l^l..^€^^0^CS/fm%/, of Dixfield: fish-commissioner • of Maine. Charles G. AtMns, of Bucksport; in charge of United States §almon-breeding establish- ment. Charles R. Fernald, of Orono; i)rofessor of natural history in the Maine State College. New Hampshire Livingston /Stogie, of Charlestown ; in chargeof United States salmon-hatchiug establish- ment on the McCloud Eiver, California. Massachusetts K S. Shaler, of Cambridge; assistant in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. T. Sterry Runt, of Boston ; professor of ge- ology, Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. Gurdon Saltonstall, of Boston', collector for the Boston Society of Natural History. James R. Emerton, of Boston ; assistant in the Boston Society of Natural History. Connecticut N.S. Rice, of Middletown ; professor of natu- ral history, Wesleyan College. G. Brown Goode, of Middletown ; curator of the Museum of Wesleyan College. A. B. Fern/?, of New Haven ; professor of zoology, Yale College. Daniel C. Baton; professor of botany, Yale College. W. D. Whitney ; professor of Oriental litera. ture, Yale College. EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. V S. I. Smith, ) assistant teachers of zool- J. K. Thatcher, ] ogy iu Yale College. 0. Harger ; assistant in Yale Museum. John B. Isham, * ) 4. i ±. ^ ^- i o • George IK Sau-es, i students of 1 ale Sci- T. Mitchell Prudden, ) ^"^^^^ ^^^^«^- Talcott H. Bussell, of 'Nev^ Haven. I^EW York IT. E. Webster, of Schenectady ; professor of natural history, Union College. Charles Pond ; student of uataral history, Union College. R.A. Ward, of Rochester; in^ofessor of nat- ural history, Rochester University. Ohio Rev. J. G. Fraser, of East Toledo. T> 7 ^ x> • } committee on marine Robert Brown, jr aquaria for the Cin- JohnI)avts,2LD., ^ einnati Industrial Ex- f.^'^-/- Taylor, ( .. s tember Richard Folsom, j Ld October, 1872. Iowa J.. E. Todd, of Tabor ; professor of natural science, Tabor College. District of Columbia ..Theodore Gill, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Edicard Palmer, of Washington. A. G. Seaman, Agricultural Department, Washington. Among these visitors, Mr. Robert Brown, Dr. John Davis, Rev. A. E. Taylor, and Mr. Richard Folsom came for the purpose of obtaining living specimens of marine zoology with which to stock an aquarium at the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition. In the course of the summer, the fish-commissioners of Maine, E. M. Stilwell and O. C. Stanley, spent several days with me, in com- pany with Mr. Atkins, during which time the subject of restocking the waters of the State with salmon was discussed, and an understanding entered into with them in regard to hatching such eggs of this fish as I might be able to allot to the State from the. stock owned by the United States. Mr. Livingston Stone also, prior to his departure for California for the purpose of securing eggs of the Sacramento salmon, visited me in order to arrange the details of his operations. In continuation of the courtesies previously extended, the Treasury Department instructed Capt. D. B. Hodgden, in command of the revenue-cutter Mosswood, to render me such assistance as he could without interfering with his regular duties; and to him and his officers I am under many obligations for the cordiality and readiness with which they carried out these orders. Without the help of the cutter, I should have been able to make a few only of the researches VI REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. and investigations which have proved of great service in the inquiry intrusted to my charge. In the course of the summer I visited the British provinces, passing through Saint John, Digby, Annapolis, Halifax, Pictou, Prince Edward Island, Shediac, and Fredericton, with a view of ascertaining the present condition of the fisheries, the nature of the regulations. concerning them, as well as the various methods for carrying them on, and I am particu- larly indebted for valuable assistance and information to Mr. William Jack, of Saint John ; to Dr. J. B. Gilpin and Mr. J. Matthew Jones, of Halifax ; and to Mr. Dunn, the United States consul, and Mr. J. C. Hall, merchant of Charlottetown. My inquiries in reference to the herring and other fisheries of the coast would not have been complete without a visit to Grand Manan, and especially, the southern extremity", known as Southern Head, and well know^n to be the great spawning-ground of the majority of the herring entering the Bay of Fundy. With the aid of a letter from Mr. William F. Whitcher, the Commissioner of Fisheries at Ottawa, to Mr. Walter B. McLaughlin, in charge of the spawning-grounds, I was enabled to obtain a great amount of very valuable information in regard to this interesting locality. To Mr. Simeon F. Cheney, of Nantucket Island, Grand Manan, I am also much indebted for services rendered. The fact that particular portions of our sea-coast are frequented by the herring during their spawning-season, while others, apparently equally eligible, remain nnvisited by them, induced me to undertake a careful investigation of ocean temperatures ; and, with the assistance of Captain Hodgden, of the revenue-cutter, I was enabled to secure, through the use of the Casella-Miller deep-sea thermometer, many records of the temperature of the bottom waters at dilferent i^arts of the Bay of Fundy, as well as of the surface. These are considered of very great importance in solviug the various problems referred to. * *A movement in the same direction was subsequently undertaken by the Scottish Meteorological Society, having for its object the determination of the question as to how meteorological conditions of air and water influence the herring-fishery, an industry of the first importance to the inhabitants of Scotland; the inquiry having been suggested by the Marquis 'of Tweeddale, president of the society, in a letter transmitted on the 30th of January, 1873. A committee was appointed, and on the 2d of July reported the progress made, when, although no very positive results were anflounced, enough was adduced to show the eminent propriety of the investigation and the probability of attaining important generalizations. (Journal of the society, July, 1873, 60.) The inquiry was restricted at first to the east coast of Scotland, and to pond-fishing districts therein, viz, Wick, Buckie, Peterhead, and Eyemouth, the last including the fishing-ports of Dunbar and Eyemouth, Berwick, and North Sunderland. Copies of the weekly returns sent to the fishery-board from these districts during July to Sep- tember, the season of the herring-fishing for that part of Great Britain, for six years, beginning with 1867 and ending with 1872, giving the catch per week, the number of REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. VU * Having been so fortunate as to interest Professor Peirce, of the Coast - Survey, in the general inquiry intrusted to me by Congress, I received, under his instructions, from Captain Patterson the proffer of the aid of that branch of the service in pursuing such investigations as related in any way to its own objects ; and as the physical and natural history of the various banks oft" the New England coast constituted a common bond of interest, it was determined by the Superintendent to fit out the steamer Bache to make surveys on George's Banks, one of our best fishing-grounds. I was authorized to put on board two experts in the line of marine zoology, for the purpose of prosecuting the necessary inquiries; and haviug selected Mr. S. I. Smith and Mr. Harger, these gentlemen presented themselves at Provincetown, as the place of ren- dezvous, at the appointed time. While certain needed repairs of the vessel were being completed, these gentlemen in the interval visited Eastport and entered into the general inquiries prosecuted in the Bay of Fundy They, however, returned to Provincetown when the Bache was ready to take them on board ; and although beginning their work so late in the season, as to be interfered with by storms and unfavorable weather, they succeeded in securing many valuable results, a report of which will be presented hereafter. boats out in each district, were extracted from the reports, and an average of these sis years calculated at several of the stations. These were finally compared day by day with two series of sea-temperatures ; one taken oif Harris, and the other near Edinburgh. The temperature of the sea was found to rise very rapidly about the middle of July ; and to keep oscillating slightly about a uniform temperature of 56^ until the 13th of Au- gust, when it rapidly rose to the annual maximum, namely, 57°.2, and ranged relatively high until the first of September. This period of highest annual temperature, namely, fi^ the middle of July to the first of September,, was found to be coincident with the fishing-season in the northern districts of Scotland ; and the period when the tem- perature rises to the absolute maximum is further coincident with the date of the largest catches during the fishing-season. The committee, however, consider it pre- mature to lay great stress on the striking coexistence of these facts, since it is impos- sible, without farther statistics, to say whether these relations are of a permanent character. The fishing-season did not begin until the sea-temperature had risen to about 55^° in July, nor did it continue after it had fallen below 5bi° in September. An important omission in these tables is, that they do not show whether they indi- cate the surface or bottom temperature of the sea; the ditiference in this respect being very appreciable. Another omission is, as to the relation between the spawning-sea- son of the herring and their shoreward movement. Alongthe coast of the United States, the great spawning-ground of the sea-herring is off the southern end of Grand Manan, where the surface and bottom temperatures sometimes differ at the spawning-season by as many as five or six degrees. An important relation was also observed by the committee between the exceptional atmospheric temperatures and the migrations of the herring, the fishing-season begin- ning much later in the year, when the summer-temperatures are low, than when they are high. As regards the relation between barometric observations and the fisheries, it appears that during the periods when good or heavy catches were taken, in a great majority of cases the barometer was high and^ steady, the winds light or mod- erate, and electrical phenomena wanting; when the captures were light, the obscrva- VIU KEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 4. — COREESPONDINGr RESEARCHES OF OTHER NATIONS. A few years previous to the movement on the part of the United States in the establishment of a commission for the investigation of the fish and fisheries of its coast, the Flscherei-Verein, an associa- tion composed of several eminent naturalists, x)hysicists, and statisticians of Germany, warmly urged upon its government the importance of l^rosecuting similar researches, recognizing equally with the United States that the only way of securing definite and practical results in the way of protecting and improving the fisheries was to initiate a series of thorough inquiries into the general physical and natural history of the seas. A commission was accordingly appointed by the German government to report upon the best method of securing the desired object. A report of what was needed was presented by the commission, which invited careful inquiry into the following points : first, the depth, and character of the water, the peculiarities of the bottom, the percentage of salt and gas in the water, and the nature of its currents and temper- atures; secondly, a minutely-detailed determination of the animals and plants found in the sea; and, thirdly, the distribution, mode of nourish- ment, propagation, and migration of the useful fishes, shells, crustace- ans, &c. While this programme embraced the primary iihysical condi- tions often indicated a low barometer, strong winds, unsettled weather, and tliunder and liglituing. In conclusion, the committee recommend that, in further elucidation of the subject, steps should be taken to obtain information which may lead to a solution of the following queries : 1. Wliafc determines the time of the commencement of the fishing ? 2. What determines the fluctuations in the catches of herring in different districts, or in the same district on diiferent days ? 3. What causes the absence of herring during some seasons from certain districts of the coast f 4. What determines the ending of the fishing-season ? The information required demands — 1. An extension of the area examined, so as to include the Moray Firth, the Shet- land, Orkney, and Hebrides Islands, and the west coast of Scotland. 2. Daily returns of the number of boats fishing and the catch. 3. The erection of self-registering sea-thermometers at different points on the coast, similar to those now in operation at Peterhead Harbor. 4. Thermometric observations taken by the fishermen themselves over the grounds fished ; as it is only by the observations of numerous thermometers in continuous im- mersion that we can hope to obtain accurate information regarding those currents of cold and warm water round our coasts which are often found to interpenetrate each other, and which are supposed, with apparently good reason, to influence greatly the migration of the herring. It is said that the Dutch fishermen derive valuable practical advantages from a system of this kind, and there can be no doubt that favorable results might confidently be looked for if a similar system were generally adopted by our fishermen. It is an interesting flict in the natural history of the herring that, while the season or their capture is (juite definite and generally uniform at any one point, it varies on different parts of the coast ; thus, on the east of Great Britain, from Shetland in the north to Flamborough Head in the south, it occurs in July, August, and September, REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. IX tions of organic life in the sea, aud their variatious, the final object, of course, was a practical one, namely, the determination of the facts embraced under the third head. As, however, very little was known in reference to the natural laws of distribution, &C., of the useful animals, it became necessary to investigate them from a sci- entific point of view; so that the primary inquiries were strictly scientific, the deductions therefrom leading to the practical end. The initiation of the Franco-German war interfered very materially with this programme, and it was not until 1871, and nearly at the same time with the American investigations, that operations were actually commeuced. The commission consisted of Dr. H. A. Meyer, Dr. K. Mobius, Dr. G. Karsten, aud Dr. V. Hansen, each gentleman having charge of some special branch, aud all co-operating toward the common result. Fixed stations were established at various points for the pur- pose of observing the variations of atmospheric conditions, the daily changes of temperature of the water, and the occurrence of special phe nomena of animal aud vegetable life ; and for several months iu the year the commission, with its assistants, was engaged in researches at sea, prosecuted upon the government steamer Pommerania, placed at its disposal, under Captain Hoffmann. Upon this work the commission has been engaged foe three successive seasons, and has just published a report of its operations during the year 1871. and a little earlier in the north than iu the south. At Yarmouth the herring-season is iu October aud November ; off the Kentish coast, in November and December ; along the south coast of England, from October to December ; off Cornwall, in August aud Sep- tember ; iu the North Channel, in June and July ; and in the Hebrides, May and June. It is suggested by the Scottish committee iu their report that when the periods of mi- gration on all parts of the British sea -coast will have been calculated as closely as iu Scotland, these vrill be found to bear a critical relation to the annual epochs of the temperature (^f the sea. This gives a renewed importance to the inquiries undertaken by the United States Signal-Service aud the Fish Commission, on the American coast, iu the way of determining of the sea-temperature, &c., as connected with a very important branch of our domestic industries. In this connection we may state that the spawning-season of the herring, and the time of its catch, vary remarkably in different portions of our own coast. Thus, in parts of the Bay of Fundy and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, it takes place in May and June, as in the Hebrides ; at the Southern ,Head of Grand Manan, the great spawning-ground, it occurs iu September, commencing possibly in August, and ex- tendiug into October; taking place later and later in the season as we proceed south- At the most southern point at which the herring is positively known to spawn, namely, off' Noman's Laud and possibly Block Island, this does not occur until Decem- ber aud January. From this we may draw the inference that a certain minimum of temperature, rather than a maximum, is needed for the operation in question ; and this occurring iu the autumn, that the proper temperature is reached later and later as we proceed southward. It is to be honied that the temperature-observations now being made by the United States Fish Commission and by the Signal-Service may enable us to solve these problems and to co-operate with our Scottish scieutitic brethren in getting at the true relation between physical conditions aud the movements of such important food- fishes as the herring, mackerel, cod. &c. X REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 5. — CONCURRENT ACTION OF THE UNITED STATES SIGNAL-SERVICE. So far the only nations that have undertaken investigations into the fish and fisheries of their coasts in a thoroughly scientific manner are Norway, Germany, and the United States; and it is with much satisfaction that we can claim at least an equal degree of complete- ness, in the inquiry, to the others. While no permanent stations have been established on the coast directly under the authority of the United States Fish Commission, the hearty co-operation of General Myer, the Chief Signal-Officer, has rendered this unnecessary. Meteor- ological observations are, of course, made regularly at all the signal-sta- tions along the coast and on the lakes, and in addition to these the Chief Signal-Officer has directed that a daily record be made of the tempera- ture of the water at the surface and at the bottom, and that copies be sent to the Fish Commission. The examination of these records has already developed many interesting facts, and promise iniportant gen- eralizations of direct practical application to the fisheries. It is well known that in Europe the fisheries are under the immediate control of the authorities, and that in Norway, especially, such is the attention given to the fullest development of this interest, that the government causes information to be furnished by telegraph of the approach of the herring and cod to the shores, and in regard to their subsequent movements, by this means enabling the entire fishing-fleet at a given j^oint at once to take advantage of the facts, instead of de- pending upon casual information, which is frequently incorrect, more- over the facts are frequently willfully suppressed by parties who desire to enjoy a monopoly. General Myer, the chief Signal-Officer of the Army, in charge of the Government system of weather telegraph^', desirous of rendering his department serviceable in the highest degree to the interests of the country, in a letter dated November 21, 1872, invited suggestions in regard to the utilization of the system of telegraphic signals for the benefit of the fisheries. It gave me pleasure to call his attention to the I)oiuts just referred to in connection with the Norwegian government, and to suggest that much might be done by instructing the signal- officers to keep watch of the facts in regard to the occurrence of herring,, mackerel, cod, and other coast-fishes off the shores, and to cause these facts to be promptly communicated to the newspapers. I also urgently advised the establishment of a signal-station at East- port, in Maine, as being the center of the United States herring fisheries, and a place where the information which could be furnished by such a station would be of the utmost value. This includes not only the an- nouncement as to impending changes of the weather generally, such as any seaman would desire to be made acquainted with for the purpose of determining his movements, but has especial reference to the trade in. frozen herring. During the winter- season, herring of the finest quality are captured in Passamaquoddy Bay and adjacent portions of the coast, EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XI in gill-nets, and if the weather is su^ciently cold to freeze them they can be shipi^ed to western ports, where they meet a ready sale. In warm ■weather, however, this does not take place, and large catches are fre- quently lost. It is, therefore, of the highest importance to be able to anticipate by a few days the nature of the weather. Thus, in a warm season, during which a haul could not be frozen for export, but a cold turn likely to supervene, if timely notice were given to the fishermen, they would be ready to take advantage of the condition of the weather, making their haul and having the fish ready for transportation at the proper time. If, on the contrary, during a cold spell, a warm period be likefy to succeed, the fishermen could be warned, and, by avoiding the making of a catch that could not be sold, 'save themselves from loss. Such applications of information, furnished by the signal station at East- port, have already been made, and will doubtless be multiplied during future seasons. The dealers at Chicago and at other points on the lake find a most valuable advantage in the signals of approaching storms, and increase the amounts of fresh fish ordered from the fisheries in accordance with the fact, knowing that the supplies will be cut ofi' by the impossibility of lifting the nets in bad weather. I am happy to say that Geheral Myer took a favorable view of the suggestions made to him, and promptly established a signal-station at Eastport, which has already more than met the anticipations of its use- fulness to the fisheries of the Bay of Fundy. The recent location of a series of signal-service stations along the coast of the United States, in connection with the life-saving establish- ments, promises the means of using the telegraph in aid of the fisheries to a very great degree. The movement of fishes on the coast, already referred to, can thus be readily ascertained and communicated from the Washington office to parties interested. 6. — CONCLUSIONS AS TO DECREASE OF COD-FISHERIES ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. Of all the various fisheries formerly prosecuted directly off the coast of New England, north of Cape Cod, the depreciation in that of the cod appears to be of the graatest economical importance. Formerly the waters abounded in this fish to such an extent that a large supply could be taken throughout almost the entire year along the banks, especially in the vicinity of the mouths of the larger rivers. At that time the tidal streams were almost choked up with the alewives, shad, and salmon that were struggling for entrance in the spring, and which filled the adjacent waters throughout a great part of the year. As is well known, the erection of impassable dams across the streams, by preventing the ascent of the species just mentioned to their spawn- ing-grounds, produced a very great diminution, and almost the exter- mination, of their numbers ; so that whereas in former years a large trade could be carried on during the proper season, now nothing would be gained by the effort. Xll REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Of late the attention of tlie legislatures of the New EQgland States has been called to this fact, and to the importance of restoring their fislieries, and a great deal has been already accomplished toward that end. Unfortunately, however, the lumbering interest in Maine, and the manufacturing in New Hampshire aud Massachusetts, are so powerful as to render it extremely difficult to carry out any measures which in any way interfere with their convenience or profits ; and notwithstanding the passage of laws requiring the construction of fish-ways through the dams, these have either been neglected altogether, or are of such a character as not to answer their purpose. The reform, therefore, how- ever imperatively required, has been very slow in its progress,%nd many years will probably elapse before efficient measures will be taken to remedy the evils referred to. It would, therefore, appear that while the river-fisheries have been depreciated or destroyed by means of dams or by exhaustive fishing, the cod-fish have disappeared in equal ratio. This is not, however, for the same reason, as they are taken only with the line, at a rate more than compensated by the natural fecundity of the fish. I am well sat- isfied, however, that there is a relation of cause and effect between the present and past condition of the two series of fish ; and in this I am supported by the opinion of Oapt. U. S. Treat, of Bastport, by whom, indeed, the idea was first suggested to me. Captain Treat is a successful fisherman, and dealer in fish on a very large scale, and at the same time a gentleman of very great intelligence and knowledge of the many details connected with the natural history of our coast-fishes, in this respect worthily representing Captain Atwood, of Provincetown. It is to Captain Treat that we owe many experiments on the reproduction of alewives in ponds, and the possibility of keeping salmon in fresh waters for a period of years. The general conclusions which have been reached as the result of repeated conversations with Captain Treat and other fishermen on the coast incline me to believe that the reduction in the cod and other fisheries, so as to become practically a failure, is due, to the decrease oif our coast in the quantity, primarily, of alewives; and, secondarily, of shad and salmon, more than to any other cause. It is well known to the old residents of Bastport that ivom thirty to fifty years ago cod could be taken in abundance in Passamaquoddy Bay and off Bastport, where only stragglers are now to be caught. The same is the case at the mouth of the Penobscot Eiver and at other points along the coast, where once the fish came close in to the shore, and were readily captured with the hook throughout the greater part of the year. That period was before the multiplication of mill-dams, cutting off the ascent of the alewives, shad, and salmon, especially the former. The Saint Croix River was choked in the spring with the numbers of these fish, endeavoring to ascend ; and the same ma'y be said of the Little River, the outlet of Boyntou's Lake, about seven miles above Bast- port. The lake in question is one of considerable size, and was visited by KEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Xlll immense numbers of alewives, which could be dipped out, to any extent, on their passage upward, while the waters of the adjacent bay Were alive with the young fish on their return. The fish themselves enter the waters of the streams in May or June, and return almost immediately after spawning, to the sea. But they may be taken by the drift-nets along the shores as early as March and April ; and, indeed, it is quite probable that the whole p^riod of their abode in the salt-water is spent adjacent to the rivers in which they were born. The young come down from the ponds in which they are hatched, from August to October, keeping up a constant stream of the youHg fish. In this way a supply of alewives was to be met with throughout the greater part of the year, and nearer the coast they fur- nished every inducement for the cod and other ground fish to come in- shore in their pursuit. It is true that the sea-herring is also an attraction to these fish, and probably but for their presence our pollack, haddock, and hake-fisheries would be greatly diminished. Nevertheless, the alewife appears to be more attractive as a bait, and furthermore the sea-herring are less constantly on the coast, especially inshore, occurring as they do at stated inter- vals, wjien they come in from the deep sea to spawn. It is possible, too^ that they are less easily captured by the cod, since they swim nearer the surface than the alewives. Corroboration of this idea is furnished in the testimony of Mr. W. B. McLaughlin, of Southern Head, Grand Ma. nan. This gentleman informs me that the only stream in the island which ever furnished alewives to any extent was Seal Cove Creek, which dis. charges to the east of the southern extremity of Grand Manan, and into which these fish entered in immense numbers in the spring. At that time cod, haddock, and pollack, as well as halibut, were taken in great abundance in Seal Cove Sound, between Hardwood Cove, on Wood Island, and Indian or Parker's Point, on the main island. They were to be met with during the greater part of the year especially from May to January ; and the fishery in the channel-way within a quarter of a mile of the shore was really more productive than on the banks much farther out to sea. Although still a young man, Mr. McLaughlin recollects the capture of these fish ; and, indeed, as a mere boy enjoyed the sport within a very short distance of his father's house. Soon after that time a dam was built across this stream about 200 yards above its mouth, cutting off entirely the upward passage of the alewives, and by a remarkable coincidence, if it be nothing more, the cod-fishery in question diminished very soon after, and in a few years ceased almost entirely, so that up to the present time there are not enough cod in those waters to repay the experiment of attempting to catch them. A few alewives still find their way up to the foot of the dam, but in such small numbers as to make it often doubtful whether there are any there or not. The other fishing-grounds about Grand Manan are farther out to sea, XIV EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. at the northern end of the island, where there are no ale wives, and where herring appear to be the principal food, although the variation in the abundance of these in different seasons appears to have an impor- tant bearing upon the number of hake and cod. If these conclusions be correct — and I am quite satisfied of their general validity — we have, for the efforts made to establish fish-ways in the rivers of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, a much more weighty reason than that of merely enabling a few salmon to enter the streams in order to permit their capture while on their way. Whatever may be the importance of increasing the supply of salmon, it is trifling compared with the restoration of our exhausted cod-fisheries; and should these be brought back to their original condition, we shall find, within a short time, an increase of wealth on our shores, the amount of which it would be difficult to calculate. Not only would the general prosperty of the adjacent States be enhanced, but in the increased num. bar of vessels built, in the larger number of men induced to devote them- selves to maritime pursuits, and in the general stimulus to everything connected with the business of the sea-faring profession, we should be recovering, in a great measure, from that loss which has been the source of so much lamentation to political economists and well-wishers of the country. As the observations in regard to the marine animals and plants of the Bay of Fuudy will not be complete without referring to and includ- ing those found on the remaining shores of Maine, I defer, for the pres- ent, any report upon them such as has been made for Wood's Hole. It is proposed to devote the summer of 1873 to researches in Casco Bay and the adjacent waters, and also, with the aid of the United States Coast- Survey steamer Bache, to examining the waters between the Maine coast and Cape Cod ; and it will be more satisfactory to present the results of the two years' work in one account. 7. — INVESTIGATIONS IN 1871 AND 1872 ON THE GREAT LAKES. The act of Congress specially directed that investigations should be conducted on the great lakes, of the same kind as those ordered for the coasts of the United States ; and, under this provision, Mr. James W. Milner was appointed assistant commissioner, with instructions to col- lect as reliable data as possible on the following points : the evidences of decrease in the numbers of the food-fishes ; and, this fact established, to ascertain its causes, and what practicable methods may be applied for their restoration. It was determined to confine the inquiry for the first season to one lake, and to give it a thorough examination. Lake Michigan, having the longest line of shore tvithin the United States and the largest number of fisheries, was selected as the region for the inves. tigation. Instructions were also given him to make full collections of all forms of life found in the waters, and to take as full notes as possible on the EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XV liabits of the species ; makmg the wbite-fisli, the most valuable food-fish of the lakes, the principal object of attention and efficient action for their restoration. On the 13th of April, 1871, the first visit to the fishing-shores was made, and it became evident from the first, that to obtain any definite knowledge of the amount of decrease, it would be necessary to make the entire circuit of the lake. The migratory habits of the fish and the tendency to entirely change their locality after. a term of years, at least in the opinion of the fishermen, made it evident at once that the condi- tion as to numbers could not be understood from any circumscribed area of shore, but that a collection of accurate statistics through a term of years for all the fishing-regions must be gathered to give sat- isfactory evidence as to their condition. The southern end of the lake was visited from point to point by steamer and rail before the middle of summer, and, at the northern end, where no steamers plied, the tour was made in an open boat, the trip lasting about five weeks, the sum of the distances traveled from point to point being about six hundred miles. Seventy-one station s were visited, embracing nearly the entire number of fisheries. Though recorded statistics in the fishing localities were rare, still good evidences were obtained of the decrease and its causes, and many inter- esting notes of the habits of species and their mutual relations pro- cured. Information was constantly sought and obtained, from fishermen, dealers, and residents, on the subject of the fisheries, which was noted for use in preparing a report on the subject of the inquiry. As on several other occasions, very important assistance was rendered by the Secretary of the Treasury, the revenue-steamer Andrew John- son, Capt. David Evans, being instructed to afford facilities for examina- tion of the bottom fauna of the lake. In September Mr. Milner went on board with a dredging outfit, and remained during a cruise of two weeks dredging in depths of from 30 to 141 fathoms, obtaining a full collection of invertebrate forms from the bottom and some knowledge of the temperature at those depths. The species collected were examined by Dr. AVilliam Stimpson; but soon after they were received at the Chi- cago Academy of Sciences, they were lost in the great fire of October. The dredge was also used from a small boat in Torch Lake, of the Grand Traverse Eegion, Michigan, in 40 fathoms, and the same forms of Mollusca, Jlysidce, and Gammaridw were found as in Lake Michigan. The inquiry Avas renewed in the latter part of June, 1872 ; the region of Lake Superior was explored, collections and notes ware obtained? and similar inquiries were made with reference to numbers of fishes. Much less evidence of decrease in this lake was the result, though a marked diminution was ascertained to have taken place in certain local- ities. In the autumn of 1872 nearly a million of white-fish eggs were ob- ^ tained by Mr. Milner and placed in Mr. N. W. Clark's hatching-house at Clarkston, Mich., from which in the winter a large number were for- XVI REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. warded to California for the waters of Clear Lake. Arrangements were also made for the hatching of salmon for the waters of Michigan and Wisconsin. At the close of the field-work of the season, Mr. Milner visited all the prominent dealers on the chain of lakes, and obtained the amounts of their receipts of lake-fish for the year. After the close of the distribution of the shad in 1873, Mr. Milner vis- ited the shores of Lake Huron, and obtained a collection of its fishes. The inland locality in that region inhabited by the grayling was also examined, notes relating to its habits were obtained, and a knowledge of the facilities for obtaining the spawn acquired. Later he proceeded to Lake Erie, and made a large collection of fishes in the vicinity of Sandusky, Ohio;- and afterward at Cincinnati the species of the Ohio River were obtained. Full details of Mr. Milner's labors will be found on page 1 of the appendix to the present report. B— ACTION m EEGARD TO PROPAGATION OF FOOD FISHES. 8. — INTRODUCTORY MEASURES. It will be observed that the labors thus referred to, as authorized by the original resolution of Congress, relate only to the investi- gations of the facts as to an alleged decrease of the food-fishes of the sea-coast and the lakes of the United States, an inquiry into the causes of the same, and the best methods of remedying the evil. At a meeting of the American Fish-Culturists Association, held in Albany February 7, 1872, it was for the first time suggested that measures be taken to induce the United States to take part in the great under- taking of introducing or multiplying shad, salmon, and other val uable food- fishes throughout the country, especially in waters over which its Jurisdic- tion extended, or which were common to several States, none of which might feel willing to incur expenditures for the benefit of the others. A committee, of which Mr. George Shepard Page was chairman, was ticcordingly appointed to present the subject to Congress, and to do whatever was in its power to secure the desired object. This gentleman visited Washington, and appeared before the Committee on Appropria- tions to urge the measure and secure its favorable action. A clause appropriating $10,000 was accordingly put into the appropriation bill for the purpose in question ; but this was rejected by the House. Subse- quently, however, the subject was considered by the Senate committee, who took an equally favorable view of it with the House committee, and an amendment appropriating $15,000 was introduced and carried successfully through Congress; its disbursal being placed under my charge. To the action of the association in question, therefore, the credit of the original idea and the consequent favorable action of Con- gress is emphatically due. EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XVll On the loth of June a meeting was lield in Boston, three daj'S after the xjassage of the act, composed of the flsh-comiuissiouers of the jS"ew Enghind States and of members of the Fish-Culturists Associa- tion, at which the general problem as to the best method of carrying the act of Congress into effect was presented. After full deliberation, it was recommended that the services of Messrs. Green and Clift be se- cured for the planting of shad in the Mississippi River and its tributa- ries, and that means be furnished to Mr. Atkins, of Bucksport, Me., to enable him to enlarge his operations on the Penobscot River, and to Mr. Stone for similar labors on the Sacramento. In reference to sh.id, it was thought that they might even live com- fortably the whole year round in the great lakes, with the exception of a short run up the tributary rivers for the purpose of spawning. As to whether they would push their way up from the Gulf of Mexico to the headwaters of the main tributaries of the Mississippi River was, of course, a problem which could not be solved without experiment. The proceedings of this meeting will be found in the appendix to the present volume. 9. — PROPAGATION OF SHAD IN 1872. Little time was to be lost in carrying out the suggestions with refer- ence to shad, as the appropriation was not available until the 1st of July, and the season during which the eggs could be successfully hatched lasted but a few days beyond that period. Both Messrs. Green and Clift, however, undertook to do what they could, and worked with great energy. In addition to the large num- ber of eggs introduced by Mr. Green, in behalf of the State of New York, into the Hudson River, Oneida Lake, Lake Champlain, and Gene- see River, he furnished 50,000 fish for Lake Champlain to the commis- sioners of Vermont, and, in behalf of the United States Government, placed 30,000 in the Alleghany River at Salamanca, i^J". T., and 25,000 in the Mississippi River, a few miles above Saint Paul, Minn. The later period at which the shad spawn in the Connecticut enabled Mr. Clift to secure a larger margin of time for his arrangements ; and, by the kind assistance of the commissioners of the State of Connecticut, he succeeded in procuring, from the State hatching-house at Holyoke, Mass. , a sufficient number for his purpose. Mr. Clift started, on the 2d of J uly , with several hundred thousand young fish, filling nine eight-gallon cans. Of these, a portion, estimated at 200,000, were placed in the Alleghany at Salamanca, and a like number in the Cuyahoga, in the White River at Indianapolis, Ind.j the remainder were carried direct to Denver, in Colorado; and, on the 7th of July, introduced 2,000 in number into the Platte. Very valuable assistance was rendered in this experiment by the S. Mis. 74 II Xviii REl'ORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. express companies, especially the Adams and the American and Merchants' Union. Without the help, of special instructions to their agents to assist Messrs. Green and Clift, it would have been difficult to accomplish the object in view. Acknowledgments are also due to the commissioners, both of Xew York and Connecticut, for placing their hatching-establishments at the disposal of the United States in order to furnish the necessary number of eggs. Concurrently with the operations on the part of the United States, the commissioners of both New York and Connecticut were industriously engaged during 1872 in continuing experiments previously instituted in regard to stocking the waters of their respective States with shad, and incredible numbers of young fish have been introduced. Thus in New York, nnder the efficient direction of Mr. Seth Green, nearly 7,000,000 shad were released in the waters of the State, while the extraordinary number of 92,065,000 young fish is reported by Dr. Hudson to have been turned into the waters of the Connecticut. Dr. Edmunds, commissioner of Vermont, also obtained 50,000 young fish from Mr. Green, which were placed inBurlington Bay, Lake Champlain. Whether shad can live permanently in fresh water, and maintain those characteristics of flavor and size which give them such a prominence, and whether they can be established in the Mississippi Valley are problems not yet solved; but the results to be obtained, in the event of its possi- bility, are of such transcendant importance in relation to the food-supply of the country, and the cost of the experiment so very trifling, that it would be inexcusable not to attempt it. 11. — PROPAGATION OF MAINE SALMON IN 1872. More time was allowed for satisfa(;tory arrangements in regard to the propagation of salmon than of shad, because of the much later j)eriod in the year when they spawu ; this iu the common salmon (;S^. salar) not taking place until the end of October or the beginning of November, and varying with the locality. In compliance with the suggestion of the meeting at Boston, I had an interview with Mr. Charles G. Atkins at Bangor, and ascertained the probable degree of expansion that he could give to his operations at Bucksport, on the Penobscot River, with additional funds. The method devised by him consists in obtaining mature fish as they come up the river and are taken by the fishermen, placing them in a pen situated iu a large pond of about 150 acres, and keeping them there until the season of reproduction, and then securing the spawn, and, after impregnating it, hatching it in a suitable hatching-house. The only method of obtaining salmon in sufficient numbers was to offer the full market-price to the fishermen for all they may deliver alive to the hatching-esta'blishment. About six hundred fish were thus obtained during the summer. But little mortality occurred among these fish, and, on the 28th of October, Mr. Atkins and his assist- EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XIX ants commenced taking, the spawn, securing about 1,560,000 eggs. These were brought forward in the hatching-house at Bucksport until Febru- ary. During that month and March they were distributed to other hatching-houses in different parts of the country in order there to be fully developed. . The experiment in regard to the Buckspbrt salmon-hatching establish- ment was initiated in Kew York on the 17th of April, 1872, by an agreement of several parties to contribute funds to a given amount, the division of the spawn to be made in the same ratio. The subscrip- tions were as follows : E. M. Stilwell and H. O. Stanley, jr., for the State of Maine $500 E. A. Brackett, for the State of Massachusetts 1, 000 I. H. Barden, for the State of Rhode Island 400 W. M. Hudson, for the State of Connecticut 1, 000 W. Clift, for Poquonnoc Fish Company . , 300 These gentleman kindly consenting, I supplied, from the funds at my disposal, the means to greatly enlarge the scale of operations, and received a i^ro rata share of the eggs. The full history of the entire enterprise connected with the taking of the eggs in 1872, and their distribution in 1873, will be found in Mr. Atkins's report, beginning page 226 of the present volume.* 11. — PROPAGATION OF THE RHINE SALMON IN 1872. The possible contingency of failure in Mr. Atkins's experiment induced me to look to other sources for an additional supply of eggs ; but I was unable to make any arrangement in America for that purpose. In consequence of the scarcity of fish, it was impossible to organize upon other salmon-rivers of Maine the experiment that Mr. Atkins bad begun on the Penobscot ; and the regulations of the Dominion authori- ties in regard to gravid salmon and their eggs are such as to preclude the idea of looking across the borders for assistance. The Canadian government has, it is true, a hatching-establishment at Newcastle, on the north side of Lake Ontario, near Toronto, and has occasionall3' allowed a surplus, left after it has supi^lied its own wants, to be sold to parties in the United States. The charge, however, being $40 a thousand, (in gold,) was considered excessive, and the only alternative left was to look to Europe, where the streams emptying into the North Atlantic abound in precisely the same species. Under these cir- cumstances, and after much consideration, I decided to obtain what I wanted from the Rhine, the fish of that river being famous for their excellence and size. I accordingly applied to the secretary of the Deutsche Fischer ei-Verein at Berlin, inquiring whether any eggs could be procured from the government fish-breeding establishment at Hiiningen. Ik) my gratification, I was informed that, on the represen- *0u the Salmon of Eastern North America and its Artificial Culture, p. 226. XX REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. tation of the Vereln to the German government, it had been decided that 250,000 eggs should be presented to the Uuited States at the pi^oper time, all packed and ready for transmission, provided I wonld agree to have them transported to a point of shipment under the care of .an ex- perieuced operator. To this, of course, I gladly agreed, and named Mr. Rudolph Hessel, of Offenburg, an eminent fish-culturist and highly esteemed correspondent, from whom I had already derived much valuable information, to take charge of that duty. Articles by this gentleman npou the salmon of the Danube River, {Salmo hucho,) the breeding of the cyprinoid lishes, &c., will be found in the appendix to his report.* The following letters on this subject were received from the authori- ties in Germany : [Translation.] Bureau of the Deutsche Fischerei-Verein, Berlin, June 11, 1872. In consequence of your letter of the 15th of May, addressed to Professor Peters, of this city, in reference to the acquisition of salmon-eggs for your Government, we have applied to the superintendent of the fish-culture establishment at Hiiningen, and have received his reply, of which we inclose a copy. Placing you thus in possession of the facts in the case, we beg that you will favor us as speedily as possible with a reply as to wii ether your Government is ready to assume the cost of the transportation of 250,000 salmon-eggs. MANARD. Dr. Spencer F. Baird, Washington. [Translation.] HtJNLNGEN, June 7, 1872. On receipt of your letter I placed myself immediately in communication with the circle president in reference to the conditions under which the establishment could supply salmon-eggs to the American Government. On my proposition, it was agreed that, in any event, the eggs should be furnished free of exiiense, although it is not possible to supply " several millions." As the salmon-eggs are intended, in the first place, for Germany, alone, the establishment could not pledge itself to supply more than 250,000 at most, aud this only on the condition that the necessary care be exer- cised in their transporta-tion. It is an indispensable condition that the eggs shall bo taken from here by a special messeuger to Havre or Cherbourg, so that they may be secured against heating duriug the journey. Arrangements must also be made for their preservation on the steamer in a uniformly cool place, and for their reception in New York by an expert in such matters. The doublepacking of a quarter of a million of salmon-eggs will require at least thirty boxes, each weighing- about fifteen pounds; so that the whole will weigh nearly five hundred pounds and occupy a considerable space. HAACK, Director. Herr Manard. [Translation.] Imperial Fish-Breeding Institution, Huningen, near St. Louis, Alsace, August 13, 1872. Honor-UJLE Sir : I have been asked by the Bureau of the German Fishery Association to write directly to you in reference to the Rhine salmon-eggs to be sent to America. *The Salmon of the Danube, or the Hucho, (Salmo huclio,) and itg Introduction to American Waters, p. 161 ; also Method of Treating Adhesive Eggs of Certain Fishes in Artificial Propagation. EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXI The first eggs are usually obtained by the middle of November, but in such small num- bers that it would be impossible to make up a quarter million for one trausmissiou. This is one of the most difficult points for large transports. The institution receives from 20,000 to 30,000 eggs per day, and, taking into account the considerable loss in the incipient hatching, \_A71hruten,'] it requires from twelve to fifteen days to col- lect a quarter of a million. With so great a difference in time of collecting, the eggs are, of course, not ready for transportation at the same time. It is true, at the very height of the season we obtain occasionally 80,000 to 100,000 eggs a day, and we have to arrange that such days be reserved for the intended large collection. These days mostly occur about the middle of December, and the eggs to be sent to America could not leave our place before the middle of January, since about five weeks are necessary for the incipient hatching. Besides, the day of sailing of the steamers has to be taken into consideration, and I believe there are only two trips per month during the winter- season. These are difficulties, to meet and to overcome which we have only the power in part ; still I hope for good success. I consider it an affair of honor, and mention the manj' difficulties only to explain a possible mishap. The sending of one-quarter million of eggs will require twenty-five single parcels, each consisting of two double boxes. Each parcel weighs about 10 pounds, and thus the whole 250 pounds, or 2| hundred-weight. Believing it to be absolutely necessary that an expert should accouipaniy the transport to Hamburg or Bremen, and direct the suitable packing there, the expenses will be quite considerable, scarcely less than 100 thaler's per hundred-weight. Since our institution furnishes the eggs gratis, and no funds are available to me for defraying expenses, I respectfully ask to have by the end of the year a sum of money of the above amt)uut placed at my disposal, so that no delay may be caused by its want. Accurate accounts will be rendered in time. HAACK, Director. Prof S. P. Baird. As a still larger number of eggs was considered desirable, at the sug- gestion of iMr. Hessel, I applied to Oberbiirgermeister Schuster, of Frei- burg, and ordered from him half a million eggs, which he agreed to furnish at the very reasonable price of two thalers per thousand, (their actual cost amounted to $1.67 currency per 1,000,) guaranteeing them to be taken from large healthy fish. These were also placed in charge of Mr. Hessel for shipment, who finally agreed to accompany the two sets of eggs to Xew York for the greater certainty of their reception in good condition. As is well known, the best period for transporting salmon-eggs is when they are about half hatched, or when the eyes are visible through the envelope. They are then put up in damp moss in shallow boxes, and inclosed in other dampened receptacles. In this condition they may be kept out of water for a long time. Indeed, the eggs are not infrequently hatched out in the moss itself, if kept long enough, without being placed in water at all. Mr. Norris gives an instance of this kind in regard to some eggs which had been shipped from the Wilmot establishment at Ontario, a portion of them, that had been thrown aside with the damp moss having subsequently hatched, and this has since been confirmed by the experience of the commission. • Owing to the fact that the water at the Hliningen establishment was warmer than that at Freiburg, the eggs presented by the German gov- XXU EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. eniraent were developed first, those at Freiburg requiriug some further time, so that it involved considerable effort to cojnbiue the two sets so as to prepare them for shipment to the United States at the same time. Mr. Hessel, in accordance with the agreement, took charge of the eggs at Hllningen, as also those at Freiburg, and brought them to Bre- men, where they were to be shipped on board one of the steamers of the North German Lloyd's. Unfortunately several circumstances concurred to render it doubtful to Mr. Hessel whether these eggs would come safely through. In the first place, the weather was exceptionally warm through- out Germany, uo cold weather being experienced up to the middle of January, so that the eggs were developed in their shells much too fast for their welfare. It was impossible to retard these by the application of ice, as the stock in Bremen was very low, and supplies were only to be had at an enormous expense. Again, the steamer upon which the eggs were first placed broke down, and was obliged to return to port. Mr. Hessel's packages were thus delayed and exposed to the continuous heat for another week. The consequence was that on his arrival in New York, to his great distress he found that the eggs had in large part been prematurely hatched, and the gases resulting from their putrefaction had destroyed many more of the eggs. Application had been previously made to the Secretary of the Treas- ury for permission to land the packages containing the salmon-eggs with- out delay, and every facility was offered by the inspector of customs and other authorities. The boxes, sixty in number, occupying nearly 300 cubic feet of space, were transferred to the hatching-houses of Dr. Slack, near Bloomsbury, N. J., and the contents immediately as- sorted, but of the 750,000 eggs only four or five thousand were sound. These were successfnlly hatched out, and ultimately introduced into the Musconetcong, a tributary of the Delaware, and on w^hich Bloomsbury is situated. Much help was rendered in this experiment by the authorities of the North German Lloyd's, who gave up a special house on deck for the ac- commodation of the eggs, and assisted in various other ways, especially by advancing all the funds needed for the expenses in Germany and allow- ingthe settlement of the account in New York. I had the assistance, also, in the reception and transfer of the eggs, of Dr. William M. Hudson, fish- commissioner of Connecticut, and of Mr. Seth Green, of New York, the whole party, with the exception of Dr. Hudson, proceedingto Bloomsbury with Dr. Slack, for the purpose of giving the eggs the best attention. I have no doubt that with a winter of average severity, which would not carry the eggs forward so rapidly as happened in this very exceptional in- stance, the transfer of salmon-eggs can be made from Europe without the slightest uncertainty as to their safe arrival. Perhaps a somewhat dif- erent method of packing would be required, and the inclosure of the eggs in smaller boxes would tend to promote their safety. In the ex- REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXUI treme probability, that hereafter there may be obtained from American waters all the eggs that can be properly handled, 1 think it will be un- necessary to repeat the experiment. The entire cost of the enterprise, including the purchase of the Frei- burg eggs, the freights, the traveling-expenses and salary of Mr. Hessel, and every other outlay, amounted to $1,969.83, or to about $2.62^ per 1,000. The value of this donation of eggs from the German government is not to be estimated by its worth in money, but is to be appreciated as an evidence of kind feeling on its part toward the United" States, espe- cially as there is a very great demand for salmon-eggs throughout Europe, and as the supply received from Hiiningen is entirely insufficient to meet the calls from Germany alone. 12. — PROPAGATION OF THE CALIFORNIA SALMON IN 1872. The propriety was strongly urged, at the Boston meeting, of sending some experienced fish-culturist to the west coast for the purpose of secur- ing a large amount of spawn of the California salmon. This was the more proper, as the resolution originally introduced into the House by Mr. Eoosevelt looked especially to the securing of a supply of eggs by means of hatching-houses on the Columbia River or elsewhere in the West; and I felt it incumbent to carry out the intention, although the law making the appropriation, as actually passed, contained no restric- tion. Although considerable diversity of opinion exists with reference to the California salmon, most of those familiar with both species consider it nearly, if not quite, equal to the eastern salmon, and in some respects superior to it. At any rate, it possesses the advantages ©f existing in great abundance in our country, and of thriving in water, the tempera- ture of which might not admit of the existence of the eastern species. Accordingly, at the suggestion of the meeting, Mr. Livingston Stone was engaged to undertake this work, and proceeded to California as soon as he could arrange his affairs for the purpose. The experiment was of course uncertain, in the entire absence of any reliable informa- tion bearing upon the natural history of the specifes. It was not even known at what period they spawned, although Mr. Stone was assured by professed experts, on his arrival in California, that this occurs late in the month of September. This was thought the more probable, since the other salmon usually deposits its eggs in the end of October or the beginning of November. Mr. Stone left on the 1st of August, and arrived in due time in California, where, at my request, he reported to Mr. Throckmorton and the other fish-commissioners of the State, as well as to the president of the California Fish-Culturists' Association. By all of these gentlemen he was received with the utmost courtesy and kindness, and every assistance was rendered him. His instru(;tious au- thorized him to select any point on the Sacramento or the Columbia Kiver XXIV REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. that promised to answer best the purposes of his mission. Quarter- master-General Meigs had supplied him with letters of recommendation to the officers of his department in the West; but, to his regret, Mr. Stone found no military post sutticiently near to render him any par- ticular assistance during the present season. After much fruitless inquiry, Mr. Stoue at last learned, chiefly through Mr. B. B. Redding, fish-commissioner of California, and through the chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad, that the Indians speared salmon on the McCloud h'iver, a stream of the Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pitt River three hundred and twenty miles nearly due north of San Francisco. Proceeding to this station, in company with Mr. John G. Woodbury, of the Acclimatization Society, Mr. Stone immediately set to work in erecting the necessary hatching-establishment, although, on account of the distance from any settlement and the absence of special facilities, he found the undertaking both difficult and expensive. The efforts of Mr. Stone and his party were prosecuted uuintermlttingly, day and night, for a sufficient length of time to prove that the season had almost entirely passed, and that but few spawning fish remained. Many thousands of spawn were secured, however, and placed in hatch- ing-troughs; but the extraordinary heat of the season, rising day after day to 110° and 112° in the shade, finally accomplished the destruction of the greater portion. The surviving eggs collected by Mr. Stone (30,000 in number) were packed by him in moss and forwarded October 26 by express, addressed to his establishment at Charlestown, ¥. H., this designation being selected in the failure to reach him, of a letter directing their transmission to Dr. Slack, at Bloomsbury, IsT. J. On receiving a telegraphic dispatch announcing the shipment, I immediately telegraphed to Charlestown, directing the packages to be forwarded at once to Dr. Slack, and sent also a telegram to the office of Wells, Fargo & Co., at Albany, request- ing that, if the eggs had not already passed that point, they might be intercepted there and returned at once to iSTew Jersey. This dispatch came too late, as the eggs had passed when it was received ; but the superintendent of Mr. Stone's establishment forthwith sent the eggs to ISTew Jersey, with a skilled assistant to take charge of them and deliver them at their destination. Unfortunately, in consequence of the warmth, and through a miscalculation of the rapidity with which tiiey accom- plished their changes, the eggs were in large part hatched out on the journey, so that of the 30,000 originally shipi)ed all but about 7,000 were hatched. The remainder were immediately picked out and placed in the hatching-house by Dr. Slack. The brood proved to be unusually hardy, very few dying, and all manifesting an extraordinary voracity for the food supplied to them. By the advice of the various State commissioners and fish-culturists at a meeting in Kew York in October, it was concluded to place this stock of young fish in the Susquehanna ; Mr. James Worrall, late commissioner REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXV of fisheries for Pennsylvania, undertaking to do everything possible for their proper care. It had been the intention to transfer them from the hatching-house to the river as soon as the yolk-bag had become absorbed and the young fish were able to shift for themselves ; but in consequence of the very cold weather which occurred during the winter, Dr. Slack was requested by Mr. Worrall to keep them until later in the season* They were therefore retained in the hatching-house and amply fed, from time to time, until the 3d of March, when they were taken to Harris- burgh and placed in the Susquehanna, being between five and six thousand in number. Only about one hundred perished on the journey, the rest being vigorous and in good condition. It is much to be hoped that some important result may follow this enterprise, especially if it be at all possible to add largely to the number in the course of the next few years. At the time of their introduction they were from 2 to 2J inches long, showing the banded side very distinctly. They were much larger than the young of the Sahno salar at the same age, in this respect agreeing with the egg^ which, in the Sacramento species, is fully twice the capacity of that of its congener. The surprise of Mr. Stone at finding the extraordinarily high tem- perature in the Sacramento Valle}", just referred to, was all the greater from the fact that he had been warned against being blockaded with snow during the same period. It is, therefore, probable that, as the season of 1872 was exceptionally warm, this obstacle to success will not continue on a subsequent occasion. From Mr. Stone's experiences in 1872 he concluded that it will be nec- essary to commence operations as early as the 20th of July, and to have th:^ breeding salmon caught and confined as early as the 20th of August. The hatching- water he proposes to take from the McCloud Elver, which is of so even a temperature that, notwithstanding the great heat, it does not rise above 54^. He would have used this water for hatching-purposes in 1871 but for fear of its rising by sudden freshets so as to destroy the establishment. He found, however, that the wateraltered only about two inches during his stay, and should operationsbe continued another season he proposes to employ it for the purpose, continuing operations at the same station. 1:^0 better place is, indeed, to be had in California than the McCloud, as it is a very clear, cold, swift-running stream, full of sal- mon, and probably embraces the principal spawning-ground of that fish. The spawning-beds lower down the river have been almost entirely destroyed by the washings of gravel and sand from the gold-diggings, which have exercised an unfavorable influence upon the supply. According to Mr. Stone there are no white settlements on the river; but the Indians are numerous. The nearest highway is the Oregon stage-road, four miles from the river. Mr. Stone's party endeavored to enlist the Indians in their service, but were unable to communicate iutel- ligi bly with them, and were obliged to rely upon tlieir own resources. As it was, their operations were somewhat delayed by the non-arrival of a XXVI EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. salmon-net which had been sent for. Mr. Stone had been assured that there would be no difficulty in securing aid from the Indians, which, however, he found to be entirely impossible. We do not know enough of the natural history of the iSalmonidce of the West to decide as to the relationship of the Sacramento salmon to those of the waters farther north, especially of the Columbia and Frazer Elvers. Dr. Suckley and others are, however, of the opinion that the same species extends from California to Alaska ; but that, while there are additional species in the northern waters, only one inhabits the Sac- ramento. Its flesh is much more highly colored than that of the Ctist- eru salmon, being almost of a dark-red, and its flavor is said to be fully equal, if not superior; although about this there is a great diver- sity of opinion. In its proportions it differs, being shorter and thicker, so that one of them weighs considerably more than a fish of the same length taken from the East. Further considerations as to its value and adaptability to eastern waters will be found farther on. • 13. — PROPAGATION OF WHITE-FISH IN 1873. The white-fish breeding was begun in the fall of 1872. Over half a million of eggs were placed in the troughs of Mr. N. W. Clark, an experienced breeder of Clarkston, Mich. These were obtained at Ecorse, on the Detroit Eiver, through the liberality of Mr. George Clark of that place, with but little expense. On the 20th of January, 1873, about 200,000 eggs, partially developed, were shipped to the fish-commis- sioners of California, but did not arrive in good condition, having either smothered from the thick bed of sawdust in which the case containing them was placed or been killed by the excessive cold. A second lot of one-half the number was shipped to the same destination with excel- lent success. These were placed by the commissioners in a hatching- house provided for their reception, and the young fish soon after were put into the waters of Clear Lake. The white-fish is of great value, because of the excellent flavor of the flesh, both fresh and salted, its fecundity, and the fact that it feeds on Crustacea and other invertebrate forms. It is adapted to the larger and cooler lakes of the interior, and like the rest of the salmonoids is easily propagated artificially. • 14. — PROPAGATION OF SHAD IN 1873. As shown in the first part of the present report, the shad-hatching season was so far advanced at the time of the [)assage of the act making an appropriation for the service in 1872 that little could be done. The appropriation itself was not available until the 1st of July ; and as the appropriation bill containing the item was passed just before the adjournment of Congress, on the 10th of June, it was necessary to make sure that the item was included therein before taking any measures that might involve any expense. " An acceunt of the work actually ac- complished in 1872 is given on p. xvi. EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXVll Owing to the earlier date at which the necessary appropriations were made by Congress for the propagation of food-fishes, especiallj^ of the shad, in 1873, I was enabled to take timely steps looking toward this great interest, the plan adopted being to hatch out the fish in the rivers of the Atlantic coast, and to transfer a suitable portion of them to western waters, beginning in the south, and conducting operations farther and farther toward the north as the season advanced. Entirely ignorant of the best points where this work could be carried on, I dispatched Dr. Yarrow on a tour of reconnaissance, and was very much surprised to learn from his report (page 39(3) that, in conse- quence of the scarcity of fish, it would be extremely difiicult to get enough to experiment upon, farther south than the Neuse. This con- clusion was found to be correct, by the subsequent experience of the par- ties entering upon the work. Desirous of utilizing the practical experience in shad-culture of Mr. Seth Green, I made arrangements with him to devote his whole atten- tion to the business of hatching shad in behalf of the United States, or at least until it became necessary for him to commence operations on the Hudson River for the State of Xew York. He accordingly reported himself in Washington on the 17th of April, with his trained assistants, Mr. H. M. Welsher, Mr. Jonathan Mason, Mr. M. G. Holton, and Mr. Chester K. Green. As agreed upon, he proceeded first to the Savannah Eiver at Augusta, Ga., but, to his disappointment and my own, was unable, as already explained, to find enough spawning shad to make the experiment worth the cost. i^ew Berne on the Neuse, and Weldon on the Roanoke were next fixed upon as stations. Unfortunately the unprecedented rise in the rivers prevented anything like the success we had hoped for; the streams being many feet above high- water mark, rendering it impossible either to catch the shad, or to hatch out the spawn properly had it been possible to procure it. The most important result of the experiment at Weldon was the discovery by Mr. Holton that the striped bass or rock-fish could be propagated in the same manner as the shad. Several spawn- ing fish w'ere stripped of their eggs, which were fertilized and placed in the shad-boxes. Thej' were found to develop in rather less time than the shad, and to be capable of quite a similar treatment generally. As this fisli has diminished equally with the shad, and is much more valuable on account of its greatly superior size, we have here the war- rant as to further operations, which it is proposed to carry into eifect hereafter. The operations at Weldon were under the charge of Mr. M. G. Holton and Mr. C. K. Green ; and on the 17th of May a camp was established on the Potomac River by Messrs. Mason and Welsher, and the first work of any magnitude commenced. About one hundred hatching-boxes were prepared according to Mr. Green's pattern, and anchored above the western end of the Long Bridge opposite Washington, and advantage XXVIU REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, was taken of an adjacent fishery belonging to Messrs. Kuight & Gibson to secure the spawning fish. Here about 1,400,000 young shad were placed in the river, increasing the supply' to that amount. It was now for the first time possible to make a transfer of fish to the West ; and having placed Mr. Milner, an assistant of the commission, in charge of this branch of the work, he succeeded, with the assistance of Mr. Welsher, in introducing about 70,000 fry into the headwaters of the Kanawha Eiver on the 0th and 9th days of June. A supply was also furnished to Mr. jS". W. Clark for the Michigan commissioners. The season having closed at this point in consequence of the heat of the water, and the fact that the spawn taken from the fish invariably failed to develop, two new stations were established; one under Mr. Welsher, at Marietta, in Pennsylvania, and the other under Mr. Holtou and C.K. Green, at Bull's Island Ferry, on the Delaware. The business arrangements of this branch of the work were placed in charge of Dr. J. H. Slack, who, as fish commissioner of New Jersey, had certain privi- leges in regard to the capture of the shad, which were important to the success of the enterprise. The fish hatched at this point were priu- cipall^^ placed in the Delaware River, although 15,000 were transferred by Dr. Slack to Jack's Run, at Greensburgh, for the purpose of stocking the Monongahela. About the time of the starting the camp at Marietta, the Pennsylvania commissioners began another at Newport on the Juniata, where a con- siderable number of fish were hatched and placed in the river. The operations on the Delaware were closed in July, mainly in con- sequence of certain obstructions introduced by the canal company above the hatching-camp, and the regular i)arties proceeded to the camp on the Hudson, at Oastletou, where the New York commissioners have a station, and where a considerable supply of spawn was to be expected. Here the hatching was prosecuted entirely at the expense of the State of New York; her fish commissioners, however, very kindly giving the United States such spawn as was required for its purposes. Mr. Milner assisted by Mr. Mason was actively engaged for several weeks in trans- ferring young shad from Oastleton to various points in the West, becom- ing so well skilled as to involve a very slight mortality. At the same time Mr. Livingston Stone, in behalf of the United States Fish Commission, received 80,000 fish from the establishment of the New York commissioners, none of which reached their destination ; the attendant who carried them through to Chicago, where they were to meettheaquarium-car, failing to success in keep them alive' during their journey. The attempt to transfer valuable food-fishes from the Atlantic slope to the Pacific slope in the so called aquarium-car, as well as the unfortunate accident by which the car was precipitated from a trestle-work into tlie Elkliorn River of Nebraska not far from Omaha, have become widely known through the newspapers. The enterprise was a joint aftair REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXIX between tlie United States and the State of California, through her com- missioners, Messrs. Throckmorton, Keddiiig, and Farwell. The car, in charge of Livingston Stone, assistant United States com- missioner, was ingeniously and very completely fitted up in every detail of necessity and convenience required for the successful transfer of fishes, 'obsters, and oysters. It contained in all nearly 300,000 fishes, repre- senting the following species: The tautog, {Tautoga onitis ;) the black bass, {Micropterus salmoides ;) the rock-fish or striped bass, {Roccus linea- tus;) the perch, (Perca flavescens ;) the wall-eyed pike, {Stizostedion ameri- caiia ;) the brook-trout, {tSalmo fontinalis ;) the bnll-head, {Amiunts atra- rius ;) t\iQ, cat-fish, [Icielurus coerulescens ;) the eel, {Anguilla bostoni- ensis ;) besides minnows, {Cyprinidce,) to serve as food for the larger individuals en route. One hundred and seventy lobsters and a barrel of seed-oysters were also in the car. To accommodate these, one very large tank, and ten smaller oifes, be- sides hogsheads, barrels, and tin cans, were required. A large amount of ice, and reserves of sea and fresh water, were pro- vided, as well as supplies of food and apparatus for aerating water and regulating temperature. Sleeping and feeding accommodations for attendants were arranged within the car. By the accident, the car was thrown into the Elkhorn Eiver, and the fishes had an opportunity of escape from the tanks. It is not likely that the lobsters, oysters, or the tautogs were able to sustain life in the fresh waters of the river for any great length of time. The rock-fish and the shad are anadromons fishes, spending a portion of each year in fresh waters, and both have proved their ability to sustain life in fresh waters througli several years. The other species are fresh-water fishes, and some of them will be valuable acquisitions to the system of waters where fate has consigned them. A full account of this expedition and of the accident which inter- rupted it so suddenly, and from which Mr. Stone and his companions barely escaped with their lives, will be found in the body of the report. Mr. Stone, having lost the first installment of shad, was directed to return to Albany for the purpose of taking an additional supply 5 and he again started on the 25th of June, with about 40,000 fish, accom- panied as far as Omaha by Mr. Welsher. I am happy to state that they experienced scarcely any mortality on the way, and after placing 5,000 fish in the Jordan River, a tributary of the Great Salt Lake, on the 30th of June, he deposited 35,000 in the Sacramento on July 2, in the presence of the California commissioners, and to their very great satisfaction. This number of young fish in the Sacramento Eiver, to be increased, I hope, hereafter, will very probably result in supplying that stream with this useful food-fisb, and will furnish a point of departure from which to stock the Columbia and other more northern rivers, as contemplated by act of Congress. Experience has shown that it will be impossible to take young shad from the east over a greater distance than the Pacific XXX REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, Eailroad will carry them ', and until the northern line, or the coast-line from California to Oregon, is completed, it will hardly be worth while to spend our efforts in that direction. In order to have a still greater supply of young shad for the purposes of the commission, an arrangement was made with the Connecticut com- missioners to enlarge their operations at Hadley Falls, the increased expense being borne out of the appropriation made by the United States. This was accordingly done, and Mr. Milner and Mr. Mason were enabled, after the season had closed farther south, to obtain all the young shad they could attend to during the remainder of the season. A deposit in the Mattawamkeag, a tributary of the Penobscot, was made at the urgent request of the commissioners of Maine. Mr. Milner and Mr. Mason next proceeded to Topsham, Me., on the Androscoggin, with a view of ascertaining whether ripe eggs could be obtainl3d in sufficient number for shad-hatching purposes. They found, however, that, owing to the lateness of the season and the scarcity of the fish themselves, nothing could be done; and it is thought not im- probable that the restoration of shad to the rivers of Maine will be done most easily by transferring the spawn from the Connecticut, or from the Merrimack, should the commissioners of Massachusetts exhibit the same liberality that has been shown by those of Connecticut. Returning from Maine, they proceeded again to the Connecticut and the Hudson, con- tinning their labors in the way of transferring of young fish. Their work finally closed on the 24th day of July. An accompanying table gives the statistics of the work actually accomplished in transferring shad to western waters. The aggregate of nearly a million is certainly likely to produce a marked effect; and if similar efforts are made in successive years, which I trnst will be the case-, there is every reason to expect the accomplishment of the object in view. The information in this and other tables, as to the entire num- ber of shad and salmon hatched in the United States to date will not be without interest. The accompanying very valuable report by Mr. Milner, (page 419,) gives the details of his operations, and embraces numerous very valua- ble suggestions in regard to the transportation and treatment of shad, which will serve an important purpose in future operations. I append reports from Mr. Green, of his labors south of Washington, (p. 406;) from Dr. Slack, upon work on the Delaware, (p. 409;) and from Mr. Stone, (p. 413,) upon his transfers to the Jordan and Sacramento, During the present season, as in the past, I have great pleasure in acknowledging the help rendered by raanj^ persons, not only by the State commissioners, (especially those of ]S"ew York and Connecticut,) in sup- plying young fish from States where the United States had no hatching- house, but also by the part of officers of railroad and express companies. Most of these are mentioned hereafter. It had been contemplated to carry on hatching-operations on the Rappahannock River, where the shad were believed to be very abun- REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXI dant, and -where, it was thought, a large number of eggs might be obtained and transferred to the West. The most suitable point on tliis river was some distance below Fredericksburgh ; and at Mr. Green's sug- gestion I applied to the governor of Virginia, asking the loan of one of the State fishing-steamers for my aid, which was promptly acceded to, and I was informed that the steamer Tredegar, in command of Capt. Orris A. Browne, would be at my service at any time after the 1st of May. It, however, was found impossible to occupy more than two stations at a time, owing to the small force at my command, and when the experiment at Weldon was given up, and Messrs. Welsher and Green proceeded to the Rappahannock, they found the season had passed, and that no success was possible. Another year it may be expedient to commence operations on this river, especially in view of the fact that it aftbrds a convenient point from which to transfer the young fish to West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. 0— MULTIPLICATION OF FISH IN GENERAL. 15. — GENERAL HISTORY OF FISH-CULTURE. Having presented in the introductory portion of the present report a general account of the measures taken to carry out the intention of Con- gress in establishing the Commission of Fish and Fisheries, I now Ijroceed to give in more detail a statement of what has been done gen- erally in regard to the multiplication of the species of fish considered of most importance, and the various interests connected with the fisheries, to which a brief sketch of the theory and practice of so-called fish-culture may not be an unacceptable preliminary.* The subject of securing from the fresh waters and the sea a larger supply of fish than they would spontaneously aflbrd has attracted the attention of various nations from a very remote period; one of the sim- plest methods consisting in the collection offish into natural or artificial ponds or reservoirs, and by allowing them to prey upon each other, or else by supplying food to them artificially. This was in vogue among the Romans especially, and it is asserted that not unfrequently the food thus sui^plied consisted of the flesh of slaves, which it was claimed imparted to the fish a delicate flavor, especially to the lampreys and other fav- orite species. This method of treating fish is, however, scarcely to be regarded as a branch of fish-culture in its restricted sense. According to Soubeiran, in a recent and very comj^lete summary of the history of fish-culturet, the first essays made in this direction in *A fuller account of this will be found iu the History of Fish-Culture, page 465. tLa pisciculture et la peclie en Chine par P. Dabry deThiersaut, consul de France, meinbre honoraire de la Societe d'acclimatation ; ouvrage accompague de 51 planches, repr<5seutaut les principaux instruments de pisciculture et eugius de peche employes par les Chiuois et quelques uouvelles especes de poissous recueillies en Chine par P. D. . Thiersant, prec6d6 d'uu introduction sur la pisciculture chez les divers peuples par le Dr. J. L. Soubeiran, profesaeur agr6g6 k Tficole de pharmacie de Paris, secretaire de la Soci6t6 d'acclimatation. XXXli REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Europe were by Dom Pinclion, in the fifteenth century, at the abbey of Eeome, near Montbard, in France, and in a manuscript dated A. D. 1420, belonging to the Baron de Montgaudry, describing his process, it is said that it is necessary to have long wooden boxes, with solid bottoms, but with wicker-work at the ends, open above, and covered with a willow grating. At the bottom of the box is to be placed a bed of fine sand, and a slight groove is to be made in the sand, in which to deposit the eggs, which have previously been fertilized. The trout is to be kept in a gentle current of water; and as soon as the discharge of ova has taken place, (the period of which is carefully watched for,) and these are fertilized by the milt of the male, the. eggs are to be removed to the boxes referred to, and allowed to remain until hatched out. About the middle of the eighteenth century the subject of fish-culture was again brought into notice by the experiments of Lieutenant Jacobi, of Hoenhausen. An account of his labors forwarded to Count de Goldstein was translated into Latin by that gentleman, and later into French by Duhamel du Monceau. The method adopted by Jacobi was that of modern times, namely, the squeezing of the ripe eggs from the body of the female into a dish partly filled with water, discharging upon this the milt of the male, stirring them well together, and after- ward placing them in the boxes for hatching. According to Adanson, as early as 1772 some form of artificial fe- cundation, of trout esijecially, was made use of on the borders of the "Weser, in Switzerland, in the Palatinate of the Rhine, and in many of the more elevated regions of Germany. The methods of Jacobi, and his results, seemed for many years to have passed into oblivion, although various experiments were made for some time after, in one country or another, looking more particularly toward the increase of the salmon and the trout. jSTo material progress seems to have been made, however, until the time of Joseph R6my, a simple fisherman of Bresse, a village in the Vosges, who by his own ingenuity discovered the general theory of artificial fecundation, and again carried into effect, but much more efficiently, the methods of Jacobi. To him is due the fuller appreciation of the importance of artificial fecundation, and of protecting the eggs and young fish dur- ing the period of greatest danger. It is well known that thei-e is no more attractive food for aquatic animals than the roe of fish, even the very parents of the eggs in many cases devouring them greedily. It is not too much to claim that, as a general rule, 60 per cent, of all eggs are devoured before the young are hatched ; and it is also certain that of the latter, three-fourths are probably eaten while in their helpless condition, with the yolk-bag attached, and before they are able to feed themselves and to take the natural precautions for their safety. Again, a serious loss is experienced in the uncertainty of natural fecundation, many of the eggs failing to receive the spermatic fiuid, and of course remaining inert. The estimate has repeatedly been made that REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXlll if 5 per cent, of the number of eggs laid under natural conditions by the parent become young fish, able to feed for themselves, it is rather more than a usual occurrence. Of course, subsequent to this stage they are exposed to numerous dangers before the perils of immaturity are passed. On the other hand, if more than 10 per cent, or even 5 per cent, of those artificially hatched fail to reach the same period of existence, especially in the case of the eggs of the salmon and trout, which are large, and are usually more carefully manipulated, it may be considered as unsuccessful management. This fact, which is one of the most import- ant features in the success of artificial hatching of fishes, was appreci- ated by R^my, and provided for in his various methods. These he practiced with only one associate, named Gehin, for several years ; but it was not until 1849 that they became known to the scientific world through Haxo and Professor de Quatrefages. The subject was taken up by the French government, and the final result was the erection, at Hiiningen on the Ehine, of a great French national establishment for the artificial cultivation of fish, and their distribution to the adjacent waters, under the direction of Professor Coste, of the College of France. This took place in 1851, and the work was carried on by the French with varying success until the capture of Alsace and Lorraine by the Germans. The Hiiningen station, being now within the German limits, is still maintained as a piscicultural establishment, and is under the immediate charge of Dr. Haack, one of the most eminent piscicul- turists in Eiirope. The Salmonidw receive chief attention at this establishment, although some species of other families are cultivated. It was from this place that the salmon-eggs already referred to as pre- sented by the German government to the United States were supplied. At the present day there are few countries of Europe where fish- culture in some form is not prosecuted. There are numerous establish- ments in France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Russia Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, «&c., while even in India, Java, and Australia more or less attention is given to the subject. The claim has been raised in behalf of China as having earliest prac- ticed pisciculture. But if by this we mean the artificial fecundation of fishes, and raising them in limited spaces, the assertion cannot be sustained. It is very true that great ingenuity is expended in China in securing the fertilized eggs of fishes after they have been already deposited by them, and in rearing the young, as well as in stocking waters with the most approved varieties. In this respect, indeed, they may be said to have prosecuted the art of aquiculture as well as of agricul- ture from a period far antedating the practice of the same by any other nation. They, however, as far as the eggs of the fishes were concerned, confined their efforts to finding the localities where these had alread>' been laid, or else to straining them out of the water by means of fine nets, mats, or gratings, and then they either hatched them out on the spot or carried them to great distances throughout the emjiire. It is, S. Mis. 74 m XXXIV KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. however, for the United States that we may claim the fullest develop- ment of the art of pisciculture, both as to the perfection of its methods and the extent of its operations. • On the authority of the Southern Cultivator, the Rev. Dr. John Bach- man, of Charleston, S. C, as early as 1804, at the age of fourteen, impreg. nated and hatched the eggs of trout and other fishes. This has been questioned by some; but Dr. Slack, in his work on trout-culture, well remarks that Dr. Bachman's reputation as a Christian and a naturalist is too well established to permit us to doubt his word. It is not pre- tended, indeed, that the idea was original with him, but he probably found in the work of Duhamel du Monceau the account of the methods of Jacobi and imitated them. In 1853 Dr. Theodatus Garlick and Professor Ackley established a fish-farm near Cleveland, Ohio; the result of their experiences being published in Dr. Garlick's work, entitled "A Treatise on the Artificial Propagation of Certain Kinds of Fish ; Cleveland, Ohio, 1857." In 1859, Mr. Stephen H. Ainsworth, of West Bloomfield, JS". Y., began his experiments, and has continued them up to the present time. Since then, numerous establishments have been started, more particularly devoted to the culture of the brook-trout, meriting and meeting a greater or less degree of practical and pecuniary success.* I am indebted to Mr. Stone for a list, brought up to 1872, of persons at that time known by him to have been engaged in the practical work of fish-culture, or more or less interested in itssuccess. Although necessa- rily incomplete, I have given it in the appendix as the basis of a fuller enumeration hereafter. Among the more prominent names in this con- nection we may mention the world-renowned Seth Green; Dr. J. H. Slack ; Livingston Stone ; William Clift ; S. H. Ainsworth ; A. S. Collins ; N. W. Clark, &c. 16. — ACTION OF STATE AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. The recent establishment of the American Fish-Culturists' Association, a society designed to bring together those interested in the subject, promises to be of great benefit in advancing a correct knowledge of the best theory and practice of the science of fish-culture. It is to this body, under the presidency of Mr. George Shepard Page, that we owe the first movements which resulted in the recognition, by Congress, of the national importance of fish-culture, and in the appropriations for the multii)licatiou of useful food-fishes in the national waters. As already stated, (page xvi,) it was in 1872 that the subject was presented to Congress and favorably acted upon ; the result being an appropriation of $15,000 "for the introduction of shad into the waters of the Pacific States, the Gulf States, and of the Mississippi Valley, and * Fuller details in regard to American fish-culture are given farther on in the article hy Mr. Milner, page 523. REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXV of salmon, white-fish, aud other useful food-fishes, into the waters of the United States, to which they are best adapted," for the fiscal year of 1872-'73, with a supplementary appropriation of 810,000 for the same year, having special reference to the i^ropagatiou of shad. A further appropriation of $17,500 was subsequently made for the same object during the fiscal year of 1873-74. This action on the part of the United States was the natural culmination of what had already been done by many of the States, accelerated by the action of the American Fish Guitarists' Association. (See page xvi.) At an early lieriod the subject of protecting the fishes, if not, indeed, of their actual multiplication, was brought before the legisla- tures of certain States, and various laws were enacted, and commis- sioners appointed to attend to their enforcement. In many instances their efforts were restricted to preventing injurious, unseasonable, aud excessive fishing ; but in others they were also instructed to take such measures as lay in their power to increase the supply. This has already been done to a greater or less extent in the States of Maine, Xew Hamp- shire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Kew Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alp^baraa, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, and California, as well as in the Dominion of Canada ; and as year by year the number of States taking action in this matter and extending oper- ations therein is increasing, there is little doubt that before long nearly all the members of the Union will have fish commissioners duly appointed and qualified to act in reference to this important branch of our internal resources. A list of the States which to the present time have appointed com- missioners, with the names of the ofiicers themselves, will be found in the accompanying appendix, and also a bibliography of the reports pub- lished by them. While, however, the action of the commissioners of the several States has reference to restricted localities, aud to intro- ducing new varieties, or increasing the supply in ponds, small lakes, and streams, they have not been disinterested enough to take charge of waters which constitute State boundaries, or where the benefits are likely to be shared, if not entirely reaped, by citizens of other States. For this reason some of the more important rivers, and the entire system of the great lakes, the best subjects for the experiment, have been entirely neglected; and as these constitute the common waters of the United States, it was thought desirable for Congress to take charge of them, and to do whatever was possible within a moderate cost to increase the supply of food to be derived from them. Thus, it was impossible to S3care State action, in stocking the Mississippi with the anadromous fishes, or those that run up from the ocean to .the headwaters of the streams to spawn, the shad for instance, which it is believed can be made as abundant in that river and its tributaries as it now is in any other waters. Wherever the young fish may be introduced, after reaching a certain size they will descend to the Gulf of Mexico, returning in the course of three or four years, if permitted, to the spot XXXVl EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. from wbicli they originally started. Slipposing a locality in Ohio to have been their first abode, there will be nothing to prevent the citizens of all the States intervening between that place and the Gulf of Mexico from arresting the upward returning run, and capturing a portion, if not the entire body of the fish, so that little or no benefit would inure to the parties through whose instrumentality this result was rendered possible. As far as the United States is concerned, however, it is a matter of no consequence who take the fish, since the great object is to increase the supply of food to the nation at large, and every capture, whether in Ohio or Louisiana, will tend to accomi^lish the same general result. After any species of fish has become permanently established in a given body of water, their continuance therein will depend in great meas- ure upon the enactment of suitable laws, securing their access to suitable spawning-grounds, and protecting them during the critical period of their existence, from capture or unnecessary destruction. Otherwise the methods of artificial propagation must be resorted to indefinitely. The various measures required for the protection of fish will be referred to hereafter. 17. — COMPARATIVE VALUE OP ANADEOMOUS AND OTHER FISHES. In reference to the freshwater fishes most worthy to attract the attention of the General Government or of the States, the distinction between resident species and those that are anadromous, or which spend a part only of their life in the fresh waters and the remainder in the ocean, must be clearly borne in mind. The species which belong exclu- sively to fresh water, such as the brook-trout, the lake-trout, the land- locked salmon, the white-fish, the black bass,* &c., are well worthy of attention, and by judicious treatment can be introduced into new waters, or their numbers greatly increased in any particular locality. But, after all, there is a direct relationship between the number of any kind of fish of a given weight and the amount of water needed to fur- nish a supply sufficient to add definitely to that weight of food ; and when the limit has been reached, we cannot, without feeding artificially, advsmce upon the proportion. Where the waters are pure and con- stantly renewed, and a suitable supply of healthful food is furnished regularly, large numbers of fish may be kept and cultivated, where not one in ten thousand would find an ample supply of natural food ; but, as a general rule, the expense of feeding is such as to render the sale at comparatively high prices necessary for a satisfactory result. It must be remembered, too, that however rapidly certain fish, espe- cially the black bass, multiply in new waters, there is a limitation to their increase, as shown by the experience of the Potomac Eiver. * All these species are able to live for a time in salt-water, and, indeed, if no obstacle intervene, may run down to the sea for a time ; but by far the greater number belong to tha interior waters of the country, and have no opportunity for such experiences. REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXVU This fish was iatroduced into this stream in 1854 by Mr. William ' Shriver, of Wheeling ; * several mature fish having been transported * As an important contribution to the history of the black bass and of the measures taken to introduce it into new waters I reproduce a letter by John Eoff from the report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1854 : "On my return from a small hunting expedition to the headwaters of Sand Creek, Jackson County, Virginia, I found your kind letter of November 26, 1854 ; and, in order to comply best with your wishes and views therein expressed, I will give you such a description of one particular species of fish, (which I consider the most valuable, on account of their quality as a j)an-fish and their quantity,) in our western streams, viz, the bass, (called by the early settlers in the western country yellow or black perch.) They are a remarkably active and voracious fish, with a large and hard mouth, and vary in size, according to their age, from three-quarters of a pound to three pounds, and occasionally have been caught to weigh as high as six pounds or seven pounds. Their food, wheu small, appears to be all kinds of insects, (flies, worms, &c. ;) when larger, though not entirely leaving off their earlier habits, their principal food is the smaller fish of other kinds. In the winter-season they retire to deep and still water, and apparently hide under rocks, logs, &c., and remain there until the first of April, when they come out and begin to ascend the streams, apparently to find a convenient place for spawning, which commences about the 15th of 'May, varying some little accord- ing to the warmth of the season, &c. When that event is about taking place, they appear to separate into pairs, male and female, and hunt out some retired place, or nook, where the water is about eighteen inches deep, and still, but adjoiuiug deeper water, to which they can escape if alarmed ; they there commence making their nests, that is, washing all the mud, &c., off the bottom, so as to leave it perfectly clean, in a circular form, the diameter of the circle (or nest) being about twice the length of the fish ; after which the female begins depositing her eggs, which appear to become glued to the bottom, or small stones, in rows, after the deposit has taken place. She remains night and day, either on her nest, or swimming round about it, apparently guarding the eggs, and driving every other smaller fish away. This watching or guarding con- tinues until the eggs are what is called hatched, which occurs in from eight to ten days, according to the temperature of the water. The young fish at first remain near the bottom, and appear like a gauze vail floating. In two or three days they gradually rise and spread, the old one leaves them, they separate, and each one shifts for itself, i. e., hides under leaves, small sticks, and stones. "I, as yet, have had no positive means of determining the precise time for a young bass to arrive at maturity, but suppose it to be three years, from the following facts : In the spring of the year (April) you may find large numbers of young bass about two or two and a half inches in length, rather in company with other minnows ; in the fol- lowing autumn and fall of the year you will find very few of that size, but congregat- ing together, and alone, you will find a number from three to four inches in length ; while during the same fall you may catch young bass of about eight inches long, with the formation of the young egg within them, preparatory for spawning the following spring. In the spawning-season you will find a large number of nests of small bass, the bass being ten or eleven inches long, which I have always concluded were three years old. Hence, from the above facts, you will perceive that the bass of our western country are valuable, and, at the same time, can be easier transferred, and in greater quantities, from one stream to another, than almost any other fish. All that is neces- sary to supply a pond with any quantity would be to examine their nests at the time they are spawning, and to pick up the small gravel out of their nests, with the eggs attached thereto, and put them in a bucket of water, and place them in your pond, in such a position that smaller fish could not devour the eggs ; and in a short time th(>y would hatch, and the young ones would help themselves. Or, to secure a larger quan- tity in a short time, wait until the young are hatched, and are in innumerable quanti- XXX\111 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. in the water-tank of a locomotive from the Ohio River, at Wheeling, to Cumberland on the Potomac. Not many years after, the young fish began to distribute themselves in numbers, and in time the entire river became thoroughly stocked with the new game. Starting at the head- waters of the river, the bass found immense numbers of Cyprinidce, such as chubs, minnows, suckers, &c., as also of crawfish, insect-larvfe, and the like, which had been i^reviously, for the greater part, undisturbed, except, perhaps, by the pickerel, and, having an ample supply of food, in accordance with the theory of natural selection, they multiplied to a prodigious extent. Tear by year they extended their limits toward the mouth of the Potomac, until at the present time they are found in great abundance near Washington, and form a very attractive object of sport. I am, however, informed by residents on the Upper Potomac and its tributaries that tlie bass are becoming scarce, and tliat their numbers are much less than a few years ago, while, as a concomitant, the immense schools of smaller fry, formerly so abundant, have disappeared, a min- now in some localities being a rare sight. This is a very natural con- sequence, and must produce its result. In the increasing scarcity of herbivorous fish, the bass will be driven to feed more and more upon each other, and after a time a certain average will be established, per- haps the same as that existing in the waters of the Mississippi Valley and elsewhere, where, although indigenous, they are in proportion fewer than in the Potomac River. An entirely different condition of things prevails with the anadromous fish, among which we may enumerate as best known the shad, the ale- wife, or the fresh- water herring, the salmon, the smelt, and probably the striped bass. These fish spend the greater part of their existence ties suspended over the nest ; then, with a piece of gauze net, dip them up and empty them into a vessel containing as much pure water as will sustain them until yoil can convey them to your pond ; and then, as I before ol>served, they can support them- selves, while young, on insects, «&c. Or, early in April or May, if you are fond of angling, you cau go to a stream iu which they are plenty, and, in catching fifteen or twenty, will almost always get nearly oue-half the number smaller ones. Pat these into your pond unhurt ; and, as they have not spawned that season, they will soon stock the water. Then all that remains to be done is to supply your pond with other small fish, minnows, &c., for food for the large bass, and they will increase in quan- tity just in proportion to their supply of food. Hence I am satisfied that if a farmer would convert one acre of his land into a pond, well supplied with fresh water, that acre would raise and support more fish yearly (the value of which would be more) than any other two acres cultivated in any other manner — the expense of cultivating deducted from each. "Mr. William Shriver, a gentleman of this place, and son of the late David Shriver, esq., of Cumberland, Md., thinking the Potomac River admirably suited to the cul- tivation of the bass, has commenced the laudable undertaking of stocking that river with them ; he has already taken, this last season, some twenty or more in a live box, in the water-tank on the locomotive, and placed them in the canal-basin at Cumber- land, where we are in hopes they will expand and do well, and be a nucleus from which ■ the stock will soon spread." REPORT OF COMMISSIOXER OF FISH AND FISHERIES XXXIX in, and derive their chief growth from, the sea. At certain seasons of the year, when fat and phimp, they enter the rivers and proceed usually as far as the obstructions will permit, or until they find their proper spawning-ground; here the eggs are discharged, fertilized, and hatched. The adults either return immediately to the ocean or after a certain interval. The young fish spend a certain period in the fresh waters, feeding, it is true, but on minute organisms, which are always procurable in abundance. Shad and herring enter the rivers and spawn in the spring, and the young retarn in the autumn. The eastern salmon enter the rivers in spring, and spawn in the autumn, the eggs not hatching until late in the winter. The young remain for one and some of them even for two years, and then go down to the sea. After a certain interval these fish return to their birth-place, the shad, at the age of three or four years, weighing from three to five pounds ; the salmon after the same interval, weighing from nine to twelve pounds ; this immensely rapid growth having taken place in the ocean, and without requiring anything in the way of human intervention. For this reason it is that ■ the efforts necessary to the multiplication of anadromous fish may be limited to secur- ing a proper passage of the adults to and from their proper spawning- grounds, or, in addition, to the securing of their eggs in numbers, and lilacing the young when hatched, and after a suitable interval, in the water where they are to pass the period of their infancy. Isothiug, therefore, is asked of the waters but the right of way, the adults rarely taking food of any kind while in the rivers. Their sustenance during this period is derived from the surplus of fat in their own bodies, and the exhaustion produced by this period of abstinence, especially with its accompaniment of the development of the eggs and their fertiliza- tion, being made up by the voracity of their feeding on returning to the ocean. The species just mentioned all live in the ocean and run up into fresh water to spawn ; the list being capable of considerable addition. Other fishes, again, live in large bodies of fresh water, as lakes, and run into tributary streams or outlets for a similar purpose, and are thus anadro- mous likewise. The Coregonus or white-fish, are almost universally ana- dromous; also the land-locked salmon, the oquassa-trout, or blue-bact, the fresh-water smelt, &c. In this connection it may be interesting to refer for a moment to the difference in habits between the common eel and the species just referred to. This, like the others, is an anadromous fish, or better, perhaps, catadromoiis^ the order of its movements being reversed. The eggs of eels, for the most part, are laid in the sea, and the young, after a short interval, enter the mouths of rivers and streams in early summer and pass up as far as an open passage will permit. The adventurous visi- tor to the Cave of the Winds, under the water-sheet of Xiagara Falls, is struck as mach by the immense number of young eels swarming against xl EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. the rocks and attempting to climb over their surface as by any other feature, the numbers to be seen being simply incalculable. After reaching a suitable place of abode, in fresh water, the eels remain, as is supi)osed, for at least three years, growing to a considerable size. After becoming sufficiently mature, their instinct, probably that of reproduction, carries them seaward again during the autumn ; and it is at this time that various forms of fish-dams and fish- weirs are called into requisition. The simplest kind consists of two lines of stone wall, forming the sides of a rude dam, made so as to converge and bring the angle down stream, through which the passing water falls into a sort of basket. This consists of a frame with lattice- work at the bot- tom, so arranged that, while the water passes through, the fish are forced up over the slats, arranged so as to form a series of slides, and fall into a receptacle beyond, where they are taken sometimes by wagon-loads. The most productive result of this mode of fishing consists of eels inter- cepted iu their seaward movement, although other fish are often taken. It is very destructive to young shad and is very properly interdicted by the laws o£ Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in their shad-rivers. The laying of the eggs, it is supposed, takes place in the autumn, or winter, and the yonng begin to move up in the spring, or early summer. In further reference to the history of the eel, we may state that its precise mode of copulation and of reproduction was entirely unknown until recently, but that at the present time the view is maintained by very high authority, principally that of Italian physiologists, that the eel is strictly a hermaphrodite ; that is to say, that both the male and female organs are found in the same animal. These are said to be developed to the proper degree in winter, and the eggs discharged from the ovary are fertilized by the seminal fluid from the testicles, and leave the body in a condition for further development. 18. — DIFFERENT METHODS OF MULTIPLYING FISH. We have already indicated in the previous remarks some of the principal methods devised for increasing the number of fish in a given locality, but it may be well to refer again to this in a more systematic manner. Capturing fish in one locality, and transferring them to another, simply for the sake of greater convenience in securing them when wanted, does not come under this head. The fish-ponds of the ancient Eomans, and the floating boxes or cars in which living fish are kept by fish-dealers, belong essentially to the same category. As far as the actual multiplication of fish is concerned, we have to deal especially with four principal methods. The first, and simplest, consists in transferring fish of both sexes, whether still young and requiring further growth, or fully mature, and especially at about the period of their spawning, from one locality to another, where they can make themselves at home, and in due course of time increase and multiply. EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHEEIES. xli This method has been more especially practiced in the United States in the case of black bass, pickerel, * pike-perch, yellow perch, alewife or fresh- water herring, the brook-trout, &c., and to some extent, indeed, the white fish, or Coregonus alhm t and, indeed, is almost the only method by which it is possible satisfactorily to accomplish the desired object ; the efforts of pisciculturists not having been very successful in impregnat- ing the eggs (excepting with the white-fish) and hatching them out, although there would be no particular difliculty in regard to the alewife, A second method, quite similar to the first, consists in simply colleet- ing and penning up the mature fish in a suitable inclosure at about the time of spawning, and keeping them until the operation of reproduction is accomplished, but without taking any special charge of the eggs themselves. The third is that especially practiced by the Chinese, of collecting the fertilized spawn, after it is laid, either by gathering it from localities under the water where it has adhered, or by straining it out while float- ing. The first method is in some instances assisted by introducing bunches of ozier or brush into the water frequented by the gravid fish . so as to furnish convenient objects of adhesion, and such as can be readily handled for the purpose of removing the eggs from them. The * From a very early time in the settlements of the different States, the transfer o f live fishes has been attempted. One of the first species that attracted -what was really a most mistaken interest "was what is known as the pickerel, and represented by at least two species, the Esox reticulatus in the streams of the Atlantic slope, and the E»ox lucius west of the Alleghanies. This must not be confounded with the so-called pick- erel (the Lucioperc^i americana) of the Lake Erie shores. This geim^(Esox) is among the most ravenous of predacious fishes. They have a wide mouth, with a formidable armature of long, sharp teeth, and are long, slender, clipper-like creatures, swift in the water, where they are able to run down ordinary fishes, or. lying concealed, as is their habit, in the sedge and rushes at the edge of the clear channel, dart suddenly upon the passing fish. They are very bony, of indif- ferent flavor, and it is only where people are undiscriminating in their choice, from the lack of opportunity to compare them with better food-fishes, that they consider thetn desirable. They attain considerable size and take the hook eagerly, but their destructiveness of much superior fishes should condemn every effort to propagate them or to extend their distribution. It is a singular coincideuc* that in earlier times in portions of Europe the same spe- cies as our western one (Esox ludus) was introduced into new waters rather exten- sively, and it is now acknowledged to be a most mistaken enterprise. The commissioners of Maine have expressed their regret at the misguided enterprise of citizens of that State in introducing the pickerel into certain rivers and water- systems. t One of the earliest experiments in the transfer of fish, other than pickerel and black bass, to new waters, was made by Governor L. J. Farwell, of Wisconsin. In 1S54 he had one hundred fine, large white-fish carried alive to Madison and deposited in good condition in Lake Mendota in Dane County. A careful examination a few years later showed that they had increased rapidly, and occupied the deepest part of the water. In 1S5S they appeared on the northeastern side of the lake, where they were caught in considerable numbers. A concurrent transfer of brook-trout into a tributary of the lake was not so successful. xlii EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. eggs thus secured may then be transferred to any given locality and al- lowed to hatch naturally ; or else beds are artificially prepared and attended until the birth of the yoang, when these are either allowed to escape into the water at once, or else they are fed for a short time, and then con- signed to the ponds or streams which it is desired to stock. All these methods are inferior in convenience as well as in economical results to the fourth, which is adopted by most fish-culturists throughout the world. This consists in taking up the fish when ripe, and, by suitable manipulation, in pressing out eggs from the body of the female into a dish, and then by repeating the operation with the male, so as to force the sem- inal fluid into the same vessel. In somecases the eggs and milt are stirred together in a certain amount of water ; in others, what is called the dry method is adopted, a discovery usually credited to a Russian, M. Vrasski, in which no water is used with the eggs, but the milt is slightly diluted with water and poured upon them. By this method a much larger proportion of eggs is impregnated.* The movements preliminary to this treatment of the eggs taken from the living fish are also very varied. In many in- stances a careful watch is kept over localities where the fish are likely to spawn ; and when the experienced observer notices that the operation of spawning is about to take place, he captures the usually inattentive pair by means of nets or other suitably-constructed apparatus, and proceeds with the work of exclusion and fertilization. This is said to be the prin- cipal method by which the eggs of the salmon are obtained in Germany and elsewhere for the national and private establishments, and is liable to the disadvantage of great uncertainty, and to a dependence upon conditions of the atmosphere and of the water that may materially interfere with the general result. Most of the doings in Connection with the hatching of shad are of this nature ; the seine being swept at a suitable locality, and the fertile fish stripped of their eggs and milt. This operation is always fatal to the shad, their delicacy of constitution not enduring such rough handling with impunity. It has also been adopted in some cases for salmon, having been employed by Mr. Liv- ingston Stone in obtaining their eggs during the season of 1872. The eggs of tlie white-fish and lake-trout are usually obtained at the fisheries, and the eggs after impregnation sometimes taken to great distances to be hatched. (See Mr. Milner's Report.) A much more satisfactory and efficient method consists in inclosing the fish in pens or pounds until their eggs and milt are sufficiently matured to allow thejirocess of artificial fecundation to be initiated. With trout * Although M. Vrasski' may have been the first to actually publish this method, Seth Green is said to have discovered it, keeping it a profound secret from his fellow-lish- culturists, who could not understand why so much larger a percentage of Green's eggs should be productive than of their own, although they followed strictly the method advanced in his treatise on fish-culture. This, however, made no mention of the dry process. The claim of priority in regard to the dry process has also been made in behalf of Carl Vogt. (See George P. Marsh on Artificial Propagation of Fish, Burling- ton, [Vt.,] 1857, p. 35.) REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. xliii such an inclosure is usually permanent, but for salmon it is generally temporary. This treatment is also adopted with the white-fish which are taken in the Detroit River in the fall of the year, while running up to spawn from the deep water of the lake, placed in inclosures for mar- keting purposes, and kept there for sale, from time to time, during the winter. Indirectly, under these circumstances, they furnish the oppor- tunity for artificial impregnation and hatching on a very large scale. The simplest mode of obtaining salmon for the purpose in question is that adopted by Mr. Samuel Wilmot, at New Castle, Ontario. This gentleman, observing a few years ago that a few salmon were in the habit of coming up a small stream to a favorite spawning-ground, con- ceived the idea of penning them up so as to control them during the period of reproduction. He accordingly built a house over a basin in which they collected, or adjacent to the spawning-ground, and erected a dam below it, so that after they had passed above a gate could be dropped and the fish imprisoned. In this way he has been able to secure a large number of salmon, and with them has carried out, for the most part, his labors in connection with salmon-hatching. A more feasible method, and one which can be conducted out on a much larger and more efficient scale, is that now practiced by Mr. Charles G. Atkins at Bucksport. This consists in securing the living salmon by any means at his command, the most ready being their purchase at the salmon-weirs at the mouth of the Penobscot River, where they are taken in considerable numbers and kept alive for any length of time- These are brought in suitable floating cars to Bucksport, transported on trucks to the hatching-establishment, and placed in a pond of about one hundred and fifty acres, where they find ample room for their move- ments. The various methods of effecting the impregnation of the eggs has been already referred to, and the subject is treated of in detail by Mr. Milner in the appendix. As already explained, it is not necessary to provide the breeding sal- mon with food, since they do not take it during the spawning-season ; and they exist for the several months necessary to retain them with comparatively little mortality. Mr. Atkins's experiment was initiated in 1871. In 1872 he had nearly six hundred fish by the 1st of July, of which very few were lost. In the months of October and November he took from these fish 1,500,000 eggs, very few of the fish being injured in the process. They were then placed in the water and permitted to return to the sea, the precaution being taken to affix a metallic tag corre- sponding to the number, weight, and sex of the fish, and the date as recorded, so that if recaptured at any time some idea might be gained of their rate of growth, movements, and migrations.* The eggs thus obtained, whether of salmon or of trout, are hatched * For a fall account of Mr. Atkins's experiment, see his report, p. 226 of the present vol- ume. xliv REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. out in contrivances which vary with the kind of fish, and which will be more especially referred to hereafter. Suffice it to say that those of shad are hatched in boxes which float on the water of the stream adjacent to the camp where the fish are captured and fertilized ; this being accomplished within a week, and after a further detention of a few days, or until the yolk-bag is absorbed, they are turned into the middle of the stream at night while the predacious fish are most quiet or lying near the shore, and soon find hiding-places for themselves. Theeggsof salmon and troutrequire a period of from two to four months for development, this being in the winter-season. This process consists in jjlacing them in boxes, with the bottom composed of parallel glass slats or of solid boards, lined with gravel, over which water of uniform temperature is allowed to. flow continuously until the exclusion of the young takes place. Sometimes trays are used with wire-gauze bottoms, either singly or in tiers, and the water caused to flow either from above downward or the reverse. After this the young are sometimes trans- ferred to some other receptacle until the yolk-bag is absorbed, when they are either introduced into rivers and streams or else retained in ponds and fed artificially for a greater or less length of time. The key-note to the treatment of the anadromous fish lies in the now well-established axiom that each will always endeavor to return to spawn, if possible, to the very spot where it was first introduced into the water as a young fish, and that it will make every effort to accomplish this result ; sometimes incurring even loss of life by persistent labor to this end. This is fully believed by all who have given attention to the subject, and in this we have the guarantee of success in any attempt to stock a particular body of water. It is true that the labor would in many cases be a profitless task, since the reaper might be, as already explained, and probably would be, a x^arty having no interest in com- mon with the sower. So universal, however, is the principle just enunciated, that we are assured that if three streams empty into the same bay on the coast, or are tributary to the same principal river, aud all are equally eligible for the maintenance of anadromous fish, although destitute of them, one of these may be stocked and abound with fish, while the others which have beeu neglected will, be almost entirely unvis- Ited or will possibly become supplied very slowly and after a long period of time. The existence of obstructions in a river, natural or artificial, is always detrimental in preventing the ascent of fish from the sea. If the young are introduced artificially into the headwaters, they will pass down after the proper period, and will remain in the sea for two or three and j)08sibly sometimes for four years, when they will return, and, as already explained, use every effort in their i)ower to reach their original station. If arrested at any point by an impassable dam, they will become the prey of such fishermen as have the right of access to them, while the upper waters will remain destitute and no captures be possible therein. For REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. xlv this reason it is that the action of State or gen-eral governments in regard to the multiplication of salmon and -other auadromous fish may even be carried on without any reference wliatever to the existence of dams ; and as far as the general interests of the community are concerned, it per- haps may be in many cases much cheaper to continue the artificial fertil- ization anddevelojjment of theeggs, andtheplantingof theyoungin suit- able waters, than to require the inconvenience and expense of removing artificial or natural obstructions or of inserting, costly fish- ways. After the preliminary stages have been performed, the expenditure of a few hundred dollars a year will be sufficient to insure the presence of many thousands of shad and salmon in the lower waters of a given stream. Of course, to provide for the natural multiplication of the species and their equal division throughout the entire valley of the stream, the dams or obstructions must be regulated as already referred to. 19. — TREATMENT OF CERTAIN SPECIES. The hatching of shad. The boxes most generally in use at the present time for shad-hatching we owe to the ingenuity of Mr. Seth Green, and their introduction con- stituted an era in the art of pisciculture. The ordinary methods for the development of fish-eggs would not answer the purpose for the shad, and all attempts at hatching in the regular establishments would be practically a failure in consequence of the comparatively small number that could be managed by the usual methods, while an immense aggre- gate is required to produce even a moderate effect upon the supply in a stream. The idea of a floating box is by no means new, such instruments having been used in Europe for many years, especially for hatching out the eggs of the Cyprinidw, which adhere to whatever they touch, and re- quire cnreful treatment. Mr. Millet used floating boxes in 1853 for hatch- ing trout and salmon. The difficulty in hatching shad existed in the fact that when the boxes floated in the water so that the bottoms were hori- zontal, the proper circulation inside of the box was not established, and the eggs would spoil when exposed to the heat of the sun in consequence of their crowded condition. By the simple expedient of nailing two strips of board scantling parallel to each other, one on each side of the box, at an angle inclined to the bottom, the boxes are made to float obliquely in the water, since the strips themselves floated horizontally, and caused the bottom to be tilted up. The boxes are anchored with the inclination up stream, so that the current of water, striking freely against the inclined face of the wire gauze, which constitutes the bot- tom of the box, passes through it with a constant flow, producing the necessary motion in the eggs. By means of this device it has become possible to hatch shad by millions, where results would necessarily have been limited to thousands. xlvi REPORT OF (TOMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Several modifications of this box have been made, the most prominent of these being that invented by Mr. Brackett, and used for the first tinie in 1873. In this the box floats horizontally, but has the up-stream end beveled, and the water striking against it produces an eddy under the box, which causes a gentle agitation of the eggs. The details of this and some other constructions will be found in Mr. Milner's article in the appendix. None of them, however, can compare in simplicity and efficiency with Seth (rreen's apparatus. In hatching the eggs of shad, much depends upon the temperature, and when the water is above 80*^ it is very difficult to bring them for- ward properly ; indeed, the fish appear to experience a loss of vitality, and toward the end of the season apparently sound, ripe eggs fail to develop, notwithstanding every care. When, therefore, the stream reaches the degree of heat in question, the work is considered to be over for the year. The hatching of icMte-fish, trout, salmon, i&c. An ingenious device has lately been patented by Mr. M. C. Holton, one of Mr. Green's assistants, for the purpose of securing the development of a large number of eggs from the trout, salmon, and white-fish in a limited spacer Instead of placing a single layer of eggs in a long, nar- row trough, he has prepared a can or box, of perhaps a foot square and several feet in height. This is filled with shallow trays of about half an inch in depth, with wire-gauze bottoms, on which the eggs are placed, so that with twelve trays, having a surface of one square foot each, he accommodates twelve times as many eggs as by the ordinary method. The box is so arranged that a current of water is carried by a covered pipe down the side of the can to the bottom and allowed to enter at that point. Thecurreut in its ovei-flow^passes from the bottom to the top, and the water circulates freely over the eggs. This arrange- ment has the additional advantage that once a day, or oftener if neces- sary, the trays can be taken out siugly, and any diseased or defective eggs removed, thus improving the entire mass. The eggs of white-fish require a long time for their development, like those of the salmon and trout needing from two to five mouths, accord- ing to the temperature of the water employed. The lower the tempera- ture the longer the period necessary. The general theory of the devel- opment of eggs varies very much, according as they are smooth and non-adhesive, or coated with mucus which causes them to attach to each other or to other objects. The latter characteristic belongs to the Cypri- nidce in general, such as chubs and suckers, to the yellow perch, and many other kinds, for which reason it is extremely difficult to hatch these out. But little has been done in this country in that direction, and here the European culturists have the advantage of us. I owe to the kindness of Mr. Rudolph Hessel, one of the best of the German pisciculturists, EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, xlvii an account of the method of properly manipulating the adhesive eggs, ^hich will be found in the appendix. Fortunately the shad, striped bass, and the Salmonidce generally, with perhaps only the exception of the smelt, have smooth or non-adhe- sive eggs, which permits them to be fertilized and readily manipulated without the inconvenience caused by their sticking together. It is not my purpose to present here a treatise upon pisciculture in general, as I have nothing to add to the works already published on the subject, and which have been prepared by practical men of great expe- rience. Among the most recent works are those published by Dr. J. H. Slack and Mr. Livingston Stone,* and in them will be found all the best-known methods of treatment, and especially for the trout. I hope, however, to present hereafter some special details in regard to other species that have been developed in connection with the operations of the United States Fish Commission. The hatching of striped bass. Nothing was known until recently as to the treatment of striped bass J but Mr. M. G. Holtou, already referred to in connection with the improved apparatus for hatching the eggs of the Salmonidw, while in the employ of Mr. Seth Green on account of the United States Fish Com- mission, at Weldon, N. C, took occasion to experiment with the spawn of several of these fish. To his sui^prise he found that it was non- adhesive, precisely like that of the shad, and capable of being treated in the same manner. The eggs were hatched out in four or five days, and with a small percentage of loss. They, however, were considera- bly smaller than those of the shad, requiring the bottom wire of the boxes to be much finer ; twenty-two wires to the inch, at least, being needed. It is unnecessary for me here to go into detail concerning the special method of treating the eggs of such fishes as the salmon-trout, the brook-trout, and other species, as these are discussed in detail by Mr. Milner in this volume, and are also considered at length in the various special American treatises. Having thus presented a very brief indication of the history of multi- plying certain of the food-fishes as practiced in modern times, and having explained the general principles of the method adopted for the purpose, I proceed to discuss more particularly the economical importance and history of the species of fish to which the attention of the commission has so far been more particularly directed, and of some of those which it is proposed to take up hereafter. ^ Practical Trout-Culture, by J. H. Slack, M. D. Orange Judd & Co., New York, 1872. Domesticated Trout : how to breed and grow them, by Livingston Stone, A. M. Bos- ton, J. R. Osgood & Co., 1872. xlviii EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. D — FISHES ESPECIALLY WORTHY OF CULTIVATION. 1. — The shad. Among these fishes, the American sbad, Alosa sa2)idissima may be considered as holding the chief phice, occupying in its distribu- tion as it does the entire eastern border of the United States from the Saint John's River in Florida to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and even occurring in limited numbers in the waters emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Its abundance in the early history of the country was such as to excite the unbounded astonishment of those who beheld it for the first time. With scarcely an exception, every river on the Atlantic coast within the limits mentioned was invaded in the spring by im- mense schools, which in their upward course furnished an ample sup- ply of the best food, first to the aboriginal inhabitants, and then to their European supplanters and their descendants. At one time it was imagined that the whole body of American shad, having wintered in the South, started northward with the new year, sending out detachments as they proceeded along the coast, first into one river and then into the next, until the last of the immense school made their way into the Saint Lawrence Eiver. This idea, which attached equally to many other species of fish, is now believed to be in great measure at least incorrect ; and it is thought more reasonable to suppose that the young fish, hatched in any particular stream, go out into the sea, and remain within a uioderate distance of the coast until the period again recurs for their upward migration.* It may be how- ever that a coastwise movement takes place to some extent. * Aa a convenient place for the purpose, I introduce here an important contribution to the natural history of the shad, recently received from Mr. G. Brown Goode and Mr. Joseph Shepard : "A knowledge of the occurrence of shad in the waters of the Saint John's appears to have been many years before the fishermen make any practical use of their iuforuui- tion. Shad were not taken in quantity for the local markets until 1864 and 1865, though I am informed by Colonel Sammis, of Arlington, one of the oldest settlers of East Florida, that he knew of their capture in small numbers as early as the last In- dian war (1839) and has since occasionally seen them. At that time the country was but sparsely settled, and there can have been little encouragement, and indeed little need for the use of seines, the inhabitants easily supplying their wants with the cast-net and the line. "About 1859 or 1860 Mr. P. Waterhouse, a northern fisherman, introduced gill-nets and took shad in large numbers on the bar at the mouth of the Saint John's ; these he shipped to northern markets, and it is said that ho refused to sell a siugie fish in Flor- ida, being angry with his neighbors for laughing at his project of catching shad in the Saint John's. " All fishing was interrupted by the war, but immediately after its close gill-nets were extensively used and the shad were found to be very abundant. There can be little doubt that the species has inhabited the Saint John's for a great many years ; the common idea that they are of recent introduction arises from the fact that through want of proper fishing they did not find their way to the markets till about ten years ago. The Saint Mary's River is still thought by many people living on its banks to be destitute of shad, EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. xlix Nothing bnt impassable dams or natural falls prevented the fish from making their way to the headwaters of oar rivers, and their though there can be little doubt of their occurrence there also. As there is no market near, there is no object in tishiug for shad ; but an old fisherman assured me that he found them abundant there many years ago. " The Saint John's fishermen do not use shad-seines, tliough small seines are employed along the banks of the river and in creeks to take the smaller species of fish. They do not seem to appreciate the superior advantages of the seine, and aver that the swift- ness of the current prevents its use. This is absurd since the current of the Conneeticut and other rivers, where seiues are used to advantage, is much greater. As the present system fully supplies, and often gluts, the market there seems no immediate necessity for a change in the method of fishing. " The gill-nets in use vary in mesh from three and one-half to four and one-quarter inches. They are about ten feet wide, and several gangs are fastened together so as to stretch nearly across the river, often a mile or more in width. The net is allowed to ' drive ' or drift with the current, entangling in its meshes all the full-grown shad which it meets. "The principal fishing-stations are near Mayport, on the bar at the mouth of the river at Yellow Blufts, and Trout Creek, respectively twelve and fifteen miles above, at Jack- sonville, twenty-five miles from the mouth, and at Pilatka, a still greater distance up the river. Several nets are used at the head of the river, in Lakes Harney and Monroe and in Salt Lake, to supply the hotels there. The Pilatka fisheries are small and supply the local market. More than thirty nets are used in the neighborhood of Jacksonville, whence the fish are shipped, packed on ice in barrels, to Central Georgia and Florida, to the interior of Sourh Carolina, and to Alabama. Yellow Bluffs is an- other extensive market, and sends its fish to Savannah and the northern markets. The estimated total number of nets on the river is seventy-five. " The largest haul of the past season was at Yellow Bluff's, where six hundred were taken from a single net ; at Jaeksonvile the largest haul was three hundred and twenty. "The average price at the fisheries during the past season was 21 cents each. "The hickory-shad (PomoJohtis mediocris) usually makes its appearance in the Saint John's the first or second week in November ; and as early as the 20th the first shad ap- pear. The shad-fishing begins about the first week in December, and is at its best about the 1st of January. The season ends about the middle of April. At the time of my arrival, April 12, the last shad were in the markets. The herring (Pomoloius pneudo-harengus) accompanies the shad in great numbers, but is not caught much after the, 1st of March. Two herrings or two hickory-shad count in the market for one ' white shad.' The dates given above are only approximate, taken from the memory of the fishermen and dealers ; but as the testimony of the various persons interviewed agrees tolerably well, I believe them to be nearly correct. "At the time of my visit the shad seemed to be in full spawning condition and were said to be very plentiful in the lakes of Central Florida, where the fishermen believe that most of them deposit their ova. At the time of their first appearance, the ova- ries and spermaries are said to be barely distinguishable. G. BROWN GOODE. According to Professor Wyman the young shad, even as early as on the 1st of May, are met with in great numbers returning to the ocean and measuring three or four inches in length. "The shad-season on the Saint John's, according to Mr. C. L. Robinson, of Jackson- ville, is from the 1st of December to about the 8th of April. " The first fishing done here for shad especially was by Captain Waterhouse, of Con- necticut, two years before the war. The first year there were three persons engaged in the businsss as proprietors, working eight men and four nets. The next year there S. Mis. 7J: IV 1 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. diffusion was almost universal, so that few portions of the country east 'of the AUegban}^ range were destitute of their share. . The fisheries were established on the river banks, and the farmers liv- ing at a distance from the streams were in the habit of coming in their wagons to these stations and hauling the fish to their homes, and there preserving such as were not needed at the time, for the winter's use. Sometimes the early settlers In new towus, remote from the rivers, before roads were cut through the forests, having no more convenient mode of transportation, were in the habit of taking their fish in bed- ticks hung across the backs of horses, in some well-authenticated cases for as many as tliirty miles. The fisheries were originally prosecuted almost entirely by the use of seines; and although at any one place very few were taken compared with the numbers now captured in connection with the great modern contrivances employed for the purpose, yet in view of their occurrence in every river and its subdivisions, it is by no means improbable that was doable tlmt number engaged and some twelve nets, aud so increased until a year ago ; this last winter there were between seventy aud eighty nets aud over one hun- dred meu employed from Pilatka down. "Above Pilatka, particularly in the lakes, there were many more employed, say twenty. " This last winter the business was about the same as the year before. It is estimated that about 500,000 were shipped from the Saint John's, mostly to Savannah. From Savannah they are distributed to various points north. " In size those caught here are not as large as those in the Connecticut River. " Our fishermen use a net of 4|- inches mesh, while in the Connecticut they use a Sc- inch mesh. "Thej4 appear in our river coming in on their way to our upper lakes and creeks to spawn. When they come in they are fat and go into all parts of the river; but on their return, in Jime and July, they are very poor, and keep low in the deep water and follow the channel. " Only a small portion of them return. It is thought they die of exhaustion, and are devoured by alligators and larger fish. The yonng shad go down to salt-water early the summer when they are about 1^ inches long. The fishermen are of the opinion that the shad have always been about txs numerous as now in the Saint John's, but that the appliances for capturing them have been improved from year to year, aud more persons engaged in it. " The facts just presented are all from Mr. Robinson, aud relate to the Saint John's River. I may say in addition , as rcgai"ds our own waters, that there are a few shad taken every season in the Saint Mary's and Saint Illaby peopleliving on those rivers for their own use; the net used beingsimplyahoop, 8 or 10 feet in diameter with handle 8 feet long, and held perpendicularly in the water by one man while another paddles the boat. When the holder of the net feels the fish against it, he brings it to the surface in the same manner as a scoop-net would be handled. From two to three and not unfre- quently five or six are caught at one time in this manner. But I do not think that shad are as abundant in the above-mentioned rivers (which are narrow and deep) as they are in the (shoal and broad) river Saint John's " Very respectfully/ yours, "JOSEPH SHEPARD, " Saint Mari/s, Ga, " Hon. Spencer F. Baird, " Commsmoner, WasMngion, D, C. " EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. li the agfgregate actually caught every year was far greater than at present. Seines and scoop-nets being then the only apparatus used, they were, of course, by no means a match for the wholesale devices of seines miles in length, of wire gratings cutting off entirely the upward movement of fish, of slides, &c. Little by little, impassable dams were erected at different points along our rivers and streams, and this was probably the first thing to ch€ck the natural increase of the shad; access to suitable spawning-grounds being an absolute necessity to the function of reproduction.- In a or possibly one hundred, no such kind of fish was known in these streams, and that it was only after the erection of the dams, making the passage of fish from below impossible, when the young fish were penned into the upper waters and rendered averse to the experiment of going down over them, that the so-called land-locked salmon was met with. This conclusion is, however, stoutly contested by other authors, as by Dr. A. Leith Adams. The laud-locked salmon, however, whether a distinct species or a variety of the true salmon, is one of very great value for stocking our small lakes ; and another season it is pro- loosed, should Congress authorize it, to attempt operations on a large scale in securing these eggs and placing the young fish in the more western waters. The fish are taken readil}^ with the fly throughout the greater part of the year, at least from early spring until late in the autumn, with the exception of a short interval in the hotter weather of midsummer. Many persons maintain that the salmon of Lake Ontario is really land- locked ; that is, it does not spend an3^ portion of its life in the ocean. This, however, is a question which cannot be determined by our present data. G. — The sea-trout [Salmo immaculatus f). Another fish which has been suggested for introduction into the waters of the United States is the sea-trout {Salmo immaculatus ?). This is very common in the waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and also in those of the Atlantic coast in ZSTova Scotia. It runs up in the spring into brackish waters in great numbers for the purpose of spawning. It is very abun- dant in Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador, where immense numbers are caught and sent to the Boston market. As yet we know very little of its natural history; but there seems no reason to doubt that it would answer admirably for the streams on the coast of Maine* As a fresh fish it is of delicious flavor, although very inferior to the salmon when salted. 7. — The l('J:e-irout {SaJmo namaycnslif). This fish, very characteristic of all the great lakes of the Northern States, and occurring in one variety or another in smaller bodies of water REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ixxlii all along our northera frontier, is variously called saliaou-trout, lake- trout, togue, &c. The exact number of species, if actually more than one, yet remains to be determined. It is a valuable food-fish, and is especially prominent in this connection in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. As affording sport to the angler, it is fiir inferior to other members of the genus Salmo, but, from its size and ease of manipulation and transfer, has already attracted much consideration. It has for some years been the subject of attention on the part of the Incw York State commissioners and of their agent, Seth Green, who every autumn collects millions of eggs from the fisheries on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario to be hatched at Caledonia, N. Y., for distribution to the lakes in the interior of New Y'ork. The experiment has lately been made of planting the young fish in running water, as the Susquehanna, &c.; but it yet remains to be seen how they will thrive. The lake-trout is eminently worthy the attention of States along the great lakes, since, with the white-fish, it constitutes by far the most important element in the great fisheries. 8. — The liuclio or Danube salmon, {Salmo JiucJio.) Another species which promises to be of value in the United States is Salmo hucJio, or the salmon of the Danube. This fish has been warmly recommended as admirably suited for the Mississippi River, since, unlike the true salmon, it appears to spend most of its time in the river, seldom, if at all, making its way into the salt water. Opinions differ, however, in this respect, as to whether all the Danube fish spend a part of theii- life in the Black Sea, or whether it is those only which belong to its immediate vicinity that run into it. The hucho is of good quality for the table, and attains a weight of from forty to sixty pounds. It passes at the proper season into the smaller tributaries of the Danube, and is taken through- out its extent in immense numbers. It is a voracious fish, however, and feeds exclusively in the river, devouring other fishes with great avidity. In my judgment, it would be inexpedient to introduce this fish into waters where the true salmon live; the latter having the excellent quality of not disturbing the existing inhabitants of the rivers, but deriving the material of its growth, after the first few mouths of its existence, from the ocean. Unless the Sacramento salmon can be naturalized in the Mississippi, no other species but that of the Danube is likely to find suitable quarters there; and the question of its introduction will, therefore, be taken into consideration, after more full information in regard to the habits of the fish can be obtained. Further details respect- ing the hucho will be found in the article by Mr. E. Hessel on page 161. 9. — Small American trout. 1 have already referred to the various questions connected with the propagation of the eastern brook-trout, {Salmo fontlnalis,) and which, in view of the extent to which it is cared for by the States and by private Ixxiv KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. establishments, requires no attention on the part of the United States. A second eastern species, of great beauty, the blue-back, [Salmo oquassa, Girard,) is found in the lakes at the headwaters of the Androscoggin, Rangeley, Oquassoc, &c., where it inhabits their depths for the greater part of the year, only coming to notice for a few weeks in the autumn, when it enters the tributary streams or outlets to spawn. ]S"o proposition has yet been made to multiply this species artificially. In this connection it may be remarked that, in the same lakes, the common brook-trout {Salmo fontinalis) occur of enormous size, even up to ten pounds, and that Mr. George Shepard Page, and his associates of the Oquassoc Angling Company, are about establishing a hatching-house for the purpose of securing eggs of this variety, known as the Rangeley. There are many species of brook and pond trout in the Rocky Mount- ain and Pacific region of the United States, as well as in British Xorth America; none of which, so far, have attracted the attention of fish- culturists on account of special merit. 10. — The Salhling, (Salmo salveUnus.) Another European fish that might be introduced to advantage is the char, or Salmo salveUnus. This is a species that lives, more or less, in the larger lakes, running up into tributary streams to spawn, and in this connection would serve an excellent purpose for stockiug interior waters that have now no specially desirable inmates. 11. — The grayling, {Thymallus tricolor.) A species of the salmon family found in restricted areas of the United States, has lately attracted much attention among fish-culturists and sportsmen. It seems to be prolific and numerous in favorable waters; is excellent as food, and what, to many, are more admirable quali- ties, will take the fly and make a spirited contest with the angler before he can land him on the shore or in his boat. It has also a most beauti- ful combination of colors on the body as well as on the very large dorsal fin that is a peculiar character in this genus. The grayling has lately been brought extensively to notice as occur- ring in the waters of Michigan, and even in that State seems to be con- fined to certain spring-fed rivers in the lower peninsula. It is also found in the headwaters of the Missouri in the region adjacent to the valley of the Yellowstone. Whether it is different from the grayling found in certain rivers of Alaska, is a question not yet positively de- cided, but its separation as a species from the English and European Thymallus vulgaris Nilss. is marked and decided. It has been successfully transported from Michigan to Tn'cw York State by Fred. Mather and Seth Green, as also to Southern Michigan, for the purpose of introduction into trout-streams. Seth Green has succeeded in hatching the eggs, and has found them well adapted to the artificial processes. REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. IxXV 12. — The ichite-Jish, Corcgoims, etc. lu the report by Mr. Milner, on page 1, will be found the result of his investigations, prosecuted through two seasons, with regard to this the most important fish of the great lakes ; and In his general conclusions and recommendations, as to the future treatment of the subject, I entirely concur. Few fishes of North America will better repay efforts for their mul- tiplication than the white-fish. It is to this species especially that the States bordering on the great lakes have had their attention directed, and it is probable that the efforts of the United States will not be re- quired to any great extent in aiding the multiplication of their numbers. It is understood that the newly-appointed commissioners of Michigan aim at introducing to the waters bordering on that State at least eight or ten millions of artificially -hatched eggs, and it is probable that Wis- consin, Ohio, and Minnesota will sooner or later follow suit. The intro- duction of this fish into the lakes of California and Utah will, however, continue to occupy my attention as far as the funds at my command will permit. Otsego Lake in Central IS'ew York, the head of the Susquehanna Eiver, is tenanted by a fish of the finest quality called the Otsego bass, {Coregonus otsego,) a true white-fish, and not yet satisfactorily distin- guished from the C. albus, or the white-fish of the lakes. This is now the subject of experiment in the way of artificial multiplication for the benefit of Otsego Lake, and may hereafter furnish a valuable contribu- tion to other lakes. Otsego Lake is, perhaps, the most southern station for the genus Coregonus, in the Eastern United States at least, and the fish from its waters are probably well adapted to other lakes of the same or even more southern latitudes. The experiment now making at Cooperstown, N. Y., under the direction of Capt. Elihu Phinney and Capt. P. P. Cooper, is, therefore, one in which the public have a great interest. 13. — The nerjiing, orfe, or golden tench. — [Iclus melanotus.) A fish lately introduced into England from Germany is the " orfe " or "nerfling," Idua melanotus, a cypriuoid related to the European tench, and which is valuable for its beauty, color, and appearance, as well as for food. It is said to surpass the gold-fish in the brilliant red color that covers the upper jjortion of the body. The belly portion is white. It is also said to be more active and lively in its movements, and attains a much larger size. It is very prolific, and sustains its numbers in larger bodies of water than the gold-fish does. Those who have seen this fish in its native waters state that there is no more brilliantsight imaginable than .to witness the schools of " nerfiings" rise in a body to the surface and flash along in the sunlight, as they delight to do. Ixxvi REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. The bright, red color of this beautiful fish is not found in the orig- inal wild species, but is a character developed in domestication, and perpetuated in the progeny by breeding in and in, or at any rate by selec- tion of those individuals possessing the character in a superior degree. This process continued through many generations develops a tenacious tendency in all to reproduce the character, and a variety is established. 14. — The carp. Sufficient attention has not been paid in the United States to the in- troduction of the European carp as a food-fish, and yet it is quite safe to say that there is no other species that promises so great a return in limited waters. It has the pre-eminent advantage over such fish as the black bass, trout, grayling, &c., that it is a vegetable feeder, and, al- though not disdaiuiug animal matters, can thrive very well upon aquatic vegetation alone. On this account it can be kept in tanks, small ponds, «&c., and a very much larger weight obtained, without expense, than in the case of the other kinds indicated. It is on this account that its culture has been continued for centuries. It is also a mistake to compare the flesh with that of the ordinary Cyprinidcv of the United States, such as suckers, chubs, and the like, the flesh of the genuine carp {Gyprinus carpio) being firm, flaky, and in some varieties almost equal to the European trout. Mr. Hessel imforms me that there is the greatest imaginable difference in the taste of the so-called carp in the European ponds, and that a species very closely allied to the gutd (Gyprinus carassliis) difl"ers from it ih the greater abundance of bones and its muddy flavor. What he con- siders as a hjbrid between the two described as G. Jcollari, is in very many parts of Europe the representative of the carp, being frequently found in Germany, Holland, and Belgium under this name. Among the estimable varieties of the true carp, Mr. Hessel specifies as the best the king-carp, or Gyprinus rex cyprlnorum. This has the peculiarity of being almost destitute of scales, only a few being at- tached here and there to the skin. There are also, according to this emi- nent pisciculturist, varieties of carp in which the generative apparatus seems to be atrophied so as to render them incapable of reproduction. These are f )und in various regions on the Upper Rhiue, on the Danube, on the Ehine, and the Po, and are very much sought after, bringing three times the price of other fish ; indeed, as alrea'dy remarked, they are considered equal to the trout. Mr. Hessel professes to be ac- quainted with a method of producing this sterility on a large scale and with certainty. Another race equally eligible is the one entirely desti- tute of scale, {Gyprinus nudits, vel alepidotus,) in which the skin is soft as the finest velvet, requiring no scaling, and when cooked adding greatly to the savor of the fish. The constant form of this only occurs in certain lakes in eastern Europe. Neither of these varieties is known in England. REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. lxx\'ii The best carp, Mr. Hessel thinks, are to be found in the region of the Danube, characterized by the elevated, fleshy, and compressed back, a rapid growth, and delicious flesh. For almost thousands of years they liave been kept in ponds connected with various public and private estates. 15. — The gourami. — {Osphromenus olfax.) A fish that has attracted the attention of all interested in the intro- duction of valuable animals to the country of their residence is the gourami. It has had an existence, whether indigenous or not, for many centuries in the fresh waters of Cochin China, and is found also in portions of the mainland and islands of the China Sea and Indian Ocean. It has been successfully acclimated in certain islands to the eastward of Af- rica. Living specimens are now in the possession of the Museum of Natural History and of Mr. Carbonnier, of Paris. Attempts have been made, without satisfactory success, to introduce it into regions of South America, the West Indies, Southern Africa, Australia, Egypt, and France. The qualities that are brought forward as causing so high an estimate of the value of the gourami are its superior excellence as food and the fact that it is adapted to waters under a hot sun, attaining the highest degrees of temperature. It is also largely a vegetable eater, feeding upon water-plants of genera that are found in widely separated regions of the globe. It may be fed, too, with numerous articles of ordinary food, and the refuse of the table, and kept in confined bodies of water, provided they contain suitable plants. It attains, under favorable circumstances, the weight of twenty-five or thirty pounds, though from three to five is said to be the average. It is also said to thrive in brackish as well as fresh waters. The numerous failures to transport it and keep it alive during long voyages would scarcely influence American fish-culturists against its attempted introduction, as it is well known that inexperienced persons lose those fish during transportation which have the greatest tenacity of life under proper treatment. The fish could be brought from the Mauritius, India, Java, China, or other accessible localities, and, by care in selecting the period and route of the transfer, the experiment would doubtless be successful. Recent experiments have shown that some varieties resist the influence of cold more than others ; a tempera- ture even of 47° F. having been endured with impunity in the case of a number lately transported to France. They might be readily intro- duced from the region of China into the high-temi^eratiire " tule" lakes of Southern California and i^evada, and from there distributed farther east. They guard their eggs and young with the utmost vigilance and cour- age, and their propagation and multiplication can be left to nature if the proper conditions in water and food are afforded them. Ixxviii REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 16.— The sterlet. The sterlet, {Acij)e)iser ruthenus,) a small species of sturgeon, found in Eussia, has a superior reputation as a table-fish. The Eussian minister of Crown lauds has caused it to be introduced from its original home in the Volga to the vicinity of St. Petersburg. As the embryo has so short a period in the egg stage, the transporta- tion of the latter for long distances is attended with many difficulties. By means of a carefully-constructed apparatus, and provision for the anticipated hatching of the eggs en route, in 1870, a considerable number of the young fry were transported from Russia and introduced into the waters of Sutherlaudshire, Scotland, in apparently good condition. It has been, on several occasions, suggested that it would be a valua- ble acquisition to the United States for such waters as the Ohio and Mississippi Kivers, which are said to be very similar in their character and in their related climate to the Volga, of Russia, in which the species is native. Quite recently a number of sterlet were brought from St. Petersburg to the Brighton aquarium, where they form a conspicuous feature. They were obtained in the Volga, and transported 1,400 miles in the well of a fishing-boat to St. Petersburg, and thence by steamer to London. It is from the roe of the sterlet that caviare of the finest quality is made, which constitutes an article of commerce and trade in Russia ; and of which, in late years, a limited quantity has been made m the United States from the lake and Atlantic coast sturgeons. 17. — Eybrid Jish. In certain establishments in Europe much attention is paid to the ar- tificial production of crosses between certain closely-allied species of the Salmouid family, as the Salmon, the Brook-Trout, the Lake-Trout, the Siibbliug, &c. The fish thus produced, though for the most part barren, and requiring a continuation of the operation in successive years, are of very superior quality, of tender flesh, and grow with great rapidity, as is usually the case with animals with deficient organs of generation. They, indeed, bear the same relations to other fishes of their kind, as do domestic cattle, hogs, chickens, &c., when altered to the perfect animal. Salmon thus hybridized lose the instinct of migration to the ocean. There is no reason why the same method may not be applied to other fresh-water species, and to certain sea-fish, with corresponding results. CONCLUDING REMARKS. It is perhaps hardly necessary to summarize here the steps taken to increase the supply of shad in the United States, as the subject has already been fully treated of. As shown in the earlier part of the present report, my efforts, in 1872, EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ixxix as Uuitecl States Comrnissiouer of Fish and Fisheries, so far as salmon were concerned, were directed to securing a large supply, first of Salmo salar, or the Atlantic salmon, from the establishment of Mr. Atkins, at Bucksport, and from the river Rhine, in Germany ; and, second, of the California salmon {Salmo quinnat :^) from the Sacramento River, through Mr. Livingston Stone, the details of which efforts it is unneces- sary to repeat here. In the accompanying report by Mr. Atkins (page 226) will be found the history of his experiments, with much practical information in regard to the habits and peculiarities of the fish. A similar article in reference to the California salmon, by Mr. Stone, is given on page 168. The labors of 1873 will, it is hoped, be conducted on a much larger scale, and I trust that enough eggs of the Sacramento salmon may be procured to make a satisfactory beginning of the experiment. I am quite well satisfied that it is to this species that we are to look for a supply for such rivers as the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, James, and perhaps others still farther south, as well as for the waters of the Mississippi Valley. Eastern salmon, on the other hand, will perhaps be best adapted to the rivers of JSTew England and to the great lakes; although it is proposed to introduce both kinds into such local- ities as the means at my command will permit. There is nothing to prevent the two species living together in the same stream, especially in view of the fact that it is only the young fry, for the first j'ear or two, which require food in the fresh water, the great mass of the material of growth being derived from the sea. Their periods of migration, too, are entirely distinct; the western species entering the rivers early in winter, and spawning at the headwaters as early as August ; while the eastern salmon, coming in several months later, does not spawn until October or the beginning of November. Should no change take place in the habits of either kind, the salmon season would be very much longer than otherwise, and salmon could be had, perhaps, over a period of from eight to eleven mouths, instead of three or four, as at present. The great advantage of the Sacramento fish is to be found in its abilit3" to sustain itself in a much higher temperature than that endura- ble by the A tlantic-coast salmon. Thus, while the eastern is said to be driven back to sea, in Germany at least, by a temperature of 65°, (60° being the maximum of preference,) the Sacramento fish occupies a river flowing through one of the hottest regions of North America, where in the season of 1872 Mr. Stone found the prevailing temperature dur- ing the whole season of the salmon-spawning to be from 100° to 115° in the shade, and almost unendurable. It is true that the river-water at the United States hatching establishment is cooled by the melting ice and snow from Mount Shasta, but lower down the Sacramento, where the salmon formerly spawned in great numbers, and do still to some extent, tbe teoiperature in the river reached 75° F., aud even more daring the summer. IxXX REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Another fact of importance couuecteil withtlia Sacramento fish is the great fapidity of its growth, those of corresponding age being almost twice as heavy as their eastern relatives. According to Mr. Reeder, fish commissioner of Pennsylvania, the Sacramento salmon, which were introduced into the Susquehanna Kiver in February, 1873, were found in good health and condition in the following September, measuring seven or eight inches in leagth, while the Penobscot salmon, about ten months old, w^ere not half the size. This difference is appreciable in all stages of growth, the eggs and young fish being twice as large as those of the eastern species. The Sacramento salmon is said to lack the very delicate flavor of the eastern fish. This, however, is stoutly denied, especially by Mr. Throck- morton, whose letter on the subject will be found on page 373. In any event, the difference must be trifling when the fish is procurable fresh ; and if the two species could be tas red side by side, under the same conditions, it is jirobable that the difference would prove to be of very little raoraent. The supposed disinclination of the Sacramento fish to take the hook has been presented as a great objection to it. This, if well founded, would be of very little consequence, since salmon, for economical pur- poses, are more generally taken in nets than with the hook. But, ac- cording to Seth Green, they can be taken with the fly f and Mr. Living- ston Stone maintains, as shown in his report, that they will bite vora- ciously at the roe of their own species, and can be taken in any number. The young fish in the hatching-ponds rise with the greatest readiness To Mr. Stone's report on this species I refer for farther details. As already remarked, experiments are contemplated in reference to the multiplication of the land-locked salmon and of the lake-trout. Whether the sea-trout, or white trout of the eastern coast, will be worth any special effort for its increase, is very doubtful. It is proposed, how- ever, as soon as it can be accomplished, to secure some of the impreg- nated eggs of the Danube salmon, {Salmo hucho,) which appears espec- ially fitted to the Mississippi River. The objection to this species, which attains the weight of fifty pounds and multiplies very rapidly, is mainly drawn from its alleged voracity, and from the fact that it is almost exclusively a river-fish, feeding therein all the year, and, of course, devouring other kinds in keeping up its own growth. At present, how- ever, there are very few fish of any special value as food in the great system of waters of the Mississippi Valley; the black bass, the salmon- perch, or wall-eyed pike, {Lucioperca,) and, perhaps, one or two species of pickerel, being most important. Of the great variety of suckers, chubs, sun-fish, &c., but little commendatory can be said. The great bulk of these fish, however, and of nearly all the Cijprinidm, are proverbial for their insipidity, and they are generally esteemed worthless as fooil. The effect of introducing the Danube salmon would be simply to sub- stitute for a superfluity of fish of very inferior value, a kind having all REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. IxXXl the gamesomeuess aud excellence of flesh of the salmou, and I think it would be perfectly safe to make the experiment. Under any circum- stances, the Danube salmon is a less voracious fish than the pickerel, and might probably require much less weight of food to acquire a given amount of growth. Some of the other species referred to above will probably be taken up for consideration at an early day. The restoration of food -fishes to localities originally tenanted by them, or their transfer to new waters, is, however, a question of time; aud in the immense extent of our river and lake systems, many years must necessarily elapse before the work can be accomplished. It is also inexpedient to attempt to cover too much ground at once, as in the necessary limitations furnished by the amount of the appropriations, and the difficulty of finding skilled assistants, it is considered the better policy to render fish very abundant in a few centers by concentrating effort upon them, and then from these centers to carry on the work else- where. It is not a percentage so much as au absolute number of young- fry that must be sacrificed to the rapacity of the pre-existing inhabit- ants of the stream into which they are introduced; and it is evident that, supposing that the average probability of destruction amounts to 10,000 fish in a given period, if we introduce only that number there will be no surplus; whereas with 50,000 the excess will be enough to allow the maturing of adults sufficient to stock the waters. It must, however, be borne in mind that it is not sufficient to take measures for introducing the fish, whether young or adult, into new waters, but that much then remains in the way of protecting them when once established, and in securing their passage to and from the sea. State legislation will be required to bring about the removal of obstructions ; introduction of suitable fish-ways ; prevention of the pollu- tion of the waters, and the capture of the fish at improper times', by im. proper modes, &c. When we consider that the prime cause of the decrease in our salmon aud shad fisheries is believed to be in the erection of impassable dams, thus preventing their access to the spawning-grounds, it will be readily understood that, unless some provision be made for surmounting these obstructions, the fisheries cannot be self-sustaining. Fortunately, how- ever, in the fish-ways, of which a great variety has lately been devised, we have in most cases a practical remedy; experience having shown that where these are inserted in dams, with the lower end perfectly accessi- ble to the fish aud a sufficient volume of water issuing from it, fish will ascend with great facility. This is especially the case with the salmon and alewife, but it is also probably true of the shad. The general theory of fish-ways, and the various forms suggested, or in use, will be found given in detail in an admirable essay on the subject in the present report as prepared by Mr. Atkins. Care must also be taken, in planting the fish, to introduce them as far S. Mis. 71 Yi Ixxxii REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. lip the stream as practicable, since it is an established fact that adult fish will always return to the place where they first made acquaintance with the water, passing directly by the mouths of streams or tributaries bet- ter adapted to their purposes, to gain their orignal home. For this reason, it is well to carry the young fish to the highest point in a stream that can be reached, even though numerous fish-ways may be required to permit the return of the adult fish. It may safely be assumed that fish born below an impassable dam will not ascend far above it, even with a suitable fish- way; although it is quite possible that when they feel themselves in a powerful current of the fish-way, they may enter it and reach the uppper part of the dam. Here, the water being quiet, they will probably remain without proceeding to any considerable distance. Mr. Seth Green informs me that the fish hatched at Castleton, below Albany, when ascending the river as adult fish, very rarely go beyond their original starting-point, so that, while there is a great supply at that locality, there has been little or no increase in the numbers higher up the river. In addition to the construction of fish-ways, steps must be taken to prevent the capture of the breeding-fish in improper numbers. This can only be done satisfactorily by providing for a close time during the fishing-season of two or three days in each week, during which no fish are to be taken, and by stopping the fishery entirely after a certain date. This period will vary with the season ; the time of cessation, as far as shad are concerned, coming earlier in the South than in the Forth — perhaps about the middle of May for the Potomac Kiver, the first of June for the Delaware and Susquehanna, the middle of June for the Hudson, and the twenty-fifth of June for the Connecticut. A proper close time for the eastern salmon would fail some time in August or the beginning of September. The use of nets and other engines for the capture of adult fish can only be considered improper when carried to an excess, and covering too great a period of time. Anything, however, that affects the young and destroys them before attaining their full growth should be pro- hibited. Among the most injurious agencies in this direction are the fish-dams, so abundant in certain streams in the autum n, consisting of two walls of stone in the shape of the letter V, the angle pointing down the current, and opening into what is called a fish-ba sket. The object of this is to guide the descending fish, in the entire breadth of the river, into this basket, into which they fall, and from which they are some- times removed by the wagon-load. The special object of this kind of fishery is the capture of eels, which, as is well known, run down, when mature, in the autumn to the sea for the purpose of spawning ; but the baskets take millions of other fish, and are especially injurious to the young shad, Pennsylvania and Delaware have, we believe, prohibited the use of these dams in shad-streams, and with very great propriety. Other points to be regulated, and requiring more or less of legislative REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ixxxiii interference, are the introduction of injurious chemicals, refuse of gas- works, sewage, and other substances, into the rivers, by means of which the fish, both adult and young, are poisoned, or else their passage through to their proper spawning-grounds prevented, to say nothing of the unpleasant taste imparted to the fish themselves when exposed to these influences. These and other improper interferences with the fish and the rights of the people at large, which will readily suggest them- selves, should, as already stated, invoke the legislation of the States ; and, unless these can be guaranteed, it is hardly worth while to attempt the planting and propagation of fish in American rivers. It is true that by continuing indefinitely the practice of artificial im- pregnation of the eggs and introduction of the young into the water, the supply of fish can be maintained ; and should they, in ascending the streams, find an impassable barrier, the only effect would be to furnish a great abundance to the fishermen below the obstruction, while those above it would be entirely cut oif. It is not to be expected, however, that either State governments or Congress will continue to make such appropriations indefinitely, and it is quite time that a general system of legislation should be devised and carried into effect by the various States. In concluding the present report, I have much pleasure in returning my special acknowledgments to the commissioners of Maine, Massa- chusetts, Connecticut, and New York for their hearty co-operation in the steps taken to carry out the law of Congress in reference to the multiplication of the food-fishes. Ixxxiv REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AXD FISHERIES. Salmon-hatching operations in the Under wliose au- spices. Place where spawn was collected. Place wbere egg were hatched. In charge of hatch- ing. Waters stocked. Maine . New Hampshire. Vermont . Massachusetts . Rhode Island. Connecticut Newcastle, Ont. do Miramichi River, N. B. Penobscot River, Or- land, Me. Penobscot, River, Bucksport, Me. Miramichi River N. B. do do Whiting, Me. Alna, Me .... Augusta, Me . Norway, Me . W. S. Peavey David C. Pottle.. Crockett & Holmes Bucksport, Me Charles G. Atkins .do Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. do do Miramichi River, N. B. do do do Penob.scot River, Bucksport, Me. Miramichi River, N. B. do .do Penobscot River, Or- land. Me. do Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. do do Newcastle, Ont Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. Miramichi River, N. B. do do Woodstock, N.H. Concord, N. H. . Meredith, N. fl -do Charlestown, N. H. ...do Chester, Vt ...do Rochester, N. T. ., East Wareham, Ma.s8. West Barnstable, Mass. Winchester, Mass ...do , ...do ...do Newcastle, Ont. do do do do .do Penobscot River, Or- land. Me. do Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. .do .do .do .do -do ...do ...do Poneganset, R. I , ...do" Charlestown, N. H ...do Poquonnock, Conn ...do ...do ...do ...do North Branford, Conn. Middletown, Conn W.W. Fletcher. . . ...do Robinson & Hoyt do W. W. Fletcher . . Livingston Stone. ...do A. D. Hager. ...do Seth Green . S. T. Tisdale Dexter, Coolidge, & Bacon. E. A. Brackett . . . ...do .do .do .do Poquonnock, Conn ...do ...do North Branford, Conn. Westport, Conn. . . ...do .. do ...do ...do Poquonnock, Conn a DouUtfal. Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. The distribution was proposed in 187;2. and no subsequent references made J. H. Barden ....do ...do Livingston Stone. ...do Poquonnock Com- pany. ...do ...do ...do ...do Waltonian Hatch- ing Society. Robert G.Pike... Poquonnock Com- pany. WiUiam Clift 6 . . ....do Waltonian Hatch- ing Society. .do .do .do .do Cobscook River. . . Sheepscot River.. Kennebec River .. Androscoggin Riv. Penobscot River.. Saint Croix River. Androscoggin Riv. Merrimac River. . . do .do .do ...do ... do Lake Champlain.. Connecticut River. ....do ...do Lake Champlain.. William Clift 6. Stream on Cape Cod. Mystic River Stream on Cape Cod. Merrimac River.. ...do Mystic River Red Brook Pawtuxet River . Blackstone River. Pawtucket River. Pawcatuck River.. Great Brook . . . -do Quinnebaug River. Honsatonic River, Farmiugton River. Quinnebaug River Saugatuck River. . Farm River Connecticut River. Quinnebaug River. Great Brook Saugatuck River.. Southport River . . Connecticut River. Mystic River Thames River Housatonic River. Stream at North Branford. Great Brook EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. IxXXV United States ietween 1866 and 1672. Tributaries in wliicb tisb were placed. Little Androscoggin Kiver. Tributaries Tributaries Pemigew asset Eiver Pemigewasset Eiver do Tributaries "Winooski River . "West Pdver do Williams Eiver Winoosbi and Lamo- ille Elvers. Agawam Eiver (?)... Pemigewasset Eiver. Tributary to Long Island Sound. do Broad Brook ■ Tributaries . do Little Eiver Tributaries . Tributaries . Tributaries . I-™ e5[iy Xanie of n<=arest city or village. 1^1 2i Bf^ "Woodstock, Jf. H . 50, 5S5 77, 550 98, 150 Livermore Falls, N.H. "VTood-stock, Thorn- ton, N. H. ...do Montpelier, Tt Weston, Tt Bellows Fails' Vt' 7,000 Plymouth. X.H.. New London, Conn ...do 1,430 1,430 6, 4C0 "Westport, Conn. . . North Branford, Conn. Middktown, Conn. North Branford, Conn. 1, 365 1,365 34, 880 1,500 3,000 21, 200 10, 100 1870 1671 1871 1872 1873 1873 1873 1866 1867 1869 1870 1872 1873 1873 18C9 1870 1873 1870 1870 1870 1872 1872 1873 1873 1873 1872 1873 1870 1871 1871 1871 1872 1872 1872 1872 1872 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 Eeferences. 225 1,500 800 21, 000 67, 000 10, 000 130,000 15, 000 250 5,000 1,000 16, 000 160, 000 14, 000 2,500 30, 000 7,000 3,000 1,500 700 5,000 16, 000 165, 000 11,000 11,000 9, 000 64, 000 2,000 90 1,876 8,000 a7, 377 a900 17, 000 5,000 4,500 4,500 115, 000 5, 000 10, 000 70, 000 35, 000 43, 000 Atkins's Eeport, p. 232. Fourth EepoTt Commission of Fish- eries, Maine, 1870, p. 28. Sixth Report Commission of Fish- eries, Maine, 1872, p. 15. Do. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. Do. Do. Eeport Commission of Fisheries, New Hampshire, 1869, p. 6. Do. Eeport Commission of Fisheries, New Hampshire, 1871, p. 6. Eeport Commission of Fisheries, New Hampshire, 1873, p. 4. Do. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. ^ Eeport Fish Commission of Yer- I mont, 1869, p. 11. C Eeport Fish Commission of Yer- l mont, 1871-'72, p. 5. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. Massachusetts Eeport, 1871, pp. 11, 12. Do. Do. Massachusetts Eeport, 1873, p. 16. Do. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. Do. Do. Third Annual Report Rhode Isl- and, p. 4. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. Atkins's Eeport, p. 230. Do. Connecticut Eeport, 1871, p. 20. Connecticut Eeport, 1872, p. 28. l^ Connecticut Eeport, 1872, pp. 27, I 28. Connecticut Eeport, 1872, p. 28. Atkins's Eeport, p. 241. Atkins's Eeport, Table XI, p. 288. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. b Private enterprise. IxXXvi REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Salmon-hatching operations in the United Under vrhose au- spices. Place where spawn was collected. Place where eggs were hatched. In charge of hatch- ing. "Waters stocked. New York . New Jersey . . Pennsylvania . Ohio Michigan. Wisconsin. Total. Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. do do do do do Newcastle, Ont do Penobscot River, Bucksport, Me. do .do .do , .do .do -do -do .do .do .do .do -do .do .do .do .do .do .do -do .do .do .do Caledonia Springs, N. Y. ...do ...do Bloomsbury, N. J. ,...do ...do Dutchess Co., N.Y. Easton, Pa ....do Castalia, Ohio. . . Clarkston, Mich. ,...do ...do ...do .do do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do ■Waterville, "Wis . ...do ...do Seth Green Hudson River. ...do ...do J. H. Slack, M.D. ...do ...do Thaddens Norria. ...do Lake Ontario . . ...do Long Island Sound Raritau River. . . . Delaware River. . ...do ...do ...do John Hoyt Nelson "W. Clark. ....do ...do ...do .do , .do .do .do .do .do .do .do .do do .do .do .do .do H. F. Dousman. ....do ....do Lake Erie Lake Saint Clair. Lake Erie ...do ...do .do .do Lake Michigan ...do .do .do .do ...do ...do ...do Lake Huron Lake Michigan ....do ...do • REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ixxxvii Stales between 1866 and 1872 — Continuecl. Tributaries in which fish were placed. Name of nearest city or village. ■=^aj References. Peating and Ingles- by Creeks. Salmon River Oswego River Sniairtributaries Headwaters Musconetoong Creek Bushkill River do Heitzinan Spring Bronk. Castalia Spr'g stream. Lord's Lake , Orchard Lake "Walled Lake Whitmore Lake 30, 000 15, 000 15, 000 2,500 15, 000 18, 000 Gnn Lake Barrier Lake Diamond Lake Barren Lake Lake near Marshall. . Headwaters St. Jo- seph River. Korth Branch St. Jo- seph River. do Stream tributary to St. Joseph River. Headwaters K a 1 a - mazoo River. Grand River Muskegon River !Manistee River Ausable River Pontiac, Mich Oakland Co., Mich ...do "Washtenaw Co., Mich. Hillsdale Co., Mich ...do 25, 000 2,500 Calhoun Co., Mich Hillsdale Co., Mich St. Joseph, Mich.. Jackson Co., Mich, ...do Menomonee River .. Oconomowoc Lake.. Milwaukee River . . . Roscommon Co., Mich. Oconomowoc, Wis "Wauwatosa, Wis . . 33, 900 1673 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1871 1872 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 30, 000 15, 000 15, 000 2,500 15,000 18, 000 2.500 11,000 25, 000 2, 500 400 500 500 500 500 500 1,000 500 500 500 1,000 1,000 1,500 5D0 500 1,500 1,500 2,000 7,000 1,000 11, 000 517,805 1,258,841 Letter from Seth Green. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Pennsylvania Report, 1873, p. 1.5. Pennsylvania Report, 1873, p. IH. Atkins's Report, p. 238. Information from K. "W. Clark. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Letter of H. P. Dcusman. Do. Do. Ixxxviii REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Table of the distribuiion of young shaiJ By whom conrtucted. Shad-hatching stations where youag shad were procured. Waters stocked with shad. Alleghany River Mississippi River Alleghany Eivei Cuvahoga River "Wiute River aud Fisheries. Do do Do South Hadley Falls, Mass., Connecticut Eiver. do Do Do do Do do Missouri River Platte River Do ...do Do Do Washington, D. C, Potomac River do Greenbrier River Do Coeymans, N. T., Hudson Eiver do Calumet River Do Do .do Ashtabula River Monougahela River Wabash Kiver Do Lambert.sville, N. J., Delaware Kiver Coeymans, N. Y., Hudson Kiver do Do Do Do do Sacramento River Winooski River Housatonic River Penobscot River Do South Hadley Falls, Mass , Connecticut Kiver. do ... Do Do do Do do Do do Do do New Hampsliire Commission of Fisheries. Do North Andover, Mass., Merrimac Kiver. . . do Lake Winnepiseogee . . do Do do do Do do do Vermont Commission of Fisheries. Do South Hadley Falls, Mass., Connecticut River. do (Not recorded) Merrimac River Lake CbaniDlain Whitney's Pond Do 'Massachusetts Commission of Fisheries. Do South Hadley Falls, Mass., Connecticut River. North Andover, Mass., Merrimac River. .. do .... . ... Do Do do Concord River Weweantit River Eel River Do do Do do Do do Newmasket River Do .do . Do do do Do South Hadley Falls, Mass., Connecticut River. ... do do Ehode Island Commission of Blackstono River Pawtuxet Kiver Pawcatuck River Poquonnock River Saugatuck River . . . do Fisheries. Do do Do do Connecticut Fish Commission do Do do Do do New York Commission of Fish- eries. Do do do Do do Lake Champlain Mohawk River Do do Do do Do do Lake Onondaga Canandaigua Lake Do do Do . . do . Do do Genesee River (a) A few fry. EEPORT OF COxMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ixxxlx to the waters of the United Stedes. Name of city or village. SaJamanca, X. T June 30, 1872 Paint Paul, Minn July 5, 1872 Salamanca, N. T July 3,1872 July 3,1872 July 4,1872 July 5,1872 July 7,1872 June 6, 1873 t Jnue 10, 1873 25, 000 25, 000 '2, 000, 000 Kent, Ohio Indianapolis, lud. ... Washington and Her- man, Mo. Denver, Colo Konceveite, "W. Va . . Central Station, Ya.. South Chicago, 111 June 16, 1873 Appleton, Wis ' June 20, 1873 Ashtabula, Ohio j June 24, 1873 Greensburgh, Pa ; June 25, 1873 Logansport, Ind ! June 30, 1873 Jordan, TTtah June 30, 1873 Tehama, Cal... BuiUngton, Yt. New Milford, Conn. . . Mattawaiimkeag, Me. Yergenne.s, Yt Detroit, Mich , Ionia, Mich July 2,1873 July 5,1873 July 8,1873 July 12, 1873 July 20, 1873 July 24, 1873 Julv 24, 1873 1868 18C9. 1870. 1872. Concord, Yt ... Burlington, Yt , Mass . . . Winchester, Mass Winchester, Mass Mass. J Mystic, Conn... Westport, Conn do Kochester, N. T do Whitehall, N. T . -, N. T , Kochester, N. T Syracuse, N. T C'anandaigua, N. Y Rochester, N. T , 1867 . . 1872 . 1867.. 1868. 1869. 1870. 1872. 1872 . 1871. 1871. 1872. 50, 000 40, 000 70, 000 70, 000 50, 000 15, 000 40, 000 40, 000 100, 000 90, 000 100. 000 100, 000 100, 000 June 30, 1870 June 8, June — , June 18, June 21, June 25, June 12, June 16, June 19, 1871 1871 1872 1872 1872 1873 1873 1873 5, 000, 000 (6) A certain amount of spawn. (c) Some spawn. (d) Several thousands of eggs. (e) A few in a bottle. 25, 000 25, 000 400, 000 (a) 400, 000 (a) 2,000 .30, 000 40, 000 70, 000 70, 000 50, 000 15,000 40, 000 5,000 35, 000 100, 000 90, 000 100, 000 100, 000 20, 000 80, 000 (&) 400, 000 (0 (d) (e) (/) 50, 000 5,000 (&) 100, 000 180, 000 100, 000 100, 000 100, 000 :, 125, 000 (0 (g) 750, 000 1, 500, 000 (h) Ab't 7h.30m. Ab't 60 h. 24 h. 30 m. 35 h. 15 m. 48 li. 78 h. 25 m. 124 h. 30 m. 15 h. 15 m. 25 h. 30 m. 33 h. 62 h. 25 h. 15 h. 40 h. Ab't 121 h. 170 h. 30 m. 15 h. Si. 28 h. 12 h. 44 h. 53 h. 30 m. (0 15, 000 50, 000 150, 000 60, 000 30, 000 .54, 000 54, 000 70, 000 In charge of transfer. Ab't 10 h. Ab't 10 h. Ab't 4h. 30 m. Ab't 10 h. Ab't 6h. Ab't 10 h. Ab't 9h. Ab't 10 h. Jonathan Mason. J. Mason & Chester Green. Pvev. William Clift. Do. Do. Do. Do. James W. ^lilner. H. W. WeLsher. James W. Milner and J. Mason. Do. Jonathan Mason. J. H. Slack, M. D. James W. Milner and J. Mason. Livingston Stone and H. W. Welsher. Do. James W. Milner and J. Mason. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. William W. Fletcber, M. D., and W. A. Sanborn. Albert D. Hager and Chas. Barrett. Wm. W. Fletcher, M. D. Kobert Holmes. Eev. William Clift. E. M. Lees. Do. Oren Chase. Do. Monroe A. Green. (/) Several millions. (?) (fif) A few thousands. (/() Not on record, (i) A few shad. XC REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. I'ahle of the distribution of young shad By wliom conducted. 'Shatl-hatching stations where young shad were x)rocured. "Waters stocked with shad. Michigan Commission of Fish- eries. Do "Washington, D. C, Potomac River Coeymans N. Y., Hudson Ei ver Potomac River (a) Do do Do do do Lake Erie do eries. Do Do .... do Lake Michigan Bear Ri ver Do do Do do Sacramento River (a) Destined for Grand River, Michiijan. Finding that they were dying rapidly, the remaining living ones were put into the Potomac River. A trip of forty hours is too long for one man to attempt to carry shad successfully. REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XCl to the icatera of the United States — Continued. Name of city or village. O ri l~ 71 Ma 5^ 5-a "■i^ c ^ t-.'S In charge of transfer. Cumberland, Md Lansing, Mich. . . Monroe, Mich . . . Lan.sing, Mich... Cleveland, Ohio.. Toledo, Ohio Chicago, 111 , Ogden, Utah Tehama, Cal June 5,1873 June 17, 1873 June 28, 1873 June 28, 1873 June 20, 1871 June 20, 1871 June 21, 1871 June 23, 1871 June 26, 1871 50, 000 80, 000 ]■ 12, 000 < 10, 000 80, 000 50, 000 200 (6) 200 200 10, 000 Ab't 9h. Abt 45 h. Ab't 44 h. > 25 h. 45 m. 51 h. 104 h. 184 h. N. W. Clark. K". 'W. Clark and George Clark. George H. Jerome and Oren Chase. 1 j !> Seth Green. (6) Not stated. XCll EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AKD FISEEEIElS. o o ' ,_ c ^ ,0^ ^ 0000 o o > ^ £ • rt " ' . oo ii ^ a o-c ■6 'C 0~i0" cT a c in 5 T i" a J3 j-'o-od'o" o - g CS ^ CJ 0-. in CJ ■V.M. •S.I9^ ia c t 0. a '^'' c X ^ c ■ =2 jiias [luqs Sauo^ o 3 ft O 5 m 5 r^ in' < ITi c ' o oo O O O O r - T. 000 o o o 6 c = o o o O o o o 7^ ^<' - CO -9J •peeeai pi!qs Sanoi "1- CO ^ o" o-o" o" 5 in oo o i; fct en ; li oi-' co- in t- OrH in § in o" o" '-- -t|< ; >in 00 co"-^" ^ o o o 000c c ^ 00000 (3 o o ^ 0000 c 00000 O o o o 0000 c 00 00000 •sS,? 9 JO jgqninx o" o'o" o" o c 1- §sg"^" f 1^' IaO" CO l~ CO S¥ssi T-4 -^ ^ 00 ma C£ rH in CO CO t-i- in (rf fff - f r- 1- t- CO t- > O. C8 X> Old QC ,^00 r- in CO C5 -^ CO ■ CS o o -js f — o 1' t- 52 O) 1 t- •i >.> ^ i. ■> ^-^-ir-p _>-. >~. >) >: >>^>-->^a a S ^ " a s ^ a a <1 ^ ^ h^ ►:; t^ >:; Hj Hjl- H l-5*-5l-5^ ■^, l-sl-5 1-5 *-5 1-5 i-5 1-5 (-5 l-B — T-lif5t-0''"» O-H O-t — c. CO in -J coooi-Hinoot'OO 01 rt ^ S -H U rt (TJ (H rt 01 — HJ CJ rt CJ ,-( rH CI rt •"iiinniSgg I £ C ^ S p a S-c a §1 §§|>--^&^-> S a t- -i rS a © - K I, -. ce-- a -§ > c I c d ^■5 ^ c c ^ c £ 1 3 ft A r; !^ d 1 ^ 1^ < -^ C5 KH ; ;_g ; _^ si ^^i'&o -< c c c3 a ~ o 'O £ .i z _c c i c c a 1 = c s c J c4 S 5 * o o a c ,© 1 Us : -c C ■^ ■c h-t 'C ri-c "5 3 3 O d "S S ci r "a >< "§ n a: > 1^ c ^ "A Ci ca O llglljl !«.= < l1 "^1 03 C c c to C c i = c ^ c JO s c t: j: 1 3 'C'S'C •p i ill CO GO re r^ 00 ac c 0— -N -^ COOOOiO^OJCOCO UtJ9i i^ o I- '-0 CD i:;: « r- i— f- 1- i^ t- t-cocoi^r-i-f-t- CO ao GO 'Xi 00 cc onSo X oc 00 X OOOOGOXCDQOXIX) 5 1:2 1 i-i a il !0 m £ja § .s ■p .2 .2 0.3 ao a 11^ gS ill § . © m S ^ ® o 1 a a s K t IS r= ;z; ^ 1 'i^ CONTENTS. Page. REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. (Table of contents precedes report) .... i APPENDIX A.— THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES, AND THE SPE- CIES OF COREGONUS OR WHITE-FISH ciii I. Report on the fisheries of the great lakes ; the result of inquiries PROSECUTED IN 1871 AND 1872. By Jaiues W. Milner. (Table- of contents on p. 77) - 1 II. Miscellaneous notes and correspondence relative to the white- fish 79 A. The white-fish of the great lalies 79 1. Lake Superior 79 2. Lakes Erie and Ontario HO B. The whlte-lish of Eastern Maine and New Brunswick. B^^ Charles Lau- nian 84 C. Descriptions of new species of coregonus and argyrosomus. By Jaiues W. Milner 8G 1. Argijrosomus hoyi Gill. Cisco of Lake Michigan 8G 2. Argyrosomus nigripiunis Gill. Black-fin 87 Coregonus conesii 88 APPENDIX B.— THE SALMON AND THE TROUT, (species of Salmo) 89 III. On the North American species of salmon and trout. By George Suckley, surgeon, United States Army, (written in 1861) 91 Introductory note 91 Tabulated list of species 92 1. Salmo scouleri Rich. ; hook-nosed salmon 94 2. Salmo ]}rotcus Pallas ; h nmp-backed salmon 97 3. Salmo cooperi Sucklej' ; Cooper's salmon 99 4. Salmo dermaUnns Rich 100 5. Salmo consuetus Rich 101 6. Salmo cams Suckley ; dog-salmon 101 7. Salmo sa/flr Linn. ; common salmon 104 8. Salmo qui nn at Hich..; quinnat or Sacramento salmon 105 9. Salmo coiiflucntus Suckley ; Towalt salmon 109 10. Salmo aurora Giv .• 110 11. Salmo argyrcus Gir 110 12. Salmo paucideiis Rich. ; weak-toothed salmon Ill 13. Salmo tsuppiteh Rich. ; white salmon Ill 14. Salmo clarkii Rich. ; Clark's salmon 112 15. Salmo munaculatus &tovev; the unspotted salmon 113 16. Salmo gairdncri Hich. I Gairdner's salmon 114 17. Salmo trunoat us Suckley; square-tailed salmon. 115 18. Salmo richardi Suckley ; suk-kegh 117 19. Salmo camphelll SncVilej ; Pacific red-spotted salmon-trout IIB 20. Salmo hudsonicus Suckley ; Hudson's Bay trout 119 21. Salmo rosnii Rich. ; Ross' Arctic salmon 120 22. Salmo hparnHRlch.; Coppermine River salmon 121 23. Salmo alipes Rich.. ; long-finned char 121 XCIV CONTENTS. APPENDIX B— Continued. III. On the North American species of salmon and trout — Continued. 24. Salmo nitidus Rich. ; the angnialook 122 25. Salmo fontinalis Mitch. ; brook-trout of the Atlantic coast 123 26. Salmo iridea G'lhhows, ] Pacific brook-trout 129 27. iSa/momasoHi Suckley ; Mason's trout 134 28. Salmo virginaUs Gir. ; Utah trout 135 29. Salmo lewisi Gir. ; Lewis's trout 139 30. Salmo brevicauda Suckley ; short-tailed trout 140 31. Salmo gibbsii Snckley ; Columbia salmon-trout 141 32. Salmo sebago Gir. ; the Sebago tron t 143 33. Salmo kennerlyi Suckley ; Kennerly's trout 145 34. Salmo warreni Suckley; Warren's trout 147 35. Salmo bairdil ^ac]s.\eY \ Baird's river-trout 148 36. Sfl?;Ho prt/7i-et Suckley ; Parke's river-trout 149 37. Salmo oqaassa Gir. ; blue-back trout 50 38. Salmo namaycush Fennant; Mackinaw or salmon trout 151 39. Salmo coufuiis DeKay ; lake-trout 153 40. Salmo siscowet Agiiss. ; the siscowet 156 41. Salmo symmetrica Fvescott; Winuipiseogee trout 157 42. Salmo lioodii Rich. ; Hood's salmon 159 43. Salmo newberryi Gir 159 IV. The salmon of the Danube, or the Hucho, {Salmo hucho,) and its in- troduction INTO American waters. By Rudolph Hessel 161 V. Improvement in the salmon-fisiieries of Sweden, (extract from the report of the Royal Swedish lutendaut of Fisheries, 1868) 166 VI: Report of operations during 1872 at the United States hatching- establishment ON THE McCLOUD RiVER, AND ON THE CALIFORNIA SaL- MONIDiE GENERAJXY, WITH A LIST OF SPECIMENS COLLECTED. By Living- stou Stone 16^ A. Introductory remarks 168 1. The salmon-hatching establishment on the McCloud River 168 2. The location of the sal mou-breeding station on the McCloud River = 170 3. Oianges proposed for another season 170 4. Why more salmon-eggs were not obtained in 1872 171 5. Conditions of hatching salmon in California compared with similar operations at the East 171 6. Catching the salmon on the McCloud 171 7. Taking the eggs 172 8. The eggs of the Sacramento River salmon 173 9. The hatching-apparatus 173 10. Packing and shipping the eggs 174 B. The Salmonidw of the Sacramento River 17.''> 11. The Sacramento River , 175 12. The McCloud River 176 13. The McCloud River Indians 177 14. The climate of the McCloud River 179 15. The Sacramento salmon in general 179 16. General movements of the Sacramento salmon in the lower parts of the river 180 17. General movements, &c., of the Sacramento salmon in the McCloud River 181 CONTENTS. XCV Pago. APPENDIX B— Continued. VI. Hatching-establishment on the McCloud EI^^!:K — Continued. B. The Salmonida; of the Sacramento River — Continued. 18. Condition of the salmon darinnj their stay in the McCloud Eiver 182 Table showing the movements, conditions, &c.. of the Sacra- mento salmon in the MoClond Eiver la each mouth of the year 183 Table showing the condition of the ova of the salmon at the headwaters of the Little Sacramento, (Mount Shasta;) at the Lower McCloud ; at Tehama ; at Rio Vista and Sacramento City ; and at Eel River, Humboldt County, California 183 19. Answers to queries concerning the Sacramento salmon given in the order of Professor Baird's printed list of questions enti- tled "Questions relative to the food-fishes of the United States " 184 A. Name 184 B. Distribution 184 C. Abundance 185 D. Size 185 E. Migration and movements 186 F. Eelationships 1^9 G. Food 190 H. Reproduction ...w 190 I. Artificial culture 193 K. Protection 193 L, Diseases 194 M. Parasites 194 N. Capture 194 O. Economical value and application 195 20. Other SalmonidiB of the Sacramento Eiver 197 21. Other Salmonidaj of the McCloud Eiver 197 22. List of Indian words of the McCloud dialect 197 C. Catalogue of natural-history specimens, collected on the Pacific slope in 1872, by Livingston Stone, for the United States Fish Commission.. . 200 VII. Notes on the salmon of the Miramichi Efs^er. By Livingston Stone. 216 Fragmentary notes 217 VIII. The Salmonid^ of Eastern Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. By Charles Lanmau 219 1. The brook-trout, {Salnio fontinalis) 219 2. The great gray-trout or togue, ( Salmo toma) 220 3. The white sea-trout, (Salmo immacidatus) 221 4. The salmon, (Salmo salar) 223 5. The American smelt, ( Osmerus mordax) 224 6. "Xhe capelin, (Mallotua villosus) 225 IX. On the S.VLMON OF Eastern North Ajierica, and its artificial CULTURE. By Charles G. Atkins. (Table of contents on p. 336) 226 X. On the salmon of Maine. By A. C. Hamlin . .- 338 1. The laud-locked salmon ^^^ 2. The togue ^^4 XL The LAKE-TROUTS. By A. Leith Adams, M. A., «&:c . ^57 XII. On the speckled trout of Utah Lake. By Dr. H. C. Yarrow, U. S. A., SURGEON AND NATURALIST, &C 363 XIII. Miscellaneous notes and correspondence kelative to sai.:\ion AND trout 369 XCVl CONTENTS. Page. APPENDIX B— Continued. XIII. Miscellaneous notes, &c. — Continued. A. On the salmon in Maine. By Thomas Lincoln 369 B. On the stomachs of salmon and their contents 371 1. On the cajcal appendages of the stomach. By James K. Thacher 371 2. On the contents of the stomach. By S. I. Smith 371 C. On the silver-trout of Monadnock Lake. By Thos. E. Hatch, M. D 372 D. On the edible qualities of the Sacramento salmon. By S. R.Throckmorton 373 E. On the saluion-tisheries of the Sacramento River. By Livingston Stone 374 1. Drift-net fishing 374 2. Fyke-net fishing 378 3. Sweep-seine fishing 378 XIV. Additional reports relative to the hatching and planting of THE Penobscot salmon 380 A. Now Hampshire 380 B. New Jersey 381 C. Pennsylvania 382 D. Ohio 382 E. Wisconsin 383 APPENDIX C— THE SHAD AND ALEWIFE, (species of Clupeidie) 385 XV. Letters referring to experiments of W. C. Daniell, M. D., in in- troducing SHAD INTO THE AlAIJAMA RiVER 387 XVI. Letters referring to the presence of shad in the rivers tribu- tary TO the Gulf op Mexico 391 XVII. Report of a reconnaisance of the shad-rivers south of the POTOMAC By H. C. Yarrow, M. D 396 1. Introductory remarks 396 2. Great decrease of fish in Georgia 396 3. Decrease in North Carolina 398 4. Contrivances that capture all the fish 401 XVIII. Report on shad-hatching operations 403 A. Operations in 1872 403 B. Operations in 1873 406 1. The Savannah, Neuse, and Roanoke River.s 406 2. The Delaware River. By J. H. Slack, M. D 409 3. Report on the transfer of shad from the Hudson to the Sacra- mento River. By Livingston Stone 413 4. On shad-hatchiug operations by the commissioners of the State of Maine. By E. M. Stilwell 417 XIX. Report on the propagation op the shad, (Alosa sapidissijia,) and its introduction into new waters, by the United States Commis- sioner in 1873. By James W. Milner 419 1. Shad-hatching an important discoverj' 419 2. Plan of operations 419 3. Operations on the Savannah, Neuse, and Roanoke Rivers 419 4. Operations on the Potomac River 420 Table — shad-hatchiug on the Potomac River, Jackson City, Va., opposite Washington, D. C, in the year 1873 425 5. Methods employed in shad-hatching 425 6. Relation of the temperature of the water to the propagation of the shad 428 7. The ovaries and ova of the shad 430 CONTENTS. XCVll rage. APPENDIX C— Contiuued. XIX. Report ox the pkopagatiox of shad— Continued. 8. The male fish 431 9. The impregnation of sbad-eggs 432 10. The Susquehanna, Delaware, and Hudson Rivers 433 11. Journal of a trip with shad and eels to Calnmet River, Illinois. 434 12. Shipment of shad and eels to the Fox River, Wisconsin 437 13. Shipment of shad to Ashtabula River, Ohio 437 14. Shipment of shad to the Wabash River, Indiana 438 15. Shipment of shad to the waters of Lake Champiain, Vermont. 439 16. Shipment of shad to the Housatouic River, Connecticut 439 17. Shipment of shad to the Penobscot River, Maine 440 18. Establishment of station on the Androscoggin River, Maine. .. 440 l\). Second shipment of shad to the waters of Lake Champiain, Vt. 441 20. Shipment of shad to the Detroit and Grand Rivers, Michigan.. 441 Table of distribution of shad and eels 442 21. Mode of estimating numbers of eggs and fish 442 22. The care of young shad during transportation 443 a. The apparatus 443 i. The care of the fish 444 c. Water adapted to young fish 445 d. Temperature of the water in the cans 447 e. Transferring the shad from the cans to the river 447 /. Facilities required from the railroads 448 23. Possibility of stocking the great lakes with shad 449 24. Popularity of the work of the commission 450 XX. Notes ox the natural history of the shad and alewife 452 A. Notes on the shad as observed at Beaufort Harbor, North Carolina, and vicinity. By H. C. Yarrow, M.D 452 B. Notes on the shad as observed in the Delaware River. By J. H. Slack, M. D. 457 1. The importance of the shad as a food-fish 457 2. The decrease in the Delaware 457 3. The causes of decrease 457 a. Erection of dams 4.58 I). Destruction of fry 4.58 0. Destruction of seed-fishes 459 d. Destruction of impregnated ova 459 4. Habits of shad in the sjjaw^niug-season 459 C. The shad and gaspereau or alewife of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. By Charles Lanman 461 1. Tlie shad 461 2. The gaspereau or alewife 462 APPENDIX D.— FISH-CULTURE, (the history, theory, and practice of fish- culture) 463 XXI. The history of fish-culture 465 A. The history of fish-culture in Europe, from its earlier record to 1354. By Jules Haiuie 465 B. Report on the progress of pisciculture in Russia. By Theodore Soudakiivicz 493 1. The decrease of food-fishes 493 2. Pisciculture 495 3. Selection of male and female fish 497 4. The fecundation of spawn 498 5. The incubation of sjiawn 499 S. Mis. 74 VII XCVlll CONTENTS. APPENDIX D— Coutiuued. ^!^^^' XXI. The history op fish-culture — Continnerl. B. Report on the progress of pisciculture in Eussia — Continued. 6. Development of the embryo, and the hatching of fish 501 7. Transportation of spawn 503 8. Piscicultural establishment at Nikolsky 504 9. Piscicultural establishment at Suwalki , 511 10. Pisciculture in Finland 512 C. Report on the state of pisciculture in Franco and the neighboring coun- tries. By M. Bouchon-Braudely, assistant secretary of the college of France 513 1. Introductory remarks 513 2. Switzerland 514 3. Italy 518 4. Austria 518 .5. Munich 520 6. The great basins of France 522 D. The progress offish-culture in the United States. By James W. Milner. 523 1. The methods employed in fish-culture 523 2. Transfer of living fishes 524 The pike or pickerel 524 The muskellungo 524 The black bass and Oswego bass 525 The wall-eyed or glass-eyed pike 526 The eel .' 526 Thealewife 527 The smelt 527 The white-fish 527 The sahnon or lake-trout 528 The brook-trout 528 3. The transfer of naturally-deposited eggs 528 Spawning-races 528 Hatching from the offal of dead fishes 529 4. Artificial fecundation 530 Introductory remarks 530 The brook -trout 535 The salmon 538 Theshad 543 The white-fish 545 The Otsego bass 552 The salaiou-trout 552 The striped bass 553 List of species in North America and Europe which have been hatched artificially 554 List of hybrids in Europe and America which have been hatched 555 . Advances in fish-culture of American origin 555 Systematic records of observation required for rapid advance- ment in the art 558 E. Alphabetical list of American fish-culturists and of persons known as being interested in fish-culture 558 1. Names of persons who are or have been practically engaged in fish-culture 558 2. List of persons interested in the subject 561 CONTENTS. XCIX Paac. APPENDIX D— Continued. XXII. Papers relating to practical fish-culture 5(57 A. Method of treating adhesive eggs of certain fishes, especially of the CyprinidiB, in artificial propagation. By Rudolph Hessel 567 B. On the so-called "dry" method of impregnating spawn. By Alexander Stenzel, Inspector of fisheries in Silesia, German j^ 571 C. Fish-culture in salt or brackish waters. By Theodore Lyman, Fish- commissioner of Massachusetts.. 575 D. Descriptions of improved apparatus in fish-hatching 578 1. Shad hatching or floating boxes , 578 Seth Green's box 578 Brackett's box 579 Stil well and Atkins's box 579 2. Tray-apparatus for hatching 580 Holton's tray-hatching apparatus 580 Clark's tray-hatching apparatus 582 Williamson's hatching-box 585 3. The brook-shanty 586 E. Frog-culture, by Seth Green 587 1. How to get the spawn 587 2. How to take care of them 587 APPENDIX E.— OBSTPtUCTIONS TO THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF FISHES IN STREAMS, AND THE REMEDY 589 XXni. On fish-ways. By Charles G. Atkins 591 A. Introductory remarks 591 B. Habits of migratory fishes 591 C. The construction and location of fish-ways 594 1. Situation 594 2. Attractiveness 596 3. Ease of ascent 601 D. Devices which are in use or have been proposed 603 1. Gap 604 2. Trench or Cape Cod fish-way 604 3. Oblique groove 605 4. Step-fish-ways 606 5. Smith's fish-way 607 6. Call's fish-way 608 7. Pike's fis h -way 609 8. Steck's fish-way 610 9. Inclined-plane fish-ways 610 10. The Pennsylvania fish-ways 610 11. The common rectangular fish-way 611 12. Brackett's fish-way 612 13. Fish-ways with oblique partitions 613 14. General arrangement 614 E. Subsidiary considerations 615 1. Protection against floods 615 2. Material and cost 615 XXIV. On OBSTltUCTIONS TO THE ASCENT OF FISH IN CERTAIN lUVERS 617 A. Obstructions in the rivers of Maine. By E. M. Stil well 617 Saint Croix River 617 Penmaqiian River 617 Denuys River 617 / C CONTENTS. Page. APPENDIX E— Continued. XXIV. On obstructions to the ascent op pish— Continued. A. Obstructions in the rivers of Maine — Continued. Orange River 618 East Machias River 618 Machias River 618 Wescongus or Pleasant River 618 Narraguagus River 618 Union River 618 Penobscot River and tributaries 618 Saint George River 619 Medomac River 619 Daniariscotta River 619 Sheepscot River 619 Kennebec and tributaries 619 Presumpscot River 621 Saco River and tributaries 621 Mousara River 621 Salmon Falls River 621 B. Obstructions in the tributaries of Lake Champlaiu. By M. C. Edmunds. 622 Lake Champlain 622 Saint Lawrence River and Lake Ontario 627 C. Obstructions in some of the rivers of Virginia. By M. McKennie 629 D. Character of the streams on the northern shore of Lake Michigan. By J. F. Ingalls 630 Peusaukee River 630 Oconto River 630 Peshtigo River , 630 Menonionee River 630 Cedar River 631 Barque River 631 Ford River 631 Escanaba River 631 Whitefish River 632 Sturgeon and Fish Dam Rivers 632 Monistique River 632 Seul Choix River 632 E. Characters of some of the northern tributaries of Lake Michigan. By James W. Milner 632 APPENDIX F.— NATURAL HISTORY 635 XXV. The Crustacea of the fresh waters of the United States. By Sidney I. Smith 637 A. Synopsisof the higher fresh-water Crustacea of the Northern United States 637 Macrura 637 Fanaily Astacidie 637 Famil}^ Paltemonidaj 640 Family Penoeidaj 642 Schizopoda , 642 Family Mysidre 642 Amphipoda 64.5 Family Orchestidie 645 Family Lysianassidas 647 Family Gammaridre 651 Isopoda 657 Family Asellidre 657 CONTENTS. CI Page. APPENDIX F— Continued. XXV. The Crustacea of fresh waters of the United States — Continued. B. The crustacean parasites of the fresh- water fishes of the United States.. 661 Faruily Argulidfe 662 Family Caligid* 662 Family Lernteopodidae 662 Family LernjBoceridse 665 XXVI. Synopsis of the North American fresh-water leeches. By A. E. Veirill 666 Genus Macrobdella 667 Genus Aulastomum 670 Genus Democedes 671 Genus Semiscolex 671 Genus Hesabdella 672 Genus Nephelopsis 673 Genus Nephelis 675 Genus Clepsine 677 Genus Cystobranchus 685 Genus Ichthyobdella 686 Genus Astacobdella 688 Genus Liostomum 688 Genus Hirudo 688 Genus Oxyptychus 689 Genus Centropygus 689 XXVII. Sketch of the invertebrate fauna of Lake Superior. By Sidney I. Smith 690 Account of field work and material obtained 690 Articulata 693 Insects .: 693 Diptera 693 Neuroptera 693 Acarina 694 Crustacea 694 Podophthalmia 694 Tetradecapoda 694 Amphipoda 694 Isopoda 695 Entomastraca 695 Cladocera 695 Ostracoda 696 Coiiepoda 697 Siphonostoma 697 Worms 697 Oligochaita 697 Bdellodea 699 Turbellaria 700 MoUusca 700 Gastropoda 700 Lamellibranchiata 703 Radiata 705 Bathymetrical distribution of species 706 XXVIII. Food of fresh- water fishes. By Sidney I. Smith 708 2 Cll CONTENTS. APPENDIX F-Continued. XXIX. Natural AND economical history of the gourami, (Ospliromenus goraniy.) By Theodore Gill 710 A. Natural history 710 Prefatory 710 Name 711 Form, &c 711 Geographical range '. 712 Size 712 Growth, and age 712 Station and teraijeratiire 713 Table of atmospheric temperatures of native and foster countries of the gourami 714 Food 715 Movements 716 Spawning and nesting 716 Young 717 Flesh 717 B. The introduction and attempts to introduce the gourami into foreign countries 718 Authorities 718 East Indian Islands 718 Island of Mauritius 718 Island of Bourbon or Reunion 718 West Indies 719 France 72 1 Algeria 725 Australia 725 Cape of Good Hope 726 Egypt 726 Conclusions 726 C. Rules for transportation and introduction 727 XXX. Notes on the grayling (Thymallus) of North America. By James W. Miluer 729 APPENDIX G.— MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS 743 XXXI. Temperature in the Gulf of Mexico, from records of the United States Coast-Survey' 745 XXXII. Correspondence with companies relative to facilities in transportation, etc 749 XXXIII. Reports of special conferences with American Fish-Cultur- isTs' Association and State commissioners of fisheries 757 A. Meeting at Boston, June 13,1872 757 B. Meeting at New York, October 17, 1872 763 XXXIV. Bibliography of reports of fishery-commissions. By Theodore Gill 774 A. Names of commissioners 774 B. Bibliography of reports 775 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 785 GENERAL INDEX 791 APPEXDIX A. THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES, AXD THE (SPECIES OF COREGONUS OR WHITE FISH.) I -REPORT ON THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES ; THE RE- SULT OF INQUIRIES PROSECUTED IN 1871 AND 1872. By Ja:\ies W. Milxer. A— INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 1.— 'OUTLINE OF OPERATIONS. In carryiug out the work allotted to me in the region of the great lakes, in 1871, 1 made a tour of the entire shore of Lake Michigan and the islands, visiting nearly every fishing locality, gathering testimony of the fishermen as to the present condition of the fisheries, its compari- son with former years, the kinds of nets in use and their effect on the numbers of the fish, and the opinion of the net-owners as to the influence of protective legislation. The visit to the fishing-grounds afforded op- portunities for acquiring information in the modes of fishing, the spe^ cies captured, and some knowledgef of their habits, of which I availed myself as far as I could. A collection was made, embracing nearly all the species of the lake, which was, unfortunately, lost with the building of the Academy of Sciences in the great fire of that year in Chicago. On being notified by you that the revenue-steamer Johnson vrould afford facilities for dredging, I went on board with a dredging outfit in Septem- ber, after returning from the north shore of the lake, and remained with the steamer during a cruise of two weeks, dredging whenever it was- possible, though the stormy weather during the trip prevented as exten- sive work as was desirable. Enough was done, however, to obtain a knowledge of the general distribution of invertebrate forms throughout all depths, and a collection of crustaceans, uiollusks, and insect larvse secured, which met| the same fate as the collection of fishes in the fire,. The late Dr. Stimjison had previously identified most of the species as. the same as those of his own collection on a dredging expedition in 1870. The general distribution of white-fish food throughout the lake^ bottom was sufficiently^ established. Iq 1872 localities on Lake Superior were visited, a collection of the fishes obtained, and ample notes of their habits recorded. The fisheries of Detroit River and a portion of Lake Erie were examined, and informa- tion gathered with reference to fishing-interests, and specimens of the fishes preserved. From Detroit River a quantity of white-fish spawn was. obtained and impregnated and placed in the troughs of Mr. N. "W. Clark's* hatching-house at Clarkston, Mich., with which gentleman a contract S. Mis. 71 1 2 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. was made for their care until ready to be turned into tlie waters. Anangenients were also made with Mr. ]Sr. W. Clark, and Mr. H. F. Dousman, of Waterville, Wis., for the care of the salmon-eggs fiu-nished for the States of Michigan and Wisconsin. A correspondence was opened with gentlemen of Wisconsin, who used their influence in obtaining a sufficient appropriation from the State for the expenses attending the introduction of salmon into its waters. Dr. J. W. Hoyt, Dr. I. A. Lapham, Hon. L. J. Far well, and Mr. H. F. Dous- man cordially assisted the movement and obtained the required aid. During the legislative session of Michigan, by invitation from those interested, I visited the capital, and afforded such information as had been obtained with reference to the fisheries, and at the request of the chairman of the house committee drew np a biU for the appointment of commissioners of fisheries for the State. During the session an ap- propriation of $15,000 was made to defray expenses of propagating food- fishes in order to increase their numbers. An attempt was made to interest all the States bordering on the lakes in the matter of protecting the fisheries, most of them having had the subject presented in some form previously. Letters addressed to the Governors were referred to the i)roper committees in the legislatures. In Ohio and Indiana the question came up in one form or another during the winter session. Illinois, though possessing a small extent of lake- coast, and having a large interest in the fish-sales of the Chicago market, has not yet taken the matter into special consideration. The fish-dealers of the lakes were addressed, either in person or by letter, and as full statistics of the catch of 1872 obtained as possible, in order that the importance of the interest might be better understood. 2. — ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OF ASSISTANCE RENDERED. I desire to refer to Mr. William D. Palmer, of Chicago, and Capt. Sam, uel Clement, of Waukegan, 111. ; Capt. E. Butlin and Mr. William Wright of the Goodrich steamer-line ; Dr. I. A. Lapham, of Milwaukee, and Mr. H. F. Dousmau, of Waterville, Wis. ; Mr. George Clark, of Ecorse^ Mr. J. P. Clark, of Detroit, and Mr. X. W. Clark, of Clarkston, Mich., for various assistances and traveling-passes, materially lessening the expenses of the work; to Mr. E. W. Blatchford, of Chicago, 111., for the use of instruments for deep-sea work and a complete set of nets; to Capt. David Evans and his officers, of the revenue-marine service, for their cordial assistance during the dredging- trip; to Mr. J. L. lugalls, of Waukegan, III., for valuable aid in obtaining information through a long extent of shore that would otherwise have required a personal visit; and to many others who afforded information and support to this work. In the following pages will be found the statistics of the catch of one year, conclusions with reference to the decrease of the food-fishes, the methods to be adopted for their restoration, the economical and natural MILNER — FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 3 history of the more important species, and the general resuUs of the work of the past two years. B— GENERAL CONSIDERATIOXS OX THE LAKE-FISHERIES. 3. — INVESTMENT IN THE FISHERIES. The fisheries of the lakes are an industrial interest of large extent and considerable commercial value, of which little is known except among those directly interested. Back from the lakes the very prevalent idea is that fisbing is an un- l)rofitable employment for an irregular class of men who eke out a meager subsistence from year to year by this pursuit. Though the risks and uncertainties of this vocation make the yearly income very variable, the investments of fishermen in their stocks are quite respectable sums, and compare favorably with the farming-communities, being all the way from three hundred to twenty thousand dollars, their sales reaching in some instances as high as $7,000 from their own nets. This refers to those men only who actually superintend their own fisheries. A few dealers who furnish the nets on shares sell five or six times as much in a year. iSTor is there any truth in the aspersion on the class of men, who are industrious, hard-working citizens, and, considering the hard- ships and exposures incident to their calling, singularly free from the habit of hard drinking. • The fishiug-stocks are necessarily a less stable investment than farm- ing-lands, liable to frequent loss and injury, and as the success of a fishing-season depends much on the character of the weather, there is of course uncertainty in the yearly income. The same as in other vocations, the alternation of abundance and scarcity does not develop the provident faculty that accumulates prop- erty", for though as a class not given to dissipation, they spend their money freely for comfort and good living when the fishing is prosper- ous. In spite of all these unfavorable conditions many attain com- fortable circumstances. The investment of fishermen and net-owners by itself is not inconsid- erable. Under your instructions last year I visited nearly all the fishing-ports on Lake Michigan, and made an accurate count of the fishing-stocks owned and used on the lake. In the following pages are given the statistics of permanent invest- ment, of the number of men employed, and their wages, for the year 1871. Investment in fishing-stocks on Lalce Michigan in 1871. 281 ponnd-net.s, average value $506 $140, 500 1-02 gill-nets, "heavy-rigs," average value $725 73, 950 348 gill-nets, " liglit-rigs," average value $225 78, 300 98 boats, average value $500 49, 000 348 Mackinaw boats, average value $100 34, 800 4 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 143 ponnd^net boats, average value $50 $7, 150 100 anchor-boats, average value $25 2, 500 4 steam fisMng-boats, average value $1,8(K) 7, 200 1 schooner 3, 000 500 shanties, average value $50 25, 000 100 ice-houses, average value $100 10, 000 Total of fishing investment 431,400 The current working capital employed in the fisheries, omitting wages, atid including packages, inspection, salt, ice, freightage, and repairs, is a large sum of money, probably as much as $150,000. The number of men employed by the nets of each kind is very uni- form. For three pound-nets, a crew of five men is necessary, while where but one or two are employed, at least four men are required. The " lieavy-rig'' gill-net stocks, working a large boat, and four and five gangs of nets, with from twenty-five to thirty-six nets to the gang, have five, or six men to the crew. The "light-rigs," with .a 22-foot " Mackinaw boat,"' and three or four gangs of from eight to twenty nets, have a crew of two or three men. It will be observed that the boat is the unit of a fishing-stock. It is so considered among gill-netters, as they speak of so many boats "light-rig," or "heavy-rig," in a locality. It has not been adopted among the pound-net men, though it would apply nearly as well. Though the number of boats represents the number of separate es- tablishments, they do not, however, correctly number the proprietors. There are net-owners on the lakes who have from twenty to thirty thousand dollars invested in nets, and who furnish nets and full outfit to as many as forty establishments, in the "light-rig" gill-net fisheries: the fishermen, in the parlance of the lakes, " filling" the furnished half- barrels on shares. On Lake Brie there are net-owners who employ a sufiicient number of men to run forty pound-nets, paying wages and receiving all the fish. On the other hand, the majority of establishments, managed by the owners, are partnership concerns. Out of about two thousand men engaged in the fisheries of Lake Michigan, but a few more than half are men receiving wages, and some of these are the minor sous of the proprietors. The time for which the men are hired varies in different localities. In a large region of the lake-fishing, the season lasts from seven to eight months. As early as the month of April, before navigation has opened, the fishing-boats are plying daily from their harbors to the fishing-grounds, often finding the mn of fish plentiful at this season. In 1871, many of the fishermen began the season before the middle of March. In the fall they prolong the work late into November and even December, and in very open winters, from a few ports, nets have been set, within MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 5 three or four miles of the shore, every month ia the winter, continuing the fishing throughout the year. Where fishing through the ice is carried on, men are employed for winter work. On Lake Michigan, in 1S71, the summer fishing in the vicinity of Waukegau, 111., afforded employment to about forty-four men dur- ing three months of the year ; the spring and fall fisheries of the lake employed about eleven hundred and eighty men during five months ; the year fishing employed about seven hundred and sixty-five during about seven months; in all, about one thousand nine hundred and eighty- nine men, of whom only about nine hundred men received wages. The total outlay was about $180,000 in the season. 4. — THE EXTENT OF THE LAKE-FISHERIES. ^o attempt at obtaining any very complete statistics of the product of the lake-fisheries has hitherto been made, and in the census reports of the United States few and fragmentary figures of this large interest have been given. A complete exhibit, or one as complete as may be made of most of the market commodities, would be difficult to obtain, as a large amount of fish is used in the local demand in the vicinity of the fisheries, which is sold directly by the fishermen to residents, ped- dlers, and traders on steamers, and no account of it is kept. The tables of steamers and vessels are also supplied in this way. There are also a large number of small dealers, who keep no books, receiving and sell- ing fresh fish in lake cities. So that of a large amount of the fish caught no record is made ; and of the quantities taken reliable statis- tics of not more than about seventy per cent, can be obtained. The handling of the lake-fish on the market employs quite an amount of capital. Large warehouses are necessary for storage and the assort- ing and inspection of the fish, and are to be found in all of the larger cities. In the salt-fish trade, great quantities of salt come a second time into demand, for use in repacking. Of late years a process of freezing has been resorted to for the ship- ment of fresh fish. This process has been patented, and the right sold in all the important cities on the lakes. Large freezing and preserving bouses have been erected, and hundreds of tons of fish are frozen while fresh, and shipped in this condition to Xew York, Washington, Cincin- nati, Saint Louis, Omaha, and intervening cities. Many of the dealers employ small steamers in visiting the fisheries, and gathering in the fish that are salted on the shore. For the purpose of showing the extent of the fisheries, and their value as a commercial and food resource, we have attempted, since the close of the fishing-season, to obtain an exhibit of the catch of the year, as complete as possible, for the whole extent of the lakes. Though most of the dealers responded cheerfully to the application for figures from their books, a few failed to comply, and the tables are 6 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. in consequence deficient of some large quantities bandied by dealers in such places as Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit, Mich., and in a few points of lesser importance. The sales in Cleveland are large enough to compare with those of Sandusky, Buifalo, and Chicago, but the amounts obtained from that city, though cheerfully aftbrded by all who had them at command, are those only from original points, directly from the net-owners, and the gross sales were not in our possession. By far the larger proportion of the catch of Lake Huron and Lake Superior finds its way into the markets of which we have aftbrded statistics,. and the deficiency of the sum-total of their catch will be what has been shipped into the interior of the State. From these causes probably fifteen j)er cent, of the quantities put upon the market are not in the tables, while the local consumption before referred to, would add still more to the totals ; in all, perhaps, twenty-five per cent. 5. — STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1872. The fishes in the tables are classified according to the system adopted at Sandusky, Toledo, and Cleveland. This system includes under " hard fish" the wall-eyed pike, called pickerel on Lake Erie, ^Stizostedion ameri- cana Cuv. and Val. ; the black-bass, Micropterus nigricans Cuv.; and the Micropterus salmoides (Lac.) Gill, mss.; the \ake-i)ike, Usow lucius Lin.; the muskellunge, Esox nobilior Thomps.; the salmon-trout, Salnio namay- cusTi Penn. ; and the white-fish, Coregonus alhus Les. The skinned cat- fishes, selling for the highest prices in the market, are also included. Under the head of "soft fish" are comprised the sauger, Stizosfedion grisca DeKay; the white-bass, Roccus chrysops (Raf.) Gill; the suckers, Catostomns communis Les. ; C. anreolvs Les., C. melanops JKaf., and the carp, Carpiodes cyprinus Les. "Mixed fish" includes both kinds. * Statistics of the number of pounds of lake-fishes received by first hand- lers for the year 1872. Place. Hard fish. Mixed fish. Soft fish. Lake herring. Sturgeon. Salt fish. 11,725 1 471 023 78, 000 Buffalo, K. y 656,530 3, 008, 009 Erie Pa 193, 446 187, 498 27, 820 1,016,843 1, 646, 315 85, 000 197, 891 1,263,095 2, 346, 100 471, 468 54, 460 501, 046 12, 000 76, 603 883, 505 160, 880 25,000 98, 207 1, 560, 249 146, 600 913, 252 1, 080, 400 21, 000 135, 240 1, 750, 000 394, 405 720, 500 Toledo Ohio 1, 800, 000 662, 000 852, 306 4, 712, 198 18,800 17, 784 167, 673 25, 147 2, 519, 500 Inthehull.sof vessels frozen 270, 000 1 Total 13, 640, 927 1, 153, 205 2,387,808 1 4.122.621 745, 647 10, 199, 800 *A11 quantities exchanged bet-ween the places named, after being recorded for their original market, are deducted from the receipts of the subsequent cue. t The figures opposite Sandusky include both the fresh and salt fish. J Inoonaplete. § Obtained only through newspaper sources. MILNER — FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. T The sum-total of this incomplete record is 32,250,000 pounds of fish, with a value of $1,600,000. The two ports handling the largest amount of fish are Chicago, 111., and Buffalo, X. Y. Their relative figures are shown below : riac^. Hard fisli. Mixed ash. Soft fish. Lake herring. Sturgeon. Salt fish. Total. Value. Bnffalo N. T. . 2, 42>!, 750 937, 350 17, 784 3, 008. 000 2, 519, 500 6, 374. 100 7, 461, 104 1333, 625 08 414, 717 5') Chicago, lU-.-l 4,712,198 1 18, 800 167, 673 25, 147 Sandusky, Ohio, Detroit, Mich., and Cleveland, Ohio, would also show large figures in their gross sales. The table of statistics, as it shows in most cases only the original quantities received from fishermen and markets not recorded, of course does not exhibit the entire business of the different places. C— CHARACTER OFTHE FISHIXGINDIFEERENTLOCALITIES. The seasons and methods of fishing vary very much in different locali- ties. Slight differences in market demands at various points influence the capture of certain species. Difference in depth of shore- waters con- trols the range of some kinds of fishes. The season varies somewhat in different parts of the lakes, while the number of nets and men to the boat, as well as the size of the boats, is dependent on numerous conditions. 6. — IN LAKE SUPERIOR. In Lake Superior, within the bays and among the islands, the pound- nets are used. The bold shores of the greater part of the lake will al- ways prevent the use of these nets to any very injurious extent; though, from the local habit of the white-fish, some of the best localities may be - come depopulated. The principal fisheries are in the region of the Apostle Islands and at White-Fish Point. In both places pound-nets are in use, but the gill- nets are, thus far, used in greater number. The other fishing-localities of consequence this season were at Grand Island, Marquette, islands to the east of Keweenaw Point, and Superior City. The Canadian fislie ries, except those of Michipicoten Island, are principally under the Hudson Bay Company's control, at Michipicoten River, the Pie, and at St. Ignace Island, and are all gill-net fisheries. 7. — IN LAKE MICHIGAN. As the fisheries of Lake Michigan were worked up in detail in the year 1871, a description of the character of the fishing in difterent localities may be valuable for the light it may afford as to the neces- sity of discrimination in legislating for different regions. « REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Begiuning at South Chicago, near the head of the lake, there were teij pound-nets, distributed along about eleven miles of coast, lying three miles to the north and eight miles to the south of the Calumet Eiver. Unlike pound-net men in other portions of the lake, they here seek to catch every variety of fish, finding sale to the i^eddlers of every- thing but the dog-fish, Amia calva Lin. At Chicago there were six boats fishing with trot-iiues off the mouth ■of the river ; their catch being almost entirely the perch, Perca JJaves- ■aens. One man is employed during the season at Milwaukee catching bait, shipping tubs full of minnows daily. There has been no net-fishing here for years, the few experiments made proving failures. It is quite possible, now the filthy current of the river no longer flows into the lake, that there may be some success with nets. At Evanston, the pound-net fishing was of very much the same char- acter as at Calumet. At both points they have a spring and fall season, taking out the nets in hot weather, when the fish leave the shoal waters. From Lake Forest and Waukegan to the Wisconsin line were twenty- ■seven pound-nets, fishingfor both the fresh and salt fish markets. In this region comparatively few fishes are taken other than the white-fish. One proprietor has built a smoke-house, preparing and boxing the smaller white-fishes for the Chicago market, where they are sold as smoked herring. If there were no other objection to the capture of the small white-fish, thantheir useless destruction, this could be easily remedied "by disposing of them in this way, as they find a quick and profitable sale, the demand being far in excess of the supply. The season here is different from most other parts of the lake. Instead of a spring and fall season, with an interim of two months, in which the nets are taken out, the fishing, beginning late in May, lasts until the first week in September; the fisheries having their greatest run during the months in which the least fishing is done at inost points on the lake. It will be observed that in Illiuois's share of the lake-shore no fishing :is done, save with pound-nets. It is not likely that gill-net fishing w.ould be undertaken here if pound-nets were prohibited, as it would Ib€ too hazardous of life and property. Gill-net fishing is adapted only :to a coast with good boat-harbors, or at any rate favorable lees, as in Mgh winds, driving heavy seas on the shore, there is great difliculty in landing, and often when there is not sufficient sea outside to prevent taking up the nets, it is very difficult to launch a boat tbat would expe- irieuce no inconvenience when once fairly out from shore ; so that nets from a shore like this often remain out for days, while a few miles off from a harbor the boats run out and take up every day. Frequently •they are caught in a gale when outside, and are obliged to run for "Siarbors twenty or thirty miles to the north or south because of the dan- ger they would incur in beaching. The large number of deserted fish- MILKER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 9 iag-shanties along the beach, on the east shore of the lake, attests the impracticability of gill-net fishing from a lee shore. In this extent of shore there is no spawning-ground known for either the trout or the white-fish, though the fishing is not carried on sufficiently late in the season to find the species named upon their spawning beds. From Kenosha to Sheboygan are some thirty boats, working the " large gill-net rigs," having from five to six gangs to the boat, and from twenty to thirty nets to the gang, making the string of nets a mile or more in length, and requiring a crew of five men. They run out from shore from eight to twenty miles, according to the range of the white-fish and trout at different seasons. The boats used in this region are principally what are called the " square stern." At Kenosha five of the boats are " ]S"orwegiaus," and one a steamer, remodeled from a large " Huron boat." At Milwaukee, for a time, the most of the boats were the sloop-rigged " Norwegians," afterwards abandoned, and the square stern adopted ; and during the past year small steamers were substituted for some of these. On this line of coast, and farther north, where steamers land daily, the bulk of the catch is shipped fresh, in ice-boxes, to the Chicago dealers. In the northern half of this extent of shore there are some twenty- four pound-nets, for the most part packing their fish, as the steamers do not land at the points where they are located. The catch throughout this region is almost wholly white-fish and trout, the gill-nets in the spring and fall taking a quantity of "law- yers,"iyoto maculosa, that are thrown away as useless, except where a small local demand is supplied in the towns. The spawning- grounds begin to the southward of Eaciue, Wis., and are found northward along the whole extent of shore. At Two Elvers, and north to the islands, the boats are " Mackinaws," working the lighter rigs of gill-nets, with from eight to twenty nets to the gang, and three or four gangs to the boat, with a crew of from two to three men, and running out from shore seldom more than seven or eight miles. This is the character of the fishing with gill-nets — after excepting the Door Islands, where a few steamers and large sail-b(iats are used — for Green Bay and its islands, the north shore, the Beaver, Fox, and Manitou groups of islands, and the east shore of the lake, as far south as Manistee. The gill-net catch, throughout this line of coast, is little else than white-fish and trout, except in Grand Traverse Bay, where the black-fin, Goregomis nigripinnis Gill, (Mss.) is found abundant. At Point aux Barques and Seul Choix Point, a large type of the Coregonus albi(s is taken, feeding principally on the Mysida. Fishes of eight, ten, and twelve pounds are common in every lift, while as high 10 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. as eighteen pounds are claimed to be occasionally taken. Gill-nets with a mesh of live inches are in common use in this vicinity. The pound-nets, from the head of Green Bay as far north as Pesh- tigo, take little else that are made use of but lake-herring. A few pickerel and wall-eyed pike — dories, as they are called here — are packed, while sturgeon are thrown away. From Peshtigo, north, the catch is ijriucipally white-fisb, with a few trout, pike, and sturgeon. In this region of shoal waters these nets are frequently set four and five miles from shore, some of them in forty- five feet of water. The west shore of Green Bay is the great pound-net region of the lake, about ninety pound-nets having been in use the past season. Green Bay is the home of the wall-eyed pike, or dory, Stizostedioii americana — as they are here in larger numbers than in auj other i)art of the lake. The sturgeon are taken in great abundance in this region, and are almost universally destroyed. They come into the nets in great num- bers in the early fall, and are pulled into the boats with the gaft'-hook, and thrown upon the offal-heap. A pound-net, one long leader with a pound at each end, was set at about six miles from the land, off Big Bay de Koquet, on a 36-foot shoal. The proprietors owned a small schooner, which they kept an- chored alongside. They did remarkably well, catching a large grade of fish. From Seul Choix Point, eastward to Mackinaw, and southward to Little Traverse, Michigan, the pound-nets are used with success. In Grand Traverse Bay, and at Leland, they succeed during the fall sea- son ; but from this point south, along the east shore of the lake, pound- net fishing has proved an entire failure and has been abandoned. From Manistee, south to Michigan City, the larger gill-net rigs again come into use, with four and five men to the boat. The fishing is done from seven to ten miles from the shore, until, near Saint Joseph, the "run out" reaches from twenty to twenty-five miles. There is no spawning- ground from Saint Joseph southward, and consequently no late fall fishing. From Manistee, south, the bulk of the fish caught are packed in ice and shipped f»esh to Chicago, and a few to the interior of Michigan. In the winter season, after the surface of the water in Green Bay has frozen to a sufficient thickness, the fishing is again begun to a limited extent. Holes are cut through the ice, with chisels made tor the pur- pose, and baited hooks are lowered, in hopes of finding a school of trout in the locality. If unsuccessful, other holes are cut at a distance apart? until the fish are found, when they are hauled out as fast as they bite, a fisherman taking from twenty-five to seventy-five a day, weighing from one hundred to three hundred and fifty pounds, which are hauled home at night on a hand-sled. MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 11 Gill-nets are set beneath the ice, by cutting holes a rod or more apart, and sliding aline along from one hole to another, until the desired dis- tance is attained, when a gang of nets is attached and drawn through. The fisherman has a shanty, placed on runners, with a section of the floor removed, and with a good fire in the stove, within a few feet of him, he lifts his nets and removes the fish, entirely protected from the weather. During the past winter, a pound-net was allowed to freeze into the ice, and a shanty built over the crib, or pot, so that it could be lifted through the opening, daily, without inconvenience. 8. — IN LAKE HURON. On the greater part of the American side of the Lake Huron shores the fishing is done with gill-nets. There are a number of pound-nets in use in iSaginaw and Thunder Bays, and a few at other localities. Seine- fishing for the wall-eyed pike is done on a large scale near Bay City,' Mich., on Saginaw Bay. Except at the northern end of the lake, the large Huron boat is used in the gill-net fishing, and gangs of from thirty to sixty nets are set at from eight to twenty-five miles from shore. At the northern end of the lake the Mackinaw boat is used, with fewer nets. The fisheries of Saginaw Bay are somewhat unique in character. Gill- nets are set in the ordinary season from the shores near tbe entrance of the bay. Pound-nets are numerous on both shores up to the mouth of the river 5 as many as two hundred have been in use at once. Close to the mouth of the river are the seining-grounds. Four or five 80-rod seines are in use on each side. On the one side where the current sweeps shoreward they are made of coarse twine and have heavily leaded lines, and are strong enough to carry ashore slabs, logs, and everything found in their way. The seine is laid out up-stream, and the current sweeps it on the shore below, when lines are made fast to the bag and it is drawn out by means of a 2-horse windlass. On the oppo- site shore, where the current sweeps out, there is the necessity for lighter seines and heavy leads, as there is a tendency to lift the lead-line from the bottom and allow the fish to escape underneath ; a difiiculty that jg said to have never been entirely obviated. » As soon as the ice leaves the river in the spring, the sehies are swept over the grounds, and usually immense quantities of wall-eyed pike, Stis- ostedion americana, are taken ; several tons are sometimes secured in a single haul, and the result of the seasons' fishing is often two thousand packages. The fishing only lasts about three weeks. The pound-nets take a variety of species. The wall-eyed pike is the more numerous species, and the white-fish next. The fall fishing is said to be the more important for this class of nets. The winter fishing is very extensive. Holes are cut through the ice and gill-nets are set, pound-nets are allowed to freeze in, keeping only the 12 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. surface of the crib open. Wooden " Im^e-fish" are used attracting the Mackinaw trout to tlie holes, where they are taken with the spear. Tem- porary houses are built upon the ice, until quite a village grows up, and traders take out small stocks of goods and establish stores. There is the most evident reduction of the quantities of fish taken throughout the shores of this lake within a short term of years. 9. — IN SAINT CLAIR AND DETROIT RIVERS. At the head of Saint Clair River, large fisheries were in operation several years ago, but the enterprise has gradually diminished, as the fish be- came fewer in numbers, until now three or four, fisheries have the fish- ing-privileges almost entirely to themselves. Between the mouth of Detroit River and the city are a number of fisheries, employing a large immber of men in the fall of the year, and j)roving as lucrative to their proprietors as any fisheries on the lakes. The ^^ Ponds ^' of Detroit River. These fisheries, known as ponds, are among the most extensive estab- lishments of the lake. Large numbers of white-fish are kept alive in them, from the fall of the year to late in the winter, when they are taken out, and sold in the market at good prices. The best ponds are situ- ated at islands in the middle of the river, where there is an ample cir- culation of water, keeping the fisli in vigorous, healthy condition for months. The pond is merely an inclosiu'e in the river, made by driving piles close together, and afterward sheathing the inside with planks, leaving joints of three-quarters of an inch width, to allow the free circidation of water through the pond. At one end of the pond a gate is put in, hinged at the bottom of the river to a mud-sill, and the upper portion, floating at an angle of about 45°, projects a foot or more above the sur- face, closing the entrance to the pond. By pushing the gate beneath the surface, with a pole, it is opened to the extent of one, two, three, or more feet, according to the depth the top of the gate is pushed down. The accompanying plate represents one of the best arranged and conducted fisheries on Detroit River. The buildings for the men, the net-house, and the store-house, with the windlass- sheds, are all in view. It will be seen that the fishing is carried on by sweeping a seine in front of the pond, that is drawn in by horse-power. When the brails come on shore the men haul in the seine until the bag is reached, when the leads are thrown over the top of the gate, which is then pushed down, leaving an open space at the surface, of two feet, through which the fish are emptied into the pond without being touched by the hand, or taken above water. At this fishery the seines in use are about one hundred rods long. A gang of thirty men are employed from September to the middle of November, working in two relays, night and day, and averaging about MILNEK FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 13 one sweep of the seine every hour. In each pond from twenty -five to forty thousand white-fishes, and a number of other species, are penned np every season. There are nine ponds belonging to American proprietors, and seven belonging to Canadians. 10. — IX LAKE ERIE. Lake Erie produces large quantities of food-fishes of several varie- ties. The wall-eyed pike — pickerel, as it is incorrectly named in the region — the blackbass, the white-fish, the lake-herring, the salmon- trout, and the sturgeon, are all staple fishes 5 while, besides these just named, a number of species of inferior food-fishes are shipped from the western portion of the lake, under the general class of " soft fish." The large quantities of fish that have been taken Irom the western part of this lake indicates the fact that shallow waters are more pro- ductive of numbers than the deeper regions. And this is not only estab-- lished by comparison with the other lakes, but is confirmed by the fact that the eastern, deeper, and larger portion of Lake Erie does not pre- duce anyhing near the quantities. The western end, from near Huron, Ohio, is shoal, full of islands, and a very great number of pound-nets are in use, the fish being carried to the adjacent towns ; Sandusky receiving the largest share. In the other part of the lake gill-nets are principally used. 11. — IN LAKE ONTARIO. From the information received from Lake Ontario, it is evident that the fisheries are more reduced than in either of the other lakes. There are few fishermen engaged on the American side, and but a compara- tively small supply of fish afforded. 12. — BOATS USED IN THE FISHERIES. The boats used in the fisheries are of several kinds and constructed on very different models. The "Mackinaw," the "Huron," or " square stern," the "Norwegian," and the "pound-boat," are the ordinary boats. The famous "Mackinaw" of the lakes has bow and stern sharp, a great deal of sheer, the greatest beam forward of amidships and tapers with little curve to the stern. She is either schooner-rig, or wjth a lug-sail forward, is fairly fast, the greatest surf-boat known, and with an ex- perienced boatman will ride out any storm, or, if necessary, beach with greater safety than any other boat. She is comparatively drj-, and her sharp stern prevents the shipment of water aft, when running with the sea. They have been longer and more extensively used on the upper lakes than any other boats, and with less loss of life or accident. The objection to the more general use of the Mackinaw is that her narrow- ness aft afibrds too little room for stowage. They are employed entirely with the light-rig gill-net stocks, and are usually from twenty-two to twenty-six feet in length. Lake Superior, the northern half of Lake 14 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Michigan,, and a large portion of Lake Huron, are the regions where they are in general use. The ''Huron" or "square stern" is the boat in most general favor where the large gill-net rigs are employed. It is the ordinary model of a schooner-rigged sail-boat, with less sheer than the Mackinaw, but with plenty of room for nets, fish, or half-barrels. The better models are faster than the Mackinaws. They are generally from thirty to forty feet in length; in most of the regions where they are employed the fishing is done much farther from shore than in the "light-rig" localities. An inquiry into the history of loss of life and accidents among the fishermen of Lake Michigan indicates that these boats had suffered the most, partly, no doubt, because of their longer runs out from shore. The "Norwegian" is a huge, unwieldy thing, with flaring bows, great sheer, high sides, and is sloop-rigged. She is absolutely dry in all weathers, and though perfectly safe, and with ample room, she is only nsed by the Scandinavian fishermen, most other fishermen objecting to her slowness and the great labor of rowing in time of a calm. These boats are in use in but very few localities. They are from thirty-five to forty feet in length. The pound-boats in use in the western end of Lake Erie are very well adapted to the purposes for w^hich they are employed. They are flat- l3ottomed, wide-beam, very simply-made boats, with a large center board, and carrying two very tall spars, and a wide spread of canvas. They are quite fast before the wind, and very roomy. They are used in transporting the fish from the nets to the warehouses and freezing houses. They are usually forty feet in length. The ordinary pound-net boat is flat-bottomed, is made from rough boards, and managed with oars only. The small steamers now used in a few localities are built much after the model of the small river-tugs, but with no upper works, and with wide hatchways extending along half the length of the deck. They ai?e used only with the heavy gill-net rigs. D— THE DECREASE OF THE FOOD-FISHES. The special investigation in reference to the decrease of the food- fishes was prosecuted among the fisheries of Lake Michigan. The im- pression prevails that there is an alarming diminution of the food-fishes of the lakes. This is the ordinary feeling among dealers, a majority of the fishermen, and the people generally. The supply of fish for the Chicago dealers has steadily increased with the demand, for a number of years, until this season. This is their tes- timony, and is evidenced by statistics of inspection, kept on file among the city's papers since 1854. This is to be attributed to the fact that the territory fished over has increased in this lake, and that, wherever the lines of steamers and railroads are extended, fisheries are established at new points. From Lake Superior, too, since regular communication MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 15 lias been opened, a large amount of fish has been shipped to the Chicago market. 13. — THE EVIDENCES OF THE DECREASE. Statistics to prove decrease are hard to. find, as but few records are kept in the localities where the fish are caught; when they have been preserved they show an evident diminution. The summing up of shipments from the pier at Two Rivers, Wis., affords the following: 1867. Pounds. Fresh fish 332,000 Salt fish, 6,351 packages 635,100 1:!!68. Fresh fish 153,950 Salt fish, 4,679 packages 407,900 1869. Fresh fish...., 18.5,350 Salt fish, 3,661 packages 366,100 1870, Fresh fish 203,100 Salt fish, 2,811 packages 281,100 At this port the decrease has been fifty per cent, in four years. A firm in Mackinaw, receiving yearly a large amount offish, by reference to their books gave the following figiu'es, as totals of shipment: In 1869, 17,000 packages, of one hundred poimds each; in 1870, 13,000 packages; and though they had not carried out their records for 1871 , said they would fall very much short of the figures for 1870. The best evidence of decrease in the numbers of the fish is the testi- mony as to the few nets used formerly, with the same or greater success than is had now with about three times as many. Formerly, too, many of the nets were made of coarse cotton, not as well adapted for entan- gling a fish as fine linen twine ; the mesh used was one-fourth of an inch larger, and, it is claimed, the fishing was done much nearer shore. More labor, more expense, and more skill in the construction and use of nets are required now than formerly, and for the capture of a less quantity of fish. The white-fishes are smaller now than formerly ; in early times it is said that on an average fifty gill-net fishes would make a half-barrel ; now it requires about eightj' or ninety. Of the staple fishes taken in the lakes — white-fish, Coregonns albus ; trout, Sahno namaycush ; herring, Coregonus clnpeiformis — there has Iveen an evident decrease of the white-fish and the trout. Occasionally, after several years of small encouragement to the fish- eries, at some point hopes are revived by a heavy run of fish upon the shore. The investigation for decrease cannot be understood from the quantities of fish taken at isolated places; the fishes are not by any means distributed evenly throughout the lake, but range in large colonies 16 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. and run near the sliore at difl'erent points, while the majority of locali- ties may be entirely destitute of fish. 14. — WHEN THE DECREASE BEGAN. The.oldest fishermen I have met claim from twenty-five to twenty-eight years' fishing in the lake. They assert the fish to have been abundant, running in near shore, and that hauls of large quantities were made with the seine. The custom in many places was to employ the Indians to watch the sliore for a near run of fish, and when discovered draw the seine around tliem. Immense quantities were taken in this way. There are no recorded statistics that show a reliable calculation of dates, but the testimony of fishermen, dependent on their recollection of their purchases of nets and changes in their modes of fishing, places the beginning of a marked decrease within about ten years. 15. — THE AMOUNT OF DECREASE. • The amount of decrease, in the absence of statistics of capture, cannot be decided very definitely'. The records of shipments from Two Rivers, on a previous page, show a decrease of fifty per cent, in four years. The redaction in the number of boats at different localities, perha[)« indicates to some extent the amount of decrease in the fish. In 1858 there are said to have been thirty-three gill-net boats, fishing from Milwaukee, Wis. In 1871 there were but fourteen. Between Kenosha, Wis., and Chicago, 111., the ponnd-nets have diminished from thirty-six in 1869, to twenty-seven in 1871. At White-Fish Bay, Door County, Wisconsin, formerly an extensive fishing-ground, there are now but three pound-nets. A profitable fishery at North Bay is now entirely abandoned. The pound-net fishermen at Two Rivers complained of the scarcity of white-fish, and one asserted that a law prohibiting pound-net fishing would not be a very serious loss, in consideration of the poor success they had had for a few years. Compare this condition of things with the record of 18G4, in the report of Hon. Theodore Wendell to the Michigan legislature, in which, from four pounds, 2,800 half-barrels of fish were taken in White-Fish Bay, Wis., and with a few more nets a firm of fishermen, Sage & Douglas, took 4,000 half-barrels in the same region. The pound-net men generally acknowledge the^iecrease of the fish in their own localities, and attribute it to various causes. At Ausable, Mich., on Lake Huron, there are said to have been forty- two boats in 1865; while at present there are but six. The estimate of decrease, within safe calculations, is all of fifty per cent., which, in a period of ten or twelve years, is sufficiently large to be alarming. 16. — THE CAUSE OF THE DECREASE. If the take of fish, by nets of all kinds, is greater than the natural MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 17 aunual iucrease, the numbers must of course diminish, and over-fishing is to be considered in investigating tlie causes of decrease. Still, it is veiy evident that much more wholesale causes than merely the num- ber of nets in use exist in the lakes, the principal one being the capture in large numbers of small fishes by the pound-nets. The taking of full-gro^^l, mature fishes, so long as all are preserved and used for food, cannof be questioned as a legitimate and rightful occupation. The capture of half-grown, immature fishes is less le- gitimate, not only from the fact that the number is diminished by the amount taken, but that the supply of full-gro^\'n fish in the waters through- out a term of years, being no greater than the demand, it is evident that if this demand is filled from half-grown individuals their numbers will diminish from year to year at an accelerating rate. And this ac- celerating ratio of loss is seen to be multiplied many times, when we take into consideration the fact that the supply is barely kept up if only those fishes are taken which are sufficiently^ matured to have spawned once or twice, while the destruction of fishes, too young to have spawned, must reduce the natural increase by perhaps hundreds in the death of each one. If every fish that had jjassed the precarious embryonic stages and developed into a thrifty swimmer of four or five ounces, had been al- lowed to mature, and to spawn once or twice before it was taken out of the water, the supply of white-fish would not have diminished to any great extent. The cai)ture of immature fishes is, without doubt, the principal cause of a decrease. The taking of fish in too large quantities to allow of handling and preservation, the destruction of fishes too small for use, or of others be- cause they are not in a special line of fishing followed by certain fisher- men, or the capture, when used, of those not old enough to spawn, are all entirely wrong and destructive to the fishing-interests. (IG a.) The pound-nets. — In observing the lifts of white-fish taken from the pound-nets during the spring and summer seasons of fishing, along the west shore, they were estimated to contain from one-twentieth to one- sixth of small fishes, that, when i>repared for salting, entrails and heads removed, would weigh less than eight ounces. These, among fishermen supplying the peddlers, are all made use of. A few fishermen prepare them by a slight salting and smoking, and sell them in boxes, as smoked herring, but the majority are compelled to bury them, as useless, as they are smaller than any grade recognized in the salt-fish market. The inspection-regulations of the Chicago market, that are accepted throughout Lake Michigan, provide for three grades of white-fish, with reference to size. The inspection is intrusted to the judgment of the inspectors without any very exact stipulations as to dimensions or weight of the different grades. S. Mis. 74 2 18 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISK AND FISHERIES. The standard of inspection, of the best inspectors, which is also ap- proved by most of the dealers, though not establishing the grade by weight, virtually makes the minimum weight of a No. 1 white-fish about one and one-quarter pounds ; a No. 2 fish, about three-quarters of a pound ; and the weight of a ISTo. 3 fish, from three-quarters of a pound to less; this is after the head and entrails are removed. On counting pound-net fish, as they were repacked by dealers, fish- ermen's uninspected packages, one hundred pounds, were found to con- tain from one hundred to one hundred and eighty fishes; in the latter case the fishes averaging less than nine ounces. Numbers of small fishes, weighing from five to six ounces, are found in the x)Ound-net packages. Certain localities, as the north shore of the lake^ have a large type of fish; but of pound-net white-fish, taken in a season, throughout this lake the average would not be above the No. 2 grade in weight. An advantage the pound-net has over the gill-net, or seine, iu warm weather, is, that in a large catch of fish it is possible to take out just such a quantity at a time as can be handled, leaving the rest alive, and fresh until it is convenient to return for them. In the gill-nets the lift must all be brought ashore at once, and what can be dressed and packed in a few hours are used, while the remainder spoil and have to be thrown away. Pound-net fish are generally superior to gill-net fish to ship fresh, because they are always fresh when put in the ice-boxes, while those from the gill-nets may have been dead twenty-four hours or more. (16 b.) The gill-nets. — The white fish taken in the gill-nets, in Lake Michigan, will average much higher than No. 2 fish. From reference to the books of dealers in Chicago, and an extended observation of the giU-uet fishing, it is evident that the entire catch of the lake would not give as low an average w^eight as one and one-quarter pounds. The in- spection of fishermen's shipments of gill-net fish seldom affords as low a proportion of No. 1 fish, as one-half. . The reasons for the larger size of the gill-net fish are in the fiicts re. ferred to on another page, in reference to the habit of the immature white-fish to remain near the shore, the least depth employed for the gill-nets, being twelve or fifteen fathoms, entirely outside of the range of the smaller white-fish. The giU-nets destroy a great many fish in time of storms, when the fishermen are not able to visit the nets for days at a time, two or three days being sufficient during the summer months for the fish to die and become tainted, when they are thrown overboard to rot on the fishing- grounds, making it offensive to the white-fish and driving them away. Tlie gill-nets, when they are lost, destr(5y fish by entangling them un- til the floats become water-logged and sink. They have been grappled up, two years afterwards, while searching for nets recently lost, full of decayed fish. This is quite an extensive agency of destruction, as a MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GRAAT LAKES. 19 great iiiauy gangs of nets are lost in tlie lake every year by heavy storms, and many in the late fall by being- left out until storms and ice prevent their recovery. A species of fish of good size aud really fair flavor is destroyed in large quantities in certain localities by the gill-nets, from the fact that there is no demand for it in the general market. This is the so-called " lawyer," the spotted burbot, Lota w««c«/osa, one of the family of Gadoids, to which belong the cod, the haddock, aud the ling, all well received in the market. The lawyer is rejected because of a prejudice against its appearance. The peddlers in Chicago, and the proprietors of fish- stands-'in Milwaukee, find no difficulty in selling it. The livers are very large, and are occasionally obtained in quantity, and regarded as a rare dish by experienced persons. (16 c.) Throwing offal on the fishing -grounds. — It is the uniform testi- mony of all fishermen that throwing offal or dead fish in the vicinity of the fishing-grounds is offensive to the white-fish, and drives him awa3\ The white-fish is peculiarly cleanly in its instincts, and has an aver- sion for muddy or foul water of any description. Mostitshermen regard their own interest sufficiently to be careful in this particular, while many careless and shiftless men injure themselves and others by dumping offal and dead fish anywhere in the lake where they find it convenient, reducing the catch of fish in the vicinity for several months. Unsal- able fishes are generaliy thrown overboard in the vicinity of the nets. (16 d.) PoJlntion of lal:e-ivater from sawdust. — The refuse from the saw- mills, slabs, sidings, and sawdust, is thrown into thestreams in immense quantities to float out and sink in the lake. It is having a very injurious effect upon the fisheries. The water-logged slabs, tilted on the bottom, and moved by currents, tear and carry away the nets. The sawdust covers the feeding and spawning grounds of the fish, and is so obnox* ions to them that in the vicinity of numerous mills, as at Muskegon, Mich., the fisheries become greatly reduced in numbers and success. The observations of Alfred Blais, a fishery-overseer in the employ of the Canadian marine and fisheries department, discovered the salmon- ova, diseased and decaying, with particles of sawdust adhering. Its contaminating effects extend far and wide from the vicinity of the mills, as the contents of a dredge, from one hundred fathoms depth, in Grand Traverse Ba^^, contained numerous blackened and decaying particles of sawdust. The gradual deposit of water-logged sawdust, an inert substance, in the water, with occasional slabs, forms nuclei for sand-bars in the mouths of the rivers, and in some of them will contribute to an injury to navigation, as it has to a considerable extent in the Menominee Kiver of Wisconsin and Michigan. E— PEACTICABLE METHODS OF INCEEASE. It is a matter of great importance that means should be imuiediately employed to arrest further decrease in the numbers of the lake-fishes, 20 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. and an effort be made to restore tliem to their former numerous con- dition. There are two methods that present themselves to accomplish this I)urpose. The more efficient one is artificial propagation ; the other^ necessary as an auxiliary to the first, is legislation. 17. — PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION. The experience of the past, both in Europe and the older portions ol our country, indicates the inadequacy of protective legislation in pre- venting the decrease and extermiuatiou of the food-fishes. In the compilation of the laws relating to the protection of fisheries in Massachusetts, published in the sixth annual report of the commis- sioners of inland fisheries of that State, there were three hundred and fifty-nine acts, passed by the legislature of the State between the years 1623 and 1857, involving directly the protection of the food-fishes. In 1857 the first provision for propagation was made. Until this time, though thelaw Jiad the influence to retard the decrease, it had not pre- vented it, and the salmon were exterminated, while the shad were reduced in numbers, until the fishiug was unprofitable, and their jirice in the market very high. The propagation of the shaIi0wn that by far the most important fish of the lakes is the white-fish. The fish culturists in the vicinity of the lakes, having the knowledge of the rapid decrease that had been going on in the numbers of this species for the past few years, appreciated the advantage that their art might afford should the white-fish prove to be adapted to their methods of culture. • Three prominent fish-culturists iu the vicinity of the lakes began their experiment about the same time : Mr. Seth Green of Rochester, 2Sr. Y. ;Mr. Xelson W. Clark, of Clarkston, Mich.; and Mr. Samuel Wilmot, of Newcastle, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Green and Mr. Wilmot obtained spawn iu the fall of 18G8, and Mr. Clark iu the fall of 1869, and treated them in the same manner as the brook-trout. These experiments Avere all attended with considerable success, though the large jiercentage of loss, compared with that in trout and salmon hatching, was anything but encouraging. The screens in the troughs, in most instances, were the same as those used for the trout, and the embryo white-fishes, being smaller, escaped and ran over into the waste- troughs, and down into tiie ponds below. This was in some measure a fortunate circumstance, at Mr. AYilmot's establishment, for the young fish, finding their natural food in the ponds, grew and thrived, and aftbrded the only positive data there are of their rate of growth. In the succeeding year Mr. Green and Mr. Clark made additional experiments, and from the experience of the preceding year, having learned the necessity of immediate attention to the white-fish eggs after they were placed in the troughs, began the work of removing the unimpregnated eggs within two or three days' time, and, giving them close attention, during the season hatched out a much larger percent- age of eggs. Mr. Green, in 1809, distributed a quantity of the white- fish spawn to numerous applicants who responded to an advertisement offering it for distribution. Some packages of spawn, from this sup- ply, were sent by steamer to Mr. Frank Buckland, inspector of salmon- 26 REFOET OF COMMIS.SIONER OF FI8H AND FISHERIES. fisheries for Great Britain. la referriug to the condition of the eggs, on tlieir arrival in London, he says, "A good proportion of the white- fish eggs were alive and well." Some temporary troughs were put up, in Detroit, Mich., and supplied with tbe ova, under the direction of Mr. A. M. Compeau, Mr. J. P. Cla'rk, Mr. George Clark, and Mr. James Craig. Experiments were again made by Mr. Green, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Wil- mot, in 1870. More than a million of ova were supplied by the liberality of Mr. J. P. Clark and George Clark, without expense, from their ponds in Detroit Kiver. Mr. Green also made experiments in the breeding of salmon-trout and lake-herring, with some success. In 1871 these gentlemen just referred to, from Detroit and vicinity, failing to arouse the interest of the State authorities in the matter of fish-propagation, to the extent they desired, furnished Mr. ]^. W. Clark, of Clarkston, with the necessary funds for the erection of a building, sixty-four feet in length by twenty in width, in which were put up twenty-six troughs, sixteen feet long and one foot wide. Tbe entire building was devoted to the hatching of white-fish, and the number of eggs laid down estimated at about one million. The experience of the previous years aided Mr. X. W. Clark to a most complete success, and by the 1st of April tlfte fish began hatching, and before the 13th of the month the troughs were swarming with young white-fishes. Be- tween the 20th and the 30th of April these were all distributed by Mr. Clark in a number of inland lakes in Oakland County, Michigan, and into the Detroit Eiver. Mr. Wilmot again procured about one-half million of white-fish eggs, which were handled v/ith improved success. Mr. Green gave less space to white-fish eggs this season, and laid down large quantities of salmon-trout ova, with the purpose of distribu- ting the trout in the inland w^aters of the State. In 1872 an employe of Mr. Green devised a new apparatus for hatch- ing fish, that economized space to a great extent, and aftbrded him room for a large supply of both salmon-trout and white-fish ova. Visit- ing his establishment in January last, w^e found them hatched out in large quantities, and orders arriving daily for the fry, to stock the waters of inland lakes in all parts of the State. Mr. Wilmot obtained a supply of white-fish spawn at Sandwicli, on the Canadian side of the Detroit Eiver. November 11th I met Mr. X. W. Clark at Ecorse, and in company with Mr. George Clark w^e visited Grassy Island for the purpose of ob- taining w hite-fish spawn. The box which Mr. ]^. W. Clark has devised for carrying ova is constructed so as to carry a greater quantity of eggs, with easier carriage, than any in present use. It is a large square can, of zinc, about thirteen inches square and tvrenty-two inches deep. This, for protection, is set inside of a strong wooden box, with a light frame in the bottom, supported on stiff s]nniigs. Strong handles are MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 27 fasteued to the box, for conveuieuce iu bandliag, and to preveut any necessity for throwing it out of level while carrying it. The zinc can contains ten trays, each of which carries fifty-four small boxes, two inches square and two inches deep, set in compai-tmeuts, each compart- ment having an inch hole cut iu the center. The partitions between the compartments are just high enough (about five-eighths of an inch) to inclose the bottom of a box, and hold it firmly in its place. Ko covers are provided for the boxes, but a large cover can be fitted to the zinc can, and a lid, with a good lock, is fittetl to the outside box. The bot- toms of all the little boxes are perforated, the position of the holes being directly over the circular hole in the compartment of the tray. The ziiic can has also holes in the bottom, and the wooden box has three-quarter inch holes bored on each side, near the bottom, so that there is drainage for the surplus water of all the boxes, and a free cir- culation of air throughout, which is deemed important by some of the fish-culturists. At the island the most perfect arrangements were provided by Mr. George Clark for obtaining the spawn. Two tanks of about five feet diameter M^ere placed at the edge of the shore and partly filled with water. As soon as the bag of the seine was on the beach the men l)icked up the white-fish and put them immediately into the tanks. The pans for impregnation were close at hand, and as one man lifted the fish above the water in a dip-net, another took it from the net, and with his right hand over the head of the fish and his left around the tail he held it over the pan, standing at the left of the operator. The left hand of the oi>erator was put against the back of the fish and the right hand used in manipulating the abdomen. It was found that to induce the eggs to flow freely from a fully ripe female, all that was necessary was to apply a gentle pressure just behind the pectoral fins, just where the nudging and bunting of the head of the male fish is applied while racing her through the warter. i-Tot until the greater part of the free eggs had fallen into the pan was it necessary to slide the hand along the abdomen. The free eggs came away in a steady, liquid stream, but from a fish partially ripe their extrusion was slow, and in masses com- paratively dry, that did not freely disengage themselves from the fish and fall into the pan. The female exhibited the most indications of pain when the pressure was applied in the vicinity of the ovipore. The milt from the male will flow in from one to three jets by pressure in tlie vicinity of the anus. The method employed by Mr. X. W. Clark was that which was origi- nal with Mr. Seth Green, using the smallest quantity of water possible. The eggs, after falling into the pan, and the milt having been stirred up with the water, were allowed to stand about half an hour, when the milt and water were poured off and the eggs carefully rinsed through several changes of water. A small ([uantity of water was left with the eggs when they were perfectly dean. 28 EEFORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. By repeated actual couut.s, and by arraiigiDg on a plate in a true square, it was found that a large table-spoon, moderately heaped up, contained about a thousand eggs. Eight ripe white-fish eggs will lie entirely within the space of an inch, and the ninth will lie i^artially across the line. A pat of moss was then i3ut into the cups and a piece of canton flan- nel, cut into the form of the Swiss cross, after thorongh saturation with water, was pressed lightly down into the cup, and a table-spoonful of eggs poured upon it. The canton flannel was used to line the sides of the boxes, because it was found that the contact of the zinc was fatal to the eggs, probably from the poisonous elements of the oxide. The patch of canton flannel proved to be a great convenience in taking out the eggs, as all that was necessary was to take the edges lightly in the fingers and remove it from the box, and dipping the cloth with the eggs into a pan of water, they were rinsed oif with a few quick mo.tious, without any tedious picking and rinsing the eggs free from particles of moss. In arranging the eggs for transportation for a short distance, the use of the cloth patches is undoubtedly a good method. After filling the boxes they were placed in the trays, and the trays adjusted within the zinc can, when water was poured on until the whole contents were thoroughly saturated, when the lid was closed and locked and the case was ready for transportation to the hatching-house. A small fee to the baggage-master excites considerable interest in. the safe handling of the box. Two trips were made from Ecorse to the hatching-house at Olarks- ton, and about one million three hundred and thirty thousand eggs were put into the troughs, Mr. Clark having increased the number of troughs to fifty for the purpose of receiving the extra supply of eggs. One-half of the eggs were the property of the commission, the other half to be controlled by Mr. J. P. Clark, of Detroit, Mr. George Clark, of Ecorse, and Mr. N. W. Clark, of Clarkston. The eggs received at- tention from the second day after they wertf placed in the troughs until about the middle of January, the eyes of the embryo then showing dis- tinctly, and the subsequent loss being very small. Upon receipt of the instructions to ship a quantity of eggs to the State commissioners of California, a case similar to Mr. Clark's was made, substituting a good quality of tin for the zinc, and adding a sec- ond square can, large enough to contain the can with the trays and revented the possibility of obtaining moss, and a good quality of sponge was substituted. This was prepared, first, by whipping out .the calcareous dust that it contained, and, after being cut in thin slices, was thoroughly" washed MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 21> throngli several changes of warm water. Pieces were then fitted to the bottom of the cups, and while standing in a pan of water, a half table- spoonful of eggs was poured in, a thin slice of sponge, fitting the inside of the cup, laid lightly over the eggs, and the remainder of the spoon- ful poured in, when a third piece of sponge v»'as put over them to cover them. The tray, with the cups, was then put into the inner can, which was placed withiu the second can, with one inch of sawdust filling the vacant space on the sides, bottom, and top. A piece of burlaps was tied over the top, and the whole placed upon the springs, within the packing-box, and the lid fastened down. The packing-box had two half- inch holes bored near the bottom to admit the air. The filling of saw- dust was considered as a necessary safeguard against the cold weather of the time. The case was put in charge of the baggage-master, and I accompa- nied it as far as Omaha, Xeb., attending' to its transfer from one train to another, and regulating its position in the car. At Omaha it was given in charge of the express company, and the messenger in- structed as to the effect of heat and cold upon the eggs, and a letter containing full instructions sent with the box to be delivered to the mes- senger at Ogden, where the box was transferred to his care, there being no further change of messenger between that and San Francisco, Cal. On two sides of the box, in distinct letters, was printed the caution, " Fish-eggs ; must not be jolted or allowed to freeze." The weather continued cold throughout the time the eggs were on the way, and they arrived at their destination in very bad condition. Mr. Stone attributed the damage to the use of sponge, and the sawdust- l)acking i^reventiug ventilation. Mr. Rudolph Hessel, an experienced fish-culturistof Oflfenburg, Germany, while visiting Washington, informed me that he had used sponge for packing eggs for long distances with en- tire success. The lack of ventilation is a more probable cause, though the description given by Mr. Buckland of the method of packing the eggs received from Seth Green's establishment in January, 1870, was similar in the fact that the cups containing the moss and eggs were buried in the sawdust. A small quantity, received from Mr. N. W. Clark, at the Smithsonian Institute this winter, was packed in the same manner, using^ sponge and burying the cups in a pail of sawdust, and they were found to be all alive after a fifty hours' journey. The necessity of a certain supply of oxygen to the eggs has been very thoroughly proven by the researches of W. H. Ransom, M. D., of Xottiug- ham, England, published in the first volume of the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology. The ex^^eriments were made while investigating the nature of the rhythmic contractions of the yelk, known to occur in the living eggs of fishes. Among several experiments, in which, by inge- nious methods, the oxygen of the atmosphere was kept from contact with the eggs, those of the stickleback being employed, he relates as fol- lows : 30 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. ''I tberefore made a series of suffocative experiments on im])regiiated and nuimpreguated eggs, using aerated distilled water in cells, all of tlie capacity of .05 cubic inch, [sealing the covers with hot wax, and varying the number of eggs in .each cell. "Five observations were made with unin^pregnatad eggi}, having, respectively, 35, 30, 18, 9, and 7 eggs in a cell; and although, in conse- quence of the accidental loosening of the wax, and the entrance of a little bubble of air, the duration of the contractions was not in all cases inversely as the number of ova in the cells, yet the general result was that both the rhythmic contraction and the pseudo cleavage continued longer in the cells containing the smaller number of ova, the eggs which lay nearest to the air-bubble always being the last to cease to move; the accidental failure of the luting affording thus additional evidence of the importance of oxygen. In all the cells the contraction ceased in from 23 to 30 hours, or one-fourth of the time they continued in aerated water and unlimited space. Five similar observations were made on impregnated eggs, with 48, 38, 17, 10, and 7 eggs in each cell, with similar but more marked results; the yelk-contrac- tions ceasing earlier than in the uuimpregnated ova. The cleavage was more rapidly checked than the pseudo cleavage, and still more so than the yelk-contractions. "Seven experiments were then made to ascertain the relative depend- ence upon the presence of oxygen of the movements which result in cell multiplication and ditrcrentiatiou, and of the muscular contractions of the embryo compared with the yelk-contractions. "Two healthy developing ova were sealed in similar cells at 76, 101, 127, 150, and 174 hours each, after impregnation, and two free embryos at 24 anawning-gTound, while dredging in company with Mr. George Clark, at the close of the spawning-season, v,'ere found to be dead and white, or so coated and stained with the black ooze that they could not have survived. In the pond on Grassy Island, where as many as ten thousand female white-fish deposit their spawn in a season, we succeeded in taking between fifty and sixty embryo fishes, by draw- ing a seine lined with millinet, and a diligent search through several hours at the surface in the month of Aj^ril. In obviating all of these evils, artificial propagation asserts its ad- vantage, and though the number of eggs that may be handled is ex- ceedingly small compared with the millions sown by the fishes, yet the number of fishes produced may really exceed the present production in a state of nature. This assertion has amjile proof in the restoration of fishes in regions where they have been nearly exterminated, and even where no change was made in the restrictions upon the fishing that might have assisted the increase. The experience of the past few years has proved entirely the possi- bility of increasing the numbers of the white fish by artificial propa- gation. The running water in the troughs supplies the conditions re- quired by the eggs; the fertilization of the ova in the pan brings every egg in contact with the milt ; thej- lie undisturbed and free from injuri- ous sediment or filthy water ; the spawn-eaters have no access to them whatever, and the dead eggs are immediately removed from contact witli the living ones ; the young fish are under control in the troughs, until the ovisac is ab*sorbcd, when they are ready to be placed in their natural home, the cold waters of the northern lakes. S. Mis. 74 3 34 EEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. The experiments of Mr. Seth Green and Mr. K. W. Clark have re- duced the loss of the eggs to an inconsiderable number, and with a small outlay of money this fish may be restored with a success equal to that of the shad in the rivers of the Atlantic coast. The losses in the fry-stage merit consideration, though there is every evidence to believe that they are very small. One great advantage in favor of the young wl^ite-flsh is its strength and vigor almost from the time it leaves the egg, and its disposition to seek the surface, as observed in the troughs and where they were seen in their natural condition in Detroit Eiver. The piscivorous fishes of the lakes are to be found almost entirely in the lesser depths. Of these the -pike, Stizostedion americana, is the most destructive in the regions wiiere it is to be found in numbers. Their number, however, does not at all approach that of the spawn-eating herring, and it is not probable that the white-fish suffer from their vo- racity in the earliest stages of their growth, but after they have attained a couple of inches or more in length. The regions where the pike is nu- merous are the western end of Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and Green Bay, Lake Michigan. The perch prevails in limited numbers throughout the whole extent of the lakes. The lake-trout is not found, within the range of the smaller white-fishes, in sulficieut numbers to do them much damage. The habit of the young embryos to seek the surface is also a protection to them. There is not in the lakes a single surface-feeding fish, except perhaps a few small Cyprinoids and a CJtirosioma, which are not piscivorous species. There is no savage feeder, such as the blue-fish, Pomatomus saUatrix, of the sea, that comes to the surface. So that at this stage of growth thej^ are comparatively safe. There are also large schools of the Cyprinoid family found in the lakes at the same season of the year as the small white-fishes, and from the month of June until late in the fall large schools of embryo fishes are found in the waters, principally Cyprinoids. So that there is abundance at all seasons of the year to supply the appetites of the piscivorous fishes besides the young white- fish, and they, of course, suft'er much less in consequence. The increase of shad on the sea-coast has resulted from turning loose the embryos, when but a few days from the egg, where the piscivorous fishes are numerous, and an increase of equal or greater rapidity may be looked for in the white-fish, with comparatively few dangers to encounter. (IS h.) Breeding of salmon-trout. — The breeding of the salmon-trout, Sahno namaycush, with the exception of the hatching of a few eggs by Mr. IsT. W. Clark, has been entirely in the hands of Mr. Seth Green, of Eochester, N. Y. His experiments extend from the fall of 1870 to the IDresent, with continued success. The past season eggs and youn^ of the salmon-trout were distributed to about seventy different persons, to stock the lakes of the State of New York. MILNER FISHEEIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 35 F— eco:nomical and natural history of the moee IMPORTANT FOOD-FISHES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 19. — Distribution of the species accordinq to depths. (19 a.) Vertebrate fauna. Observations of the net-fishing at different depths made the fact apparent that there are quite well defined ranges, with reference to depth, in the fauna of the lakes ; not that the lines are so distinct that fishes peculiar to a certain zone are not frequently found straying into the ones contiguous, but still so well defined that a fisherman of short experience, knowing the depths at which he is setting his net, can predict with confidence what species of fishes he will cap- tiu-e and what he is not at all likely to take. While a few of the deep- water fishes seldom or never approach the shore, there are many species, of the shallow^ waters, never taken in deep soundings. The migratory instinct of the spawning-season temporarily changes these habits in a few species, and there is considerable evidence to prove that the tem- perature of the water modifies the preferences of many fishes to certain depths. As one or two fishes of the deepest zone are the most constant in their attachment to their limited range, it will be as well to begin with the deeper water, in describing the ranges of the species. The fishes referred to are, a small Cottoid, the Triglopsis ihompsoni Gir.; and a Salmonoid, the hXiic^-f^n, Argyrosomiis mgriinnnis Gill, (Mss.) These fishes are most abundant in seventy fathoms and deeper, and are seldom taken, in the fishing-season, even in as great a depth as fifty fathoms. At Grand Haven, Mich., where a line of steamers keeps the harbor open throughout the winter, the fishermen take the black-fin in quantities, within thirty or forty fathoms, in the month of December. This fi.sh has thns far been found only in Lake Michigan. The Triglopsis is only known from specimens taken from the stomachs of larger fishes in Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Ontario. The remaining species, of which a few are sometimes found at the depth of seventy fathoms, are the lawyer. Lota maculosa Les., the salmon-trout, Salmo nama ycush J^enn.^ the siscowet, *SV(7mo siscoivet Agass.,the white-fish, Goregonus albus Les., and the cisco, (not the cisco of Lake Ontario,) Argyrosomus hoyi Gill, (Mss.) At fifty fathoms, the nets take the five species last named abundantly. This may be considered, in the deeper lakes, the zone of the Mack- inaw trout and of the cisco, throughout the spring, summer, and fall, with the exception, in the case of the trout, of the spawning-season. Between twenty und forty fathoms the gill-nets take the salmon, or Mackinaw trout, with a few lawyers and ciscos. From twenty fathoms to the shore are found the most numerous as- semblage of species: The lawyer, ioto maculosa Les., one or two small Cottoids, TJranidea franMini Agass., and U. richardsonii Agass. ; the sheepshead, Haploidonotus grunniens Raf ; the black-bass, Micropterus nigricans Cuv. and Val. and the small-mouthed black-bass, M. salmoides 36 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. (Lac.) Gili; the rock-bass, Amhloplites rupestris (Eaf.) Gill; the perch, Perca flavescens Guy.', the wall-eyed x)ike, Stizostedion americana, (Cuv. and Val. ;) the Sanger, S. grisea (DeKay ;) the blue-pike, sp. u. ; the white- bass, Boccus chrysops (Rat) Gill; four (?) species of Btheostomoids ; Chirostoma siocidum Cope; the sticklebacks, Gasterosteus inconstans Kirt.; G. nehulosus Agass., and G. pygmwus Agass.; the lake-pike, Esox lucms Lin.; the muskellunge, E. nohiUor Thomps.; the mud-minnow, Umbra limi (Kirt.) Gunth ; a few Oypriuodouts; Fercopsis guttatus, Agass.; the white-&sh, Cor ego n us alb us hes.; the Menominee white-iish, Coregonus quadr Hate rails Eich.; the lake-herrings, Argyrosomus clupei- formis Mitch., and A. harengus Eich.; the speckled-trout, Salmo fonti- nalis Mitch.; the moon-eye, Hyodon tergisus Les.; the saw-belly, Fomo- lobus chrysochloris Eaf.; the mullet-sucker, Ftychostomus aureolus (Les.) Agass.; the spotted-sucker, F. fasciatus (Les.;) the long-snouted sucker, C. hudsonius Les.; the common pink-sided sucker, Catostomus communis Les.; the black sucker, Hylomyzon nigricans (Les.,) Agass.; the carp, Carpiodes cyprinus (Les.,) Gunth., and eighteen (f) species of Cyprinoids; the bull-head, Amiurus catus, Lin.; the great lake cat-fish, Amiurus nigri- cans Les.; the fork-tailed cat-iish, Ictelurus cwrulescois Eaf.; the yellow back-tail, Noturusjiavus Eaf.; the dog-fish, Amia calva Lin.; the bill-fish or gur-inke^Lepidosteus osseus Lin., and L.platystomus Eaf.; the sturgeon, Acipenser rtibicundus Les., and the lamprey, Fetromyzon. In this zone is also found the Amphibian Menobranchus lateralis Say. It will be observed that the lawyer, the white-fish, and the lake- trout, are found in all depths in more or less abundance. This is a fact, not only in tiie spawning-season, but at all times. Tlie trout, however, are comparatively rare inside of a depth of about thirty fathoms in the deeper lakes, except during the spawning-season ; and the lawyers are only taken in quantities outside of forty fathoms in the spring of the year, (19 b.) Invertebrate fauna. The invertebrate fauna of the bottom has been investigated to a limited extent by dredgings. This work was initiated by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, in the year 1870, in the shallow water off Chicago Harbor. Dr. Stimpson re- ported finding but little life in this vicinity — insect larvte, a leech, small mollusks, mosses, and algne. Later in the season a tug was employed at Eacine, and a party, including Drs. Stimpson, Lapham, Andrews, Hoy, and Mr. E. W. Blatch- ford, made dredgings in from thirty to sixty-four fathoms, resulting in finding the lake-bottom thickly inhabited by two genera of small crustaceans, Mysis and Gammarus, a i>lanarian, and a small mollusk, of the genus Fisidium. The crustaceans were deteryiined by Dr. Stimp- son to be the same as those which Dr. P. E. Hoy had taken from the stomach of the white-fish, in a partially digested state. In August of 1871, under the direction of General C. B. Comstock, of MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 37 the. lake survey, Professor S. I. Smith made extensive dredgiugs in Lake Superior, working out the bottom fauna very thoroughly, and discovering some fourteen new species of invertebrate life, and eleven other forms previously described, distributed from the shores out to one hundred and sixty-nine ftithoms in quite well-defined zones. In September of 1871, on receipt of the notification that the revenue- steamer Andrew Johnson had received instructions to afford facilities for the examination of the fauna of the lake-bottom, a small dredging- outfit was received on board, and as full collections made as the stormy weather of the trip permitted. Tbe Academy of Sciences of Chicago furnished a large part of the out- fit from their stores of apparatus; and Mr. E. W. Blatchford, of Chicago, supplied a quantity of lines and nets, among the rest a trawl-net used by him in collecting off the coast of Florida for the museum of the Chicago Academy. This apparatus, with the dredging-coUections of the trip, and the entire collections made on Lake Michigan, v/as burned, ■with the academy, in the great fire of that year. Dr. Stimpsou had previously worked up the collection, and identified the species as the same as those of his dredgiugs. The trawl-net was used in thirty fathoms in Grand Traverse Bay, but failed to take anything, as there are probably no fishes in the lakes, other than the smaller species, of so little activity as to be unable to escajle capture from a twelve-foot trawl. The dredgings were made in from twenty-six to one hundred and forty-four fathoms. The small forms of life were found to be abundant at all depths, and the bottom fauna was found to be quite uniform in the region of the lake examined. The different dredgings have made it evident that the invertebrate life of the bottom is all small forms, though so abundant as to afford food for unlimited numbers of fishes. The stomachs of the white-fishes examined in many localities were found gorged with the crustaceans and moUusks which they had found in the bed of the lake. Li the month of August, while making the tour of the northern shores of the lake, in a Mackinaw boa-t, the dredge was carried over to Torch Lake, in the Grand Traverse region of Michigan. This lake is nearly eighteen miles long, with an average width of two miles. It;/ outlet is first through*a shallow creek, then through two connecting lakes, and through a sharp and shallow rapid into the bay. Earlier in the season, with a roughly-prepared map in hand, I had sounded the lake through about eleven miles of its length, to determine its average depth, which was found to be forty fathoms, the deepest soundings being forty-five fathoms. The hauls of the dredge discovered the same species of invertebrates found in Lake Michigan. The fishes of Torch Lake are also the same as in the main lake, its transparent waters harboring none of the properly river or stream fishes. 38 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. The deep trough of Torch Lake is the eastern one of a series, with a general north and south direction, easily traceable in the United States Army engineers' chart of the north end of Lake Michigan, which forms a' notable feature in the submarine topography of the lake. Two other lakes in Michigan, in which the white-fish are said to make their home, are Crystal Lake, near Frankfort, and Higgins Lake, in Eoscommou County. There are also a few small lakes into which they have been introduced. L. J. Farwell, ex-governor of Wisconsin, introduced the white-fish into the lakes at Madison, in the year 1850. 20. — The salz^ign or mackinaw trout, 8almo namaymsh Penn. The trout of the great lakes is one of the three most numerous fishes, and, except the sturgeon, attains the greatest weight of any of the lake- fishes. It is captured almost exclusively by the gill-nets, the pound-nets in some portions of the lakes taking them during the spawning-season. In winter a great many are caught in the bays, through holes cut in the ice. They are found in all of the great lakes and in a few inland lakes in their vicinity. As compared with the white-fish, their merits as a fresh fisli are rela- tive to taste, though the greater number would decide in favor of the latter. Salted trout bring a lower price in the market than white-fish, as they are inferior to them as a salt fish. Their migrations, as far as observations have been made, are confined to the spawning-season. They do not ascend the rivers, and although they are known to be in a few inland lakes connected to the main lake by rapids, there seems to be no knowledge of their ever having been seen or taken in the outlets. Their range of depths at other seasons than the spawning-period is in deep water. A few stragglers occasionally approach the shore, and are taken in the pound-nets, or with the hook, from the piers extending into the lake. lu the northern portions of Lake Michigan they are taken in depths of fifteen fathoms, in small numbers, by the gill-nets, and more plentifully throflgh the ice in the winter time, though a depth of os-er thirty fathoms is the most favorable ground for their capture. In the shallow waters of Lake Erie, in the western part of the lake, they are scarcely found at all, though numerous in the deeper portion, east of the city of Cleveland. The lake-trout is a ravenous feeder. The fishermen say of him that " he always bites best when he is the fullest." In Lake Michigan, where the investigation of the character of their food was carefully made, it was found to be principally the cisco, Argy- rosomus lioyi Gill. Mss. The prevailing notion that tliey feed hirgely upon the white-fish was not confirmed by these observations. Althougli it was continually asserted by the fishermen that the stomachs of the trout were found full of young white-fish, there was no instance under my MILNEK FISHEKIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 39 observatioQ wliere it was so. During 1871 no opportunities were omitted to observe the stoinacli-coutents of the trout, when the^^ were sufficiently undigested to determine the species, and often, when, to con- firm the repeated assertions, a fisherman would throw out the contents of a stomach, to show me the young white-fish, the head and mouth in- variably indicated the genus Argyrosomus xlgass., and he would readily admit his mistake. Questioning fishermen closely, who asserted that they found the young white-fish to be the principal food of the trout, they generally assented that they had not given close enough attention to decide positively between young white-fish and the cisco, though manj?^ gave testimony of finding unmistakable white-fish, of mature size, in the stomachs of the overgrown trout taken in portions of the lakes. Stragglers into the shoal waters, and the trout migrating into shallow places, to find their spawning-grounds, would undoubtedly prey upon the smaller white-fish as readily as they would upon any other species ; but during the larger part of the year they make their home in deejier water than the young fish are found in. 'An instance was related, in 1871, of a large trout having swallowed a smaller one, which the fisherman removed from its stomach in a good state of preservation. It is not an unusual thing for a trout to swallow a fish too large for the capacity of his stomach, and the tail protrudes from his mouth until the forward part is digested. A trout measuring twenty-three and one- half inches was brought ashore at Two Elvers, Wisconsin, from the mouth of which some three inches of the tail of a fish, Lota maculosa, projected. The " lawyer," when taken from the trout, measured four- teen inches without the head, which had been digested. Their exceeding voracity induces them to fill their maws with singular articles of food in the bill of fare of a fish. Where the steam- ers or vessels pass, the refuse from the table is eagerly seized upon, and I have taken from the stomach a raw peeled potato and a piece of sliced liver, and it is not unusual to find pieces of corn-cobs, in the green-corn season, and in one instance I heard of a fragment^ of a ham-bone. They are readily taken with a hook baited with pieces of fish. They are a sluggisli fish to pull in, taking hold of the bait with a tug at the line and then allowing themselves to be pulled to the surface, with no more vibration in the line than if a heavy sinker was the weight at the end. Parties going out ^vith the fishermen often take a large number while the nets are being lifted, and in some localities the largest of the trout are taken in this way. While becalmed near Summer Island, i i Lake Michigan, in 1871, two of us, in about one hour's time, took in fifty pounds of trout, in seventeen fathoms of water. The explanation that the red color of the flesh of certain species of this family is attributable to the red i)igments of crustaceans, which form a principal article of food, is very directly contradicted in the ex- 40 KEPOET OF COMMISSIONEE OF FISH AND FISHERIES. ample of the Mackiliaw trout and tlie white-fisli. In this trout the very deepest tiuts found in the flesh of the sahnon are frequently to be seen, while the food of the tront is almost Nvholly fishes, and in no case crustaceans; while in the white-fish the flesh is of the purest white, and the food is almost wholly crustaceans, undlavgely of Gaminaridaey with a considerable amount of the red pigments referred to in their shells. The spawuiug'-seasbn of the trout begins about a month earlier than that of the white-fish. The details of their habits I can only give from information I have gathered by continually questioning fishermen and others who have had better opportunities of observing them than I have. The uuiv^ersal testimony is that the spawn is found running from the females in the latter part of the month of October, the fish coming on to the sijawning-ground a week or more earlier. At Detour, at the head of Lake Huron, on the IGth October, I saw a large lift of trout brought in from the spawning-grounds ; the ova were large and separated, but were still entirely retained in the folds of the ovaries, and the fishermen said they had not found them running from this fish as yet. The localities selected by the trout for their spawniug-grouud are usually rock bottoms in from fifteen fathoms to seven feet of depth. Near Milwaukee, on a reef at about the greater depth named, is a spawn- ing-ground, from which for years a large type of trout has been taken. The spawning-grounds are found from Kacine north on the western shore of Lake Michigan, and from a little to the northward of Saint Joseph north on the eastern shore. The spawning-ground nearest Saint Joseph is said to be a clay bottom. At Detour the nets were set so close to the shore that the tips of the floats showed above water. The trout are said to settle close to the projections and edges of the honey-combed cavities of the rock, and that, frequently, when a loose fragment of the rock is drawn up by the nets, the cells are found to contain numbers of the eggs. The ovaries from a Mackinaw trout of tvv-euty-four pounds weight were preserved, and weighed three pounds four and one-fourth ounces, and contained fourteen thousand nine hundred and forty-three eggs; the ealculation being niade by counting a fractional weight. The knowledge of the time at which the young fish make their appear- ance is limited to the experience of the few fish-culturists in the country who have hatched the eggs. Li water of an average temperature of 47*^, they are found to hatch about the last week of January. At the lower temperatures of the w-ater, in a state of nature, their develoijment would be retarded for several weeks. Of the habits of the young trout 1 am entirely destitute of informa- tion. I have seen one of eight inches in length, and learn of rare in- stances in which the fishermen have seen small ones. The smallest ones MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 41 that are taken iu auy numbers are fifteen to eighteen inches in length, and these are not very numerous. -, The average weight of the hike-trout taken in the gill-nets is nearly five pounds. It is claimed that in years past they averaged much higher. They are quite frequently taken weighing fifteen pounds. A specimen of a female was obtained last summer at Shoal Island, Lake Superior, weighing twenty-four pounds. One taken at Grand Haven, Mich., iu the month of June, 1871, a female, weighed thirty-six pounds and one-half. After the gills and entrails were removed, it weighed twenty-niue pounds. It measured three feet six and one-half inches in length. The tradition of the largest trout taken is preserved at each locality, ranging from fifty to ninety pounds. One that I am satisfied was au- thentic, from having taken the testimony of those who saw it weighed, and having the .story confirmed by Tather Peret, of Mackinaw, was taken at that i)lace in 1870, and weighed eighty pounds. There are no species of fishes in the lakes sufiiciently formidable to be considered enemies of the trout after tliey mature. The spawn and fry probably suffer to some extent from the same causes that the ova and young white-fish do. They are troubled with a few parasites, especially a tape-worm that is found very numerous iu the intestines of some of them. Solitary in- dividuals, known among the fishermen as "racers," are found iu the summer-time swimming sluggishly at the surface. They are easily taken with the gaif-hook, and bite readily at any bait tlirown to them. The}' are always very thin in flesh. Dissection of the few that I have taken tailed to find any adequate cause for their condition. The para- sites were generally present, but not iu auy larger number than in healthy fish. The fishermen on the north shore of Lake Michigan generally keep a few hogs. The offal of the white-fish is fed to them freely, but they are very careful to allow no trout-offal to be thrown in their way, as- serting that the hogs, after eating trout, frequently become crazy and die. The only plausible explanation of this fact, if it is a fact, is that some eutozoon of the Mackinaw trout, passes through one stage of its development in the hog, and occasions disturbance of the brain, having much the same habit as the cystic Ccenurus does in the sheep. Dr. Bannister informs me that the opinion prevailed amOng some of the Russian residents of Alaska that a tape-worm was occasionally pro- duced in the human subject by eating the chaiwicha, Salmo orientalis Pal., the largest species of salmon common in that country. The fact that it was quite a common i^ractice to eat fish frozen, or dried, or salted, without cooking, would favor the introduction of any parasite existing in the body of the fish. The decrease in lake-trout is not so apparent as it is in the white-fish. The pound-nets have not made the extensive inroads upou their numbers, 42 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. and none bnt mature fislies are taken. The larger ones are less numer- ous ; and it is claimed that the average weight of the trout caught is less than in former years. Like the other Salmonoids, the trout have proved to be well adapted to artificial culture. The one drawback with them is the difficulty of obtaiuing the spawn in the fall of the year, when the rough weather renders the visits to the spawning-grounds a matter of hardship and danger. 21. — The Siscowet, Sahno stscowet Agass. This interesting fish is confined, so far as known, to Lake Superior alone. In a few localities in that lake it is very numerous. With rare exceptions of young specimens, found near the shore, it is taken entirely wiih the gill-nets in deep water. It is a remarkably fat fish, and, as a fresh fish, is very inferior for .the table. Even boiled, it is oilj" and rank in flavor. As a salt fish, packed in'brine, it is most excellent, and is universally admitted to surpass either white-fish or trout. Its range of depth is outside of forty fathoms. How much deei)er than this it may be found I cannot tell, as no fishing at greater depth than fifty fathoms came under my observation in Lake Superior. The stomachs were found to be filled with a Cottoid. This seemed to be its entire article of food in the vicinity of the Apostle Islands. The flesh varied from nearly white to a light reddish tnit, not so deep- colored as is found in the salmon and the Mackinaw trout. They spawn earlier in the fall than any of the other Salmonoids in the lakes. By the latter part of August the spawn in some of them is ripe and running freely, while in the mouth of September the females are all ripe and depositing spawn. They seemed to have no migratory instinct at this season, but were taken while spawning in the same vicinity where they had been taken for weeks previously. The ovaries from three specimens of mature females contained the following quantities of eggs : Weight of iisli. Weight of ovaries. 5 pounds 5 jjouuds Ounces, 12 10 12 Number of 2,796 3,120 3,756 We have no knowledge of the time it requires the eggs to hatch, nor any data with reference to the growth of the fish. The young ones probably remain in deep water, as they are not taken in the pound-nets, and frequently quite small ones are found in the gill-nets. They will average about four and one-half pounds in weight, the largest coming under our observation weighing about eight pounds. MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 43 The enemies with which they would have to contend are probably few. The white-fish lives in the vicinity of their spawning-beds, and as it is known to be a spawn-eater, it probably makes food to some extent of the eggs of the siscowet, though in the. early days of Sep- tember, when we had opportunity to exauiine the white-fishs' stomachs, no eggs w^ere noticed. The food of the Cottoid we were unable to learn, as the only specimens we obtained were from the stomachs of the siscowet, and nearly digested. It is quite possible the eggs form iiart of its food. One external parasite was found to be numerous, a Lerueau, and the Intestines weie generally infested with tape-worms in abundance. 22. — The ^^':BITE-FISH, Coregonus alhus, Les. (22 a.) General considerations, — The species of the genus Coregonus are widely distributed through all the northern regions of both hemispheres, from about 46° latitude in the Old World and 41° 30' in America, to the Arctic seas. They are the most extensively used of all fresh-water food- fishes, unless it be the carp of China or the genus Salmo. . They inhabit all the deeper lakes in the regions referred to, the rivers of the more northern latitudes, and some of the species, if not anadro- mous, live indifferently in either the rivers or the sea. Specimens from Hudson's Baj^ are in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution, and in Pallas's Zoographia Rosso -Asiatica several species of the Coregoni are described as ascending the rivers from the sea. They have been a most extensive food-resource to the Indians, pioneers, trappers, and hunters of the vicinity of the great lakes, and throughout British America and Alaska. The statistics already given indicate the extent of their use in the older and more thickly populated region of the country. The white-fish has been known since the time of the earliest explor- ers as pre-eminently a fine-flavored fish. In fact there are few table- fishes its equal. The testimony of very many summer travelers, this season, on Lake Superior, from Eastern States gave preference to the white-fish over the shad, both for flavor and its almost entire freedom from bones. To be appreciated in its fullest excellence, it should be taken fresh from the lake and broiled. Father Marquette, Charlevoix, Sir John Richardson, explorers who for months at a time had to depend on the white-fish for their staple article of food, bore testimony in their writings to the fact that they never lost th«ir relish for it, and deemed it a special excellence that the appetite never became cloyed with it. The fact that the white-fish is loth to take the hook is sufficient to prevent much interest in it from a large class of people. There^is dan- ger, in the work of fish-culture in this country, of conceding too much importance to this point in the habits of a fish. The fish-interest of the country has a much larger stake in the protection and increase of the staple-food fishes than in the game-fishes simply as such; although it might readily be acknowledged that among all other sporting recrea- tions angling was the most sensible. Seth Green, in his magnificent 44 KEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. success ill restocking the rivers of the Atlantic slope with the shad, did a work of far greater importance than he with other fish-culturistshave done in the propagation of trout. The cod, mackerel, herring, white-fish, shad, salmon, and salmon-trout, deserve the principal attention in the efforts at increase. With the three first-mentioned artificial propagation has nothing to do at present; probably nev^er will. Of the others the white-fish is the most important as a food-resource,, because of its numbers and because it can be obtained at all seasons of the year. In adaptability to artificial propagation it is probable the shad has the advantage because of the rapid development of the eggs. But there is still a difficulty in the way of the propagation of an unlimited num- ber of shad, in the fact that the streams to which they formerly resorted are obstructed by numerous and high dams. There are no obstructions of this character to interfere with the white-fish ; and in the great lakes, if it were advisable, there is nothing apparent in the way of the propa- gation of unlimited millions. The character of its food has also a bearing on its adaptability to rapid increase. There is considerable loss among the speckled trout from the larger ones preying upon the smaller. In England the salmon have been accused of the same habit to some extent, while the young are in the parr and smolt stage. But nothing of this kind will ever deplete the numbers of the white-fish. Invertebrate, forms of life constitute its entire food. To some extent it will suffer from the rapacity of other fishes, but, as shown on other pages of this report, in a state of nature the ova-stage is the one in which the greatest loss is suffered. (22 h.) The food of the white-fish. — The food of the white-fish has been a problem inciting numerous conjectures among fishermen, sportsmen, and fish-culturists, and baffling the investigations of a few naturalists for a number of years past. To Dr. P. E. Hoy, of Eacine, we think belongs the credit of first dis- covering correctly the character of their food. On opening the stomachs of numerous white-fish he at first failed to determine the character of the stomach-contents, until, after washing the half-tligested mass in a basin of water, he found the sediment to be full of small Crustacea^ whose existence in the lake had never before been suspected. M,y examination and preservation of the stomach-contents from all quarters of the lakes confirmed- Dr. Hoy's observations, and discov- ered a few other small forms of life as the food of white-fish. The invertebrates found were of crustaceans : species of the families Gammaridcv and Mysidw; of the mollusks: species of the genus Fisidium; and certain insect larvae. A few fish-ova were frequently found in the stomach, and it was not unusual to find a little gftivel. In the greater portion of the lake the Gammaridm constituted the principal food. In shallow regions small Conchifers were more uu- MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 45 merous. At Poiut aux Barques on the north shore of Lake Michigan, where a very large type of the ^yhite-flsh Avas found, the stomach-con- tents were entirely of the Jli/sis relicta Loven. In the Sault Sainte Marie Eapids in July a mass of small Chrysalides was found in the stomachs of a number of white-fish. In October, from the same locality, the larvaB of the caddis-tly were found in the stomachs, apparently carefully separated from their artificial coverings. Stomachs opened in Lake Superior contained principally the Mi/sidw. At Ilocky Island, in the northwestern part of Lake Michigan, a vessel with a cargo of wheat was lost a few years ago. The fishermen say that white-fish were taken in that vicinity for several years afterward with wheat ill their stomachs. Rarely white-fish will take a bait. The breakwater protecting the Illinois Central Eailway at Chicago was formerly a favorite fishing- place, and in early summer was oft-eu lined with a row of boys and men fishing for perch. There was seldom a day passed but that a few white- fish were taken. Mr. Trompe, of Sault Sainte Marie, has frequently taken them in that locality with a hook baitecl with a May-fly, Epheme- ridce. At a fishing-dock on Sand Island, one of the group of the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, there were a few taiien this season with a worm- bait. The leech, Icfhi/ohdeUa inmciata Smith, parasitic on the white-fish, aud numerous in some localities, was in no instance found in the stomach. This corroborates Dr. Hoy's observations. A similar fact was noticed afterv/ard at Detroit River. A parasitic crustacean, a lyernft'rt, was found adhering to the white-fish in numbers, and, though many stomachs were examined, in no instance were any of the parasites found in the contents. Both the Lenid'a and the Icthi/ohdella are related to species made use of as food by the white-fish as near in the one instance, as being in the same class, and the other in the same order. The mouth is constructed for nibbling along the bottom, the opening beiug directed nearly downward, and they gather in the small life of the bottom and the gravel as they move slowly along. Dredging in the lake at different localities and examination of stomach- contents at numerous points prove that the crustaceans and the mollusk, constituting the principal food of the white-fish, are distributed through- out the lake-bottom, in all localities aud at all depths, over about twenty fathoms. In Torch Lake, a deep inland lake in the Grand Traverse region, Mich- igan, where a large type of white-fish is found, the dredge brought up the same species of crustaceans and mollusks as were found in Lake Michigan. The failure to find food in the stomachs of white-fish has frequently resulted from the fact that the fish examined were taken from the pound- nets, where they had remained long enough to digest the contents of the 46 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Stomach before tbey were taken from the water. Fish from the gill- nets have generally the food in the stomach only partially digested, while a hundred fish in succession from tbe pound-nets may be opened and every stomach found empty. It is frequently asserted that aquatic vegetation afforded sustenance to the white-fish. The investigations in the past two years did not result in any confirmation of this notion, and it would not accord with the habits of any species of the family of fishes to which the lake white- fish belongs. (22 c.) The migrations of the white-fish. — The assertion was sometimes made among the fishermen that the scarcity of white-fish at any one locality was no reliable indication that the number had decreased, but that the schools had probably migrated to some other region. At Waukegan, Ills., the white-fish come into shallow water in the greatest abundance in the months of June and July. The same habit is observed in various localities on the lakes, though by no means at all points. Several places on the shores of Lake ]\Iichigau, in the south half of the lake, in the vicinity of the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, and at the Thunder Bay Islands of Lake Huron may be referred to as locali- ties where the July migration occurs. George Keith, Esq., a factor of the Hudson Bay Company, at Michipicoten, in 1840, affords Sir John Richard- son the same information in the habits of a species of the Goregonus. It was for a long time a ditficult matter to discover the reason for this suin- mer run on the shore, if, indeed, it has yet been correctly accounted for. The contents of the stomach were found to be the same as at other seasons of the year. It was not probable that the white-fish was an exception to all its congeners of the Salmonoid family, and jireferred the warmer temperature of shallow water to the colder waters outside. Besides, the schools of white-fish were always found to leave a region where wide areas of shoal- water existed as the heat of summer advanced. The theory adopted to account for this summer visit to the shore was that the calm, quiet weather of the summer months, from the slight dis- turbance of the surface, prevented the amount of aeration to the water that occurred at other seasons of the year, and the fish sought the shore where the splashing on the beach and sand-bars supplied the water with the requisite amount of air, just as other species of this family of fishes delight in rapids and falls, because the breaking up of the masses of water supplies it with a large amount of respiratory gases. In waters like Lake Erie, where, according to the lake-survey, the temperature attains as high as 75°, the white-fish seek the cooler deep waters in the summer, and I have not learned of a migration upon the shore at any point, they, perhaps, preferring a less amount of aeration to a high degree of heat. The fact that in the month of August the v. hite-fish of the Sault Ste. Marie Eapids leave the river entirely, and do not return until in Septem- MILNEE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 47 ber, weakens the force of the theory that the aeration of the water is the necessity that brings them to the shore of the hike in the summer. Professor Agassiz, in his tour of the north shore of Lake Superior, in 1849, found the white-fish scarce along the shore and at the rapids, in the month of August. Among the Apostle Islands, Lake Sui)erior, and n most of the deeper portions of the lakes, no scarcity is observed at this season of the year. At the rapids they so entirely abandon the locality in August that the supply' of fish for the hotels has to be ob- tained from Point Detour, at the head of Lake Huron. It was a disputed point among the Waukegan fishermen whether the migration was directly in from de^p water or along the shore. The fact that, in some instances, the schools of fish struck the nets at one point, and afterwards entered the nets in succession along the line of the shore, was thought by many to prove a littoral migration. Bat the fact was that, in all likeliliood, the advance portion of a school would touch the shore at some point and then move in either direction aloog its line. The presence of large white-fishes in numbers at certain localities on the north shore of Lake Michigan, of a size that are never taken at other parts of the lake, would indicate a local habit, with no disposition to range throngh long distances. Another observation, sustaining the probability of this, is the fact that there are many localities on the lakes where the pound-nets, a few years ago, found prosperous fishing, and in the first few years took the white fish in great abundance, but found afterwards a decrease from j'ear to year until the locality was abandoned, while fift}' miles away the busi- ness still continued successful. The well-known local instincts of the salmon would, to a slight extent, confirm the probability of like instincts in its related genera. The fact that certain types of the white-fish are peculiar to particular localities, as the north shore of Lak^ Michigan, the Sault Ste. Marie Eapids, Bachewauna Bay, on Lake Superior, indicates a local habit through many generations until certain characters of a race have become established. The same fact has been stated for the shad on the Atlan- tic coasts. Some observations made in 1871, perhaps indicate the opposite of all the foregoing statements. In the early part of the season there had been very few fish caught On the west shore of Lake Michigan, between Chicago and the Door Islands. South of Chicago, at the mouth of Calumet River, the run of white-fish was in excess of anything had for j^ears. But, about the 15th of June, the schools of fish left Calumet, and a few days later there was a decided improvement in the catch at Evauston. About June 22, the lifts at Waukegan began to be heavier than they had been before. During the first week of July the fishing was observed to improve at Mil- waukee, Manitowoc, and Bailey's Harbor, and, a little later, at the Door Islands. 48 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. The coincidence in dates ratlier indicated a probability that the same schools of fish that clogged the nets at Calumet during six or seven weeks had ranged northward along two hundred and sixty miles of coast. Still, the effect on the fishing would have been the same if it had been the migrations of schools of fish from deep water at these points in to the shore. In order to obtain a definite knowledge of their habits in this particu- lar, metal tags, with numbers indicating the locality, were distributed to fishermen at twenty points along the lake, to be fastened to the fins of live fish, wliich were then to be released. Instructions were at the same time sent to all fishermen to rei^ort the capture of fish bearing these marks, and the distances from where they were taken to the point of de- parture would indicate the extent of their migrations. It is thought that but few of them were used. A similar proceeding was afterward carried out by Mr. George Clark, of Ecorse, on the Detroit River, but none of the fish were ever heard from. Some of the fishermen of the west shore assert that, after severe storms, encroaching on the shore, and making the water mnddy for a long distance ont, when the storm- snbsides there is a heavy deposit of mnd on the bottom, and that the white-fish abandon the locality for a time, because, as they snrmise, their food is buried ill the sediment. On the contrary, after ordinary storms, there is generally an improve- ment in the catch of fish, i^robably for the reason that the great aeration of the water renders them lively, and incites them to move about. The migration from the sonthern portion of Lake Michigan is of yearly occurrence, abont the middle of June, and is, without doubt, occasioned by the large extent of shoal water becoming heated. The same thing occiu\s in Green Bay, and in the shoal regions of the westerii end of Lake Erie. The migrations into shallow water, and uj) certain streams, in the fall of the year, for the purpose of spawning, will be considered further on. This migration, and the summer visit to the shore, are the general mi- grations peculiar to the white-fish, while the departure from shoal re- gions in summer, and from certain localities in August, are local pecu- liarities. (22 d.) The habits of the ivhlte-fish during the spaivning-season. — The anadromous habit of the salmon is shared by their relatives, the Coregoni, to a considerable extent. Several species are known to ascend the riv- ers of Northern Asia and Europe, from the Arctic Sea. These migra- tions, as described by Pallas, though they have not, perhaps, in all species, a close relation to the time of spawning, in a few are quite evi- dently for that special purpose, as, in his Salmo clupeoides^ Corcgonus merlcii of Gunther, he says they ascend the rivers during the autumn, and return again when the ice forms. Others live indifferently in fresh and salt water. There are specimens, in the National Museum, of white-fish collected by the late Mr. Drexler, from Hudson's Bay. Some eight or nine species of the Arctic regions MILI^ER — FISHEEIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 49 are found in both salt and fresli water. The Coregonus qiiadrilateralis Eich., of Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron, was found by Eichard- son in the Arctic Ocean. The white-fishes, throughout the larger portion of the lakes, come into shallow water, to deposit their spawn, about the middle of Novem- ber, just at the time when the salmon-trout has finished spawning and is returning to deep water. At this season they come in from deeper water, in vast schools, and are taken in large quantities by the nets. A notion, prevalent among the fishermen in some localities, that the female fishes arrived first, and were followed, a few days later, by the male, was not confirmed by my observation. The bottoms on the spawning-grounds vary in character in different localities; rock, sand, clay, and mud being used indift'erently for the spawning-beds. The depths at which they spawn range from eight feet to fifteen fathoms ; the larger number probably spawning in depths of about eight or ten fathoms. In the Sault Ste. Marie Eiver, and in the Detroit Eiver, in the fall of the year, they congregate in great numbers, for the purpose of spawn- ing. 'In a number of rivers emptying into Green Bay, the white-fish was formerly taken in abundance, in the spawning-season. Saw-miUs are numerous on all of these streams at the present day, and the great quantity of sawdust in the streams is ofi:ensive to the fish, and has caused them to abandon them. In one or two rivers of the north shore of Lake Michigan they are still found in the autumn. The Michipicoten Eiver of Lake Superior, on the authority of Major Long, who commanded an expedition to this region in 1823, and George Barnston, Esq., of Montreal, Canada, formerly of the Hudson Bay Company, is a favorite spa^vuing-ground of the white-fish. The Nepi- gon Eiver, which our steamer entered while returning from the north shore of Lake Superior, about the middle of October, was said to con- tain schools of white-fish, which liad probably entered the river for the purpose of spawning. There is a probability that there was a time when the white-fish ascended many of the clear rivers of the northern lakes, though 'that this was a universal habit is not probable, at any rate since the white man has been in the country. The fishermen, with their 'gill-nets, follow in shore the migration of the white-fish in the month of October, and a few days before the middle of Xovember the spawn is ripe in a few fishes, and by the middle of the month is running freely, so that boats and nets are covered with the spawn and milt. Just at the time the ova are beginning to ripen the lake-trout, Salno namaycush,has finished spawning, and is leaving for deep water. The white-fish continue to spawn until the last week of November or the first week of December, when they, too, leave the shore and seek deeper water. S. l\ris. 74 4 50 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Ill the Detroit Elver, where there were iiiie opportunities for observ- ing the fish at this period, owing to the advantages afforded by Mr. George Clark, of Ecorse, we found that the fish ascended the river about the last week of September, usually following the same course among the islands year after year. Mr. Clark's observations on the migration of the white-fishes had discovered that they ascended much farther years ago than they do now. They are still taken as high up as Cottrelville, twelve miles up the Saint Clair Eiver. jSTone have been caught above this point for many years. It is a singular fact that the white-fish are not known to descend from Lake Huron into the Saint Clair Iliver. This is established by abundant evidence from continued fishing at Fort Gratiot, where Mr. Clark, between the years 1830 and 1842, took large quantities of the wall-eyed pike, StUjiostedion amencana, taking frequently' one thousand barrels in a year. The catch of white, fish amounted to an occasional supply for his own table, except after long-continued storms from the northward, when the fish sometimes en- tered the river in schools. They were never found in this portion of the river in the spawding-season. Thesamefact is claimedby the In Jians in theSault Sainte]\Iarie River, that the white-fishes of the lake above never descend the rapids, while the white fishes of the river, it is also asserted, never ascend to Lake Superior. There is not as good evidence for the truth in this locality as at Fort Gratiot; still it may be the case. Examining the fish on the 30th of October, it was found that the spawn of the white-fish was hard and firm, with rarely a fish approaching ripeness. On tlic 1st of November, in the picketed pond, where the fishes are inclosed, numbers offish were seen jumping from the water, principally the herring, who take delight in this exercise at different seasons of the year. Occasionally a white-fish threw its bulkier form above the surface. On the 8th of the month Mr. Clark and I were out on the piling surrounding the pond, and found the white-fish jumping in numbers, so that there was a continual splashing of the water. They almost uni- formly jumped in pairs, and we could see quantities of spawn in the water immediately afterwards, which rapidly sank. Mr. Clark and I both succeeded in capturing a pair in the act of leaving the water, and found male and female with milt and spawn run- ning freely. Mr. Clark made use of a fine wire scoop as the pairs of fish disappeared from the surface, and almost invariably took a quantity of spawn from the water. The males were uniformly smaller than the females. I succeeded in catching a pair in which the female weighed seven pounds, and the male, who escaped before he was weighed, did not exceed one and a half jiounds. November 9. — I again saw the wliite-fish jumping from the water in the evening, almost uniformly in pairs. Earely there were three leaped MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 51 together, oue female, and two males. In the pairs there) was always a large oue, evidently" a gravid female, and a smaller one, the male. At this season of the year it is easy to detect the difference in sex, the abdomen of the female being swollen and rounded, while the males are leaner and angular in the abdominal lines. I saw by loug watching that the males were worrying the females. They seemed possessed of strong sexual ardor, and followed the female with ijersistence, keeping close against her and with the head about even with the i)ectoral fin. Driven by the persistent attention of the male the female arose vertically, he following, and she making a con- vulsive effort to escape, the water being from three to ten feet deej), they threw themselves together above the surface, and the spawn and milt were emitted at the time when, from their position, their vents were approximated. The spasmodic fluttering and effort observed sug- gested a sexual orgasm. At times I saw them moving rapidly beneath the water in the same close contact, and the male with his snout even with the pectoral fin of the female, often turning together with the white of the belly upward as she turned and twisted to esc{fi)e him. Often as they came out of the water they would fall apart in different directions, but the male invariably turned immediately in pursuit, so that I was led to think they were monogamous, as is the fact with their relatives the salmon and the speckled trout. November 10. — The white-fish jumping in great numbers toward sun- set. In most instances, when near by, I observed a quantity of eggs, perhaps three hundred or five hundred, emitted at once. The milt of the male did not discolor the water. The same actions occurred as before observed, springing vertically from the water with a spasmodic, fluttering effort, the male's head oppo. site the pectoral fin of the female, turning together beneath the water until both abdomens showed upwards. Occasionally three sprang above the surface together. Sometimes the pair fluttered along the surface to- gether for a long distance. November 14 and 15. — Went out to the pond at midnight, and again at 1 o'clock a. m., and found the white-fish jumping. The fact that they are quiet in the day-time, previous to 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon, indi- cates a parallel habit to that observed by Seth Green, of New York, in the shad, they, as he asserts, spawning i^rincipally in the night, though, unlike what was the case with the shad, we had no difficulty in finding spawners in the forenoon with the seine. November 18. — The fishing stopped all along the river. Visited the island. Cold, strong wind from the southwest. Thermometer 20°. ^o white-fish to be seen in the pond. A few herring coursing around the piling. November 19. — Same as yesterday; no white-fish to be seen. Caught some of the herring with the dip-net ; found their spawn still hard and small ; their stomachs were full of white-fish spawn. Mr. Clark and I 52 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. took a boat with two men and dredged in the river, obtaining a quan- tity of white-lisli eggs. Nearly all were dead. Afterwards dipped a quantity from the pond, nearly all of which were dead. Novemher 20. — Made another visit to the island. No white-fish seen in the pond. Cold, freezing weather. On the 24th and 25th of the month, while at Sandusky, Ohio, numbers of white-fish were found with the spawn in different stages of ripeness? though a majority of them had spawned. After spawning, the abdomen of the female fish is somewhat flabby and wrinkled, and the fish is undoubtedly relaxed and weak; but not to the extent that the salmon, as well as certain other species of the Coregoni, are said to be reduced. The male shows but little indication of weakness. A series of ovaries were preserved from fishes of different sizes, and a count made by weighing the entire ovaries and then counting the eggs of a definite fraction, and calculatiug from it the number of. the whole. Accurate scales were used for this work, and the table may be relied upon as correct : Weisiht of fish. 2 pounds. 2f pounds 4 pounds 7^ pounds Weight of Number of ovarios. e-gs. Ounces. •'^ 21,229 7i 2c',r500 IV> 48,000 25 06,606 This makes an average of about ten thousand increase for every ad- ditional pound weight in the fish, which is precisely Mr. Seth Green's estimate, from his observations in spawning white-fish. Considerable variation in the weight of an equal number of eggs was observed, de- I)euding upon the stage of development at which they had arrived in the ovaries. During the spawning-season, the fish from the river were found to have very little in their stomachs. (22 e.) Habits of hroolc-trout during the breeding-season as compared icith those of the ichite-Jish. A comparison of the habits of the male and female white-fish with those of the trout, Salmo fontinalis, and of the salmon, is interesting, from the entire difference of their conduct toward each other, and the manner of depositing the spawn. The male brook-trout, in his behavior to his mate, is a cavalier of the first order. His colors are at their brightest, and his fresh and bright appearance makes him one of the handsomest inhabitants of the north- ern waters. Instead of driving the female and annoying her with a per- sistent worrying, as is the case with the white-fish, his whole wooing is MILNER FISHEKIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 53 the most polite atteutioii and the gentlest of persuasioos. He moves continually to and fro before her, parading- his bright colors, while she rests quietly, with her head up-stream, vibrating her fins just sufficiently to prevent floating down. While at Mr. H. F. Dousman's breeding-house, near Waterville, Wis., early in the winter, I had the opportunity of observing the habits of the trout on their spawning-grounds. A pair of large trout had selected a spot near the bank of the stream where the water was about ten inches deep. The female had fanned the gravel with her tail and anal tin until it "was clean and white, and had succeeded, by strong sweeps and flappings of her caudal fin against the bottom, in excavating a cavity in the bed of gravel. December 14. — A pair of large trout were frightened away from their nest as I came to the edge of the bank. Concealing myself behind a willow-bush I watched their movements. The male returned first, reconnoitering the vicinity, and satisfying himself that the coast was clear, spent a half-hour in endeavoring to coax the female to enter the nest. She, resting half concealed in the weeds a few feet away, seemed unwilling to be convinced that the danger was gone, and he, in his full bright colors, sailed backward and forward from the nest to his mate, rubbing himself against her, and swimming oft" again in a wide circle close along the bank, as if to show her how far he could venture with- out finding danger. She finally entered the nest. December 15. — Carried out a bufl;alo-robe and shawl to the top of the flume, near the head spring. Found a pair of trout in possession of a nest. They fled at sight of me, and having got comfortably settled in the robes, I laj' quietly for fifteen minutes before the male approached. He swam directly over the nest, and examined in the vicinity for a few seconds, and then swam off to find his mate. A close observation de- tected a scar on his side, possibl}^ received in a battle with some other male. It served as a very distinct mark to identify him among others. He returned to the spot once, driving off another male before she came with him. They moved along in the vicinity of the nest, she turning and swimming away for a short distance once or twice, and he attend- ing her devotedl3'. She finally settled in a nest about five feet from my position. He drove away a small trout several times without any very violent demonstrations. She soon began to turn in the nest as if ex- amining its condition, and again settled quietly, keeping up the slow fanning movement with her tail, the anal fin brushing the pebbles as large as pigeon-eggs that were in the cavity. Soon after she rolled on her side, made three convulsive flutters, striking the pebbles with her tail, and sending up a little cloud of gravel and sand. Immediately afterward she turned short round, as if look- ing at the condition of the nest, or its contents, and once I thought I detected her in taking some gravel, possibly an egg, in her mouth. She lay resting quietly on the bottom for a short time, whilethe male played 54 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. back and fortii around her. She moved away from tlie nest after a wliile, visiting- some nests in the yicinity that probablj^ contained the eggs of other trout, but soon returned to her own nest. The male at- tended her very closely, and, as they returned to the nest, resting for a second near her, he curved his body slightly, bent the dorsal fin to one side, and with his body strained to rigidity, a slight tremor was ob- served, and he again moved away. About once in ten minutes the flut- tering occurred on the part of the female ; a little cloud of sand was stiiTed up, but I looked a long time in vain for an egg. At last one was throwai upward with the sand, and the male coolly swam toward it? opened his mouth, and it disappeared down his throat. His oft-recur. ring rigidities and tremors seemed to have no special connection with her throes, or the possible emission of eggs, which L suspected at these times, though without any evidence of sight. He was very brave in driving off the males that approached, but one large one came twice, while I was watching them, that he did not attack, but swam in between him and his mate several times, with an evident intention of keeping him from her. The stranger, however, in both instances placed himself near the female, and the same curving, and rigidity, and tremors were observed. The last time the rightful groom swam away with the stranger, who gave him several punches with his jaws. The evident intention of the former seemed to be to entice the intruder away from the nest. He es corted him off for a long distance and returned again to his mate. After three hours' observation of similar maneuvers, I left them to pursue, un- disturbed, their singular actions. TJie whole conduct of the male toward the female was a continued series of caresses. He spent his whole time in circling around her, rubbing against her, and wheeling away to return again, and exhibited everj- evidence of jealousy when other males approached, l^o violence to the female was offered at any time by her mate, though I saw him twice bite her gently while the stranger-trout was near', as if communicating to her. Seth Green, who has occupied hours in observing the movements of trout, thinks the whole movements I had the fortune to observe, were merely the usual actions of trout just subsequent to the time of spawn- ing. They serve, however, to contrast the conduct of the male toward the female with that of the white-fish. Mr. Green says that occasion- ally when the female tries the patience of the male too long in refusing to enter the nest, he suspends moral suasion for a time and hurries her toward the nest with a vigorous use of nose and jaws. A vertical move- ment over the nest, and occasionally the pair locking their jaws to- gether, as they rose, was what Mr. Green observed whenever the eggs were emitted by the female. The brightness of the skin and colors, the white margin on the under fins, and the comparative thinness of body, distinguish the male at the spawning-season from the female, who is dark-colored, the outer rays 3IILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 55 of the under fins tinged with blue, and the abdomen swollen at this period. (22 /.) JDevelojmient of eggs and embryo. — It has been proven by repeated observation by fish-culturists that the higher the temperature of the water in which the eggs are placed the more rapidly the embryo fish develops within the egg, and the sooner it escapes from its inclosure in the shell. The temperature of the succeeding months after the spawning-period probably regulates to a considerable extent the time of hatching of the white-fish in the lakes. On the 11th daj'^ of April, at Ecorse, on the Detroit Eiver, I visited Grassy Island in companj" with Mr. George Clark. The inside of the bag of a seine was lined with millinet and dragged in the river, bringing ashore a great quantity of mud and the small forms of life inhabiting the bottom. Sifting and washing out tbe mud resulted in finding one little worm-like fish-embryo, one-half inch in length, which I at once suspected to be the specimen sought after. Other attemx)ts with the seine failed entirely from taking any more. Mr, Clark then proposed that we take a boat and search carefully on the surface for the young fish. Taking a pail and dipper, we shoved off our boat, and Mr. Clark pulling very slowlj" with the oars, I hung over the gunwale, and in a very few minutes found a little, active fish swim- iug with his head at the surface, and captured him with the dipper. He X)roved to be identical with the one taken with the seine. In the course of half an hour we captured forty, all of the same size and state of de- velopment. Most of them were taken within five or six inches of the surface, though they were frequently seen coming up from as far below as they were visible. They were nearly white, with, a pair of large black eyes, were very active, moving continually, propelling themselves with, a constant motion of the tail, and swimming with the head up and the body depending at an inclination of about fifty degrees. They seemed apprehensive of danger, and turned quickly from the dipx)er when it came near them, occasionally escaping. They had no gregarious instinct whatever, and thougli occasionally taken in j)airs it was probably an accidental circums'tauce. On April 14 we again visited the island and caught a number more of the young fish. A few days later Mr. Clark and I visited the breeding-house of Mr. X.W. Clark, of Clarkston. He had put down a large quantity of white- fish ova in November, and had taken the water flowing over the eggs from a pond that had remained frozen over nearly all the winter. The temperature of the water had remained at 34° or 35°, and the young fish had begun to hatch out on the 1st of April, and about the 9th or 10th were all out of the shell. This temperature is probably much the same as Detroit River at Ecorse, sixty-eight miles below Lake Huron, the current flowing at the rate of two miles per hour. The appearance of the umbilical sac in the specimens from both 56 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. places, made it evident that tbey were of about the same age, and indi- cated the fact that in waters that are frozen over throughout the win- ter the young white-fish escape from the egg about the first week of April. The temperature of Lake Michigan, Huron, or Superior probably does not descend below about 40^ or 43^ in ordinary winters, and the young fish would be likely to make their appearance a week or two earlier. The young fish lived iu the glass jar of water two da^'s, were then transferred to an eight-ounce bottle, and, carried over thirty hours by rail and steamer, and did not arrive at their destination, Waukegan, 111., until thirt3^-six hours after they left Ecorse, Mich. They were all in good condition, and were placed in a quart jar of fresh w^ater. There were thirteen of them altogether. April 19. — The young white-fish are very vigorous, and are in con- tinual motion. The water has been changed once. Although the yelk sac has not diminished, they act as if seeking food iu their movements around the jar. They open their mouths very wide. Occasionally they take in dust masses, aud eject them agaiu as if they were unpal- atable. April 21. — Umbilical sac in one individual diminishing. April 22. — Umbilical sacs reducing rapidly-. Ap^ril 23. — Yelk-sacs being rapidly absorbed. The membrane on the anterior part of dorsal line is also slightly diminished. April 24. — The umbilical sacs becoming minute. The fiu-membrane anterior to i)Osition of dorsal becoming absorbed. At the center of the anterior ventral section of fin-membrane, a slightly opaque white spot is apparent. In front of the anus, and on lower half of caudal, are similar ones. The color of the head is assuming a greenish tinge. April 25. — The globule in anterior part of yelk-sac has become divided up into numerous smaller globules, scattered like beads, or more like a row of bubbles, through the length of the sac. When they open their mouths the gill-arches show quite distinctly. Excrement voided by some of them. April 28. — Umbilical sac entirely absorbed. First dorsal tin becoming well defined. Posterior section of dorsal membrane contracting. Pur- cation of caudal slightly indicated. After an absence from home of six days, I returned on May 6 to find only one alive. A brown coufervoid growth had developed in the water, and the young fish, attempting to swallow it, always got it entan- gled iu its gills, and soon died. In my absence I visited Clarkston aud purchased for private parties from Mr. iS". W. Clark one thousand young trout, which I brought safely to a brook two miles north of Waukegan, III. Mr. Clark gave me one hundred and fifty young white-fish, most of them with the yelk-sac only partially absorbed. The ditforence in temperature evidently made some MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 57 difference in the rapidity with which the umbilical sac disappeared, as the young fish I had carried home were in the same stage of development, April 14, as when I had visited Clarkstou i)reviously. ISTow, May 1, the fish in Mr. Clark's troughs still retained considerable of the sac, while on the 28th of April the young fish in the jar had lost it entirel}'. The jar had been kept in a moderately warm room, with a temperature of about G5°, while the water in the troughs at Clarkstou flowed from a pond that had been covered with ice until within a few days previous. (22 g.) Food of emhryonic white-fish. — The young fish reached Wauke- gan in safety, and were placed in five quart glass jars, and an experi- ment begun in attempting to supply them with suitable food. A num- bered label was pasted on each jar, so as to keep them distinct. Knowing that the larger white-fish fed largely on crustaceans, an at- tempt to feed them on food of this character was thought worth a trial. A few craw-fish were procured and pounded to a paste, and small por- tions put into jar No. 1; the young fish ate it readily. They were fed at night, and the next morning every oue of them was found to be dead. Jar I>ro. 2 was supplied with bread-crumbs, and the fish were seen to take small particles in their mouths; they did not die so sud- denly. Jar Xo. 3 was supplied with sweet cream, but no evidence was afforded that the occupants fed upon it. A quantity of rain-water was exposed to the rays of the sun for the purpose of generating minute forms of life, and a teaspoonful was poured into jar Xo. 4, morning and evening, in hopes that their proper food was of this character. In jar No. 5 a variety of food was provided, dry fresh beef, mi)k, boiled potato, and bread. The crumbs of bread and the scrapings from the beef were all that the fish were seen to take into their mouths. They died, one after another, very rapidlj', and in a few days all were dead. There were other things unfavorable to them, in these experiments, be- sides the lackof their natural nourishment. To conduct these experiments favorably, they should be placed in a large vessel, and a stiNeam of fresh water should be supplied constantly so that the water should continue pure and the production of confer va3 be avoided. This difficulty of pro- curing a suitable food for the young white-fish has been the experience of the few fish-culturists who have hatched them. A set of specimens representing young fish from the Detroit Eiver, from the troughs at Clarkstou, and from the jars, were preserved in alcohol and submitted to Mr. S. A. Briggs, editor of the Lens, Chicago. A letter from Mr. Briggs containeJ the following: " Chicago, May 28, 1872. ''My Deaii Sir: The four vials containing C. albus came duly to hand, and have, with the alcohol and water in which the specimens were preserved, been carefully examined. '' The intestines of specimens No. 77 and 78, from Clarkstou, were en- tirely destitute of organic matter recognizable under a power of 400 linear, which ouglit to be ample for the purpose. 58 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. " Those of specimens 76 and 79, from Detroit Eiver, contained numer- ous specimens of two species of Biatomacecc, viz, Fragilaria ca/pucina^ and StepluDiodiscus niagarce. The former is a filamentous form which grows very abundantly in our lake-inlets attached to stems of lilies. The latter is a large form which, from its peculiar build, contains con- siderable nutritious material. " Very sincerely, yours, "S. A. BEIGGS." (22 h.) Rate of (jrowth of ichite-fish. — Farther research for the young- fish was unavoidably delayed until the 1st of July. Towards the end of June, from a seine-haul at Waukegan, a specimen of Coregonus albns measuring eight and three-tenths inches in length, one of C. qnadrilat- eralis, measuring seven and four-tenths, and one of Coyegoiiiis harengus, measuring three and four-tenths inches, were obtained. At Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., on July 2, with an Indian in a birch canoe, the vichiity both above and below the rapids was explored in the current and in the still water and along the shores, to find the smallest grade of while-fishes that were to be had. Along the shore, in the sharp current, schools were found of which the smallest taken meas- ured four inches and nine-tenths, and the largest six inches and one- tenth. It was quite evident that they had all been hatched the same season. Another excursion in the birch resulted in nothing materially different. The minimum measurement of the next grade taken was eight inches and three-tenths. At Shoal Island, one of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior, a white- fish was taken from the pound-net about the middle of August, measur- ing six inches in length, and another measuring six and one-half inches. On the 3d of December, at Point Edward, Canada, at the outlet of Lake Huron, two specimens of Coregonus albus were obtained from a seine, one measuring six inches and eight-tenths, and the other seven inches and seven-tenths. It is very probable that the Shoal Island fishes of August and the Point Edward ones of December 3 were the larger-grown individuals of the same generation as those taken at Sault Ste. Marie in July. The difficult point to decide was in what year the beginning of this genera- tion should be placed. The only positive data with reference to the growth of white-fish, are found in the observations of Mr. Samuel Wilmot, of Newcastle, Ontario, in charge of the government hatching-house of Canada. Mr. Wilmot reports that- in ]N"ovember, 1868, he placed a quantity of Spawn in the hatching-troughs for an experiment, and in the following March and April a large number of young fry made their appearance. He failed in finding food adapted to the young fish, but a number that escaped through the screens were carried down to a small pond where they seemed to thrive and soon became well-developed young fish. In MILNER FISHEEIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 59 the month of September they were exhibited at a fair in London, Can- ada. They were then about five inches long. In December the young fish had attained the length of seven inches. Mr. N. W. Clark, of Clarkston, Mich., visited Wilmot's hatching-house in 1871, and in an address before the house of representatives of Michi" gan, said: "Enough is known from the success of Samuel Wilmot, Esq., of Canada, to sustain us in the assertion that they (the white-fish) increase in weight about three-quarters of a pound a year, as those he had when we saw them, last January, we judged to have weighed about one and a quarter pounds, being then about eighteen months old." These are the only records of observations of the growth of the white- fish, and evidences of this character are the only ones of any value of the rate of gr owth. An attempt was made several times from large lifts of fish lying in the fish-shanties to arrange the different sizes of white-fish in series? with the hope that some evidence of the rate of growth per year would result. It was always found that the row of fishes, from the larger to the smaller, assumed the form of a spire-like pyramid, and a "straight- edge " laid at tlieu' heads would have touched the nosfes of every one in the series, and on the opposite end it would have touched every tail, so l^erfectly regular was the gradation. It was difficult to believe that the white-fishes, of from nearly five inches to six or seven, had attained these dimensions in three months from the little half-inch embryos of April and May, though none of less size were found with the most diligent searcli. Mr. Wilmot's young fish measured about five inches in September when four months old. Experience has proved that there is a more rapid growth of the yomig trout and salmon afterwards than during the first two months. The observation on the development of the young, white-fish from April to the first week of May showed the slightest per ceptible difference of length a"ud bulk. If we assume them to be the fish of this season, then they had increased ten times in length in two months, precluding the possibility of a more rapid growth afterward. It is altogether probable that the fish measuring from four to seven inches in July were those of the previous season's hatching, and about sixteen months old. It is equally probable that the Point Edward fish of seven inches are those of the same season, as the five months intervening- the 1st of Jujy and the 3d of December should have produced considera- ble growth. To confirm this opinion we have Mr. Wilmot's statement that his white-fish had attained the length of seven inches in December- These evidences of the rate of growth are the only conclusions we have been enabled to adopt with reference to the size attained at differ- ent ages. Nor does this decide the average size of the growth of the white-fishes the first and second seasons. A very excellent opportunity of observing the sizes attained by the 60 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. brook-trout at different ages, was aftbrded at Mr. H. P. Dousman's liatcliing-liouse at Waterville, Wis. There is a more uneven growth in the trout of tlie same season than among any of our familiar domestic animals, such as sheep, pigs, or chickens. Mr. Dousman's fish of the season, hatched in January and February, measured at the time of my visit, October 25, from two and one-half to five inches in length 5 while his trout of the previous season, about one year and eight months old, were from seven to fourteen inches in length. Mr. Dousman is a large feeder, supplying his fish with food regularly twice a day throughout the year. He has the most perfect arrangements for keeping his fish of diiferent ages separate, as there is no possibility of their getting together other than being dipped out of one of the box- flumes in which they are separately confined and dropped through the trap-door of another. The same great variation is found to occur in the parr and grilse stage of the salmon, and is probably the case with all the species of the Sal- monoidw at all ag'es, the lake white-fishes included. (22 i.) Average size of mature fishes. — The average size of mature fishes, in difierent localities, varies greatly. The white-fish of the region of the Apostle Islands is a medium-sized fish. The entire catch of the nu- merous fisheries in their vicinity should not be estimated higher than one and a half pounds for all the fish marketed. In Thunder Bay, on the northern shore of tlie lake, a lift seen in October contained fish that averaged about the same as at the Apostle Islands. Mr. George Baruston, of IMontreal, a naturalist, connected in former times with the Hudson Bay Company, says, with reference to the white- fishes of Michipicoten Bay and River : " The produce of our own seines and nets I always regarded as composed of one species of white-fish, and the same as that caught everywhere in the lakes." w A large type of white-fish is reported from localities in the western half of Lake Superior, taken at certain seasons. Mr. E. Alvord, of San- dusky, Ohio, took a white-fish at Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands, weighing twenty-two pounds and a half. Stories, not well authenticated, of specimens weighing twenty -four j^ounds and over, are common on Lake Superior. In White-Fisli Bay a type of white-fish is taken, said to average very large. A specimen was forwarded to Buflialo from this locality, this sea- son, weighing twenty pounds. In Bachewauna Bay, opposite AYhite-Fish Point, Mr. Baruston speaks of the white-fish as longer, and much thicker and heavier, than those of Michipicoten. At the foot of the Sault Ste. Marie Rapids the Indians fish in the swift current, from birch canoes, with large dip-nets, taking a type of white- MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 61 ilsh, ill large numbers, that will a\Trage four pounds iu weight. A specimen Avas obtained of one of them this season weighing twelve pounds. The white-fish from the greater portion of Lake Michigan will average lower than those of Lake Superior. A locality on the north shore of the lake has a very large type of white fish, of which the average of lifts I have seen brought to the shore could not be less than four pounds. I was informed that eleven white-fish had been put into a package weighing one hundred and seven pounds and shipx>ed to a man at Charle- voix, whom I afterwards saw and heard him repeat the fact. The gill- net mesh in use at this point was one-half inch larger than that of most Ijoints on the lake. Two specimens obtained at. Point aux Barques weighed respectively ten and eleven pounds. Lake Huron white-fish are moderately large. From the western end of Lake Erie a large typo of fish are taken. Those ascending the Detroit Eiver in the fall of the year average two and a quarter pounds. From the eastern portion of the lake the white-fish are smaller. The average of Lake Ontario fish is small. {22 j.) Ranges as to depth favored hy young iclute-fish. — It is quite evi- dent that the young and immature white-fishes confine their range en- tirely to the shallow waters near the shore. The pound-nets set in from twenty to forty-five feet catch numbers of small fishes seven or eight inches in length weighing only a few ounces. The capture of a white- fish as small as seven or eight ounces is a very rare occurrence with the gill-nets, for which twelve or fifteen fathoms is the least depth ordinarily employed. Though making this a special point for observation during the tour of Lake Michigan, not a single specimen as small as eight- ounces was seen among fishes taken from the gill-nets, and the percent- age of fish as small as one pound in weight before dressing was incon. siderable. A farther confirmation of the inshore range of young white-fish is in the fact that the catch of a pound-net set on a thirty-six-foot shoal, six miles from the land at Bay de Noquet, contained only ]S"os. 1 and* 2 fish. The head and mouth of the white-fish are so constructed that it is to a slight extent better guarded against entanglement iu the mesh than its congeners, the lake herring and the cisco, so that there is a possibility that the small fislies pass through the meshes and escape capture. Still it is likely occasional ones would be taken, as all species taken by the gill-net are frequently found entangled about the body and fins, without any threads fastened in the mouth or even in the gills, and this often with the slender herrings and ciscos. The fact already referred to, that no young-white-fish were found iu the stomachs of the lake trout, has an application here. The range of the trout in the warm season is in deep water, and as it is altogether likely the trout would make food of the smaller white-fishes if they were £2 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. to be found, the iuferenee is natural that tliey do not range into the deep, water. From these observations it was evident that the white-fish were not found in any abundance in the deeper waters smaller than one and one- fourth pounds, audit is not until they attain about this weight that their migrations into the deeper waters of the lake begin. From the examination of stomachs of immature fishes, the food was found to be small crustaceans and insects. (22 1c.) Enemies of the ivhite-Jish. — The largest percentage of destruction the white-fish suffers is without doubt in the ova-stage. The spawn-eaters of the lakes are a numerous and widely distributed list of animals, including fishes, amphibians and, itis claimed, divers, and ducks. The destruction of the spawn by these methods is immense, and far exceeds the losses while in the stage of fry. The most wholesale devourer of the eggs is undoubtedly the lake-her- ring. On opening the stomachs of the herring from the ponds in Detroit Eiver, in November, they were found to contain the eggs of white-fisli. At first it was considered possible that, as they. were confined in the ponds, their eating spawn might be a matter of necessity, but later, at Sandusky, their stomachs were found gorged with the ova. The herring, the most numerous species inhabiting the spawning-grounds of the white-fish, are without doubt the i^rincipal agents in keeping in check the increasing numbers supplied from the fertilized ova. The suckers, sturgeon, and smaller bottom feeding-fishes are found with spawn in the stomach. The so-called " water-lizard," MenobrancJms lateralis Say is very numer- ous in some of the streams and portions of the lake-shore. Mr. George Clark, of Ecorse, Mich., had a minnow-seine fitted to the bag of a sweep- seine, and at one haul took two thousand of the " water-lizards." Estimat- ing the extent that the net had passed over, he calculated the average number of lizards to each square rod to be four. He says, further, in one of the Detroit papers, " The lizards were so gorged with white-fish spawn that when they were thrown on the shore, hundreds of eggs would fly out of their mouths. * * * Some of the larger lizards would devour the whole spawning of a white-fish in a day or twoj and when we consider that these reptiles are feeding upon eggs from No- vember till April, some idea may be formed of their vast capacity for destruction." Mr. Browne, of Grand Haven, Mich., states that some three years ago an epidemic seemed to prevail among the Menohranclii in Grand E-iver, in the month of June and that their dead carcasses were washed ashore by hundreds, so that they lined the banks of the river, and the mill-men were obliged to throw the bodies off into the current, to be carried down stream to prevent the offensive stench that was wafted into the mills from the decaying remains. A fisherman at Evauston, 111., a few years ago had nine hundred MILXER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 03 hooks sot in the lake, and in one day took from these live hnndred lizards, removing- them all himself, as his men, sharing the popnlar notioij on the lakes, believed them to be poisonous, and preferred to cut away hook and all to taking hold of the slimy amphibian. They are, of course, en- tirely harmless in this particuhir, and make no more attempt to bite than a frog does. A full series of this species was this season collected from Detroit Elver, from the length of one and one-fourth inches to thirteen inches. Later, about the middle of the month of July, Mr. George Clark col- lected a quantity of their eggs, proving this month to be the spawning- season of the animal. The sturgeon are very generally believed to be spawn-eaters. Though the ova of the white-fish and the perch have been observed among the stomach-contents of this fish, the principal food has always been found to be snails, the fresh-water genera being generally represented, the weaker shells crashed into fragments, and the stronger ones of the Fa- ludinidw and even Lhnneas remaining unbroken. Dr. E. Sterling, of Cleveland, who examined the stomachs of a large number of sturgeon in the vicinity of the Sandusky fisheries, made the same observation. There are few of the bottom-feeding fishes but whose stomachs will not generally be found to contain a few eggs, though in company with other food in greater quantity. The white-fish stomach is generally found to contain a few fish-eggs, though its priucipal food is the Crustacea. The habit of leaving the shore immediately after spawTiing probably pie vents it from being an agent in diminisliing its o^vn numbers. The natural casualties of storms, deposits of sedmient, smothering the eggs, the vegetable growth found to be so fatal in the hatching- troughs, are to be considered in this oonnection as the dangers, though more fully represented on another page. In the fry-stage they must suffer to some extent from the piscivorous fishes. The most numerous and voracious of their enemies is likely to be the wall-eyed pike, Stizostedion americana, numerous in the shoal waters of the lakes and comparatively rare on the deeper shores. The perch, Ferca flavescensy are very generally distributed and quite numerous; the contents of their stomachs are generally found to be vertebrate forms. The black-bass, Micropterns nigricans, is plentiful in Lake Erie, but as its ordinary food is the craw-fish, where these are numerous its depredations on the schools of young fish would be of comparatively little importance. The white-bass, iioccws clinjsops, the muskellunge, Ehox nohilior, and the lake-pike, Usox lucius, do not inhabit the lakes in sufficient numbers to be very troublesome to the white-fishes. It is the prevailing idea on the lakes that the Mackinaw or salmon- trout feeds largely on the white-fish. This point has been fully consid- ered on a iJ.revious page, and the evidences disproving it related. 64 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. As everywhere civilized man disturbs the bahiuce of nature, and be- comes the great enemy to all forms of life that do not conform to his artificial methods for their protection. Kot only by the hundreds of artifices for the capture of the white-fish, but in the foul drainage from the cities, smelting-works, and manufactories, and in the quantities of sawdust from the mills, they are driven from their favorite haunts and spawning-grounds, and their food destroyed by waters tainted with fatal chemical combinations. The white-fish, as far as my observations have extended, is infested with two external and two intestitial parasites. The external ones are a crustacean, a Lcrnea., and an annelid, the Icthyohdella punctata. The Lernean was found only in the Detroit lliver, adhering to the fish on the dorsal region, and with its bell-shaped sucker buried in the epi- dermal sheath of the scales. On the white-fish swimmiiig in schools near the surface around the edge of the pond in Detroit Kiver, it could be detected by close examination lastened to the fish. There were sel- dom more than four on one fish. The lake-herring, confined in the same pond, swam in close contact with the white-fish, but in ho instance, although careful observations were.made repeatedly of the herring while in the water and after capture, was the Lernean found upon them. In Lake Superior they are found to be numerous on the siscowet. The Icthyobdellan, a leech of three-fourths of an inch long, grayish white in color, with brown tesselated markings, was seen in great numbers in the month of April, while the fishermen were lifting their nets from about fifty fathoms some fifteen miles out from Kenosha, Wis. They covered the nets and fishes of all species, and fell in such numbers on the deck that it became slippery, and an old coat was thrown down for the man who was lifting the gang to stand upon. They were very tenacious of life, living for a long time on the deck, and for several days in the bilge-water of the fish-boats. They were in such numbers that it was difficult to decide whether they had a preference for any species, and were found filled with blood both in the gills and while attached to the body, though it was difficult to imagine that they could fill themselves with blood from the epider- mal sheath of the scales. They were thought to be most numerous on the white-fishes, as they were in greater numbers on tlieni than on the trout, the lawyer, or the cisco, the only other fishes taken. A prevailing but mistaken opinion in the vicinity was that the white- fish fed upon the leech. Dr. Hoj^'s investigations disproved the notion, and all examinations of stomach-contents confirmed this fact. One of the intestinal parasites resembled the leech somewhat in formv The otherwas an Echinorliymlius. They were never found within thestomach, but always in the duodenal portion of the intestine near the mouths of the ciBcal tubes. MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 65 23. — THE LAKE-HEREINa. The so-called lake-herrings, Argyrosomus chqjeiformis, (Mitch.,) and A. harengus (Rich.,) are very numerous in the shoaler waters of the lakes. In the shoal regions of Green Bay and Lake Erie they are found in vast schools, crowding into the pound-nets in masses until the " cribs " are filled to the surface of the water. In Lake Erie frequently a corner of the net is lowered and a large proportion of them allowed to escape before the remainder are thrown into the boat. Although they have been taken in this way for years, there is no apparent diminution in their numbers. Perhaps the little disposition on the part of the fishermen to catch them in some measure accounts for this fact, though there must be, as well, some natural advantages in their prolificity and in the tenac- ity of life of the ^gg. They are little sought after because they are not a favorite fish in the market, being rather deficient in qualities as a fresh or salt fish, though having no objectionable liavor. They are small and thin when opened, and become shrunken when pickled. A mode of curing them, lately adopted at Waukegan, III., and Sandusky, Ohio, makes them the most delicious food. It is merely a slight pickling in salt brine, and then exposing them to the smoke of a hot fire for a short time. By this process they are prepared for eating without any further cooking, and are very much superior to the ordinary smoked herrings. They will keep two or three weeks in hot weather when but slightly smoked The profit on them to the fishermen is less than any other fish handled from the lakes, because of the low j)rice they command in the market, and the expense of dressing and packing is much greater than in white-fish, trout, or pike, because of their smaller size. The greatest length attained in an overgrown specimen seen at Point Edward, on the Canadian side of the head of Saint Clair River, was about nineteen inches in length, and it weighed about two pounds. The aver- age length is scarcely one foot and the weight about nine or ten ounces. Ditfering from the white-fish in the construction of the mouth, it being terminal, they more readily take a bait, and may be fished for with hook and line with a suitable bait. Insects are the best for this purpose, though they are frequently taken with a minnow. The con- tents of the stomach have been obtained in but a few instances, the fish being taken almost exclusively in the pound-nets, and in these they have generally remained long enough to digest the stomach-con- tents. A few specimens from seines 'in the Detroit River were found to contain insects and a few of the Gammaridce, but no remains of vertebrates, though the herring are frequently taken with a minnow bait. They were found, by examination of the stomachs during the spawning- season of the white-fish, to be spawn-eaters of the worst character, their stomachs being crammed with white-fish ova, and, considering the great numbers of the herring, and their vicinity to the spawning- grounds, the destruction they efi:'ect must be very great. S. Mis. 74 5 6Q KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Although a very general opinion prevails, in different parts of the lakes, that the herring spawns earlier than the white-fish, the oppor- tunities afforded for observation, this season, indicated otherwise. In Green Bay it was asserted that the herring came on to the shore in masses about the 6th of November, and although they were found in more or less abundance at all seasons of the year, there was a very evident general movement at that time. The only positive evidence of the fact of spawning is the emission of spawn by the fish when handled, and the migrations of the schools and the mere fact that the spawn are large does not determine the season of spawning. In regions where fishing is not carried on late in the season, it is a very common habit among the fishermen to conclude on some particular time during the fishing as the spawning-period, basing the belief on migration or appearance of the spawn, Miien, in reality, the fish do not spawn until after the fishing-season closes. By November 25 of last year, the majority of white-fish in the west- ern end of Lake Erie were found to have finished spawning. With few exceptions the ovaries were emptied of their load of eggs ; the abdomen was wrinkled and flaccid, and but few eggs were emitted when thrown into the boats or on the fish-house floor. The lake-her- rings at this time were found to be full of ripe eggs, which were voided from the ovipore of females whenever the fish was moved, aiid even while lying in heaps on the bottom of the boats or floors of the fish-houses. Earlier than this, between the 1st of November and the 20th, examina- tion of the ovaries on nearly every day had found, in the larger j^ropor- tion, the ovaries hard and compact. The herring were taken at this time in their usual haunts, the pound- nets capturing them in immense quantities, making it probable that they do not change their locality in the spawning-season. What their subsequent habits may be, would require observation later in the sea- son than fishing is generally carried on, though the new custom of allowing pound-nets to remain until the ice has covered the bays would afford a favorable opportunity. If they remain upon the spawning- grounds they would undoubtedly' be their own worst agent of destruc- tion. In the winter of 1S71, in Green Bay, to the south of Escanaba, Mich., it was discovered that the herring had congregated in large numbers in an open space free from ice next to the shore where a number of springs in the bank supplied a quantity of water of too high a temperature to freeze readily. Minnows were found crowded in masses at the water's edge, and using them for bait the herring were taken in large numbers, and occasionally a white-fish from about twenty inches of water. All that is known of the time of hatching of the herring-ova is from the experiments of Mr. Seth Green. . In the report of the commissioners of fisheries for the State of New York foV the year 1871, it is stated that a quantity of the impregnated MILNER FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 67 spawn of the lake-herring was obtained and treated similarly to the white-fish ova. It is stated that "their time of incubation is about the same [as the white-fish. J The newly-hatched fish are very small, not exceeding three-eighths of an inch in size. The umbilical sac lasts but a few days, and the fish begin to swim and feed as soon as they come out of the shell. They are as active at one day old as the trout at two months. The young fish, being so small and delicate, are, of course, hard to keep. # * *' They have increased in size faster than the white-fish, and the indications are that they are a more hardy fish and more easily raised." The ovaries of a specimen examined weighed two ounces, and con- tained sixteen thousand and forty eggs. At Waukegan, III., from a seine-haul on the 23d of June, a num- ber of young herring were swept in with the larger fish, measuring from three and one-third inches to four and a half inches. At the rapids of the Sault !Ste. Marie Eiver a number were taken, from among the rocks near the shore, on the 2d and 3d of July, that measured froin two and five-eighths inches to six inches in length. It is probable that the smaller grade were the fish<^s hatched the previous year. On the 3d of December last herring were taken with a minnow-seine, at Point Edward, measuring from five inches to the size of mature fishes, the smaller ones being in all probability the same generation as those found at the Sault Ste. Marie earlier in the season. Besides its enemies among the spawn-eaters, the herring has much the same class of enemies as those already enumerated for the white- fishes. Of the parasites the most marked species is a Bothriocephalus found in the muscles of the dorsal region. They measure two or three inches in length and are found in masses between the intermuscular fascine of the back. The specimen in which the parasites were found was taken in Detroit Eiver in the month of April, and though not observed after the month of June, it is certainly common earlier in the season, as the fish- ermen are familiar with the fact. A parasitic worm has also been seen in the intestine. The external parasite of the white-fish, a Lernwa, was not seen at- tached to a single specimen of the lake-herring where hundreds were con- tinually passing in the confined ponds of Detroit Eiver, though they were seen to be very common on the whi te-fish. ]^or were any specimens of the Ecliinorliynclms found in the intestines, though a white-fish is seldom examined without finding them numerous. 24. — THE LAKE-STURGEON, Acipemer ruMcundus. (24 a.) Synonymy. — Acipenser ruMcundus ^Iu'EBJJ'E.x^'R,^ Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, (new series,) i, p. 388, pi. 12 ; Eichardson, Faun. Boreal. Amer., iii, p. 284; Fitzinger and Hecicel, Ann. Wien. Mus., i, p. 316 ; DeKay, 68 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. Zool. IST. Y. Fishes, iv, p. 344, pi. 58,- fig. 191 5 Stoker, Synopsis Fishes N. A., p. 218; Thompson, Hist. Yt., part 1, p. 119. Acipenser ruthenus rnajor. — Forster, Phil. Trans., Ixiii, p. 149, [Young.] Acipenser rupertiawLs. — Eichardson, Faim. Boreal. Auier. Add., p. 311, pi. 97, [Yoiiug:J Storbr, Syn. Fishes ISI. Am., p. 249, [Young.] Acipenser laevis. — Agassiz, Lake Superior, p. 267; Dumeril, Hist. [tfat. Poiss., ii, p. 151, pi. 17. Acipenser car J) onarius. — Agassiz, La