Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-10-23
LOBSTERS AND COD.
Newfoundland Has New and
Promising Industry.
THE HATCHERY AT TRINITY BAY.
Supported by the Government and
Yielding Enormous Catches-The
Various Methods of Fishing.

All ohO hCWo thab AhOih ANOW-
foundland not long ago was of a dis.
couraging sort, dealing as it did with
finan oial reverses of the Government
banks and private individuals and the
prostration of that PROVINCES trade.
Now there is to be chronicled another
item of very different nature, the
unbounded success of the cod and
lobster hatchery in Trinity Bay. and
with it catch that promises to be a
remarkably good one.
-Four years ago this hatchery was
started at the instance of merchant
of st. Johns, and carried ON for awhile
at his own expense. Then the Gov
ernment took it up and made it pro-
vince affair. placing it on most liberal
basis and sparing no expense in stock
ing the sea with fish.
Trinity Bay was chosen as the loca-
tion of the hatchery ON account of its
sheltered position and its many little
inlets and shallow bays. As the fry
are sent out to shift for themselves
few weeks after they are Matched,
shallow waters and sheltered shores are
by far the best places for them to
thrive in ESQ the hatchery managers
argued for there they run little risk
of being devoured by larger fish or of
being swept out into very deep water,
and there also they have much less
difficulty in obtaining their daily sup
ply of food.
On Bidlo Island the hatchery was
placed and was put under the manage
ment of Norwegian named Nelson.
The Government provided a yearly
appropriation of some $1,000 and
this proved ample for every purpose.
So we'll did Nelson manage the affairs
of the hatchery that when the soien-
fists and men of affairs interested in
fisheries met at the Worlds Fair in
sort of small convention, the hatch
cry at Newfoundland, it was agreed by
all. lad proved itself one of the best in
the world. In Holsters actually
hatched and sent out the records
showed that he most remarkable
achievements in artificial Matching any
where in the worlds history had been
performed; while in cod hardly less
had been accomplished.
In the four years since the establish
ment of the hatchery 2,500. 900, 900
young Holsters have been Matched out
and 65, 1000, 900 young cod. The main
result accomplished has been to more
than entirely nullify the reckless
slaughter of cod with spawn during
recent years. This destruction was
not wanton. but the fishermen were
driven to it through competition.
Last year just about this time. sew
eral months before the disclosures of
the fiancial weakness, the Newfound-
land Legislative Assembly then sitting
had hot debate over the hatchery
question. the point disputed being the
annual appropriation. 1t had resolved
itself into strictly political matter,
the parties of the island being divided
upon the question strictly on party
lines. The appropriation was in
doubt, when reports began to come in
from Trinity Bay. 1t should be prom
ised that cod must be three years old
to be worth the catching, and it was
then just three years from the time of
the establishment of the hatchery.
The Trinity Bay reports were most
favorable. In their detail they as
founded every member of the then
sitting house, for they showed that
the catch, in proportion to that of
former years in this bay, was of un-
precedented size. The hatchery had
proved itself an unqualified success.
Party lines were at once broken, and
in burst of enthusiasm the appropri-
alton bill for the further continuance
of the hatchery was carried.
This year there seems no reason to
doubt that the catch will be fully up
to last years. The lobster catch is
particularly good, too, though the
hatchery people have experienced much
difficulty in increasing the supply of
them in the waters of Newfoundland
as fast as the number they have hatched
would seem to warrant For the
young Holsters are not only subject to
all the dangers of the deep. but for
few weeks after they are Matched fight
vlllalnouSly and XIII eacn otner Dy tDe
hundreds and devour one another can
enthusiastically at great rate.
The fishermen ale very prosperous
set of men, The fishing season for cod
begins in June and ends in October.
All sorts of methods are practiced in
catching the fish. Traps, nets and
seines are used and there is also more
or less hand line fishing. The fashion
varies, and the fishermen constantly
change their ways of securing their
game. Several years ago traps set
and baited very much as are lobster
traps, and similar in construction
were used. Now traps in most dis
tricts are considered trif1e out OF date
and nets and seines are more in favor.
MANY of the nets are "set. There