Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-03
MATCHING FISH AND OYSTERS.
What the National Commission is Doing
for the Country.
Fronl n IA ~ IrLlnne.

LOT inc NOuhtFy
Prom the Ne1o York 7ri6une.
Assistant Fish Commissioner 4. 3. Fer
guson, Of Washington, is in the city on his
way to Woods Holl, Mass, the summer
headquarters Of the commission. Answer
ing the inquiries Of a reporter at tho New
York hotel he said about the work of The
commission: 81 have received dispatch
Of importance from Ensign Pipmeyer,
United states Navy. commanding the
commissions steamer Fishhawk, now en-
ployed in patching Spanish mackerel In
the Chesapeake bay, from Cape Charles to
Pud Harbor. the southern extremity Of
Tang'er island. He reports obtaining
100000 eggs on July H. from five fish at
Tangier. He has two sub-stations, one al
Cape Charles City. the other about seven
miles further north at the mouth OF Hun
GERS creek. Both of these stations have
succeeded In Matching a large percentage
OF the eggs taken. The Spanish mackerel
eggs, in water Of the temperature Of
Chesapeake bay hatch in from twenty TO
tweuty-siX hours.
81 have made an inspection OF the oyster
breeding farm at the mouth Of the
Potomac river, where ponds have been
created to rear oysters Matched artif-
cially. The oysters are taken indiscrimi-
nately, male and female. opened. the eggs
expressed from the OVaries Of the one and
brought in contact with the spermatazOa
Of the other. Development begins imme-
diately and the oysters are swimming
about freely in the rearing tanks IN
twenty-four to thirty hours. This is the
height OF the oyster spawning season in
that locality. Ample material il found in
the oysters of the bay and those reared In
small ponds. These ponds are provided
with collectors Of various forms On which
the spat or young oyster attaches itself.
When about five months old they are re-
moved from the collectors, which have
been coated with mortar TO enable the
delicate young oysters to be more easily
detached. 1t is essential they should be
separated, as they gather IN such num-
bers as 10 smother each other. The eX-
pcriments have been directed to makinga
certainty Of obtaining the annual catch Of
spat, with which to plant oyster beds, in
depeudently of the ordinary and natural
elements and influence.
THE French have developed oyster
raising largely by depending on the nat
ural oyster TO fix the spat We are carry
ing the experiments to the earlier stage
and produce the oyster artificially as fish
are produced. The oyster itself. whom
first Matched. only l-500th OF an inch in
diameter, which makes II an exceedingly
difficult animal to handle Our difficulty
has been to c0nline them in limited waters
and to give a sufficient change of water to
keep them in healthy condition. We ex-
pect by our experiments TO be able TO re-
populate at small cost beds which have
been exhausted. The spawn can be
transported in great number at small
cost. The present transplanting when
grown to an inch in diameter is quite
costly"
"What has been the result of introduce
ing new fish in Southern waters?7
Several sea salmon. weighing TO 70
pounds, were taken recently in the Chesa-
peake waters. One Of nine and half
pounds was secured bv the commission
twenty miles south Of Washington in the
Potomac, and was fresh run, beautiful.
true salmon. 1t has been preserved in a.
cohOl at the Smithsonian Institute. The
spring run leads US to hope this valuable
fish has been permanently established in
the Chesapeake bay and its tributa-
ries, hundreds Of miles south of its old
haunts."
what work is in progress at Woods
Hollg"
THE oyster experiments will be con-
tinued there to later period OF the year
than on the Chesapeake. The oysters In
Buzzard's bay and vicinity spawn con-
siderabiy later. This is the rendezvous,
also, of our vessels engaged in deep sea
researches. The Albatross, having re-
fitted after winter cruise in the Gulf of
Mexico, has visited the banks of New
foundland and the Georges, engaged in
bottom dredging. She is expected at
Woods HOll in few days"