Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-04-27
FISH Commissioner
MEEHAN DISAGREES

In letter to Senator Godcharles of
Milton, Commissioner Meehan says:
| do not agree at all with Donehow-
er's theory that spring planting of
trout is not right. have so stated in
the Williamsport Sun. 1 would not
tcare how great the facilities might be
when rearing trout, would not favor
planting them in the fall. could give
very many good reasons in favor of
spring planting of small fish and
against planting large fish in the fall
Here are two or three very good and
conclusive ones:
First. Young fish three or four
months old when planted in the streams
in the spring soon find plenty of food
coming to them and by the autumn
are fully capable of hunting food for
themselves.
Second. Fish held in the hatcheries
through the summer must necessarily
be fed with artificial foods and when
planted in the fall of the year do not
know how to hunt for food for them
selves, and food at that time is very
scarce. Consequently, these fish have
very hard time of it pulling through
the winter and many are lost.
| Third. Fish kept in hatcheries un-
| til fall learn to school and when
planted in the fall hold to the habit
and when the angler comes along in
the spring it is almost certain that
nearly every fish will be caught.
Fourth. Fall planted fish are the
most helpless creatures that can be i'm
agined. Spring planted fish in a week
or two. learn to take care of them
selves
| Fifth. 1t is by results that we de-
termine whether thing is good or
not. The results from the trout streams
in Pennsylvania show that spring
! planting is good.
The allegation which is often made
that floods will sweep away little fish
is not founded on fact, if the fish are
planted where they should be, namely
in spring runs tributary to the stream
from which it is expected to catch
them. No food which has yet OCCUR
red has been able to turn as much as
the tail of the trout or move it from
where it wants to remain. That is af-
new water, which will be at the most
three or four days, and when planted
there early in the season before the
snow water has entirely disappeared
the time is shortened. Twenty four
hours will settle them securely.
The United States Bureau of Fisher
les has apparently learned that both
Pennsylvania and Michigan and some
other states are right in spring plant
ing from the fact that it is going into
spring planting as rapidly as possible.
A few years ago it planted nearly all
it's trout in the fall, advocating au-
tumn planting. Last year they raised
ten and a half million trout, of which
only one million were fall planted.
The rest were planted even earlier than
we do. Michigan plants in the same
stage and has achieved marvellous
success. am convinced from expert
ence covering nearly thirty years in
fish planting that it would be impossi-
BILE to stock the waters of Pennsyl-
vania with trout if fall planting were
indulged in. The best evidence to
prove this is to be found in New York
state where they plant almost exclu-
sively in the autumn; the fishing is
there falling behind. In Pennsylvania
and Michigan where spring planting
is the rule, trout fishing is improving
annually.