Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-01-06
RAINBOW TROUT
ARE RAPIDLY
INCREASING
Interesting Fish Statistics For
1906 in Report of Commits
sioner. Bowers to Depart
ment Of Commerce and La
Dor.

Washington, Jan. 5.-The work of
the fish commission for the past year
is reviewed in the report of Commits
sioner Bowers presented to the secre-
tary of the department of commerce
and labor, In the course of his re-
port Commissioners Bowers y
In total results the fish cultural
work of the bureau in 1906 surpassed
all previous records. The decline in
the catch of shad in the rivers has
continued and consequently the take
of eggs of one of the fishes formerly
most conspicuous in the annual dis
tributions was less this year thar ever
before, but with the exceptional num-
bers of the salmons, of lake, rainbow
and steelhead trouts, Of yellow perch
and white perch, of 1atfish and lob
sters, with an average product of cod.
whitefish and pike perch, much more
than offset the decrease. The species
distributed numbered t~hirty-siX, in
GLIDING the lobster.
Encouraging results in the efforts
of the government to maintain the fish
supply by artificial means appear in
reports from fishermen and fish cul-
turalists in all parts of the country.
Although it is difficult to establish
definitely the extent to which the
h~atcheries have affected the condition
of the commercial fisheries of the
coastal waters and the Great Lakes,
the renewed productiveness of old and
abandoned feeding grounds and the
abundance of fish on entirely new
areas are strongly indicative. Unus-
ual numbers of cod are reported all
along the coast, and surprising catches
have been made on inshore grounds.
In spite of the growing scarcity Of
adult HOLSTERS and the ruthless de-
struction of young egg during
the last ten years, fishermen of the
New England coast have been find
ing in their traps many more young
Holsters than formerly; iatfsh are
much more numerous, especially small
fiatfish in the shallow waters along
shore; n exceptional catches of
whiteish were made this year in Lake
Ontario n Lake Erie. which fishing
firms operating there attribute wholly
to the planting of artificially hatched
fry. The stocking of artificial lakes
and interior streams produces deter
inmate and obvious results. Conspic-
uouS instances are the present album
dance of blac%k-spotted trout in a
lake in Yellowstone Park where for
merly no fish were found; tic size and
quantity of trout caught by anglers
in waters stocked from the W%ytheville
station; the phenomenal numbers of
crappie n catfish taken and mar
keted from certain reservoirs in Texas,
many of which are artificial. n the
transformation on Insignificant lakes
in that state into valuable fishing pre-
serves.
Work OF The Year.
The fish -culturgl work of the past
year was conducted in thlrty-one
states and territories. Three stations
dealt with cod. flatfish and Holsters;
twelve with Atlantic and landlocked
salmons. shad. striped bass, white
perch and yellow perch; sixteen with
whitefish, lake herring, lake trout
and pike perch; twelve with Pacific
salmons, and t~wenty-nine with rain
bow trout, black bass, crappie, sunfish,
and various minor species. The out
put consisted of 3~97,556,725 fortified
eggs, 1,526, 6S1.63S fry, and 1885,
246 y%earlings, fngerlings and adults,
or an aggregate of 1,931S34,6O9 fish
and eggs.
The distribution of the fish Matched
and collected involved the paid trans
portation of the six cars of the bureau
over so, 30S miles and free transporta-
ton over 1900 miles, a total of 3d.
368 miles. The hfty-tlve messengers
travelled 217,6S6 paid miles and 1885,
757 free miles, or 323,443 miles in all.
More concrete representation of the
operations of the car and messenger
service is the fact that fish were dis
4 iHNA(A ~ VN0AS a Wv ~ 49,
of the United States.
OF the 3 1862 fortified eggs
in the output for the past year. 3S9.-
0S3,S45 were sent to state fish hatch
cries, to be Matched and planted under
state supervision.
With the approval of the fishery au-
thorities of ontario the bureau has
continued to collect eggs in the Ca
madam waters of Lake Erie and Lake
Superior. Early in June a special
plant of 200, 600 young lake trout was
made on the Canadian aide. The
whitefish, lake herring, lake trout,
pike perch and other fishes previously
planted in the international lakes
have been beneficial to Canadian n
American fishermen alike.
In compliance with requests re-
ceived through diplomatic channels,
635,6S9 salmon and trout eggs were
donated to the government of Argen-
tina for which government the bureau
also acted as agent in the purchase
and shipment of 60, 900 brook trout
eggs. The results of previous plants
in Argentine waters have been most
satisfactory.
New Water Animals.
FHlA pfp.l.,gffA int, TFnffa1 GtnfRo