The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
.SEEETS FOR THE HUDSON
100000 LITTLE FISHES SET FREE
IN THE RIVER.

They were Hatohed at The aquarium ~
mig MIX Can Capable OF HOldtnR 400
600 Of Them-The Lot New Headed
for A~Ibany-The PToesss Of hatebins'
Milk from the sea oowF
= Thus a wsggish passenger 70 men ron
the Aquarium who had boarded q nortn'
bound subway train at the Battery tare,
station, carrying a big can mat did icoN
something like a milk can Of extra large sise'
hut which was marked New York Aqua-
rum"
n was reaily a transportation can. one OF
several sorts and sizes used for carrying
living fishes, and what this particular can
contained at that moment was not milk
from the Aouarium's sea COW. but about
400 900 young smelts which had been matched
Out in the Aquarium's fish hatchery and
which were TO- on their . TO oe put
into the waters OF the North River.
The eRes, a million of them altogether.
fromSwhioh this batch of young fishes was
Matched were received at the Aquarium
from the State fsh hatchery at Cold Spring
Harbor, Long Island. on April Is, smelt
agra are very small and the whole million
went easily into one Matching jar.
IN IHb Jdt lhp VeBD
tbs lover half of Il In q loose mass. A con
stant stream OF water is kept running into
the Jar from a glass pipe which Ia inserted
| through it's top, the opening Of the pipe
from which the water flows, being close to
the bottom and 90 under the mass OF eggt.
Delivered at this point the inhowtng water
keeps the whole mass Of eggs in constant
gentle motion and aerates them all. With
the water thus flowing the whole mass OF
eggs appears to be very gently boiling.
! Inserted in the top Of the jar IL another
alase pine whose lower end reaches Just
below the surface Of the water. this glass
| mind being part Of a siphon tube hat runs
to a glass tank standing beside the jar.
Through this siphon the overflow OF the
constantly ~infowing water 10 carried from
the lar to the tank, and through II also are
| carried the little fishes as they hatch out. ?
As fast as the little fishes appear they
rise. naturally, to the surface or into the
upper water, and there they swim Il
vrieele about until they come, as sooner
or later they all do, within the radius OF
suction from the siphon tube, and then
away they 60 up the glass pipe With the
water and over through the siphon tube
into the tank, there to disport themselVes
as 40 many lively little fishes.
Smelt eggs hatch in from ten to twenty
five days, according to the temperature
OF the water in which they are placed; the
last OF this lot, which had been placed in
the lar on April is and which had begun to
hatch on April 20 Matched out on May l..
Out Of the million eggs about $50 600 Matched,
recurring two glass tanks, . about three
feet In length by fifteen inches In width and
a foot and q half in depth for their com"
Portable accommodation.
In these tanks, each containing about
half a million OF them, the little smelts, now
; about a quarter Of an inch in length and very
slender, gave the water when. the tanks
were looked at from a little distance the
appearance OF being slightly clouded, the
little fishes we're ne there ;nd III dnc1 a %SssA ar.
everywhere readily made out, all twisting
and wriggling and turning and swimming
Justify. A lively lot. at,
But young smslts can't be EsePt long With
safety, and the first batch OF this lot was
turned out in the North River on May I
and the last batch on NAY ?, about. 800 Ioo0
Of them in all. They were taken In cans
by the s~ubway-this certainly a novel
trip for young fishes to maseu ,,s1 put into
The eggs OF these emelts were spawned
in fresh water al Cold Springs and they
were hatched out in fresh water at tbs
Aquarium, and so it might seem odd to
/ Dut THESE UtIl6 uB0Oc tHub udtOhC0 ONCt.
board in salt water. But, az q matter q
fact, the water In New York HarboT, with
the great body OF fresh water constantly
flowing into it from the Hudson River, Ia
never salty. as the ocean is, but Away
more or less braclish, and what, with the
volume Of fresh water now coming down
the river from the spring floods In the
streams, the surface water Of the Hudson
up there where the smeltB were turned
loose Ia at b tide al but fresh; sna IL
anyway, for they are equally at home In
water, salt or fresh.
As each can was emptied into the river
the fehes poured from 1t kept together In
a bunch: the little fishes poured from the
first can came together a moment later
into a sort Of circular formation fifteen, or
eighteen inches in diameter. like a thin
disc formed OF a multitude OF little fishes,
with some scattering fishes around the
outside, but keeping near, and then. with
the little fishes all swimming one way this
disc turned around and around on lite
centre at the surface Of the water.
Not i~mprobably the little smelts all came
together later: and then. II they followed
stream. keeping near the shore. IT Is
common for MANY species OF fishes.~ including
fishes that at their maturity come TO- be
far larger than the smelt, TO seek shallow
their better protection from bigger fishes
that would prey upon them, and then there
are fishes that live part of their lives In
salt water and 1t may be In the open sea.
that push ever TO the sources Of fresh water
stream, in the spawning season to spawn:
So. obeyinG their instinct. these snelts
would set out up stream, many Of them
in the course OF nature TO die on the way.
and many, II might be 10 be devoured by
other fish, which lie another way OF the
natural order Of things. Fishermen say
that II all the fishes spawned should live
TO grow up the seas n rivers would be
clogged with fishes.
Keeping on up stream these emelts might
eone OF them wander of into bays or In
denta tions or up creeks or streams, The
main Body might be broken up by a steam
boat. the survivors, not impossibly, coming
together again and keeping on: they might
be scattered by a rowboat, or various things
might happen TO them. but II is not unlikely
that some OF them blythe end Of the summer,
and getting bigger all the time. would have
reached the waters OF Albany or beyond;
and then in the fall they would come down
the river.
Later those remaining, which might he
more or less in number according to the
vicissitudes encountered. might be found,
still growing, again in the waters here:
aboute or perhaps In Graveeend Bey. and
II Ia not at all improbable that come OF them
would work their way around Manhattan
Island and into Long Island Sound. And
1t is quite within the possibilities that some
OF these. wandering In due time fullgrown,