Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1910-03-17
FISH RAISING PAYS
Acre of Water Worth More Than
Similar Amount of Farm Land
Retiring Executive Agent Of Minnesota
Game and Fish Commission Gives
Figures to Prove His Claim
Carp In Demand.


St Paul. Minn.-Which Is the moro
valuable from the standpoint of pro
duction. an acre Of land or an acre Of
water?
At first sight the probable answer
In most cases would be that an acre
Of land would produce more than the
same space Of water. Whether the
crop be corn. wheat, oats or other
grains. or even timber or other prod
uct. the solid ground would seem to
have the call
Carlos Avery. retiring executive
agent of the game and fish commits
sion. however. has different opinion
In the matter. He declares that under
proper scientific conditions an acre
Of Minnesota inland water will pro-
duce more than the average acre Of
the land of the state. This estimate
does not refer to possibilities Of
| rivers or other bodies of water from
the standpoint Of the carrying trade.
but solely to the possibilities of the
] fish supply.
1t is probable that even the citizens
| OF the state who are familiar with
the facts that the lakes are numbered
by the thousand do not realize what a
wonderful possibility OF wealth to the
people Is here unfolded. One fifteenth
OF the total area Of the state Is water.
In round numbers this may be placed
at 100000 acres. Placing the aver
age production of Minnesota land at
$40 an acre and admitting an acre OF
water to be equally productive, II no
more, the total possible output from
the lakes and rivers. which now yield
comparatively little, would amount to
but little short of s100.000.000 annu-
ally.
Such figures are indeed tremendous
but they are entirely within the range
OF the possible. and illustrate effec-
lively some of the undeveloped re-
sources of the state and what mod
ern scientific methods may accom-
plish
The cultivation of the soil has been
one of the principal occupations of the
race since man first emerged from
rudest savagery, but II has remained
for a much later era to take up the
cultivation Of the water.
There are no figures available as to
The quantity or cash value of the fish
annually taken from the inland waters
OF the state, but some idea of what
this source Of natural wealth Is now
worth. regardless of anything which
might be reached from the fact that
81 100000 worth Of the rough varieties
are annually shipped to eastern mar
kets by commercial fishermen from In
terstate and international boundary
waters. including the Mississippi river
and Lake st. Croix between Minneso-
Ia and Wisconsin. that part Of Lake
Superior known as the north shore,
Rainy lake and Lake Of the Woods.
More than half of this total Is made
up of the despised German carp,
which Is caught in the Mississippi,
and II Is said that, In spite Of the
heavy draft which has been made upon
this source. the catch every year is
increasing. II Is the opinion of Mr..
Avery that some legal method should
be provided to allow this variety of
fish to be caught from the Minnesota
river and some Of the interior lakes,
as they are increasing In numbers and
threaten the better varieties of game
fish
The bulk OF the north shore catch
consists OF lake trout and herring.
Whitefish once formed an important
Item. but destructive methods and
everlasting have practically exhausted
them. Lake trout are said to be
doomed to the same fate unless the
United States bureau OF fisheries IL
successful in its efforts to propagate
the fish to an extent sufficient to main.
tain the supply
The Lake OF the Wood produces an.
nually half million pounds Of yellow
pike and an equal amount of white.
fish and pickerel Fifteen years ago
this one lake produced an annual catch
OF a 100000 pounds OF sturgeon and
great quantity of caviar, but last
year the sturgeon catch dropped &c
$1,000 pounds. and now a closed sea.
son OF Ave years by international
agreement is proposed.
From Winona to Grand Marfas.
along the eastern border of the state,
brook trout are common and bass are
everywhere Tourists and city dwell.
ers look eagerly forward TO the dates
when they are permitted to seek these
aristocrats OF the finny tribe. II 10
an encouraging fact that trout fish.
ing Is constantly becoming more wide.
ly extended. due wholly to artificial
propagation and planting, without
which there would be no brook trout
At present Minnesota owns three
hatcheries equipped for the production
of fish fry. which represent a per-
manent investment of 100000. The
St. Paul hatchery is equipped for the