the call was to get an 

 assemblage of those competent to speak, and that there was 

 no thought of pre-judging the merits of the matters that 

 were to be discussed, that it was earnestly desired that every 

 one should have the fullest opportunity to express his views, 

 and if the necessity presented itself to the minds of the 

 majority, the example occasionally afforded in politics could 

 be followed, and they could "repudiate the platform and go 

 the man. " 



Me. Southwick (R. I.) said that he represented no partic- 

 ular class of fishermen; the interests of the hook and line 

 fishermen should be considered as well as the interests of the 

 net fishermen, and he thought the objects of the conference 

 would be better expressed by the following, which he of- 

 fered: 



Resolved, That the purpose of this conference is to inquire into the 

 general condition of the coast fisheries and to consider what, if any- 

 thing, can be done to improve them. 



Me. George T. Moon (N. Y., Fulton Market) said that it 

 seemed to be a waste of time to discuss shades of meaning; 

 it was clearly enough expressed as to the object of the con- 

 ference. An expression of opinion was the thing wanted as 

 to whether there is a diminution of fish supply on our Atlan- 

 tic Coast, and if so, would legislation, and what legislation, 

 protect the interest of the people. To arrive at a satisfactory 

 conclusion statistics were necessary, and he hoped that gen- 

 tlemen were prepared with facts and figures and that the 

 meeting would proceed to the business in hand with the least 

 possible delay. 



Mr. Cyrus S. Detre (Philadelphia) said it had been his 

 privilege and pleasure for years to go a-fishing six months of 

 each twelve along the New Jersey coast, and lately he had 

 been on the coast of North Carolina; that he had noticed 

 frequently the operations of the menhaden steamers. He 

 said that it is his experience that the supply of game fishes is 

 rapidly disappearing from the Atlantic seaboard, and while 

 the menhaden industry as carried on does great havoc, he 

 was convinced that the pound nets are far more disastrous. 

 It seemed to him that the menhaden are disappearing 

 rapidly, and he thought that by reason of their exhaustion 

 the evil would regulate itself "in the menhaden affairs, for 

 the business would not pay. But the effect would be also 

 felt on the food fishes supply, especially in the case of the 

 bluefish, which, if they could not find bunkers, would feed 

 on other tribes of food fish, such as weakfish and striped 

 bass, which would also be deprived of the food supply that 

 they had heretofore found in the menhaden. He did not 

 speak with bias, nor as an uncompromising and out and out 

 rod and reel man, but as an observer. There is no question 

 that the food fish areheing depleted, anditis true of the North 

 Carolina coast. He had been told by net fishermen there that 

 the two last successive seasons had been bad; that they are be- 

 ginning to recognize the evil of what they are doing, and his 

 informant said to him, "I will take up my pound if my 

 neighbor will take up his." But I want to speak especially of 

 the pound nets along the New Jersey coast. I understand 

 there are about 28 pound nets between Barnegat Inlet an<J 



