The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-06
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mPISCICULTURE.

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.An Essary,I j, Rsa1d Before The Summer Mettiag
of tie STATE Grunge at Aadersoni S: C,ii
ON the 9sby of. August 1877, by ,lAaior
Thomas W. Wood.oara, Of Fairfield
County, s. G. - - '''l H..
Early historians of tie South, and Of
South Carolina in particular, all agree In
the statement that our rivers, creeks and
brooks once teemed with fishes. The
shad-the prince of! the frying pan-lh!
the memory of many now living, was as
common even Ia creeks as is the diminu-i
tive minnow. 1t was the custom in those:
days for our people tossisit annually the,
different fisheries, where wereto be had
shad at sixteen to- the IdohaYsI red horse
and other savory varieties at song by
the wagon load. OIL Isl distressing, gas
Economically at least; when We reflect
that these good old times, like other
loved associations! of the past, have de-
parted. =. =;
iThat the fish famine Of the day may be
properly understood, ! shall add few
facts and produce some statistics. Being
in Washington few yearssince, l ca!ledlI
on the Hon. Spencer +. Baird, United
States Fish Commissioner; for 2the pur-i
pose of hearing him on, this interesting
subject, and to see if anything could bel
done for the restocking Of our rivers
He informed me that he was anxious to|
dc. something for Us, and, that if !, would
locate, for, him any point in the State
where could, be caught as many as, say
800 shad during the season, he would
send ont parties who I'salt would establish a
Matching station. ,.jlt.a ..9,f4s,Q
After diligent search along, the bordesI
of the two rivers Of my county-thei
Broad and Wateree2 and having institu-
ted inquiry for such appoint anywhere in
the State, so meagre was the catch at all
places that I was unwilling to hold
further communication upon the subject,
and despaired Of enlisting his efforts in
our, behalf, and here the matter, ended
with me.
He, however, sent out a snb-commis-
sion in;1S73, which, was ipstrueted to- IN
yestigate the very facts which / had OBJ
tanned but had failed to report. The
observations made by this, commission
are specially cited, as they give direct
statistical testimony upon the numbers
Of fshad caught in rivers of Georgia and
South Carolina, and prove n1ore thor
oughIy; if, indeed, any proof were
necessary, that there has been marked
O0s A synopsis of Seth Green's report of
shad hatching at Augusta in 1873 is IS
follows: From April 2lst TO April 28th,
thirteen fishes were taken, none of which
being in proper condition; no eggs were
procured. ri From 2Augusta he goes to
Newbern, N. e., passing what tiwefei'onee
important fisheries at yarous points along
The Conparee, and BY the once celebrated
station at Rocky Mount, on the CasaMba,
At Newbetn; in consequence OF the tTiEer
being too high for fishing, he succeeded
in procuring only two ripe fishes, from
which were obtained $4,000 eggs. Of
this number $4,000 were hatched and
turned into the river. yer.,..a.:.,I.,F ,,g.
Thence he. goes to Weldon, where, in
consequence Of continued high water: no
shad are taken, but two, ripe rock fish are
caught from which are,pTocufed G1lO, 900
epes. From these are hatched. and turn
ed into the river 100, 900 young fishes.
Passing to the Potomac at. w Washington,
he meets With better success, One hum
dred and eleven ripe fishes are stripped,
2,170,OO0I eggs obtained, and $4,000
fishes returned to'the Potomac and So
600 transplanted in other streams.
The Sboia figures and facts, 5demon-
strating asNthey ado the Edecrease in our
fish supply; sEdAt doria solntioniafss and
for remedYnext.2a .fi:iniGlG .1eeg q.ei.
Istit to. the clearing Away OF forests
with its accompanying damaging effect
of fteshets,,o muddy water and filling up
of creeks and branches that we must look /
for an explanation 2 OF Is man more i'm
mediately the agent3 s,,,a,il5 l5--....;,;,s..,, A
Where forests have been, extlrpated \
along the banks and sources Of our
smaller streams and their beds ar dry, 1
az ia the case In many instances, exter- \
mination has Been the fate Of every soil
tary individual but in all cases where \
the drought is not so severe, and q Jew /
holes retain water, although, the stream 4
NAV cease to: flow, there wiut yon; find \
cosmopolitans, the cat; the sucker the \
red-beliiedi perch and the universal hain. l
now, leniaf descendants of the parent \
stocks placed there by. Providence. hias N
You see, then, that damaging, as axe
the above contingencies to the fish sup 4
DIV, still they are not f,so serious a
character as TO account for the total loss \
for having failed TO exterminate the local
varieties only in exceptional cases, they 1
would of course show less effect in the
larger streams which neYer DO dry; and |
mon species which Ainhabit them for only \
a partoEthe year.-> ~
We.can account for it opiypy properly
considering the disastrous tendency Of
dams and the destroying agency. OF man
with his traps, nets, hooks and other I'M
proved Isppliances. Nofr death Common
sense asserts The proposition that where
dams intervene, cutting off the parent
fishes from 'thei. spawning grounds and
preventing the depositing Of seed forl theet
succeeding years supply, that gradual
diminution and eventual extermlnatgon
are the inevitable results. W.. 'hSs
An authorities agree in assigning the
above as ebe cause of the decline. Now,
with the enumerated impedindents pro
yided for, there is no, reason Why success
may not again be secured. u aWe, are Rr-
tunate in having remedies for thesesd sdih-
culties. Science has abg1npyd1aptly provi-
ded MS with numerous patent fish ways,
whereby the parent fishes are enabledi to
ascend 10 their, spawning, beds, whilst it,
has also demonstrated that bY means. Of
artificial impregnation and haschlngI
boSesmorefsh can be snpphedE EthauF6y
the.nstursli process iof,rspuDducdon.. atn
many of the States, the 'business'o gather
ing eggs, Matching the young and trans
planting them by the rmlhionsl has be,
come Of vast proportions; and rs looked
upon as one off, the important industrlest
Of the country. Shad have been shipped
by the railroad from the Hudsonito Cali
fornia and many intermediate points,