Evening star., 1924-08-24

Uncle Sam is an unusual fisherman
because he puts more fish into the
water than he takes out. He studies
all varieties Of fish native to Ameri-
can waters. and no function which
could assist in the propagation, pres
ervation and wise utilization of the
products of American waters is neg
lected.
Our national fisherman not only en-
riches the rivers, lakes and surround
ing sea by planting millions OF new
fishes annually, but maintains a fish
doctor to study their well being. He
then advises American fishermen of
both commercial and sporting groups
how best to catch and use the wealth
Of the waters.
The oyster Is one of the most pro-
life of marine animals, a single large
female emitting millions OF eggs in
season. But the oyster is subject to
many perils at all times. 1t leads a
hard life. Its young are very minute.
free-swimming animals wholly unlike
the adult, and are killed in myriads
by too much or too little salt in the
water, by low temperatures, other
wastes and water pollutions. and par
ticularly by falling on unsuitable bot
tom at the stage when they are ready
to settle down and assume the adult
form.
An important conservation effected
by the Bureau of Fisheries is the
rescue of young fishes left stranded
on the recession of tho waters of the
Mississippi River after its annual
flood stages. In 1923. 140.00o.000 fish
were taken from places in which they
would have been killed by the dry
ing up or freezing Of the waters, and
returned to the safety of the main
stream. Not only are the fish saved.
but many of them are made to serve
as aids in the restoration and con-
servation of the pearl mussels of the
river, which constitute the raw ma
terials of the pearl-button industry.
Before the rescued fishes are liber-
ated they are placed in tubs of water
and cAused to become inoculated with
large numbers Of larval musseis,
which, after developing on the fish,
are dropped automatically at the
suitable stage of development and
commence their independent life on
the bottom. Between 100000 and
100000 of these little mollusks are
so liberated annually.
Fish Subject to Diseases.
Fishes and other aquatic animals
are subject to diseases like land ami
mails, and both in a state of nature
and in hatcheries are often visited by
epidemics Of high mortality. Two dis
eases which are common to fishes are
dropsy and crysipelas.
The salmon requires unusual kinds
of protection because it is one of the
most peculiar of fish. 1t possesses
a homing instinct that is more re-
markable than that displayed by the
homing pigeon. Tiny salmon swim
out of the streams where they were
spawned into great rivers and on out
into the ocean. For several years
they live in the deep waters. Then
the time comes for the adult fish to
spawn, and for this purpose the SAL
mon, wherever it may be, returns to
the shallow stream whence it originally
came. .-
The homing power. OF the salmon
has never been explained, but by a
tagging system the careers OF some
have been followed. Four thousand
salmon were tagged in 1922 in one
experiment. Rewards were offered
for reporting the tags in some sec
tions and in time 18 per cent-700
fish out OF the 4,000-were reported
either in the streams from which
they came or elsewhere. The rowing
tendencies of salmon were shown by
the reports. Last October. the Bu-
reau Of Fisheries received a letter
from vladivostok which said that a
salmon marked by the III. 8. B. F."
and bearing . certain number was
caught on the eastern shore Of KANT
chatka This fish had travelled from