The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-01-11
REPORT ON FISH AND GAME
JUST COMPLETED BY THE STATE
 COMMISSIONERS.

Their Second Biennial Ready for Gen
 eraI AssembIy-5O, 100000 Lobsters
 Placed in the Waters of the State | During the Past Year-Interesting z
 Facts Concerning the Fish Hatcheries. | George H. Knight, Abbott c. Collins
 and James A. Bill, the state fish and
 game commissioners, have handed to l the governor for presentation to the general assembly their second biennial report
 The hatcheries for fish are two in number, one for shad at Shelton and | the other at Windsor Locks. There is | also building owned by the state at the retaining pools at Joshuatown, near Lyme.
 The commissioners have been unable to do anything in the line of the in troduction and propagation of game
 priation available for the purpose.
 They call attention to their recommen-
 dation of two years ago, in which they
 requested that they be authorized to
 lease tracts of land as state game pre-
 serves. Unless something of the kind
 be done before long the extinction of
 game is merely a question of time. The
 commissioners have found it very diff ficult to police the state for the enforce ment of the firsh and game laws, with no appropriation for the work. But the laws have been enforced as far as pos sible through the special protectors of fish and game appointed by them. All known infractions of the laws have been prosecuted.
 During the last two years over 5O,- 00O 00O young Holsters have been placed in the waters of the state, through CO., operation with the United States com mission of fisheries and fish, This state is the only commonwealth which retains shad in ponds until they are six or seven months old and from three to five inches long, and the beneficial results of this practice have been shown in the large number of adult shad taken this year in the Pennington and Connecti- cut rivers. Thousands of the finest shad were taken in the Pennington the past season, the result of stocking the river with young shad in 1895. Previous to that year shad fishing had been poor in the Harrington for many years.
 The commissioners assert that with requisite means and appliances for the successful breeding of shad, salmon and trout, the waters of the state can be stocked with fish as never before since the revolution.
 The commissioners call attention to the natural advantages offered by the temporary trout plant at Windsor Locks which is exceedingly well adapt ed for the successful raising of trout and salmon. The retaining ponds at Joshuatown are described in detail and the commissioners say that hundreds of thousands of shad turned out of the retaining ponds will return to our wa ters in three or four years It is as certain as that corn planted will grow if the conditions are right. The com missioners urge that the state needs put plenty Ol 1lSH dliu SdIlle tO lIdke IL still more attractive to summer and fall visitors from other states. The state of Maine is mentioned as an il- |, lustration of the fact that good fishing and shooting attract visitors. The urge that retaining pond for young shad be secured on the river below Shelton for re- taining and rearing young shad until six or seven months old. They feel as- sured that the Housatonic river would teem with fish if the retaining pond idea was carried out.
 Acknowledgment for help given the are rendered in the re- port, and the request is made that the be given improved facili- ties for continuing its work along the same lines as before, as the commission Is convinced of the success of its re- cent experiments. The report contains m estimate of areas of ponds and lakes and lengths of brooks and rivers in the state. The total acreage of ponds Is l3,579 acres and the total length of riv- ers is 7,619 miles. The report also con- 5ains a large aount of other statistics the fish industry.