The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-02
FITS 20 III TU Ua;. RE.
REPORY or srATEtCeasNIssIOSEny
HArcHIse:HousEs EsrABL1sHEpls
Obstacles to Propagation, and How
5'S52E Il They can be Removed

.-.-.l-------.--lz .e.5.sf q 4 ~
obssacles to Propagations and Hou
's52@ s They can be Removed
SUGGESTIONS TO THE LEGISLATURE. 3.
The report of Messrs. Aiexandes Moseiey
w. B. Robertson, and ( III. g. 3E EHzpy, the
commissioners appointed Under the act ol
the General Assembly for fhe protection
waters, has been presented to she. GOV.
ernor.' 1t gives an account Of yisas To-
the Potomac, PamunAey, and Rapeahau.
nock rivers descriptions Of the watersheds
OF Virginia; history Of pisciculture, and ac.
counts of the habits Of the Hsh suited to iour
waters, and much other Information Of Inter.
est to anglers and other fishermen. The fol.
foWieg are extracts 80 5sa: ltsas 2tsI ].
/. Under the auspices OF, the Bnited States
commission some five or si1 millions OF shaf
were hatched in the Potomac, and most CT
these turned into that river. a portion was
distributed to other impoverished streams,
OF which we received u hundred thousand.
These we deposited in'the Stauuton where
the Midland railroad crosses that Tigef.'' 2*!
SIN most OF the States where fish commis-
sioners have been appointed they have pro-
ceeded TO establish State hatching.hou
on a large scale. commensurate with the
wants Of the State. With US there was an in.
superable obstacle to this course In the In.
adequacy Of the fund appropriated for our
use. To build such house would have ab-
sorbed all our means, and left us nothing
rrysfH hi oh fn 70 ~ Doe. Z
ing.hcuse would not suit our geographical
situation nor satisfy all the wants of different
sections, and to have two on our bands might
prove to be MORE than we could support.
We therefore concluded not to establish one
hatcbing-house on large scale, to be run
permanently at the expense of the State. but
instead (after consulting the professors con.
nected with the Department Of Natural His.
tory at the four State institutions-the Agri.
cultural and Mechanical College, ut Blacks
burg; the Military Institute, at Lexington !;
the University, at Charlottesville; Iand the
Hampton School, st Hanptop,) determined
that ne would erect small house at each Of
those institutions on condition that they
make fish-culture part of..the:r curriculum. .
This, while relieving the public Of expense,
would be real advantage to those instilu.
tions. The professors with, whom we com.
municated promptly accepted our proposi-
tion and pledged their cordial and active
cooperation. AS our funds would not en-.
able Us to construct more than two the pres
ent year, we gave the preference to the
Blacksburg College and the Military Insti-
tute, as they were better suited to hatching
the California eggs furnished US by the
United States commissioner. We hope by
an addition to our appropriation, so as not
to i'm pair our efforts in hatching shad, rock,
and herring next spring, to complete the
other two houses, ct the University and
Hampton, during the coming year.
: " CLAWS RELATING TO FISH. s.,
"The present laws on the statute-beok are
partial, imperfect, confused, and imperative.
1t is obvious that the general wish of the
people and the Legislature to ,replenisb our
streams and keep them filled must be be tH d
without material amendments. The obsta-
cles to the wished.for end are
81. Dams across the rivers, which prevent
fish from ascending to the best spawning
grounds. It is an aseertained fact that Of
the eggs deposited high up stream much
larger proportion hatch and survive than
when deposited lower down, and that the
young fish attain greater yigor and strength
by the time they reach tide, and are better
fitted to encounter its fierce currents. Dams
also, besides arresting the ascent OF anadro.
nous fish aud Withholding that sproviden-
tial suceor' from all the people or the
stream, tend to denude rivers Of their native
fishes. With the first fresh in the fall the
largest and best Of these descend in quest of
deeper waters for winter quarters, and the
dams prevent their rtascent next spring. In
this way James river has been stripped, and
for its volume and extent is perhaps the
poorest stream in fish on the continent.
90. Excessive SEEMING below and above
tide. There should be close time each
week Of forty-two hours at least-from Sa.
turday room 10 Monday morning atsunrise-
in al tide-water; and above tide no seine or
net whatever should be allowed. In the
smaller streams in the. interior one days
seining will almost extermina.e the race.
IS. Staked and pound.ncts, traps, and
other .fred and stationary coutrivances for
the wholesale destruction of fish. These
should be sternly interdicted in all the waters
of the Commonwealth. Giant powder,
though not yet used, may be and should also
be prohibited. Without the abatement OF
these pests the tidal waters, and even the
Chesapeake, may become comparatively as
naked of fish as the upper waters.
"a. The refuse from gas.worKs, paper
mills. &C.. is also very destructive to fish, or
is so very distasteful to them that they aban.
don the river. Siw-dust from saw-mils is
said to depopulate streams rapidly, and all
should come under prohibition.
"5. In the smaller rivers OF the interior
much murder Of fish is perpetrated by spear.
ing or giggisg at night by torchllght, BY fish
berries, lime, &c.
"These several processes, which are much
used for killing trout, should be put under
the ban; and the court Of every county
should berequired to give in charge to every
grand jury the WHOLE law, aud 1t should be
made the duty of every executive official ol
a county 10 destroy all these prohibited con-
trivances free of trespass.
fAs some additional legislation is much
needed on the Potomac river, and as the
Maryland Legislature only meets once In two
years tits next session begins in january, il
is desirable that early steps be taken forsucb
concurrent legislation as may be deemed
proper. 7Ti; 4
I" We had proposed to ourselves to gather
statistics to show as nearly as possible the
money-value Of the fish caught in the rivers
Of the State; but other duties pressing we
were constrained to defer the undertaking TO
another season.
:, "THE FECUNDITY OF FISH. IL
'sTbis Is something marvellous. II Is eYi.
dently wise safeguard OF Providence, know.
ing the myriad Of enemies to which their
eggs are exposed, to insure the preservation
of the genus. The. number deposited by 9
single. sam On has been known to reach 25,-
600; brook-.rout from 800 to 5 5.0G0; the
pike from $4,000 to 100000; the roach, 49,
900: the mackerel, 540, 900; afnll-grown sbad
weighing seven and .eightspounds,, of which
few are seen nova. days, have been knoWr
70 rinld hfl nnA fhnsa of three or foul