The Portland daily press., 1886-11-01
NAMES FISH.
Result of the Fish Commissioners
Faithful Work.
Queer Things About the Salmon In
Rivers and Lakes.
How the Waters of Our State are Re.
Stocked.

On one Of the pleasantest of the shaded
streets of Dixfeld there is a brightly paint
ed building, too small for house, but too
elegant for a shop. II you 60 in the door,
and the door is always open to the curious
stranger, you win find the interior perfect
museum for fishing tackle, shot, guns, rifles
and every other implement of fishing or the
chase. On the walls there are pictures of
speckled trout and fleet deer, and in the book
case the latest books and periodicals on
hunting and fishing On the table are scat
tered bright colored flies, reels and sinkers,
with such works as The Game Laws of Maine,
Forest and Stream, the annual report of the
Fish Commission and other similar works
There is no doubt that the proprietor Of this
place is an enthusiastic fisherman. And it is
very lucky for the State Of Maine that he is
such an enthusiast, for it is largely due to
the efforts of Henry o. Stanley, of Dixfield,
and his colleague, e. NJ. Stillwell, of Ban
gor, that our State is now able to offer the
attractions it does to wealthy sportsmen
from all parts of the country. The Legisla-
ture does not seem to think that the office of
Commissioner of Fish and Game is a very
these officers is any indication of apprecia-
tion. For devoting their time to stocking
rivers and streams, prosecuting poachers and
looking after the hundred and one things
that effect the hunting and fishing grounds
of this great State, the fish commissioner
gets salary of five hundred dollars year,
which is not so much as a policeman gets in
Portland for watching Centre Street. To
carry on their work the State allows the
Commissioners seven thousand five hundred
dollars yearly; and out of this they must pay
the hire of the sixty wardens, who look after
the States preserves, prosecute poachers,
fight lawsuits, support hatcheries and dis
tribute the young fry that are to be fattened
in our streams until some rich fellow in New
York or Boston is willing to catch them at
gross cost of $40 or 500 apiece. 1t is esti-
mated that every salmon that was caught
with hook and line at Bangor last spring
was worth $50 to the people of that place in
clean cash that the sportsmen left behind
them. No one doubts that the State is max
ing good investment of whatever money it
has put out in the work of the fish commits
sion.
These Penobscot salmon are great pets of
sparkle as he tells you of the sport there was
in landing the big ones there last spring,
when it was no uncommon thing for the
sportsman to battle four hours with his fish,
until, like the Isrelite of old he almost need
ed some one to hold up his hands lest the en-
emy prevail. The Penobscot is the only riv-
er now left on the whole Atlantic coast of
the United States where there are enough
salmon left to afford eggs for restoring the
other streams. They are gone from the Ken
10 q nVft for lKeaAn fw0..
the Androscoggin, while the efforts of the
commissioners have just succeeded in get
ting few to breeding in the Saco, where
small fish were put in six years ago. "a
salmon" said Commissioner Stanley, sis not
like bird, which will seek a new nesting
place if its old haunts are closed against it.
1t is the instinct of the salmon to breed in
the place where 1t was hatched, which is u.s.
ually in the headwaters of some stream. And
If fishways or other distractions prevent its
return to its old haunts, it does not seek new
scenes, but continues its fruitless attempts to
return until exterminated. In this way the
salmon of tine Kennebec were almost exter-
minated; and so it happens that when at last
fshways were built in that river so many
people in the region were disappointed at
not seeing schools of salmon travelling up
the river.
'At our works at Orland, perhaps, one can
best learn our method of propagating salmon.
As the spawning season approaches we go
down to the weirs below Orland and pur-
chase of the fishermen there as many salmon
as we want. These we tow up to our works,
where they are confined in pond we have
there. This pond has a mud bottom, on
which the salmon will not cast their spawn.
BY the natural process the salmon seeks
running water when it spawns, generally the
head waters of some stream. The female
fish goes ahead, and by side to side move
ment casts her eggs in the running water.
The male is little behind the female, and as
her eggs float past they become impregnated
with his milt. In this way about per cent,
not more, of the spawn becomes impregnat-
ed. 1t is this waste by the natural process
which the artificial process prevents. At
Orland the fish are confined in the pond with
a muddy bottom until the eggs are ripe.
Then each female salmon is taken out of the
water, and by simple squeezing motion de-
prived Of the spawn Over this spawn, col
lected in large pans, the milt of the male
fish is scattered, and the eggs are all ready
for Matching. By the artificial method 80
per cent. of the eggs are impregnated, gain
Of 50 per cent. over the natural method. 1t
is generally about the middle of October or
November that these eggs are taken. They
are placed in wire trays in troughs through
which flow streams of water. This water is
not allowed to freeze, but remains at a very
low temperature. The eggs lay in these
troughs until about the first of March, when
they are ready TO hatch. The young salmon
much resembles q polywog, this appearance
being given by large sac which is attached
to it for its sustenance until it begins to get
its own food. Ii is not until June that this
sac disappears and the young fish begins his
actual life. Previous to this time he is if so
unfortunate as to be born away from the pro-
tecting care of the fish commissioners, prey
for whatever large fish happens to espy
him.
"The life of the young fish once begun,
the work of putting him where he may begin
increase the stock of the Penobscot still fur
ther We take a lot of these young fish from
orland up to the head waters into the East or