BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH- COMMISSION 417 
caught any salmon they were not going to expose themselves to a fine 
by telling it. Mr. Burden writes me as follows : 
224 Third Street, Troy, July 30, 1888. 
Mr. Fred Mather: 
Dear Sir : The catch of salmon in the vicinity of the Troy dam for the season of 
1888 was twenty-six, varying in weight from 5 to 26 pounds. This number was known 
to have been taken, but the person who obtained the information thinks that more 
were caught. 
Very truly, 
Henry Burden. 
Of the salmon in the lower river, Forest and Stream of May 17, 1888, 
said : 
Up to Saturday last fourteen salmon have been taken in the Hudson River between 
Communipaw and Yonkers. The largest one weighed 10| pounds and the smallest 8 
pounds. They were taken by the shad fishermen in gill nets, and were therefore too 
badly injured to be returned to the water, as the law requires. The fisherman who 
took the fish at Yonkers did not know what it was, and on cutting it open found that 
it was red inside and threw it away as uneatable. The stocking of the river, begun 
by Professor Baird, is being continued by Colonel McDonald, and about 440,000 will 
be planted this spring from the Cold Spring Harbor hatchery. Over half of the fry 
have already been planted in. the trout streams of Warren County, and the end of this 
week will find them all in the tributaries of the upper river. The experiment seems 
to be proving successful in spite of the doubters. 
The Troy Times of May 26 said : 
This morning W. E. Hagan, of the Fish and Game Protective Association, reported 
to District Attorney Griffith that a salmon had been caught at the State dam in a net. 
The catch of salmon in this way is a violation of chapter 530, Laws of 1887. The pen- 
alty is $100 fine or thirty day's imprisonment, at the option of the magistrate. A fine 
of $25 is also to be imposed on any person having in his possession a salmon caught in a 
net. The salmon was in the possession of McGrath & Laflam, fish dealers at the Fulton 
Market, Troy. They said they purchased the fish from William Askins, who caught 
it. The fish had been sold to a citizen, but when the latter was told that it would be 
a violation of law to receive it he declined to accept the salmon. District Attorney 
Griffith sent Officer Forest after Askins, who said he did not know that he had violated 
any law. He was admonished to refrain from fishing for salmon with a net hereafter, 
and as this was the first case reported, it is not probable that Askins will be prose- 
cuted. The same law prohibits fishing in the Hudson River on Sunday, and the 
agents of tbe Fish and Game Protective Association called on Superintendent Willard 
and requested that the law be enforced within the city limits. The superintendent 
said he would direct the police to enforce the law. The salmon caught at the dam 
weighs 20 pounds. 
Mechanicsville . — Some fish went over the Troy dam in the J une rise 
and got up as far as Mechanicsville, where the dam is high and im- 
passable even at the greatest floods known. Concerning this I have 
received the following letter : 
Glens Falls, N. Y., July 24, 1888. 
Mr. Fred Mather : 
Dear Sir: Mr. A. C. Johnson, of Mechanicsville, N. Y., writes me that the salmon 
are below the dam at that place. He saw five at one time yesterday, and one was 
found dead last week, which weighed pouipjs. He says that the boys want to 
Bull. B. a F. C., 87 27 ‘ 
