432 
hatcheries on the Sacramento and Columbia Rivers, 
have been planted in waters of the northern States; 
but the writer has never been able to get authentic in- 
telligence of a single mature Pacific salmon taken from 
•northern waters. When it was reported in your issue 
of Oct. 8, that Col. Haggart had taken a Quinnat sal- 
mon with a fly from Pierce Pond in Maine, he was 
glad that at last Livingston Stone's labors were about 
to show some visible results ; but your next issue dashed 
all his hopes by announcing that the supposed Quinnat 
was only a native land-locked salmon. 
Commissioner Meehan further informs us that, 
"About 1890 the late Henry C. Ford, then president of 
the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, planted several 
thousand fry in the tributaries of the Delaware River 
in Pike and Wayne counties on the Pennsylvania side. 
In 1895 more than $5,000 worth of Atlantic salmon 
were caught in the nets between the head of Delaware 
Bay and Trenton. In 1896 and '97 I planted several 
thousand more fry. The result has been that since 
quite a number of salmon have been caught in the 
nets of the shad fishermen, and one year it was esti- 
mated that nearly $3,000 worth were captured." 
This is the first authentic intelligence the writer has 
been able to obtain, and he feels bound to accept it, 
coming as it does from a State Commissioner of 
Fisheries, though it staggers all his previous confidence 
in his knowledge of the life history of the salmon. 
He was under the impression that it had been well es- 
tablished, according to all the best writers on the 
subject, including Mr. Norris, that alevins became parrs 
in the first year of their life. In the second year, that 
they lose the parr marks and put on the bright silvery 
appearance of smolts, which go to sea in the fall of that 
year. The following year they return as grilse of 
four to six pounds, and in the next year as mature 
salmon. There are well authenticated exceptions to 
this general rule, of which no explanation has ever been 
given by the scientists who have most carefully studied 
the subject. But, waving natural history, and con- 
fining our attention to the practical part of the matter, 
we cannot but regret that, for practical purpose, the 
results are so little encouraging and that, so far as he 
has gone, Commissioner Meehan only sustains the 
facts and figures given in the last and previous issues 
of your paper. 
From the several thousand of fry planted about 1890, 
there were caught in 1895 more than $5,000 worth of 
mature fish. In 1896 and '97 Mr. Meehan himself 
planted several thousand more fry, which, with the 
natural increase of those planted about 1890, produced 
the estimated value of $3,000, a little more than half 
the first planting yield. Since then fourteen years have 
elapsed; consequently there should be the natural in- 
crease for eleven years of all that escaped capture. It 
is much to be regretted that Commissioner Meehan 
did not give us the number or value of the salmon 
taken in 1903 and '04, so that we might know whether 
the catches continued to decrease yearly by 50 per cent 
or whether they showed any increase. Perhaps some 
other State Commissioner can supply, through your 
columns, what Mr. Meehan has unfortunately neglected. 
Any authentic date that can be given will be a boon 
to hundreds of your readers, as well as to 
The Old Angler. 
Fish Chat. 
BY EDWARD A. SAMUELS. '* 
A Study of Fish Markets. 
Many years ago — yes, many more years than I wish 
they were — I used to knock about the country a great 
deal with my dear old father on outings with rod and 
creel. He was as great a crank — no, I will not say that; 
but he was as much of an enthusiast in all matters pisca- 
torial as I am at the present time; and it was undoubt- 
edly due quite largely to the intercourse we then had to- 
gether in such matters that I now, after that lapse of 
time, find my greatest enjoyment in angling. "As the 
twig is bent so the tree is inclined." I am not quite cer- 
tain about the correctness of that quotation, but I will 
let it stand; the bent of my mind, which naturally turned 
to nature studies, was permanently fixed. 
In the great number of enjoyable outings we thus par- 
ticipated in, we visited many cties and large towns on 
our way to favorite fishing localities, and if our staywas 
in any of them at all prolonged, my father invariably 
steered for the fish market, if such there were; and if the 
place did not support the dignity of a market and had 
simply a fish stall, it answered his purpose quite as well. 
This trait in his character may seem strange to the or- 
dinary run of people, for strangers in a strange city 
usually employ their spare time in inspecting public build- 
ings, art galleries, parks, and other places which are sup- 
posed to interest the majority of travelers. But dear old 
pater's mind ran on fishes above and before everything 
else, and an inspection of the various varieties which 
were displayed for sale gave him greater pleasure than 
would a visit to an art museum filled with the choicest 
works of Rembrandt, Murillo, Michael Angelo, and other 
princes of the brush and pallette. 
In examining the piscine treasures displayed before us, 
he asked no end of questions relating to the localities 
from which the fish came and where, and the condition 
of the various- catches ; and time and again have I seen 
him poke open the maw of a fish which had recently been 
dressed, for the purpose of ascertaining the character of 
the diet upon which the fish had fed. We found in the 
markets of the different cities some species which seemed 
common to nearly all of them ; but as a rule those which 
were being vended were local, if I may use that expres- 
sion; that is to say, peculiar forms would not in ordinary 
markets be common to those which were considerably 
separated. Fish in Baltimore markets, for example, con- 
sisted very largely of the spotted weakfish or southern 
sea trout, so-called; to which were added shad and 
mackerel in their seasons, black sea bass, sheepshead, and 
a number of other species of more southern habitat. 
In Philadelphia we found most of the above named 
species, together with the common weakfish or squeteague, 
and from interior waters the German carp, yellow perch, 
and catfish had come. 
In New York markets, the largest of their kind on the 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
continent, we found, of course, all the species I have' 
named, together with scuppaug, or porgies, as they are 
commonly, called in that section ; tautog or blackfish 
flounders, fluke, and various other marine species; south 
of New York we did not often find in any considerable 
abundance cod, haddock or halibut, the transportation of 
those species seeming to have ceased when the great 
metropolis was reached; but we found here displayed for 
sale fresh-water fishes which had not seemed to have 
sought a market in a lower latitude. Thus brook trout,, 
whitefish, 'pickerel, black bass, and some of the western 
lake trout and others were always displayed in their 
proper season. 
North .and east of New York the display of fishes be- 
comes more localized. In Providence mackerel and shad 
were always to be found in their season ; scuppaug, black- 
fish and weakfish were also abundant, but fresh-water 
species, with the exception of the salmon, which of 
course is almost always on sale in every city, were a 
rarity in 'that market. In Newport the same conditions 
prevailed, the greatest abundance of scuppaug being seen 
there; in fact, I believe that even at the present time the 
largest shipments of that delectable pan-fish made to 
New York are from those two principal cities of Rhode 
Island. . 
In the Western markets the chief varieties of fish 
offered for sale were from fresh water; the cod, had- 
dock, and two or three other leading salt-water varieties 
being received at the principal centers. One who is not 
familiar with the extent to which the breeding of the 
whitefish has reached, would be astonished to see the im- 
mense numbers that are sold in Chicago and other great 
Western cities. It seemed to be a popular table species, 
but to me it lacks the tasty qualities which appeal to the 
epicurean fancy. I have tried them fried, boiled and 
brojled, but somehow they seemed insipid no matter in 
which form they were cooked. 
In Quincy Market, Boston, commonly, but improperly, 
called Faneuil Hall Market, we found almost, if not 
quite, as great a variety as that seen in Fulton Market; 
but north of Boston the number of species displayed for 
sale decreased very materially. 
The habit I acquired in studying the fish markets clung 
to me, and it has been my custom, ever since my father 
passed away, to inspect the finny beauties which were 
offered for sale in places I visited, and I believe it 
has been of very considerable value to me in affording 
information which I could not otherwise have acquired. 
Prevalence of the Striped Bass. 
There was one species of fish which I have almost in- 
variably noticed in all the markets on the Atlantic Coast, 
and that is the striped bass, or weakfish, as it is often 
called. From the Rappahannock all along the shore as 
far north at least as Montreal, on the St. Lawrence, it 
is found in greater or less abundance; and in many lo- 
calities it is one of the most important, commercially, 
of all the marine fishes. I wish I had memoranda by me 
showing the magnitude of the catch in different locali- 
ties; but those who have access to statistics can easily 
satisfy themselves on that point. I will state, however, 
that the Canadian Blue Book for 1903 gives the catch of 
New Brunswick alone at 138,300 pounds. While this is 
not an enormously large catch, when compared with the 
take of cod, haddock, etc., it shows that the bass occupies 
a respectable position in the Dominion fisheries. While 
this species seems to< be holding its own in waters north 
of Massachusetts Bay, it appears to be gradually decreas- 
ing in numbers from that point southward; and not only 
that, but it is decreasing very perceptibly in average size. 
This fact I have already stated in Forest and Stream 
for December 19, 1903. Of course the great decrease in 
numbers is attributable mainly to' the great growth and 
spread of the weir system, particularly in Buzzard's and 
Narragansett bays, where it was formerly the most 
abundant of all the commercial fishes. In addition to the 
destruction caused by the weirs, pounds, etc., those vora- 
cious marauders, the bluefish, have done more than their 
share in reducing the great schools which were formerly 
so abundant ; in fact, in the great bay I have named, the 
bass are so few in numbers that but little record is made 
of those captured in Massachusetts north of Cape Cod. 
In the Report of the Massachusetts Commissioners on 
Fisheries and Game for 1903, I find that not a single bass 
is reported as having been taken in the waters of Essex 
county, where it was formerly very abundant, and not 
one in Norfolk or Plymouth counties, in both of which 
I used to get exceptionally good bass fishing. 
" In Barnstable county, however, the catch was about 
9.000 pounds, and this encourages the hope that the fish 
will gradually recover from the destruction that has been 
meted out to it in the Bay. 
The Bass in Canada. 
While the bass seems to be holding its own in the 
rivers of New Brunswick along the northern shore, as 
far, at least, as the Miramichi, its size is gradually de- 
creasing in those localities, as I have shown in the article 
above referred to ; but in the St. Lawrence, according to 
Mr. Chambers, it is decreasing both in average size and 
in numbers. In his communication in Forest and 
St b "am of October 15, he mentions this fact and gives 
some interesting accounts of the distribution and habits 
of the fish in that river. 
Mr. Chambers is correct in his statement that the bar, 
so-called by the Canadians, and the striped bass are 
identical. I have seen these fish in the markets of both 
Montreal and Quebec, and they were unquestionably the 
striped bass — Roccus lineatus — but that is a quite differ- 
ent species from the bar fish — ^Pomoxys sparoides — of 
Lake Michigan, the calico bass and grass bass of other 
western and southern localities, which never, so far as I 
am aware, attains a greater weight than two or three 
pounds. The habits of the two species are quite different, 
the striped bass being a bold, active predatory fish, prey- 
ing, like the squeteague and bluefish, upon all the smaller 
species ; the other is rather of a peaceful disposition ; so 
much so, in fact, that, according to Prof. Goode, "it will 
live harmoniously with all others, and while its structure 
and disposition restrain it from attacking any other but 
very small fry, its formidable armature of spinous rays 
in the dorsal and abdominal fins will guard it against the 
attacks of even the voracious pike." 
Apropos of the Montreal fish stalls, I would say I have 
[Nov. 19, 1904. 
never seen exposed for sale any of the ouananiche or 
the splendid spotted trout with which the lakes and 
rivers of the Province of Quebec abound, and not a single 
grilse have I ever seen exposed for sale there, or for 
. that matter, in any market in America, 
Sahnon Everyw. ere. 
The salmon is almost always to be seen in every market, 
but those which are for sale , are as likely — more likely, 
in fact — to have been brought from the Pacific Coast as 
10 have been killed in near-by waters. In the Montreal 
market I have seen cod, haddock, and halibut which I 
was informed had been brought from Portland, Me._; but 
the variety of other species for sale there was exceedingly 
limited. 
What Can We Do Wllh the Dog Fish? 
The more I look into the matter, the more I am con- 
vinced that something must be quickly done to check 
the ravages that are being made on our marine fisheries 
by that despicable pest the dog fish. Its numbers seem to 
be increasing with tremendous rapidity, and its rapacity 
appears to keep abreast of its fecundity. I have recently 
improved every opportunity for interviewing "bankers" 
and other deep sea fishermen, and from all with whom I 
have conversed comes the same discouraging story. One 
trawler assured me a few days ago that he lost in one 
trip over two hundred, hooks which were bitten off at the 
ganging as neatly by the sharp teeth of the pseudo shark 
as if the lines had been cut with a knife. Another said 
that in hauling his trawls he not only found that the 
hooks were bitten off, but discovered that numerous 
heads of cod were left hanging from the hooks, the 
bodies having been eaten by the marauders. Some idea 
of the rapacity of the dog fish may be had when I state 
that some of the heads of the cods which were left hang- 
ing on the hooks had belonged, evidently, to very large 
fish. "Yes, thirty or forty pounders," as my informant 
stated. "I tell you it's migthy discouraging," exclaimed 
one of the fishermen, "to haul your trawls day after day 
and find that the dog fish have always been ahead of you ; 
I don't know what we're going to do. One thing is cer- 
tain, unless the dog fish let up on us. cod fishing is done 
for. There is some talk about the Government paying a 
bounty for every one caught ; but if the bounty was large 
enough to make it an object to catch the brutes, the 
Dominion treasury could not pay the bills. There has 
also been more talk about setting up mills along the shore 
to grind up the dog fish for manure, but while we are 
waiting for all these things to' be done, we are likely to 
starve. Some of us have been trying the experiment 
of ganging our trawl hooks with wire; the dogfish can't 
bite this off, and we have the satisfaction of clubbing the 
brutes to death when we haul them up." 
Habits of the Dog Fish. 
The dog fish is not solely a bottom feeder, as many 
suppose it to be, for it preys upon surface ranging fishes 
quite as much as it does upon those which forage deep in 
the water. For example, it follows schools of mackerel 
with the greatest pertinacity, a number of the dog fish 
acting in concert together in much the same way as that 
in which a horde of pollock will surround and destroy a 
school of herring or young cod. This habit of preying 
upon mackerel has earned for the destroyer the title of 
the "mackerel shark." It also follows schools of herring, 
and so vigorously has it attacked them this season, that 
the herring have been widely scattered, and for this 
reason, as most fishermen believe, bait has during the 
past year or two been exceedingly scarce; so scarce, in 
fact, that a large number of fishing vessels have been 
forced to lie idle. 
I have watched the items relating to the fisheries which 
have been published in various Dominion newspapers, 
and gather from them that in the opinion of many 
anglers, netters, and others who are interested in matters 
piscatorial, that the salmon have been destroyed in such 
numbers by the dog fish that there is almost a danger 
of extermination of our king of game fish by the insa- 
tiable pirates. 
At first glance one would hardly believe that such an 
active and quick-moving fish as the salmon could be cap- 
tured by the little sharks ; but when we remember that 
the mackerel, which is almost as speedy in its movements 
as the salmon, is caught without difficulty by the dog fish, 
it would seem that the opinions above expressed are not 
without foundation. All who are familiar with the habits 
of the salmon, know it is often captured by seals, and 
they cannot possibly be as quick in their attacks as are 
the dog fish. 
The Tuna in a Nova Scotia Harbor. 
Recently while enjoying a yachting excursion in the 
magnificent outer harbor of Lockport, N. S.,'our skipper 
discovered a large fish which was slowly moving about 
on the surface of the water. The yacht was headed to- 
ward the fish and we approached it closely enough to 
permit a pretty close examination of its great proportions. 
A monster it was, indeed, nearly sixteen feet in length, 
and its size was such that it must certainly have weighed 
at least seven or eight hundred pounds. It did not mani- 
fest any disquietude at our close proximity, but moved 
leisurely around, and most of the time just at the surface, 
its back and dorsal fin being out of the water five or six 
inches. 
"That's a horse mackerel," exclaimed the skipper, as 
we glided by the huge fish. 
"Yes," I replied, "and one of the largest I have ever 
seen; if we had a harpoon we might try our luck with 
him. I had no idea they ever came into these waters." 
"Oh, yes," he answered, "we see them now and then 
all along the coast way up to the Gut of Canso. They're 
great fish killers, and no mistake. This chap is in here 
after herring, I have no doubt." 
I make this record of the occurrence of the tuna in 
the locality I have named, believing it will interest those 
who have recorded its presence elsewhere. So large a 
fish could not be angled for in the manner in which the 
tarpon is ; but smaller ones could be, no doubt, and what 
a fight they could put up ! I used in former years to get 
no little sport in harpooning swordfish, and it is not 
among the impossibilities that when another season rolls 
around I may try my hand on a tuna. There will cer- 
tainly be a good opportunity for doing 50 at Lockeport. 
