Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-09
MILLIONS OF yEARLrNe FISHES
Incubator Fishes Are Now Given Q Years
Growth Before Being Let Go.

Ancuoator Fhsnee Are Now Given . Years
Growth Before Being Let Co.
TWO AND A HALF MILLIONS OF YEAR
Il ling fishes have been planted this year in
the waters Of the United States by the fsh
commission. This statement "a more remarka-
bic than /. may seem. Up to 1856 all the fishes
artifcally hatched by the government were
turned into the rivers and lakes 10 shift for
themselves as soon a. they were out OF the
eggs Consequently nearly all OF them were
devoured, and out Of every thousand young
Try but few were expected to survive and reach
maturity. Five years ago a frs: experiment
vas made with the planting of $1,000 finger
tings'' that is, fishes which had attained sea-
sons growth
ALL TO BE SuRTuREp YoR YEAR.
Before long all the fishes artificiallv propa-
gated for planting in this country will be al
lowed to get q years growth before they are
let loose. 1t has been found tina, ono .cra q,
wa'er VIII accommodate 500 900 fry from the
time they are Matched to the condition of fiu-
sernhgs. Under such circumstances so per
cen. OF tne baby fishes survive the season. at
. .le Gnu oi "nicn they are able to take care of
themselves and have passed the danger point
In other words, when permitted 10 escane ana
LOOK out Tor themselves IN the streams or else
where they mostly escape destruction and
reach mature fishhood
sHAD FOR RIVERA
Pretty soon this plan will be exclusively mr.
sued in the propagation OF shad for stocking
the rivers Conveniently near to each stream
Will be established suitable ponds. The ssh
commission will simply hatch out the fry and
send them Immediately to these preserves
where they will be permitted to grow TO a
fingers length before they are let go Fishes
only grow during the warm season SO that AZ
the end Of four months, when Matched in
spring, they are yearlings in size. A pond 100
acres IN extent Will accommodate SO, 600 600 of
shad fry. and at the end of l20 DAYS commune
cation with the river can be opened and
$4,000, 900 little fishes will swim merriy away,
to return in future years Of q marketable size
UNLIMITED QUANTITIES OF sHAp EGGS
are always obtainable in the season, and as
many millions of them can DO Matched in glass
jars as are desired. Thus tho results to be Sc
sured by artificial culture in any river is only
limited by the pond area used. A majority Of
all the fngerlings let go will certainly live to
grow up and swell the schools which annually
visit the streams for spawning. Exactly the
same proposition applies to other kinds OF
fishes. Tho fish commission is at present rear
ing trout and salmon on a like principle and
with similar results. A large pond is now be-
Ing prepared at Gloucester, Mass. for stocking
with newly Matched Goldfish, which will be put
into the sea as yearlings. In this way 1t is
hoped that the catch OF this valuable food Fl sh
along the New England coast will be greatly
increased after a while
AS TO LoBsTERs
The Same method would be tried with lob
sters, but for the fact that these pugnacious
crustaceans cannot be made to grow up to-
ge.her peaceably. You put n dozen newly
Matched specimens into an aquarium and within
few days there will be only ono--a large, fat
and promising yourgster. He has eaten all the
rest. Therefore baby HOLSTERS have 10 be let
loose IN the ocean when they are just out o. the
egg, anu In this plan not much profit is found,
because they arc quickly gobble by fishes. The
hsh commission Is Matching 1900, coo o. Young
Holsters yearly. When females carrying eggs
are caught tho ova are scraped of the SWIM
merets and kept in a sort OF water incubator
until the funny little creatures burst the shells.
once upon time, not many years ago,
TWENTY-FIVE pound Holsters were not infre-
quently captured and there is record of forty
pound specimens but such giants are no longer
seen, because they do not have a chance 10 get
very big before they are taken by the fisher
men.
STOCKING STREAMS AND PONDS.
One of the most profitable branches Of the
fish commissions work consists in stocking the
streams, ponds and lakes al oyer the west with
the native fishes OF the Mississippi valley. They
are taken in great quantities in puddles big
and small. where they are left by the retreat
Ing waters after the floods and are shipped
alive to various parts of the Union. Thus
black bass, rock bass, pike, perch, crappies,
spotted Catfish and other species are being dis
tributed throughout the United States very
plentifully. Trout of six kinds have recently
been introduced successfully to the Yellow
stone Park region-a territory as big as the
state OF Rhode Island, which has hitherto been
practically bare OF fish.