The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-12-03
THE NATIONAL HATCHERY.

Upon the success of bill before
the Legislature to prevent the pollu-
ton of Sleeper's river, small stream
situated principally in the towns of
Danville and st. Johnsbury, probably
hangs the fate of the national fish
hatchery located in the latter town.
The pollution aimed at is saw dust
which comes from two small mills
several miles above the hatchery and
interferes seriously with its work.
The water supply has always been
problem at the hatchery, for while
the quantity is ample and the quality
excellent it has been difficult to keep
it at the proper temperature for
Matching eggs during the warmer
seasons. To remedy this it was planned
to erect dam just above the sta
ton, thus forming a reservoir more
than one hundred acres in extent.
For this purpose Congress appro-
priated the sum of $40, 600, but the
firm of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co.,
whose extensive scale factories are
located about mile down the river,
objected to the scheme and the pro-
ject was abandoned The money is
still available and other plans, which
are free from objections, have been
made and will be carried out if the
State will protect the river.
John W. Titcomb was formerly sup
erintendent of this station and it was
his plan to make it one of the best
hatcheries i'll the United States. His
successor, E. N. Carter, is working
with this end in view, and if the de-
sired legislation is secured it will be
accomplished. Otherwise, there is
grave danger that the station will be
abandoned.
At this season of the year an i'm
portant part of the hatchery work is
in progress, namely, the taking of
spawn at the various stripping sta
lions throughout the State. These
stations are five in number. The
most successful one is at Lake Mitch
ell near Sharon, where the yearly
take is from 400, 600 to 600, 900 eggs.
The station at Darling's pond in
Groton is close second, and at Lake
Mansfield in Stowe, the station
promises in few years to rival both
Another at Lake Noyes near Rutland
! yields annually about $50, 600 eggs.
Brook trout spawn only is taken at
these stations, and the results have
been satisfactory. At the Caspian
lake station in Greensboro it has been
different. Lake trout and land
! locked salmon inhabit this lake and
since the first year, when 600, 600 eggs
were taken, the operations have been
| unsuccessful.
This year strenuous effort has
been made to find the lake trout
| spawning beds but nothing has avail
ed, and when the trout have been
taken it was found that every one
had spawned and indications are that
they began as early as August. The
| salmon have not spawned, and will
| not until late in December, which is
contrary to the habits of these fish at
every other station in the United
States.
The stripping season begins about
September l and continues until late
in December. Every station has a
field hatchery and the eggs are kept
there until "eyed" which requires
from forty to fifty days according to
the temperature of the water. The
eggs are then shipped to the main
station where the Matching process is
completed
The reason private pond owners are
willing to have the fish stripped of
spawn is because with artificial propa-
CATION not less than eighty-five per
cent of the eggs taken are Matched,
while in natural propagation more
than eighty-five per cent are lost.
When Matched the owners of the ponds
receive a fair share of the fingerlings,
or fry, which fully remunerates them,
and at the same time the public
waters of the State are stocked with
the remainder.
This is the purpose of fish hatch
cry, and during the ten years of its
existence the station at st. Johnsbury
has placed millions of trout in the
waters of Vermont with visible re-
suits, and if it is continued the hatch
cry will play an important part in
making the State II sportsmans para
disc.