Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-09-07
BABY TROUT IN
SANTA FE RIO
The Fish Car From
Colorado in
Capital.
ANNUAL TRIP TO STREAMS
Of New Mexico to Stock
Them--lnteresting Account
Of Hatchery Methods.


exceptionally fine fishing next season
in close proximity to the Capita The
Santa Fe River and other streams in
this vicinity were stocked with noun.
tain trout yesterday. Eighty thousand
of the speckled beauties were put in
to the waters of the river. They
were secured from the U. S. fish
hatchery at Leadville, Colorado
A. J. Fischer, j. w. Akers of this
city,, and Il. G. Blake, of Coyote, de-
serve the credit for having had the
streams in this locality restocked with
trout. Eighteen cans filled with "fry"
and "fingerlings'', as the baby fish
are called by the fish culturists, were
emptied into the nearby streams.
Each can when filled holds five thou
sand fish from al inch to two inches
In length. The smaller ones are
known as frys while the larger ones
are designated as fingerlings or year.
| lings.
W. T. Thompson and G. G.. Aims.
worth, superintendent and foreman
respectively Of the fish hatchery at
Leadville, were in the city yesterday
and the releasing of the fish into the
streams was done under their instruc-
tions. Fifty thousand of the fish were
placed in the Santa Fe River at points
beyond Monument Rock. A. H.
Kerth, of Washington, D. c., who is
one of the government fish commits
sioners, was also in the city yester-
day. The three officials named were
In charge of cars which were distrib-
uting fish at various points in New
Mexico and Arizona. Mr.. Kerth will
put most of the fish in his car
into Arizona streams. His car went
on ahead. In addition to the trout,
| 1t contains cans filed with bass and
catfish. Mr.. Thompson came on a spe.
cial fish car via the Atchson, Topeka
4 Santa Fe Railway, while Mr.. Aims.
worth arrived in the city in his car
by way of the Denver & Rio Grande
Railroad.
One Hundred Thousand Trout at Es
pamela.
One hundred thousand trout were
unloaded at Espanola with which to
stock the Santa Clara River and the
/ same number were sent to Chama for
the stocking of the Chama and Braz
os Rivers. Large quantities were al
so unloaded at Antonito and Serville
ia. to be placed in the public waters
in the vicinity of those two places.
Mr.. Thompson was interviewed
last evening by reporter of the New
Mexican. He talked freely of the
work by the Bureau of Fisheries anG
especially by the fish hatchery Of
which he has charge. He explained
the manner in which the trout are
raised from the spawn until they are
large enough to swim. He said:
"Our spawn is secured from the
wild fish. We do not believe in tax
ing them from domesticated trout
such as those held in captivity in tn,
small ponds. We go right out IL
the public streams or lakes and cap
ture the wild adult while spawnin,
or Immediately prior to the spawn
ing period. If not quite ripe" -,
term we use, we hold them in retain
ing ponds or live boxes until tn
spawn ripens, when it is taken an,
fertilized.
One Of Many Interesting Features 0
Hatchery.
Zone very peculiar and interestin,
fact in connection with the spawnin
operation is that the eggs when ez
truded naturally by the female as wei
as when taken by the fish culturis
are not fertilized. The egg is a vii
gin organism. The most common CON
parison would be the egg of her
This we all know when laid by tn
hen is already fertilized, but tn
spawn of the fish requires the cor
tact Of the male germ after it Is pass
ed from the parent fish. The percen
age fertilized through the fish Gu
tural operation is very largely in e,
cess of that possible under natura
methods. The best data that we hav
would establish five per cent as
raaximum under natural rules, whil
the results Of fish cultural work wi
show ninety-five per cent Of fertiliz,
ton. We sometimes hatch out ninet
) per cent and upwards.
another way in which our oper,
t'ons are an improvement over natur
lies In the fact that we furnish pr,
lection for the eggs and immatur
fish until they are able to swim an
care for themselves. The dainties
norsel that any fish finds Is tn
, spawn or newly Matched fry. Th
aGult fish never stops to examine tn
birth marks, and is just as apt 10 es
the fish hatched from Its own spaw
a as not. 1t is a peculiar fact unknow
t even to many well posted anglers tn;
8 the newly hatched fish Is unable cit
n er to swim or feed. In fact it is tn
a raost helpless creature imaginabl
i About one-half of the contents of ii
t egg forms the fish proper. The ba
n ance In nc form of a sac is attache
a underneath, giving 1t very much Il
9 appearance Of a pollywog or tadpol
s This sac forms the subsistence for
r period Of several weeks or months a
cording to the temperature OF Il