Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-31
U. s. FISH COMMISSION.

U. FISH COMMISSION.
What it Does TO Encourage our Fish.
ing Industries, and How Its Work
Is Carried On.
Special Correspondence OF the STANDARD.
Very few people who go through
the old Armory on the Mall, the
present headquarters OF the Fish COM
mission, and visit the grottos in which
are arranged tanks filled with fresh
and salt water life. appreciate the
magnitude or importance of the work
carried on by the Commission. Dur
ing the last fiscal year there were dis
tributed from the twenty or more
Matching stations throughout the coun-
try 629, PAT 1852 fish eggs, fry and adults.
By "fry" is meant young fishes a few
weeks old, some five hundred millions
being OF this class. The varieties
range as follows, in order OF number
distributed: pike, perch, white fish,
lobster, shsd, cod, herring, lake trout,
and cat fish. The various hatcheries
are specially fitted for the propagation
of the different varieties: thus at
Gloucester and Woods Holl, Mass,
they hatch cod, at the two Maryland
stations and at the Washington sta.
ton, shad, at the Worthwhile, Michigan,
station, the various varieties of trout,
and at Alpha, Michigan, whitetish.
At the Colorado, California and Oregon
stations they give their attention
especially to raising trout and salmon.
The prospects are that the crop" for
the present year will exceed one billion.
The eggs after having been extracted
from the fishes and fertilized are given
the treatment required for the various
varieties for Matching. Shad and
white fish eggs are placed in deep glass
jars and agitsted by q stream of water
introduced at the bottom of the mass
by means OF glass tube and rubber
hose. With this treatment the shad
eggs will hatch in week, while the
white fish eggs require q period OF
nearly six months. Salmon eggs
require different treatment; they must
be placed in layers on shallow trays
and placed just beneath the surface OF
flowing stream of water 80 rs to be
subject to a gentle current. HOLSTERS
should be set at liberty soon after
Matching. or they will began devour-
ing one other, and in few weeks there
will be in the tank few big fat fellows
instead OF a hundred little ones.
The propagation aud distribution of
fishes, however, forms but one branch
Of the work done by the Commission.
The scientific branch studies the
various island waters and the ocean
for new varieties to be introduced, and
the statistical bureau gathers informa.
ton ss to commercial features, such as
number OF fish caught, prices received,
number OF men and ships. and amount
of capital employed, etc.
The Fish Commission owns two
steam ships. the Fishhawk, and the
Albatross, and one sailing vessel, the
Grampus. These are especially fitted
out for studying fish life, and for
carrying on the work of the Commits
sion. The Albatross is equipped with
the most scientific apparatus for deep
sea soundings. and for studying marine
life and conditions OF temperature At
great depths. At present the Fish.
hawk is in the Appalachee bay on the
coast of Florida studying and survey.
ing the oyster beds. During the sum-
mer it, with the Grampus, sailed along
the Atlantic coast following the schools
of mackerel, in order TO learn some
thing of the mysterious life history of
this important fish. After the mackeral
season was over the Grampus went to
the New Foundland banks for cargo of
live Goldfish which it conveyed to
Woods Holl, Mass. There the eggs
were expelled by compression. as is
done in securing eggs of all kin d OF
fishes, and Matched. During the year
some sixty millions of young cod were
distributed, chiefly from this station.
The Alhatross, after q season along
the coast OF Alaska, is now fitting up
at San Francisco, for campaign" in
the vicinity OF the Santa Barbara
islands, west of the southern part OF
California.
For the purpose OF distributing fish,
the Commission owns four railroad
cars all fitted up with tanks, air pumps,
and living quarters for their crews.
These cars 60 about from station to
station and convey the cans of small
fish to convenient distributing points
from which the cans are shipped by
express. To keep the fish alive while
in the Car fresh air is forced into the
water by means of the pump. The
Car can usually convey the fish to with.
in twenty.four hours travel OF their
designation, and the consignee is
notified as to the precise time at which
his can of fish will be expressed to
him. Some varieties are kept in large
tanks on the cars until put in the ten
gallon milk cans for distributing.
The Fish Commission has nothing
for sale. Everything is given away;
the party securing the fish, paying the
cost of the can, unless he is able to
return the same, and the expressape
from the station or the distributing
car to its destination. When request
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