The Washington critic., 1890-02-11
HOW FISH ARE HATCHED
MILLIONS OF THE FiNNY TRIBE AR
TlFiCiALLY BORN.
Commissioner McDonald's Important
1ndustry-Unlike other Chiefs He
Praises Congress for Its Liberal
Appropriations

More than 1888, ,000,O0 fish have been
scattered throughout the United States !
by the Fish Commission during the
past year. Of this number 40, 900 900 |
were shipped from this city. Prob
ably in no other national department
has such rapid strides toward perfec.
tion been made as has been practically
demonstrated by the Fish Commission.
The innovations in fish culture have
been so radical and the system of prop
agaiing the finny denizens of the deep
has been made so perfect that even the
fish themselves seem to take an especial
delight in being hatched by artificial
means.
Commissioner Mcdonald presides
over the commission In Washington,
and what he does not know about fish,
from the very tip end of their tails to
the tip of their noses, Is not worth any
persons time hunting elsewhere TO
learn In short, Commissioner Melon
aid is an unabridged piscatorial ency-
clopedia.
In conversation with the Commits
sioner to-day he ratified off volley of
statistics and data relative to the in
dustry that caused a lot of founders in
an aquarium which stood near by to
cover themselves up with sand and
black bass nearly butted his brains out
against the glass in his eagerness to
learn how business was progressing
with his family connections.
1--WE are finishing the work of hatch
ing marine fish" said the commissioner,
more carefully than any of the other
varieties just now. For two years past
the commission has been experiment
ing as to the best modes of securing the
eggs of Goldfish and pallock and hatch
ing them. So successful has 1t been
that during the past few months sta
ton for Matching and raising these va
rieties has been established at Glocester.
Mass, and another at Woods Holl,
Mass. The receipts of eggs at these
| two stations has thus far reached TO-
100000. The out put for stocking pur-
poses will aggregate probably half that
number. In few years the produc-
ton of these varieties, which were
rapidly on the decline, will have
reached such proportions that fisher
men need have no apprehension as TO
the prospect of the supply running low.
'The commission has made recent
discovery relative to salmon and trout
which has led to the dlscontinuance of
putting out small fry. 1t was discov-
cred that in stocking streams and ponds
with fry in nearly every instance q
large proportion of the little fish died
for lack of experience. In other words,
they do not know how TO get out and
| GpnrotpI,' fnr 1fxrinos In fnI a
various stations will care for the little
fellows until they are year old before
they are put out to hustle for them
selves.
1.-The Matching stations for these
species are at Northam, Mich. Duluth,
Mimi; Leadville, Col, and Bucksport
and Kreog's Pond, Me-, each station
being under the supervision of super
intendent and corps Of experts
Congress, resumed the Commits
sioner, "has greatly facilitated the work
OF the commission by allowing liberal
appropriations for the erection of new
breeding stations. This not only gives
us more extended scope to carry on
the work, but it is more satisfactory to
everybody. These stations are either
completed or in operation or are in
course of completion. The first appro-
priation was SIC, 900, with which new
salmon breeding station was built al
Clackerman, Oregon. This station is
incubating millions of eggs. Then
$4,000 was appropriated for white
fish and trout station at Duluth, Min.
$4,000 was allowed for white fish
station at Putin Bay, near Sandusky
Ohio, and $4,000 was allowed for {
trout.raising station at Leadville, Colo
RADIO. The two last named stations arc
, under construction.
, THE station at Neosho Mo-, il
utilized for the care of warm water fisl
,, eXclusively-bass, shad and like varie
,, ties. 1t may be well to remark tina
while all the new stations are being
) constructed there has been no increase
in the regular appropriation. Since thu
Fish Commission was instituted ther,
has not only not been any general in
: crease in the appropriation for propa
eating purposes, but on the contrary i
has been reduced. In 1885 there wer,
t thirteen breeding stations under th
, supervision of the commission, TO
, which $1S2,0 900 was appropriated. il
{ 1889 we had twenty-one stations in op
, Grafton which were conducted on re
, duced appropriation. A comparison 0
the results of 1885 and 1889 show tina
the production of eggs and fry in 1888
: was 173,000,000, while in 1899 it wa
a 333, 100000.
= Zone Of the most important move
! ments agitating the commission noS
is the collection Of indigenous fish fror
overflow ponds along the banks O
IS rivers and the distribution of them t
b open waters. 1t has been discovere
e that this system Of supplying stock
streams, which have become devoid c
v fish, is meeting with favor in nearly a
n of the interior States, and is the mos
r. effective way to improve the fishing |
u rivers where indigenous fish have bt
. come extinct These overflow pond
y are the best sort of propagators for fis
indigenous TO certain waters. The sy'
TEN began two years ago and since tht
e time forty rivers throughout the interic
" have been restocked with native tisl
r. some of them large enough TO eat. Th
$, summary of the work of distribution {
a. fish by the commission since 1885
ss 056, TAO, ,000
81 can best illustrate the success {
the commission by calling attention
the shad industry. When the commi
sion took hold of il the commercial II
D dustry was rapidly ON the decline, viii
& fear of the extinction of the fish. !
1t Dresent there is an increase of the mr.