The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-29

1 year should produce female Ash and
they in turn lay similar eggs, that
within few years the whole world
would be covered. and we could have
tower of eggs reaching from hare
TO the moon.
| All this is preliminary TO my story
of the great. work which our Uncle
Sam, Patriarch. has under way TO in
crease our fish supply.
Planting Fish by the Billions.
During the past week have been
talking with the men who run the FISH
commis sion. They have a big Office
mere in Washing ton. and connected
with It are fish hatcheries scattered all
over the Union The government now
matches fish as farmers hatch chickens
and its output of the fnny tribe last
year was more than 1000 million. OF
these there were something like 200,-
100000 salmon, over 400 900. 900 white
fish. 600,G00.000 or 7oO.00o.0o0 pike
perch and almost 600 100000 cod.
The white perch, numbered 100000.
600 the Rat ish S00,000.oo0 and the
Holsters almost 2Oo.000,00o. In addi-
tion to this there was an enormous
planting of oysters and a distribution
of food fishes so numerous In variety
that cannot mention them all. Some
OF these fish were taken from the At
lantic TO the Pacific. and some were
brought from the great northwest to
Maine aud other States. There are
now large government hatoheries in
twcnty-seven different states, and the
fish reared are increasing by the hun
dreds of millions per annum. Since
the establishment OF the bureau, which
was about forty years ago, more than
$4,000 million eggs have been artificial
" produced. and of these about half
have been the OUTPUT Of the last SIX
years. I am told also that this work
is at its beginning. and that " our
waters are properly stocked and cared
for we may yet shake our fists in the
faces OF the packing interests and live
upon fish,.
New Fish Laws Needed.
The next Congress will be asked to
make new laws for the protection OF
our fish in the streams and along the
coasts. as well as TO tho proper man.
agement of our oyster farms. During
my stay in the offices OF the fish com
mission ] had a chat with DR. Hugh
NJ Smith, the deputy commissioner.
DR.. Smith Is a high authority on all
such matters. He has travelled widely
over the world looking up new fish
and fish products. in order that they
may be transplanted to the United
States.
He tells me that the states now
nave the right 10 control the protec-
ton and propagation OF the fish within
their boundaries. He thinks this should
he given over to the national govern
mcnt. and says that many of the States
are allowing their fisheries to go to
ruin. Take the shad. which gives us
tens of millions of pounds of the most
delicious food every year. IT Is the
leading fish OF our eastern sea5oard.
and II runs UP the coastal streams of
the Atlantic as the salmon does up
the Pacific The government has been
doing what 1t can To plant shad. and
1t has placed something like 5000 mil
lion of the young In the various
streams. All these fish were reared
from eggs taken from fish caught for
the markets and the flesh of the fsh
was eaten. AS 1t Is now In some OF
the States. the shad arc taken when
they first enter the streams. Tho eggs
are not ripe at that time and are use
less TO the hatcheries. The ersult i-
that the spawntnkers must walt for
the run farther up the stream, and mil
lions are lost. IN North Carolina the
fishermen so control the streams that
the greater part OF the shad cannot
go up the rivers to spawn This was
done to such an extent that the sup
ply OF North Carolina shad was great
ly reduced. The output fell to 5000
900 when the officers of the Bureau OF
Fisheries went to the North Carolina
legislature and secured certain pro-
tective laws. AS result this last