The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1910-08-25
Is TO Be Tried by George M.
Bowers, Federal Fish
Commissioner.
HAS. EXPERlMENTED.
Hatcheries May Cause Fresh
Water Streams TO Be
Filled with Them.

WASHINGTON, ID. C.. Aug. a.
That the black bass Of the South
Branch, the trout Of Cheat river. and
even the mud-cat OF the Ohio are 10
yield their supremacy ana that the
tiSa-bearing waters o. lhe Mountain
State are to be utilized for seal hatch
cries Is the dream OF United states
F.sh'comnlsnioner George IA. Bowers.
Of Martinsburg. W Va. who has be-
come greatly Interested in the propa-
cation Of seals and believes the fresh
mountain streams OF West Virginia are
ideal places for seal propagation.
Commissioner Bowers has demon
strated that seals can be grown in the
fresh water Of the Potomac, which
comes from the mountains of West
virg' MA, and sees no reason why the
other fresh waters OF that state, un-
less polluted to too great an extent,
should not he equally adaptable.
THAT seals may be raised in fresh
water and in temperate climate has
been demonstrated beyond doubt"
said Mr.. Bowers today. THE only
drawback sec to the raising Of the
seal as an industry is that they are
apt to swim away or wander ashore
and be captured and killed for their
furs. A good seal skin is worth about
$40 and this would be a great tempo
ton unless the seals were kept under
close watch and not allowed to-
stray"
Under the care Of Mr. Bowers the
only seals ever raised in captivity and
the only seals ever raised in fresh
water have grown to normal size. al
pair of them were captured when
pups after the parent seals had
been killed. The seal IL n mammal
and viii not nourish the pups" 81
other seals. so that when a female
seal IS killed her Offspring usually
dies Of starvation. Employees of the
Fisheries Bureau, finding two little
orphan seals last winter undertook tot
raise them on a bottle ana did so,
bringing them to Washington, where
the fresh water experiment was tried
on them. 1t succeeded admirably and
now they disport themselves as gaiiy,
in the tank OF fresh water provided
for them in the fisheries building here
as though they were on cakes Of ice
in the Arctic regions.
Satisfied as to the possibility Of
raising seals in fresh water. Mr..
Bowers is preparing to carry his ex-
pertinent farther and intends to breed
race Of Potomac river scals. Crews
on vessels Of the Fisheries Bureau
have been instructed to send here
from Alaska about twenty pairs OF
seals and the experiment of breed
Ing them in temperate fresh water
viii be undertaken, Afterwards the
result Of the experiment VIII be made
public and II the results are as Mr..
Powers feels he has right to expect
from the success ne has met with in
rearing the two now here, he viii pub
lsh the result of his work in the
hope 81 establishing seal breeding
industry in the fresh waters of the
United States.
Mr. Bowers returned only yester-
day from trip to Europe lasting two
months. lie was in Holland. Belgium.
France and England. He visited all
rhe principal fishing communities and
fish hatcherea of those countries, in
Guiding Hull and Grinstead. the two
great fishing centers Of England. Mr..
Powers was at The Hague when the
Arguments we're made in the arbitra-
lions proceedings on the differences
betwecn the United States and Great
Britain regarding fisheries. He said
;He argument of former Secretary
Root was clear and able and present.
ed the case - he did not see that
there could be but one finding.
Mr. Bowers says the last year in the
Fisheries Bureau was the largest l,
has ever had. Tho output, he says,
was more than three and one-half bill
lion fish. more BY aOo,Ooo.OOo than
ever before.