FEB. B5, 1002.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
131 
Massachusetts Fishculture. 
F*'rom ine Annual Report of flic Commissioners of Fisheries and 
Came. 
The wor-k, of the Commission has expanded materially 
in various directions. The facilities for hatching and 
rearing fish have been increased or perfected, and the 
output of young fish this year is ab.out four times as 
great as in any year previous to 1900, notwithstanding 
many of those distributed this season were fingerlings -and 
yearlings, whereas only fry were formerly produced. 
The Commission is impressed with the idea that the 
free distribution of fish, birds and animals it breeds or 
rears will be an important step forward in the effort to 
restock our inland waters and our covers. This is done 
in other States — certainly in nearly all of them that make 
any pretense of carrying on such work upon a .scale com- 
mensurate with its importance. Not a few of the States 
have cars of their own for distributing fish and fry, with 
I he most approved equipment and trained crews. If it is 
worth while for the State to breed fish or game it is 
Certainly important that the full result of its work in this 
direction shall be attained by making the Commission 
responsible for distribution. This is in harmony with 
• the most advanced thought and action of the foremost 
men and commonwealths in this country, not to speak 
of other' countries. 
Manifestly it is unwise to longer depend on fish being 
distributed by those not responsible to the Commission, 
-'for while nfuch may have been accomplished under the 
• system heretofore prevailing, whereby fish are delivered 
"to applicants at the 
hatcheries, it is scarce- 
ly to be expected that 
all will -be experts in 
the care of fish, and 
considerable loss may 
result in consequence 
of inexperience, even 
when individuals are 
honestly desirous of 
carrying out the pur- 
poses of the Commis- 
sion. And whether or 
not there is foundation 
for disquieting asser- 
tions, as to the disposi- 
tion of some of the fish, 
it certainly will be an 
- advantage to know be- 
yond question that fish 
intended for public 
waters, where alone 
-they should be put, 
have not been used to 
' stock private preserves, 
from which the public 
may be excluded. 
Fishculture. 
The work embraced 
. under this head, which 
/fncludes many things 
^ beside fishculture prop- 
Z cr, has been 'carried on 
by the Commission 
during the current year 
upon a more compre- 
hensive scale than ever 
'before. This applies 
not only to the magni- 
tude of the work, and 
the results accomplish- 
ed, but'" also 'to the fact 
that it has been broad- 
ened in the matter of 
species, propagated or 
reared on a large scale, 
and there has been 
much expansion of 
effort in other direc- 
tions bearing strictly 
on the question of the 
preservation and in- 
crease of food fish in the Commonwealth. 
• About the usual quantity of trout fry. 865,000. was 
distributed in the spring. In addition to these, 2.600,000 
pike perch fry, hatched at the Sutton and Hadley sta- 
tions from eggs received from the United States Fish 
Commission. Were put into ponds shortly after the brooks 
were stocked with trout fry. Beside these, 11,500 yearling 
and 44.750 fingerling brook trout have been put into the 
brooks, and 15.000 rainbow trout fingerlings, 13,000 land- 
locked salmon fingerling, 586 yearling Loch Leven trout 
and 256 four-year-old brook trout have been distributed 
hi various ponds. This makes a total of 3,550,086 fish 
distributed by the Commission this year for stocking the 
inland waters of the State. It is noteworthy, too. that 
"more than 80,000 of the' fish above enumerated were finger- 
lings and yearlings, concededly more valuable for stock- 
ing 'purposes than ten times as many fry. Mention may 
also be made of the reservation of several thousands of 
fingerlings and yearlings for increasing the stock of brood 
fish at the two" principal hatcheries. 
Introduction of New Species. 
This Commission has made a notable advance during 
the year in the work of introducing new species, and at 
no lime in its history have the results attained in this 
direction even' approximated those of which mention will 
be made. The fact, too, that wdiat has been already 
accomplished make's probable still greater results in the 
future. ' adds to "the importance of the work done, and 
'suggests possibilities' in the restocking of our inland waters 
not heretofore deemed attainable. 
• In point "of numbers, the stocking of our ponds with 
2,000.000 fry of the pike-perch (Stizostedion vitreuiii) is 
fehe most important event of the year; in the introduc- 
tion of new species. The fact that information has in-, 
directly reached the Commission that young pike-perch 
were taken last spring or summer in Mystic Pond, where 
they had been planted as fry the previous year, suggests 
|he probability of the &peqes thfiY»n| in, aotr^e Of our 
ponds at least. While no member of the Commission 
saw the fish caught in Mystic Pond, the statement seemed 
to be well authenticated that boys fishing there took some 
fish which ''looked like pickerel, but were not pickerel." 
This would seem to indicate plainly enough that they 
caught young pike-perch, for no other fish in Massachu- 
setts waters would answer to that description. 
If, then, the pike-perch can be successfully introduced, 
it is evident that much greater results may reasonably be 
anticipated from plants of 200000 or 500,000 fish in a 
pond, than by putting into it from 200 to 400 white perch, 
even if the latter are half-grown. And it may be said 
here that the pike-perch is a true perch — the largest of 
the perch family — and that in food and game qualities it is 
conceded to equal or surpass any of the smaller varieties. 
There are. however, some of our ponds in which the 
conditions are not suitable for the pike-perch, and others 
which it is desirable to stock with several other species of 
fish. For this reason it has been deemed desirable to 
attempt stocking some of the ponds with fingerlings of the 
rainbow trout (Salino iridcus), a species which is believed 
to be particularly fitted to the conditions which obtain in 
a majority of the ponds in this State. There is, indeed, 
reason for anticipating greater success with this than 
with any other trout in the attempt to stock our ponds 
with a species which is alike desirable for food and game 
purposes. As is well known, the rainbow trout, though 
indigenous to the Pacific coast waters, has been success- 
fully introduced in many of the Eastern and Central 
States. It thrives under conditions where our native 
brook trout could not exist, especially so far as tempera- 
LEAPING SALMON. 
Photo by D. G. Smith. 
ture is concerned, and for that reason may' also be used 
for stocking brooks, which, because of defoliation, have 
become so warm that brook trout can no longer live in 
them. It may not be generally kno\vn that a" condition 
like this prevails in Massachusetts, but such is a fact, as 
will be shown by the following extract from a letter 're- 
ceived from Deputy George E. Whitehead, of Millbury: 
"I would say that the brook where T propose to fry the 
rainbow trout is ruined so far as Foiltinalis is concerned. 
I know of 35,000 fry that' have been placed there inside of 
seven, years. There are only "a few very small brook 
trout in the extreme upper part of the brook. The lum- 
bermen with his steam saw mill on 1 wheels is responsible. 
Where there used to be two miles of heavy.growth" timber, 
it is now bare of everything but -scrubs. There are three 
miles of meadows and mowing land below where it was 
once good trout fishing.. The water is. now so warm .that 
our brook trout will not live there except : very early . in 
the spring. Now it looks to. me. as if the rainbow trout 
should find congenial quarters. The brook is mostly hard 
gravel bottom with just enough rapids to reaerate the 
water. It has been my impression that the rainbows 
would inhabit the lower reaches of this brook and not 
interfere in any way with the few brook -trout that are in 
the upper and colder waters. The Jong stretch of water 
that is now unproductive would then be made to produce 
a fLsh that is but little inferior to the brook trout." 
Many of our ponds have a temperature too high for 
any of the salmonida; to thrive in except it be the rain- 
bow trout, and as these ponds abound with worms and 
insect larva?, which constitute the favorite food of this 
species, there is good reason for thinking it will, do well, 
since, as already .stated, it is not unfavorably affected by 
moderately warm water. It has! however, been the aim 
of the Commission to put this trout in ponds having a 
considerable variation of temperature in piidsuiumer, at 
different depths, ahd thus to give it an opportunity to 
select the conditions most agreeable to it. - 1 
U-nd^y favorable e'^Yj^P^ept^ the faii%.w trout ^royys. 
rapidly, and attains a maximum of 12 or 13 pounds, but 
it is generally much smaller if the water is cola, Fish of 
this species in the. pond at the State fish hatchery in 
Sutton weighed 3J4 pounds when two and a half years 
old. It is reputed to be a fine food fish, also a good biter 
and a sturdy fighter, though it must be considered sec- 
ondary in food and game qualities to our native brook 
trout, which is almost without a peer in these regards. 
Its special recommendation is that it seems well adapted 
to many of our ponds. If this assumption proves true, 
and it is practicable to have our ponds fairly well stocked 
with a fish that grows to the size 1 of a salmon under 
favorable conditions; that is graceful in outline, beautiful 
in color, and possesses other desirable, qualifications, it is 
evident a material advance in the State's fishcultural work 
will have been accomplished. With this end in view 
steps have been taken to- secure a supply of brood fish of 
this species at our hatching stations in Sutton and Had- 
ley, and an effort will be made to rear to the fingerling 
size the rainbow trout bred at our hatcheries. 
The Commission is likewise preparing to extensively 
breed the European brown trout (S. fario), and it now 
has a lot of fine two-year-old fish of this species from 
which it is expected a considerable yield of eggs will be 
obtained at the close of the present year. 
The brown trout was introduced in the United States 
in 1883, and since then has been widely distributed, so 
that now it is well established in many States where the 
conditions arc suitable for it. It is essentially a brook 
trout,, requires cool water, but is reputed to thrive at the 
mouths of streams tributary to ponds or lakes. The 
experiment will ^ he 
made of putting it into 
some of our ponds hav- 
ing a low temperature, 
and with streams run- 
ning into them. It is 
also possible it may 
thrive in some of our 
brooks where the con- 
ditions are no longer 
suitable for native 
brook trout. 
This species has been 
credited with attaining 
a weight, of 22 pounds 
under favorable condi- 
tions. Among the 
brown trout in the 
aquarial exhibit of 
Wisconsin at the 
W o r 1 d's Columbian 
: Exposition were mi- 
me r o u s specimens 
which must have 
weighed from 9 to n 
pounds, although a 
weight of 5 or 6 
pounds may be consi- 
dered a good average. 
It is a matter of record 
that "in the United 
States, a wild specimen, 
seyen years old, weigh- 
ed about 11 pounds." 
The food and game 
qualities of this species 
are scarcely secondary 
to those of our native 
brook trout. Its adapt- 
ability to capture with 
artificial flies and its 
gameness' are well 
known. 
The Loch Leven 
trout (S. levensis) is 
also receiving some at- 
tention from the Com- 
mission, chiefly with a 
., view to its utilization 
» s in stocking ponds. As 
' ' - its name indicates, it is 
essentially a pond 
trout, . but it is a closely 
related species to the. bro.wn trout. It has the charac- 
teristics of the latter, the chief difference being that it 
has become specially adapted to ponds. , 
. An attempt was made to secure some calico bass 
( Pomoxis sparaides) in the spring. for stocking purposes, 
but it was not found practicable to obtain them, owing to 
the fact that - the parties who could have supplied them 
last year .were not in a position to furnish them last spring. 
Stocking Poods. 
Twenty great ponds. of the -State -have been stocked and 
the- fisheries therein regulated, under Chapter 208, Acts 
of 1897. This is a record in this particular line of the 
-Commission's fishcultural work, .the ponds thus stocked', 
under the act referred to being more than were ever 
stocked iii any previous year. Beside this, several other 
ponds were stocked by- request, and some that had been 
stocked, and. closed the- previous year were restocked, as 
will appear in, the detailed statement. 
Although the decision of the Attorney-General , was 
.published in- -our last report, and this clearly and fully 
sets forth the fact that the Commission, having once 
stocked a pond and regulated the fishing therein in accord- 
ance with Chapter 208. Acts of 1897, has no authority 
' thereafter to renew such • regulations, appeals have been 
- received this year urging that certain ponds be restocked 
aild the- fishing regulations relating thereto be renewed. 
Inquiries as to. the Commission's authority to take further- 
action, after the - expiration of the period during which 
fishing has been regulated in a pond, have been received, 
and these invariably evince much concern as to the re- 
sult of unlimited fishing in a pond wherein the supply of 
fish has been unproved by limiting fishing. All this indi- 
' eates a strong popular desire for a law which will in some 
way limit fishing in ponds, It is recognized by all who 
have studied the -question that nothing less than almost 
utter depletion can be expected iu ponds where ice fishing 
is permitted. When one individual can UvSe a multiplicity 
• of a^id hooks, fqr ^ capture of porjd fish^, 
KB 
