Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-11-19
From the Marlboro Gazette.


FISH CULTURE.
The following article on this interesting
subject was read by Oliver N. Bryan, Esq.
of Charles county, before the Piscatawa'
Grange, at late meeting The rearin.
of Fish will soon become a very protitabl
business; and it was wise provision o
the National and State Governments t,
make appropriations for the development
of the wealth of our bays and rivers:
Your committee beg leave to report
Having made as thorough an examina
ton of this subject as possible under tn
circumstances, find that there are in TIN
State about one hundred and fifty locations
which from time to time have been oc
cupied by fishermen; but to-day out o
this number $50 we regret to find tina
there are only some forty or fifty fished
and they doing precarious business.
In Charles county, for whose benefit thi
report is especially intended, we find tina
there are only about thirty two shores
and out of this number only ten or lively,
are tished, and they doing, on the average
a losing business. In Prince George
county there are about four shores regular
ly tished and seven or eight idle, and room
for as many more. We regret to find alss
a general apathy among fishermen anC
fishing property -holders-no one giving
encouragement to the culture Of fish. You
committee also in their examination o
this subject find room in the waters Of the
State for at least one hundred and fit,
more fisheries, which would give for til,
whole State three hundred 5000 fishing
locations. But if we can build up the ole
fisheries we shall have done enough fol
the present Under proper laws for tho
protection and propagation of fish, VT
believe that the old fisheries can be speed
ly built up and become profitable source
of revenue, both to the owners and the
State. We present the following genera
statement of the value of the fishing pro
perty in Maryland when built NJ at
present it is nothing. One hundred and
fifty fisheries worth $4,000 So $4,000, 900
one hundred and fifty fisheries for rent
$1,000 So $4,000.
The money put afloat by having these
shores tished would aggregate, one way oil
another, one million ofdollars Isl zoo, 900
annually.
Then comes the gilling interest for con.
sideration. Upon examination we find
there are about one thousand gill nets
used in the State, and room for an indie
finite number mere. We have no hesita-
ton then in putting down our figures al
two thousand nets.
Two thousand nets worth $500
each GOO OF
Two thousand gill boats, oars,
sails, &c, $3.50 ..................... 300 coo 90
Four thousand hands TO FISH these
nets at Sl.00 per day for seventy
days 2s0 GOO oO
Feed, lights, &c, &c..............-.. 10, 600 &C
$500 O00 90
As large as these figures are for the two
Industries, hitherto supposed not worth
attention, your committee believe that
with a judicious application OF $4,000 to
$4,000 per year for few years the above
figures might be realized.
The Matching of fish is no npvelty-it
is an old art-it arose in China at an ear
ly date, spread into Europe, thence into
the northern States of the United States,
and from, there is rapidly spreading over
the western and southern states
We have now fourteen States actively
engaged in Pisciculture.-bes Il com
missioner for the whole United States,
Prof. :. +. Baird. with $4,000 ut com
mand to propagate fish and try expert
menis, 10y transferring fish from one To-
cality to another. where they were not
known before
The experiment Of t7aDsplauting shad
sfq ha~,, Ia L. 10.
cess, contrary TO the generally received
opinion, that anadvomous fish must 90 into
salt water for period Of three years after
being hatchcd. to feed and &c, their
growth.
The experiment; Of stocking the waters
of California with shad and other fish has
proved a great success. Hitherto il has
been supposed that young shad could no,
stand n long travel.--but the effort to
stock the waters Of tho Pacific slope with
young shAd, Matched in the Atlantic States,
by Prof Baird and Livingston Stone
has demonstrated the feasibility Of the IN
dertaking beyond q doubt. Other expert
msn's are in progress also-,he stocking
of the waters emptying into Salt Lake. by
the United States Commissioner Of fish,
Prof Baird. That this undertaking will
succeed we have no doubt
The effort "a stock the Mississippi river
and its tributaries is one of the rTaudest
things of that kind ever attempted 10y
man-that il will succeed the nature Of
the surrounding circumstances warrant 4
most happy conclusion.
White shad Ilosa iDreas,a5ilis) have been
caught upon Ouachata river. Arkansas,
one thousand miles from the Gulf of
Mexico. Two white shad tiloso preGsid-
biiis) were caught uron the Ohio river. be-
tween New Albany, Indiana. and Louis
Vile, Ky, 400 miles from the mouth of
the Mississippi river one in 1884 the other
in 1885.
These facts warrant the conclusion that
the efforts of the United States Commits
siOner must succeed. To demonstrate the
above practically, Prof. Baird. Seth Green
and Others have put young shad. Matched
in the east, into the kanawha river, Va.
in the Allesany river. Pa: in the White
river, Indiana; in the Mississippi river. at
ST. Pauls, Wisconsin. These experiments,
to say the least, are pleasing and inter
esting, and worthy of our great nation.
From examinations and experiments al
iS0As lHt NlItGS Nsnul-
missioner and Others it is clearly demon
strated that all the large streams of the
United States can be probably stocked
with shad, and that all waters however
small can be profitably employed to raise
food fishes of some kind.
We regret that with all the experience
of the last twenty five years this State has
let its fisheries run down to nothing and
still in measure holds back, buying fish
from the Yankees instead of sending them
fish. To-day Maryland ought to be send
ing fresh and salt fish all over the United
States-and to-day, instead of that, there
is not possibly family in the State among
whom may not be found Yankee herring.
From experiments indicated above we
greatly fear that if our supply offish should
be increased we shall be cut out of our
Legitimate markets by other localities.
We regret to have to say that we hon
estly believe that the tax PAYERS of the