Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-06-29
ICLosE OF A SUCCESSFUL YEAR.
That is what the Forthcoming Report
of the Fish Commission is Ex-
pected to Show.

I pSCbG0 ~
Washington, June 26.-The work of
! the fish commission is practically
| completed for this year. According
to the officials of the commission.
when the reports are sent in July |,
| they will show that it has been the
| most successful year in the history
of the commission. The great bulk
| of the work has been in the collection
| and distribution of the eggs and fry
of commercial food fish, and this year
| more cod, pike, perch, bass, fiatfish
| and lobster have been planted than
ever before. Fully many shad have
been planted this year as last. when
the high-water mark in shad propaga-
ton was reached. The great COM
mercial value of the work done by
the fish commission can best be illus.
trated in the case of shad. The catch
of shad in 1885 was 100000. The sys-
tematic collection of eggs and distri-
button of shad fry since that year
have increased the catch annually I'M
til this year it reached 100000. At
the same time the cost of shad has
been decreased to the consumer more
than so per cent. The value of the
catch this year was upwards of $780,
600. This result has been obtained by
the commission with total eXpendi-
ture of $4,000.
A Successful Experiment..
So successful was the experiment
made several years ago for the intro
duction of shad and striped bass on
the Pacific coast that the planting of
those two food fishes on that coast
has been suspended. The shad catch
on the Pacific now ranges between
one and two millions annually. The
total cost of introducing the shad into
the Pacific waters was but $4,000. So
plentiful have the striped bass be-
come in the Pacific coast streams since
their introduction that they can ne
purchased in the market of the coast
cheaper the year around than in the
eastern market. When they were first
introduced they brought one dollar
pound.
At the California Stations.
The work at the California stations
this year has been confined to the
propagation of the commercial salmon
and the sock-eye and steel-head troat
Owed 4c,000.000 eggs have been distfib-
uted from these stations. From the five
Oregon stations on the Columbia river
2o,o0O,000 fry have been planted in the
Pacific coast streams. The new sta
ton at Bakers Lake, Washington. es-
tablisheG for the propagation of blue
back and silver salmon, will begin OPP
erations July 1.
In the Rock Mountain Region.
In the Rocky mountain region there
are stations in Montana, Colorado and
South Dakota for the propagation OF
eastern brook trout, grayling, and
mountain or black spotted trout. From
these stations 100000 fry were dis
tributed in the streams of Colorado,
Washington, Idaho, Montana, South
Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona and In
dian territory. From the middle
states stations in Iowa, Illinois, Mis-
souri, and Texas for the propagation
brook and rainbow trout, black bass
and crappie, 100000 fry of all kinds
were distributed in stocking private
ponds and streams and some public
waters. From the stations on the
great lakes where the white fish, lake
trout, herring, perch and walled-eyed
pike are collected, 750,0O0,00O eggs of
all kinds were taken, and 500,000,00J
of fry planted. At the shad stations
at Bullockvillle, Ga; Edenton, n. c.;
Bryan's Point, Va; Havre de Grace
and Gloucester, in the Delaware, 3O0,-
100000 shad eggs were collected, and
230,00O,00O fry planted in all the inn
portant streams from Florida to Mas
sachusetts. There are stations in Vir-
ginia and Tennessee for the propaga-
ton of black bass and trout, but these
have done little this year.
Largest Stations in the World.
In Massachusetts there are two of
the largest marine fish culture stations
in the world. At these the cod, pol
lock, fatfish (flounder) and lobster
are propagated. Over 100000 cod
eggs were collected here and be-
tween 15O,000,OO0 and 2O0,o0O,00 fry
distributed. Over 100000 fatfish
were planted. The lobster sea-
son has not yet closed. Over 10O,-
100000 eggs have already been taken,
and it is expected that 100000 more
will be taken before the close of the
season.