St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-05-21
FISH HATCHERY AT SWANTON.
some Interesting Facts about an ImpOr-
liant stale Industry.

The Matching Of pike-perch at the Swan
ton hatchery was very successful this
year, with the eggs procured in the usual
way from the Missisquoi river From
some lots taken on the river seventy-fve
or eighty per cent of eyed eggs were
obtained, whichis a very high percentage.
The commercial fishermen on Lake
| Champain contributed several millions
/ of eggs to the hatchery free OF charge,
but as no pr,plra ions had been made
for saving these eggs the percentage Of
fish from them was small. Nevertheless,
those that were obtained was so much
clear gain. and the loss can be easily
avoided in the future. The water supply
at the hatchery this year was carefully
filtered and furnished perfect water for
Matching and the eggs produced strong
an healthy fish. 1t isgrati wing to learn
that a large nun Der of partly grown
pike perch have been caught at Franklin
Pond, at Highgate Center and in Lake
Champlain, where young fry from the
SW anton hatchery were deposited two
years ago, No better place for a fish
hatchery could probably he found in
Vermont than the vicinity of MisssquOi
river
SEEMING FOR PIKE PERCH IN THE SPAWN.
ING SEASON.
Strange to say this seasons experience
has proved beyond doubt thatit would
be bencGc al to allow the commercial
fishermen to seine for pike-pe CHI in Lake
Champain and in the Missisquoi river
during the spawning season, i they will
give the hatchery the eggs that are found
i'll the fish.
At least two thousand millions pike
perch eggs were sent to the New York
market this spring barrelled up with the
dead fish. Halt of these could be saved
for the hatchery if the fishermen ran their
senes during the spawning season and
gave the eggs to the hatchery, in which
case the benefit to the pike fisheries of
the lake would be ten times more than
the injury caused by the seining. Let me
add that the commercial fishermen, this
year, were very obliging to the hatchery |
people and rendered them all the assist |
ance they could, besides giving the eggs |
for nothing.
There appears to be little hope now
that Canada will give up spring fishing
n The lake, and thus being the case the
Am rc IN 6,h rmen ought to be allowed
o i>h as freely as the Cauad ans.
My position is that all the seine fisher
men on the lake and river should be al
owed to fish in the spring if they will
1--WE the eggs they take in their fish to
he hatchery. II this seems o cause too
,reat a drain on the fish. then shorten
he season; but under any circumstances
the fishermen Will give the eggs to be
atched at tic ha cherry, the fishermen
nay fish all they please and the ha cherry
VII put fish into the water faster than
he fishermen can fish them out The
,eSt locality for alarge hatchery appears
o be at the north end of Hog Island on
lake Champlaln where a thousand mil
ION eggs could be secur, d annually. One
more word about seine fishing II seine
shing were freely allowed, a great many
oarse fish, like suckers and yellow perch
which feed vOraciously on pike eggs and
,lack bass eggs, would be removed rom
he water, and the finer and more valu
bic fish, like black bass, would have a
ar better chance to increase if some of
heir voracious enemies were DESTROYED.
MYRON GREEN.
WantOn Fish Hatchery. Nav ~ 1909