Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-17
Value of Fish Food.

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So SOON as fish is hatched ana IS
turned loose in pond or stream, he Oh
tains his own living. Some species i've
on the product of vegetable matter, beng
the only barvesters of the fields OF the sea
in which there is a yearly growth OF nu-
tritious food to an amount rarely es'lllla,-
ed OF these, a few, such as white flSh
and suckers, are themselves tit Tor human
food, but they are principally uselui as
furnishing the support OF more deslraple
varieties. On the land, grain ana grass
are grown to feed cattle which are again
converted into butchers meat to feed the
human race In the water the same course
may be pursued, or may be carried one
step further. Analogous to the system OF
tillage by blowing under clover Tor
manure the product of water vegetables
may be consumed by crustaceous and IN
ferior fish, which again may be LETT as
prey to larger and more marketable xmas;
And it NAV be suggested that rotation OF
crops may be as advantageously introduce
ed in pisciculture as in agriculture. In
portion of France where the land is low
and can be overlooked at pleasure, by
system of dyking, crops of grain and cells
are alternated, the latter being the most
profitable, but this is only the germ OF the
true principle. When one sort OF root or
grain or vegetable is repeated on the same
land, it is found that the soil is exhausted
of its food, while its enemies are aug
mented in number Identically the same
thing occurs with fish when they are
kept in one locality. They use up their
food and increase the list of their foes. SO
soon as this happens they suffer, and
should be supplanted by a different spe
cies, living on different food, and having a
totally different class Of enemies. Wher-
| ever this has been done, the effect has been
surprising, the new species increasing en-
ormously for the first few years, and then
meeting the fate of their predecessors. 1t
| was on this theory that your Commission
ers acted in introducing black bass into
some of the lakes in the wilderness of this
State, which were once inhabited by
| speckled trout, but hich have long since
| been practically deporulated, and SIM
! liar benefit is confidently predicted. \
| like result in g less degree may be OBJ
| tanned by Introducing food artiticially for
| those varieties which already exist in any
range Of waters and have exhausted their
natural supply of nutriment, and this
| either by sowing Of marine seeds, or by
sowing of small fish, whichever may be
| necessary; but this course leaves the num-
Der of enemies undiminished. 1t is curl
Gus fact that the stomachs Of fish are often
found to be entirely empty of food, and
the migratory varieties seem hardly to
feed at all while preparing to spawn.
This would imply either that they
digest very rapidly, or can go a
| long time without nutriment, and,
are true. Heat and motion are the main
consumers of food, for animal bodies are
| physically machines, which must be sup
| piled with fuel if motion is to be genera
| ted, and will wear out with friction I'M
! less the waste is restored 4 man or a
horse can only perform his quota Of work
| II his body is thoroughly nourished, and,
| on the other hand, neither needs nor can
| digest his full amount of food unless he
works. The terrestrial animals are warm
| blooded and active, many of them in
their natural state, getting their food by
! the chase, whereas fish are cold blooded,
and although occasionally making long
journeys, are ordinarily quiet A trout
will remain for weeks in pond or in one
hole in a brook, and pike will lie
| among the weeds, as mOtionless as log,
| for hours, unless he makes a dart to seize
his prey, after which he usually returns to
the same spot; possessing to the utmost
| animal capacity with one exception, that
OF hearlng) all the senses, namely: seeing,
smelling, feeling and tasting, he resumes
his occupation of unmOving, sleepless
WatchtulnesS. The result is, that while
m-blooded animals need a large supply
OF nourishment, the cold-blooded ones con
vert nearly all their food into an augmen-
tatlon of their own size, and grow
in proportion without wasting more
than very trifiing proportion in
sustaining the heat of their bodies
IN supplying the waste caused by friction.
1t is therefore mistake ever to feed fish on
| animal food, unless it be perfectly worth
less refuse, for it is reversing the order of
natural economy Cattle are only raised
sources of the world, requiring a large ey
penditure of human labor and wasting
heavy proportion in the operation, where
as fish, if left to themselves, or proDerly
ted, would only consume what costs moth
ing in itself, and what could not be other
wise utilized. They should directly or Ill
tlmately Craze the meadows of the sea. the
production from which is ordinarily left
to destruction and waste, and is not at
present turned to mans profit. Nor is the
flesh of the inhabitants of the water less
valuable when obtained than that of the
beasts upon the earth. Pound for pound
1t contains the same amount of nutriment
and will sustain human life equally well,
While in certain particulars it possesses
superiority. 1t supplies phosphorus to
the brain and nerves, an element which
is not obtained from most kinds of food.
but which is as essential to perfect health
as gluten and starch; while at the same
time 1t is so much more digestible than
the meat OF terrestrial animals or birds.
that 1t Is used as modified form Of fast
ing, and at certain seasons of the year is
more Wholesome than grosser food A
wise economy of the resources of the
world will, therefore, as population in
creases, compel attention to this easily So
cured harvest of the ea."-Ertrnct fyom
a Report Of the Neao York Commissioncrs of
EiSLerlea y "