Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-04
FISH PROPAGATION
Manual Just Issued by the United
States Commission.
THE PROGRESS OF THE WORK
Commissioner Brice Recounts the
Results This Year.
GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE

1.-The Manual OF Fish Culture" which
has been in course of preparation for the
past year. under the direction of the Unit
ed States fish commissioner, has just been
issued. The book is copiously Illustrated
with cuts of the various species of the
fishes treated in the volume and Ct tho
apparatus used in their propagation. In
his introduction to the work. Commissioner
Brice recounts the various places I'm which
the work of the fish commission is carried
On, and, proceeding. says:
THE necessity for a handbook describing
the manner of propagating the different
fishes reared by the United States fish
commission has long been felt i'm the COM
mission, and 1t is thought that such n
manual Will be of value 10 all persons in
te;ested in fish culture. The material for
the present work has been furnished by
experienced fish culturists connected with
The commission, who have treated of the
subjects with which they are personally
FAMILIAR. Owing to the interest shown i'm
the cultivation of oysters and frogs spe-
clai reports on these subjects haze also
been Incorporated
In order 10 increase the usefulness of
the work to the general reader. q technical
description of each important fish is given
together with brief information REGARDING
its geographical distribution, habits move
ments, size. growth, food, natural spawn-
ing, etc.
This Years Work
I'VE are now getting up our annual re-
port" said Commissioner Brice to Star
reporter this morning, land We are aston
lshed ourselves az the phenomenal results
of the past year under the new and inn
proved methods which have been accom-
Pushed upon about the same augmentation
inc commission has had in former wears
Inc practical and scientific work of the
Soillihission mas been kept side by side. and
bo;h branches have been conducted in !,
way more than gratifying
on the New England coast and else
where the results are beginning to show
IN the abundance of young fish and lobster
reared from fry liberated by the Commits
SION. We have received reports from OBJ
servers, stating that vast numbers of
young Holsters. from two to four INCHES
long, are along the entire New England
coast They are from the deposits made
last year and the year before and / conf
uently predict that in three or four years
there Will be more Holsters On that coast.
than were ever known before We changed
the FORMER system of planting the Young
lopsters. We now put them on their own
spawning beds, among their natural sur
roundings. This process is followed win
an hsn Try now, and the young instead of
being released In strange waters are placed
where nature intended them 10 be-"
The Policy Of the Commission.
Tell me something about the new meth
cas- you alluded to- suggested the reporter
In general comprehension" said Com
missioner Brice. this commission is Or
eahizeo TO replenish the streams and the
waters contagious to our shores with fish
To accomplish this is the question bafor.
US. and with the system of auxii;ar,,
natcherles We are exceeding our expecta-
lions Matching fish eggs is very simnls
put 10 collect them economically and also
10 ascertain the result of the work by trac
ing the fry from the time of their denosj+
IN the streams until they return 10 them
as mature hsh is a question of study and
practice. o
We have mastered that question" CON-
ttnued Commissioner Brice This work :.
IN charge of the scientific branch of the
ccmmisslon. Observers are stationed on
various rivers and the movements of Tho
fish studied and frequent scientific oxarni
MAJ ION made of them to ascertain the char
actcr OF their food. their growth tbair
F haplts etc. The schools in this way are
Ioiowed into the ocean and taken up again
On their return to the rivers and stud;ad
throughout in the same way
Science and Practice I'm Harmoux
I'm dealing with eggs and fry" he pro-
ceeded. Il believe in following nature as
closely as possible by Matching the eggs
and depositing the fry on the spawninr~
grounds whence the eggs were taken. not
by the thousand or the hundreds of thou
sands, but by the hundreds of millions
rms must be done to make our work ef-
iectNe IN commercial point of view
repeat that We are vastly pleased both
IN the practical and scientific work of the
commission this year. The scientific branch
CONDUCTS Its operations on a line with the
nsh culturist and everything is working
In perfect harmony and to the common
interest of the whole country. We thought
we were doing great work last year. but
II Will be excelled by fer in this wears
LABOR In California we will take 90 900 900
or more salmon eggs, as against 1.oOo.0Od
to lo000OOO in former times To give you
an Idea or tOoe000o salmon eggs in bulk,
they will fill 800 bushels, and 800 bushels
OF corn you know by comparison is a big
pile. The United States fish commission"
said the commissioner in conclusion has
a great future before 1t at the rate il il
now advancing"