1 Oocr., 1897.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 839 
Pisciculture. 
FISH CULTURE AND ACCLIMATISATION. 
By D. O’>CONNOR, 
Fisn culture and fish acclimatisation, though intimately connected, are by no 
means identical. Comparatively little has yet been accomplished in fish accli- 
matisation. Most nations are satisfied with the varieties they already possess, 
and confine their attention to the cultivation of their best. This is notably the 
case with the Chinese, and largely with the Americans. We Australasians do 
not attempt fish culture, excepting in connection with acclimatisation. This 
is a remarkable fact, seeing that we possess, in some of our fresh waters, fishes 
of considerable value. 
Fish culture has been successfully practised for centuries, more especially 
by the Chinese, who brought the art to a high state of excellence ; they are 
now, however, surpassed by many who have only recently devoted attention to 
the subject. The Americans have exceeded all others in vigour and in the 
magnitude of their operations. In one year the United States Fisheries 
Department dealt with upwards of a billion of fry and ova, and the various 
States fisheries as many more. Canada and the European nations, also most 
of our own colonies, notably New Zealand, have accomplished good work. 
Queensland is the last to turn her attention to the subject. The business of 
Trout acclimatisation has been commenced by a few enterprising and patriotic 
gentlemen at Warwick, and with very satisfactory results, as. may be learnt 
from the first annual report of the Acclimatisation Society of Southern 
Queensland. It is stated in the report that in the winter of 1896 our 
Government purchased from the Wellington Acclimatisation Society 32,000 
ova, which the New South Wales Fisheries Commission kindly undertook to 
supervise at their ponds at Prospect. In November the try, of which 
there were less than 4,000, were sent on to Warwick. Since they were 
placed in their boxes at Killarney, the mortality has been very slight 
indeed. The manager reports that the fish have made phenomenal growth, 
some of them having already attained a length of ten inches, a fact which 
proves that the waters in which they are located are eminently suited for trout 
culture. About 600 of the finest fish have been retained for stock purposes. 
The remainder have been placed in streams from beyond Stanthorpe to 
Toowoomba. It is anticipated that an ample supply of ova will be obtained 
from the fish in stock next year. A case, containing 10,000 Brown Trout ova 
and 7,000 Rainbow Trout ova, was this season received from the Wellington 
Society. It is gratifying to know that all the necessary conditions to ensure 
success exist at Warwick and Killarney. It may reasonably be presumed that, 
in the near future, trout-fishing will be one of the sports of Queensland, as it 
has been for some time of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Victoria. It is to be 
hoped that theindustry will not long beconfined to the Downs nor to trout. There 
are many suitable waters in Queensland besides those already stocked, and 
there are other excellent fishes deserving of attention. Warwick, fortunately, 
possesses capable and energetic men who command sufficient funds to carry out 
the work. Do not these conditions exist elsewhere in Queensland? If they 
do, why cannot the Warwick example be followed ? : 
I append to this a short account of an excellent fish which should be 
imported into Queensland. 
