New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-18
FRENCH SALMON FISHING.
I'm abundant Supply Found Even,
Far from the Sea.
Paris. March ]

Paris, March l.
- azt;,r season has opened with an unusual
,-sa.oa of salmon in the Loire and in the
go o,6 great excitement has been caused by
-, ,,.-4,,re this week Of a salmon IN the River
-. - .rfb,,tarv OF the Seine. at point a
hundred miles southwest OF Farls- Strahse 10
- -.rr,on must have found their way from
so =. .+,antic I'D the Seine. passing through
- ga the innumerable locks and barrages
- liver. Twenty thousand dollars has
- .,n,sIIv expended in stocking the French
80 NTH the spawn OF salmon and Of trout
t.ot,e6 IN Scotland and in the United States.
rbe revival Of salmon in France seems now
a, assured fact. It was only last year that the
salmon supply was so deficient that eight mill
,on mounds Of this neutrality-suspicious. hsh were
purchased in Great Britain alone at an average
,,-5cc Of 30 cents q pound. To-day there is such
& large quantity Of native French salmon IN
the Paris market that the retail price for the
hest prime cuts is only 60 cents pound-a price
10 per cent lower than has been known hero
for a quarter Of a century. The French Fish
Commissioners feel greatly encouraged and are
about to import enormous quantities Of spawn
from the United States and Canada.
By their temperature and the geological for
nation OF their beds, the French rivers suit
ed 10 an immense variety Of fish. hundred
years ago they were in fact, richly stocked
that no fresh water fish imported at all
The humblest family could obtain g savory dish
Of carp. perch or trout To-day these are a
luxury only within the reach Of few, and the
reason IS not far TO seek. All along the banks
Of the rivers and canals great factories have
sprung up. whose refuse, carried off by the
streams, poisons the waters. and the work of
destruction thus begun has been carried still
further by untiring dragging with nets and other
the fry with the older fish.
But il was not without an effort that fisher
men have allowed this depopulation of the
waters 10 go on. An earnest attempt was
rsde IN 1885 to stock the swifter rivers
with salmon, 100000 kiIos 100000 pounds)
OF salmon fry having been imported and
planted, together with 100000 kilos Of
other kinds Of fresh water fish. from the lazy
carp Of the smooth and quiet streams to the
delicate trout Of the turbulent mountain water
courses. Five years ago similar quantities were
again brought into the country and yet the
last nine years have seen the gigantic amount
Of 600o00O0 pounds of fresh water fish brought
from foreign countries into the markets Of
France.
Notwithstanding these statistics. the waters
Of this country are fertile as her soil. Her
2T5000 kilometres Q71OOO miles, of navigable
rivers and canals might to-day be teeming with
fish if q few simple changes in their hygfenio
conditions could be made. In the first place
the waters must be kept free from contamina-
uon, no refuse chemical matter from factories
being allowed 10 enter the streams. so that the
very first necessity OF fish life might be present
And. in the second place. close time must be
vigorously observed. The major part Of the
rivers and canals is the property Of the State
and open 10 the public for rod fishing without
fee or license. Concessions TO individuals of
a few special preserves. for which rent is paid,
bring. in round figures. about million francs
into the budget license is necessary for deep
water fishing. as also for fishing with drag nets
or other similar engines. and thus It is in the
hands Of the authorities to prevent the wanton
destruction OF young and immature fish. by en-
forcing the regulations for the due observance
Of a close time at the spawning season.
With these two precautions, the restocking Of
the waters should be speedily accomplished
Experiments have shown that a single carp
produces $4,000 eggs TO every kilo Of its weight
and a tench $4,000 n the same proportion. OF
these eggs. only average Of five to the thou
sand become adult fish. To supplement this
production, therefore, the state and few pri-
vate individuals have equipped fish breeding
establishments. The Department Of Rivers and
Forests own III such establishments and there
rious parts OF the country. One Of these sue
ceeds IN getting the ten thousand young trout
Desired TO stock that particular locality for the
trifing expenditure OF two hundred francs an
nuany
But before the restocking of the rivers can
be entirely successful there is one other re-
form needed, and this is now being taken in
hand The salmon and other migratory fish
require q free circulation along the beds Of the
rivers. and this. in consequence of the existing
system OF locks throughout the country is just
what they cannot get. Every lock is to be pro-
Vided with some kind OF arrangement of practi-
cal steps. such, for example as those in use in
England, which have been found to answer ad-
miTably- BY means Of these steps, those fish
which descend each year TO the sea would be
enabled 10 return TO their native rivers and re-
stock the higher reaches without any artificial
assistance
Certainly until these reforms have been ef-
tecteds the import OF fresh water fish into
France cannot be sensibly diminished and even
should the salmon Of the Yonne prove har-
ninger Of future shoals. il viii probably be
long before home grown salmon can be sold
N te stalls of the Paris fish market at, say
twenty cents a pound. GLIB
OFFICE FOR GEORGE M. CUMMING.