The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-03
The Breeding of Fish.

In a review of a recent work on deep
sea fishing the editor of Nature gives
some interesting facts in regard to the
breeding of fishes. He says AS re-
CARDS salmon the percentage of eggs
which come to life and yield fish is pref
ty well known, as is also the percentage
of young fish which is destroyed. The
number of salmon (SGl71O SGLO7) which
escape infantile perils and become
reproductive is very small, not ten per
cent. Out of every hundred eggs
spawned in the natural state, it may be
calculated that at least one-third escape
the action of the formulating milt that
another third never, from various causes,
come to life, which leaves only one
third to produce fish and of the thirty
three tiny animals thus left a full halt
viii be killed by enemies, which are
numerous, leaving, say, sixteen young
smOlts to became griise, and as these
have to make one voyage to the sea, or
probably two, before they become
reproductive, their number III the end
becomes sadly reduced-sO reduced that
probably not five of them will be able
TO repeat the story of their birth and so
provide future supplies. IF the mortal
ity incident to fish life be so great in a
salmon river, what must it not be in the
ravening depths of the ocean? A large
Goldfish we know yields more than a
million of eggs, but when we consider
the fact of these eggs being intrusted
to the boisterous waves of the sea we
have little hope that the yield of repro
duciDg fish Will be greater than in the
case of the salmon, which enjoys the
comparative tranquility of inland
streams. Much ignorance has hitherto
prevailed as to how fish spawn. The
salmon we have been able to watch day
by day, and to note every action whilst
it is engaged in that great function of
its nature, and we also know a little
about the reproduction of the herring
bat as regards the reproductive n7lOdlls
OOerGl1dj of our larger sea-fish, much
that we know, or think we know, is only
the result of guessing or of reasoning
from analogy. NJ. Sars has discovered
that the oya of some fishes, notably the
OYa of the cod (FGOIUs 771OTrhata) and of
the plaice (PLeurOnectes 21Latcss1), are
Matched whilst floating on the waves.
Oga of these and other Fl hes have been
found floating in different stages of de-
velopment. There is no doubt of this
fact, and in some of the large rivers of
China the spawn of fishes is known to
float on the surface, for it is collected
at certain places for piscicultural pur-
poses, by means of punches of grass
and soft mating. These, it is known.
become the recipients of large numbers
of fish eggs, and are easily removed to
other waters, which, being barren of
fish, are in this mode repopulated
There cannot, we think. be a doubt that
various fishes spawn in various places,
some at the bottom of the sea, some on
the surface and it is very likely, by
this diversity, that the varied species
are best preserved. The herring (Cgat-
pea haTeng1GS), and probably all its
congeners (but this is not quite certain),
spawn on the bottom, and the eggs re-
main there, adhering in masses to the
rocks and stones. The eggs of the sal
mon, when not washed away during de-
position by flooded water, sink, by
means of their weight. to the bottom,
where the parent fish instinctiveIy covers
them up with gravel in order to protect
them from their numerous enemies.
Most sea-fsh, we have a strong impress
sion, emit their spawn in the same man
ner, whatever future directicr = -,
take IN the way of motion. All the fish
eggs which we have seen gathered from
the surface of the water were almost al
maturity.