Evening journal., 1915-05-04
FISH Hatchery IS
DOING Great WORK
Streams Would Soon Be De-
populated Were it Not for
Plant at Torresdale, Pa.
RAISE MILLIONS
OF YOUNG FRY

many interesting places that are con
Quoted by the State OF Pennsylvania.
Here is where visitors from all over theI
| country come for information regarding
! the fish industry and for points ON the
/ development of fish in all the stages of
/ life. An average Of 1000 visitors are
shown around the place weekly and
! gather much valuable data from the at.
tcntvc employee.
Some of the people who have been
there recently have come from Japan,
! Canada and the western part of the
| United States, while students OF the
colleges, universities and schools con-
slider il valuable adjunct TO their cdu-
cation. SO il should be. and it the plans
of Commissioner of Fisheries y. r. Bull
Ter mature, many improvements will be
made during the coming year that will
make the place an educational centre.
The Fish Hatchery at Torrcsdalc was
Z started in 1904 in small way and has
developed in a truly wonderful manner
/ The new building was completed in No
vembcr of last year and is equipped IN
a modern manner II cost about $40 600
and is constructed of ,ck. concrete and
torracotta. On the first floor the ncu-
bators glass jars with water constantly
running through them. arc located and
the packing rooms for both eggs and fry
The eggs arc shipped in cases and the
/ fry in large cans similar to milk churns
/ These are accompanied by messenger
to the destination 10Th eggs and fry
being transported free by the railroads
Hatch Millions of Fish
On the second noor are the large
aquariums where the adult fish of each
species are kept. The Office OF Superin.
tendent Jerry Berkhous is also ON the
second floor, while the third floor is used
as store house. The outside equip
ment includes two motorboats, row
boat, numerous nets and scoops. while
on the grounds are located 30 brood
ponds fully stocked with adult fish. each
in n separate pond Assisting Supcrin-
tcudcnt Berkhous is c. b. Place, Horace
Rowland and Elwcll Van Horn.
A look at some figures which horeto-
fore have never been made public show
part of the work conducted at the Tor
rcsdale plant During the past year
there has been shipped from there TO
various parts of the country, but prin-
cipally to be used in stocking the
streams of this State, the following:
Shad fry. Il 100000; yellow perch fry,
IS COS 900: Susquohanna salmon fry,
7,505,O 0Oi shad.cyed, or fertile eggs, TO-
900; whtefsh eggs, 100000; lake her
ring, 32,0l7 600; minnowS, 10000; blue
gill bass SS,S25; catfish, 65,5O0; tad
poles, p 300; goldfish. 1925; besides
numbers of adult fish of the calico bass.
rock bass. clubs, sunfsh, carp, sturgeon
yellow perch, cells, roach fish. frogs and
turtles.
Often the visitors wonder why the
hatchery exists and why so much care
is used in collecting the eggs Of the
fish. II is explained in a very logical
manner by Superintendent Berkhous
when he tells them that if il were not
for the hatchery and its work there
| would be no fish in the country worth
speaking of. This is true Of the tooth
some shad that many people are now
enjoying mt its best this time of year.
II has been shown that nearly 95 per
cent. Of the eggs of any food fish arc
saved that are carefully collected from
the gill net and shore net fishermen by
the hatchery employees. while IL left to
the natural course the most would he
lost, owing TO the pollution Of the stream
and the other fish that prey on the
young fish of all kinds.
How Shad Are Raised.
In former years the spawning
grounds for the shad was in the upper
Delaware and its tributaries from
Easton. Pa. to Port Jervis. n. Y. but
now the centre Is from Bridesburg 10
Beverly, on both sides OF the river.
After these eggs are collected they
are incubated and the fry developed
and then shipped to points along the
river and streams as far as the Della
ware Water Gap. The spawning sea-
son for the shad starts May and ex-
tends until June 10. When the spawn
become fry, say, two inches long. they
are planted. and as soon as cool
weather comes the fry with the adult
fish go South to deep sea waters and
there remain in the channels of the
Gulf Stream until the next spring. re-
turning in time to reach fresh water
for the next spawning season.
On their way many of the young
shad. then from six TO nine inches in
length. are caught, sold and eaten for
herring, so closely do they resemble
the latter fish. In the second year
they are from 10 10 IA inches in length
and the third year they mature and
weigh from three to five pounds. A
! shad that weighs from seven to ten
|, pounds is from seven TO eight years
old. and the life OF a shao is said to be
/ fifteen years. Some have the idea that
as son as a shad spawns the female
/ dies, but this is not so. Then, again.
the shad is one of the most delicate
of all fish; a bruise or a breaking of
J the scales will kill shad, and often.
as the rivers become more obstructed.
J hundreds of the fish can be found
/ dead, having come in contact with
some obstacle, against which il was
hurt Shad and herring are the only
known fish that are not sold by the
pound. the price of the shad ranging
according to the size of the haul made
by the fishermen.
The SUsquehanna salmon is another
of the best food fish in this part of the
country. which when fully developed
weighs from four TO six pounds. Some
of the experiments being made now
will probably result in keeping this
excellent fish alive in all waters. The
eggs of the salmon are gathered from
the inland lakes OF New York. and
after being incubated are planted in
the streams Of different parts OF the