The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-16
evening stats Sua.rnaI.
FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE IS, 1871.
The Culture of Fish.

tiiOIlHSl tflt IlilltlS vi fOttttt concern. nlO
in the scale of Importance. In Europe
has become to be nearly equal in dignity {
the most exalted. The French governmer
in 1862 derived revenue of $4,000, 90
from fresh-water fisheries. That larg
revenue flowing into the public Golfers md
Gates that those fisheries must have becom
q great source of support as well as G
pleasure and profit to the people of France
This has been accomplished by the systen
of fish culture, which France has cherishe
and maintained with both wisdom am
hberality. Her rivers, which had been de
populated of fish, are now plentifully sup
piled with them, and her people everywher
profit by this material and healthy sourc
of subsistence. A writer of great expe
rience in fish culture says of its benefits
that waters hitherto worse than useless
may be made a hundred fold as profitabl,
as any. equal number of acres of land, anc
with not a 1.-THE of the labor required upor
the land.'
The subject is one of such magnitude thai
1t is not easily comprehended fully without
good deal of reflection. Take our Viz.
glnia waters. They are as perfectly dis.
tributed through the State as the veins
which feed it through the human body. II
we imagine those waters well stocked with
fish, we at once see how they would feed
and nourish the community lust as the
veins and other vessels do the body. They
all contain fish at present but these are 50
scarce that that sort of food is not fur
nished in sufficient quantity Except in tidal
streams) to entitle it to be considered as a
a part of the subsistence of the people,
Even the supply in tidal streams in the fish
ing season of spring is greatly diminished
by two causes: LIST. The many dams in the
rivers, which cut off the fish from their
spawning and Matching grounds high up in
the bright and clear running waters of the
mountains and, I'd, the destructive seines
OF modern invention, which allow few fish
to pass them. The very old inhabitants re-
member when the shad, rock, and herring
We're freely caught in the mountain streams,
and when there was no difficulty in catch
ing fry of fish at any time anywhere al
most in the State. But the dammine of
the rivers and the hunting of fish with
every apparatus ingenuity could invent,
while nothing whatever has been done for
their culture and protection, have so swept
them from all the streams that throughout
the country that the taking of fish is COM
paratively abandoned, and the rewards of
angling are so poor as seldom to tempt the
farmer to steal day from his cares to enjoy
it.
Now, when we know that instead of this
scarcity there can be an abundance of de-
liciotls and healthy food, and that means
OF diversion and enjoyment once extensive
may be restored to us, and when we know
that this may be done with economy of
means and with very little labor, we should
not hesitate a moment. There is no SUBJ
ject of taxation which would bring to the
taxpayers more quick and acceptable re-
turn than that incurred to establish COM
plete system of fish culture. II will make
the waters richer than the Matchmaking
the streams that pass through the farmers
possessions worth more than his land
yielding greatly more for subsistence than
the same surface of land, however well he
may till it.
Several of the Northern States, as cur
readers know, have gone largely into the
business. The operations upon the Con-
ncctlcut river in the culture of shad and
salmon have been more extensive than any
where else for those species,of fish. The
results have been astonishing, as we have
before stated. The abundance of shad in
the Connecticut is as great as it ever was,
according to the recollection of the old peo-
pie and the chronicles of days long past
Still, the Connecticut is damned, and the
process OF Matching and breeding is inn
paired thereby. The States of Connecticut
and Massachusetts are combining to COM
pei the owners of dams to establish fish
ladders or sluices, to enable shad to ascend
to the tributaries, and to descend again to
the tide.
New York is endeayoring to stock the
Hudson under the active management of
Mr. Seth Green, and measures have been
taken IN that and several States to increase
IN the lakes and rivers the stock of fresh
water fishes which do not run to the sea.
The black bass and the trout seem to be the
lavorltes, and these will flourish in our
waters /; the black bass in the waters from
the head Of tide to their tributaries in the
mountains, and the trout in these tributa-
rles. With equal facility the different fam
lies OF perch and the club may be multi !
Piled in all our ponds and streams.
In the Northern States not only are the
governments embarked in this great matter
of public concern, but individuals in large
numbers have entered upon the cultivation |
Of fish as a matter of both profit and plea
PcASs' I'll MULTIPLY CNcIl~
where, and the systems of culture are stea-
lily improving. 1t has been reduced to so
practical a process that the fish cultivator
counts upon his crop of fish just as the
stock raiser does upon hisstock of hogs, cat
le and sheep. The fish are fed, and be-
'ome so docile as to obey signal and re-
'air to their feeding-ground and almost
axe the food from the hand of their owner.
There can hardly be more beautiful and
agreeable occupation; while it has been
ound to pay better than other resources of
he farmer and country gentleman.
We trust that the people and the public
men Of this State will give to this important
natter the consideration it deserves. Viz
sinia has been slow to take up the subject,
md has done only enough to show that she
has done nothing, We hope that by an.
,ther year the people and their representa-
ives will be ready to take decided step
10Th to stock the Virginia waters and COM
,el the owners of dams to provide the
means for fish to run up the streams.
-Ric2tmond Dispatch.