The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-08-07
FISH FARMING
UNITED STATES,
new INDUSTRY
Acre Of Pond Produces More
Food and Money Than Acre
in Usual Crops
PROFIT IN EGGS AND
FRY RAISED IN BASINS
Money Needed to Study Fish
Diseases Artificial Oyster
Raising Grows

WASHlNQTON, Aux. 6-rISn
farming IL rapidly growing indus
try throughout the United States. The
up to date fsh farmers md ready
market for young fsh and eggs and
for food and game ffsh. The govern
ment and the states purchase large
quantities OF eggs and fry from fish
farmers every year. Private clubs
with their own Ash preserves and
hatcheriss also furnish market at
good prices for eggs and Try. The
commercial market for food and game
fishes In q profitable one. This II par.
tlcularly true of trout and bass. A
steady market with an average price
Of 75 cents per pound for game trout
makes the production Of this fsh par.
ucularly attractive"
II. M. Smith. commissioner OF fish
cries, made this statement to repre-
sentative of The World. Commission
er Smith IL greatly interested In the
growing demand for supplies BY dsh
farmers, a. well a. by club and state
authorities, and hsh production by
these means II growing by leaps and
bounds.
TN addition TO the Ash farmers who
are IN the business commercially"
continued the commissioners, there
are large numbers Of farmers all over
the country who have come 70 realize
the value Of the private nsh pond as
q source OF food supply. With full
e. realization Of the benefits accruing
from the maintenance OF Ash ponds on
farms. az an inexpensive and ready
food supply for home consumption. the
demand for black bass, crappies, sun
f!eh, catfish and other species adapted
t. pond culture, which are obtainable
only through natural reproduction. 10
Increasing out of all proportion to the
annual supply available.
" During the fiscal year that ended
June 80, 1913, the total production and
output Of food and game fishes by the
bureau exceeded $685.. 100000. During
the fiscal year Just closed the total
was considerably more than 1000, 000.-
600. Notwithstanding the high cost
Of labor and materials this steady In
crease In production and output has
been accomplished without q proper
tiorate Increase In expenditures.
while the fish farmers can be sure
OF securing q larger profit per acre
of fsh than from other products, the
best work Is done today In small ce-
ment ponds where eggs and fry can
be kept under observation at all times.
MANY nsh farmers sell eggs and
small fishes to other Ash farmers as
well a. to the government. the states
and clubs, any Of them. make q spe.
cislty OF this work. Fish eggs can be
shipped around the world In safety II
kept cool and moist. They do not per.
ish when taken from the water II
properly protected In this way. This
makes It easy for the fish farmers TO
find market regardless OF how Tar
Il IL away"
The bureau has only limited means
for the investigation OF fish diseases.
which ut times cause large losses to
the government, states and private
nsh culturists. Commissioner Smith
II receiving growing and insistent de-
u,ands for the Investigation Of vari-
Gus Ash diseases and for the study of
he relations OF Industrial and other
CONCENTRATIONS to fish life In streams.
.These demands" said Commits.
sioner Smith, "are of character that
maker them entirely appropriate for
attention at the hands OF the fishery
service, but owing to lack Of facilities
Inc bureau naS pccn sDio " w vosy
little to help either itself or the gen.
eral public in this respect. From every
consideration OF economy adequate
means should be provided for such In
vestigations. At one hatchery alone.
at Holden. VT. over $4,000 trout died
from an epidemic In two months. This
was practically the entire stock on
hand, and the cost Of producing these
nsh. to say nothing Of their ultimate
value, was greater than would suflcs
70 pay for an assistant Quallfled 70
ind means Of preventing such losses"