Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-02-07

Regarding the work OF taking
care of the fish spawn, the Super
intendent says:
"Now and then we meet with
persons, probably good intention
ed, who will persist in regarding
this fish business as they style it
"a very simple thing-as an agree
able sort of pastime, and any posi-
ton Hereunder kind of sinecure
the whole involving but little la
Dor, skill or responsibility. If such
persons are honest in their con-
victions their judgements need to
be disabused. Let me kindly assure
any such persons that there is not
a bit of play about it. 1t is all
work, and work too that can be
neither skipped nor lodged. And
that the live fish-man chose that
are dead or semi-dead not wanted
of no use), earns every cent of
his money. Consider his work.
On the white fish it is nearly six
months duration. No let up to it,
not even Sundays. Day after day
finds him at his post from sunrise
to sunset. and should things incline
to go the bad the lamps are struck
and the night becomes to him as
the day. At his work shop are the
alarm water clocks; at the head of
his bed are the night alarm wheels,
not seldom ringing out more horri-
bly, than coach and four over the
cobble-stone pavement, and shoot
ing out of bed is the mild penalty
decreed for disobedience to the
clocks summons. At two or three
o'clock in the morning he is awaked,
repairs to the hatchery and with
the water just above the freezing
point, he prepares his cans of fish
for the outgoing morning train.
This is followed up for days and
sometimes for weeks, with scarcely
single days interruption. Nor
is the attendant upon the train or
the wagon much more fortunate.
Two days and two nights in sue
cession, with little rest from labor
and no sleep, is not q remarkably
rare experience.
"No, the man that has never
pulled an oar knows not the labor
of it so neither does the man who
has never engaged in earnest fish
propagation know anything Of the
labor, or the skill, or the watchful-
ness it involves. / maintain that !
successful fish culture is Meth ,
or q blunder nor venture-but is
a science-as much real science ,
as is government or hydrostatics. I
Il is an art, as much real art as {
Is watch making or ship building
md the man who thinks he may
acquire it in perfection, by study s
Or an apprenticeship Of few hours ,
,r days, will find his fish eggs dy- ,
ing by hundreds and by thousands
from no cause but unskilled hands, j
md many, very many of his vaula-
Die fry he will discover to be in the ,
asst sgoniss, from no cause, save !
IN unsanctifiied conceit."
At this place, the only attention
hat has been given to fish is that :
Of killing them, and so well has {
his been performed that there is /,
not one quarter as many fish now 1
.s there was ten years ago. The !
ish have been mostly caught du- c
ing the spawning season, when, in |,
he fall, they come on the reefs to
1eposite their eggs, and we have $
'een the bottoms Of fish-boats, af- b
;er a fall lift, covered with spawn. q
The result OF such fishing has been o
% seriously reduce the amount Of .
ish, and II persisted in will end In c
the Alpena fish farms bar 9
ZEN.
An effort is now being made to o
get the Legislature to place a fish !,
hatchery at Alpena. e
The total expenditures Of the $
Fish Commission from July LIST, =
1875, to December LIST, 1876, was
9,263.54, which, considering the
amount Of work done, buildings y
put up, and materials bought, is :
hot large. 1t is to be hoped that )