The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-02-15
AMERICAN SALMON.
STOCKING OUR RIVERS AND LAKES.

1t is well known that not a great many
years ago the rivers of New England and
the tributaries of Lake Champlan and
Lake Ontario abounded with salmon, dur
ing the proper season of the year, to such
an extent that apprentices, paupers in
warehouses;, and others objected to being
fed with them more than three times
week. From the St. Crox to the Connec-
tlcut, inclusive, on the seaboard, the num-
bers of salmon were very great, and they
were but little less common in the lakes
Just mentioned. At the present time, the
case is very different, the only United
States waters where salmon occur, being a
few streams in Maine. The causes of their
partial determination are to be found in
the erection of impossible dams, which cut
them oil from access to their spawning
beds, in the discharge of sawdust into the
streams, by which their eggs, when laid
are covered up; in indiscriminate capture
at improper tines &c.
Similar experience abroad as to the re-
duction in numbers of this valuable fish,
and the desire to restore it to its original |
abundance, especially in view of it's COM
merclal and economical value, led to ex-
| perlments for its restoration, and with !
such success rs greatly to stimulate effort
throughout Europe More recently the sub !
Ject has attracted attention in this coun- |
try, and for some years past the Fish Com |
missioncrs of all the New England States |
| have been earnest in their endeavors to re
new the supply. Their first efforts were |
directed to the gathering of eggs in the !
rivers of New Brunswick, and were not |
very successful. They then applied to the |
ing Establishment, at Newcastle, not far |
| from Toronto, and succeeded in procuring |
| few thousands, at cost of $40 per thou
sand in gold, price which prevented their |
securing large supply, or one sufficient to !
make satisfactory experiment. AS may
be readily imagined, the young salmon
when hatched and placed in the water are
! liable to be devoured by their fellow inhab-
itants, and it is only after these have taken
their toll that 4 surplus can be counted on.
VI ehio iCtssois lho SCt hummer
introduced at one time, the better the
chance of success.
Limited as above mentioned, in their
efforts to obtain a sufficient supply of eggs
for their purposes, the State Commission
ers and the leading piscicuturists of the
country, at an annual meeting of Society
| established by them. determined to ask
Congress for aid in accomplishing their
object. Their appeal was met by an ap-
preparation during the session of 1912,
the disbursal of which was placed in
charge of Prof. Spencer 7. Baird of the
Smithsonian Institute, and at the time
United States Commissioner of Fish and
Fisheries. After consultation with gen.
tlemen interested, and realizing the i'm
portance of leaving no effort untried to
accomplish the object, the Commissioner
determined upon three methods looking
toward this end, excluding at the same
time any idea Of dependence upon the
Canadian Government with its eXorbitant
charges. The first method was found in
plan devised by Mr.. Charles G. Atkins,
formerly Fish Commissioner of Maine, and
practiced by him with much success in
1871. This consisted in securing the liv-
ing fish principally by purchase at the
weirs and pounds) from the period of their
first entrance into the Penobsrot river, in
Spring, and transferring them to fresh
water pond near Bucksport, Maine, until
| their spawning season should arrive About
GOO fish of both sexes were thus secured,
when ripe about the end of October) and
fertilized by the milt of the male, the total
yield being about a million and Il half of
eggs. Half the expense of this experiment
was borne by the United States, and the
other half by the States of Maine, Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
1t has been distinguished success, and
will, we hope, be repeated on a larger scale
during the coming season. The next
source of supply suggested was the Sacra-
mento river, the salmon of which, though
of different species from that of the
Atlantic waters is equally good, and has
the advantage of thriving in much warmer
water, and thus of being fitted for intro
duction into such States as Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Virginia. and possibly the Mis-
sissippi Valley. To turn this opportunity
to practical account, Mr.. Livingston Stone,
well-known piscculturist, was sent to
the Sacramento river, and erected hatch
house on the McCloud river, one of the
tr,h Nv, tho s,,r., |
furnished as to the spawning season of
this fish, Mr. Stone arrived on the ground
a little too late for the full realization of
his purposes, and succeeded in obtaining
only few eggs. These were sent East,
and hatched out at the establishment of
DIR. Slack, at Bloomsbury, New Jersey,
where, to the number of 5000 they are
now awaiting the period of their transfer
to the Susqnehanna river, their ultimate
destination. They prove to be very hardy,
and there will be no difficulty in greatly
increasing the number another season.
These two efforts not promising suffi-
cheney, Prof. Baird directed his efforts to-
ward obtaining supply from Germany,
and, on application to the Dsutsche FIseh-
erei Terein, was informed that the German
Government would give orders to the
Director Of the National Establishment at
Huningen on the Rhine to reserve at the
! proper season 250, 600 eggs as a present to
the United States. To supplement this
generous act, and to make sure of an am
pie supply, an additional 500,0 was or
dered from Mr.. Schuster. Burgomeister of
Freiburg, at the low rate of So per 1000,
a considerable difference from the Cana
dian $40. These eggs were duly packed
up by the middle of January last, and de-
livered to Mr.. Rudolf Hessel, an exper-
fenced fish breeder of Offenburg, Baden,
who sailed with them on board the Bre-
men steamer Viewer, which left for New
York on the 18th, arriving on Tuesday,
the 4th of February. By the courtesy of