492 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Oct. 19, 1912 
Interesting Experiments in Fish 
Breeding. 
BY RALEIGH RAINES. 
The United States Fish Commission is ac¬ 
knowledged to be one of the most valuable ad¬ 
juncts of the country, bearing as it does an 
economic relation to the food of the people. 
For many years the scientists of the United 
States Fish Commission have been presecuting 
inquiries and investigations into the causes of 
the decrease of food fishes in the waters of 
the United States, and they have also been en¬ 
gaged in experimenting with aquatic animals, 
plants and waters in the interest of fish culture, 
all with the idea and purpose of propagating 
and increasing the supply of food fishes. Along 
this line of investigation experiments have be¬ 
gun to create new races of food and game fishes 
of larger and better quality than any now in 
existence. 
For the latter purpose a new experimental 
hatchery station is being established near 
Washington, D. C-, the first of its kind in this or 
any other country. Fish breeding is not a new 
science, as biological investigations and experi¬ 
ments have demonstrated that all kinds of ani¬ 
mal and plant life are capable of crossing, 
breeding, propagation, and other methods of 
•culture for improving species. What has been 
accomplished in the plant world and with many 
species of the animal kingdom the scientists 
now propose to try in the fish kingdom by 
crossing and breeding in efforts to produce new 
kinds of fishes. It is simply a question of 
choosing for mating purposes parent fishes that 
possess certain characteristics which it may be 
desirable to accentuate and develop following 
Mendel’s law of heredity. One of the most 
important objects of the work to be inaugurated 
in fish breeding will be to adapt desirable 
species to a wider range of conditions, thus ex¬ 
tending their availability for propagation and 
use over a wider area. 
As an illustration it may be practicable to 
develop a species of trout that will flourish in 
the warmer climates of the Southern States. It 
may develop that the experts will obtain a 
species of salmon which will be adapted to the 
Mississippi River and its tributaries. A num¬ 
ber of years ago about 50.000,000 Pacific salmon 
were placed in the Mississippi River, but the 
experiment was a failure, for the reason that 
conditions in that great river were unsuitable 
to the salmon. The salmon offers a splendid 
opportunity for cross breeding, and experiments 
with crossing the dog salmon with the popular 
“sock-eye” will be made, in order to obtain a 
fish combining the delicious flavor of the latter 
with the size of the former; in fact, efforts will 
be made to increase the size of all food fishes 
and at the same time improve the flavor. Such 
has been done with sheep, fowls, and other 
animals, and the scientists believe that the same 
success will attend the experiments with fish. 
The sunfish, the yellow perch, and the dace 
are examples of small fish which could have 
their size increased to the infinite delight of all 
fishermen. 
Eels are another species which it is pro¬ 
posed to treat in the matter of breeding with a 
view of improving and developing. At present 
eels are not propagated to any great extent 
in this country, though in Germany they are a 
source of profit. If grown in the inland waters 
of this country they would offer an excellent 
means of utilizing the nutritive material found 
therein such as insect larvae, snails, water fleas 
and bugs. It is supposed that the eels spawn 
in the depths of the ocean which would, of 
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. 
course, render their breeding difficult, to say 
the least, but the young might be caught in 
unlimited numbers, transferred to ponds, fed, 
and thus allowed to grow to a marketable size. 
Germany offers a good market for them, as at 
present that country imports great quantities 
from Italy and England. The fish is peculiarly 
susceptible of almost extraordinary modifica¬ 
tion through breeding, as is witnessed in the 
case of the gold and silver fish. We secured 
these fish from Japan during the visit of Com¬ 
modore Perry to that flowery kingdom. In 
Japan goldfish are raised for market on an ex¬ 
tensive scale—selected breeding stock being 
bred in ponds. These fish were developed into 
their present state by the Japanese from a very 
commonplace member of the carp tribe. 
Similar experiments with these fish are be¬ 
ing conducted in this country among fish 
fanciers in the larger cities. These aquarium 
societies support a Fish Fanciers’ Club, which 
organization publishes a magazine called the 
“Aquarium.” It is claimed by the fish scien¬ 
tists that what has been accomplished with the 
goldfish may be done with other fishes, and now 
they propose to demonstrate their theories with 
actual results. One of the most important 
phases of the proposed experiments will have 
to do with the discovery, treatment and preven¬ 
tion of fish diseases, as it is the desire and 
purpose to develop a hardy and disease-resist¬ 
ant race of fishes. Fishes are subject to many 
ailments and maladies, the same as with do¬ 
mestic animals. Serious losses have been 
caused by epidemics at the State and Federal 
fish hatcheries, and although the fish experts 
have learned a great deal about fish diseases, 
they are anxious to learn more so that such 
disease may be both eradicated and prevented. 
Fish are subject to almost as many diseases as 
are human beings, and among the most promi¬ 
nent maladies affecting fish may be mentioned 
boils, liver disease, heart disease, nervous dis¬ 
orders and cancer. The basses and trouts are 
particularly liable to epidemics and germ in¬ 
fections. 
As an illustration, not long ago one of the 
Federal fish hatcheries had a prospective out¬ 
put of 1,500.000 yearling trout reduced to one- 
fifth within a few weeks by the ravages of an 
obscure bacterial disease. Cancer is also a dis¬ 
ease which is at the same time the most serious 
and destructive with which fish culturists have 
to contend, affecting bofh salmon and trout. 
Experiments are being made to ascertain if 
cancer in fish have direct relation with the 
cancer in humans, many scientists claiming 
that it does, the claim being based on experi¬ 
ments and observations of a conclusive char¬ 
acter. 
The successful efforts of plant and animal 
breeders to obtain races immune to disease 
have suggested similar possibilities where fishes 
are concerned. With this idea in view an ex¬ 
periment in breeding a race of brook trout 
proof against bacterial or other infection is 
now being conducted at the fish hatchery lo¬ 
cated near Northville, Michigan. A large num¬ 
ber of trout are being bred by fertilizing eggs 
from such speciments as survive in the presence 
of a large number that succumb, by which 
means it is believed that “immunes” will be 
secured, which will then be distributed to other 
hatcheries. Considering the great amount of 
good that increased numbers of fishes would be 
to the entire population of the country and 
the possibilities which might be accomplished 
by increasing the supply of food fishes, the 
wonder is to everyone, sportsmen and others 
alike, why Congress will persistently refuse to 
enlarge the scope and usefulness of the Bureau 
of Fisheries. With the appropriation doubled 
to a million dollars, more than twice the bene¬ 
fit would accrue to the country. Included in 
the appropriation for the current year is an 
item of $3,000 for reporting on the aquatic re¬ 
sources and fisheries of the Philippine Islands, 
based on investigations made in those waters 
by the steamer Albatross five years ago. An¬ 
other item provides $90,000 for protecting the 
seal fisheries in Alaska; $3,500 for protecting 
the sponge fisheries, and $5,000 for investigation 
