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Iiiteniational Fisheries Exhibition

LONDON, 1883

ON THE

CULTURE OF SALMONIDAE

AND THE

ACCLIMATIZATION OF FISH

Sir JAMES RAMSAY GIBSON MAITLAND, Bart.

LONDON
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, Limited

INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION
AND 13 CHARING CROSS, S.W.

1883

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International Fisheries Exhibitiofi^

LONDON, 1883.

Conference on Thursday, June 21, 1883.

The Chair was taken at \ i o'clock by the Marquis of
Exeter, who, after referring to the Inaugural Address by
Professor Huxley, and the Paper by H.R.H. the Duke
of Edinburgh, said the Conference would to-day be
invited to give their attention to another branch of the
great question of our fisheries, one which, though nearer
home, and perhaps less exciting — for it involved no danger
to either life or limb — was of great importance, and to
many persons formed a most interesting pursuit. He
alluded to the attempts which had been made to increase
the value of our fisheries by artificial breeding and by
importation ; and they were "much favoured in having the
subject opened with a Paper by Sir James G. Maitland,
Bart, who had devoted a great deal of time and energy to
fish culture.

Sir James G. Maitland then read his paper as follows :

THE CULTURE OF SALMONIDAE AND
THE ACCLIMATIZATION OF FRESH-
WATER FISH.

The culture of Salmonidae properly understood embraces
not only their artificial propagation, but also the production
0/ their food ; the regulation of their ascent to their spawn-
ing beds and of their descent to their feeding grounds ; the
manner of their capture and their rapid and economic con-

ij 2

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■^

vcyance to market ; just as much as the culture of corn is
understood to mean not merely the sowing, but every step
from the preparation of the seed bed to the marketing of

the harvest.

The acclimatization of freshwater fish I will consider
with special reference to the Salmonidac, and attempt to
foreshadow the results of the importation of some of the
best known foreign species.

Artificial Propagation.

The artificial propagation of the Salmonidae is still in its
infancy, but the bearing it has on their cultivation in the
future is so important, I propose to commence this paper
with a short description of the process, and explanation of
the principles which are involved in the selection of a site
for, and in the erection of, a hatchery.

The Hatchery.

The most important requisite for the hatching house is
pure water ; it is indeed to a hatchery what coal is to a
. steam-engine, all hatching apparatus of whatever kind
being merely mechanical devices for extracting and trans-
ferring from it the greatest amount of energy to the ova.

Water.

Water in its natural state is frequently unsuitable for the
earlier processes in fish culture. It is subject to great
variations of temperature ; it is rendered muddy by rain,
and occasionally it is impregnated with lime or mineral to
a fatal extent. Water in Great Britain, taken from a
natural river even but a lew miles from its source, is
generally so contaminated with pollutions resulting from

civilization as to be unsuitable not only lor the delicate ova
and fry, but also for mature Salmonidae.

River water, however, if unpolluted and not overcharged
with sediment, can generally by an expensive system of
settling tanks be rendered safe for hatching purposes, and
the alevins from ova incubated in river water in Scotland
commencing to feed at a late period in the spring obtain
much natural sustenance. Filtered water cannot be used
with good results in a hatchery. The brst filters deprive
water of all animal life, while inferior filters cannot be run
for si.x months continuously without great risk either of
their fouling or passing an uncertain supply, especially
where they have to contend with leaves and heavy frosts.
Spring water is more equitable in temperature, generally
free from sediment, and not liable to rapid fluctuation in
the supply, but as the ova hatch out earlier the fry are
entirely dependent for some months on artificial food.
Taking everything into consideration, spring water should
be used for the permanent supply to the hatching house,
care being taken that it contains nothing in solution dele-
terious to the embryo, and of this, experience is the only
safe guide ; but it is very important that a supply of river
water for summer use be also laid on, otherwise the fry
must be removed from the trays four or five weeks after
they commence feeding.

Temperature.

The average temperature of the water during the period
of incubation fixes the length of that period, which varies
in Scotland from 70 to 150 days. I formerly considered
41° Fah. as the best average temperature, Salmon eggs
hatching in 97 days, while fungus does not grow readily,
byssus taking from three to four days to generate to a

dant,'crou- extent on the dead ovum, and the saprolcgoncl
hardly appearing at all, at least on the charred surfaces of
the hatching boxes ; but I now find by using a larger flow
of water through the trays, and by increasing the flow
during the latter stages of incubation, that with a tempera-
ture of 45° Fah., fully 99 P'-"'- cent, of Loch Leven Trout
ova can be hatched into healthy well-formed alcvins, and
very nearly as good results with the eggs of the Salmo
Salar, the dififerencc being probably due to the difficulty
of obtaining perfect impregnation in the case of ova taken

from wild fish.

Spring water seldom varies more than a few degrees
even in very cold weather, and where it is used the
duration of the hatching period can be accurately ap-
proximated, which is often a great convenience.

At Howietoun in the winter of 1878-79, river water fell
within a degree of freezing, and remained there for three
months, so that Trout ova took 105 days from being
spawned to the first appearance of red blood, which
marks the middle of the period of incubation.

The quantity of water required in the process of incu-
bation depends partly on the number of eggs, partly on
the temperature of the water, and partly on the hatching
apparatus used, but as I have hitherto only attained the
very best results by the grille and tray system in the
incubation of the eggs of Salmon and Trout, I will con-
sider the water supply solely with reference to it, merely
remarking that the quantity used in this system is greater
than in any other ; the result of eight seasons' experience
has been in favour of the supply of not less than ten
gallons a minute for every hundred thousand Lochleven
Trout ova , about a third more for Salmon ova, and only
a fourth of the quantity for the same number of Fontinalis

ilcRoncl
•faces of
ger flow
he flow
cmpcra-
n Trout
nns, and
c Sal mo
difficulty
va taken

degrees
ised the
itely ap-

vater fell
for three
)m being
d, which

5 of incu-
partly on
: hatching
;ained the
sm in the
will con-
it, merely
is greater
experience
than ten
Lochleven
I, and only
■ Fontinalis

ova. A very much smaller supply will suffice during the
earlier stages of incubation, but it is absolutely necessary
to be able at any moment to command a sufTicicnt supply
in case of emergencies, such as are frequently occasioned
by frost or by unusually warm wcither.

Next only in importance to the water itself arc the con-
nections between the source and the hatchery. In making
the connection with the spring it is safest to follow the
spring a few feet below ground and fill in the hole with
large stones. Where many small springs require to be
tapped, a collecting well should be dug, lined with rough
masonry, into which all the springs can be led ; the con-
nection to the hatchery from this well should be made by
leading a glazed spigot and faucit pipe to the point nearest
the hatchery, which will give sufficient pressure to feed the
whole house by gravitation ; here another small well, also
lined with masonry, must be constructed, and from it a
metal pipe (as fireclay will not stand much pressure) led
into the hatchery, this arrangement keeps all the pipes
underground, where they are safe.

The connection with the stream to bring in river water is
not so simple, the greatest care must be exercised to secure
a constant supply, and the difficulty of forming a perma-
nent and perfectly safe connection is always very great.
Leaves and debris are in some streams very troublesome,
and ice at the beginning of a frost is a serious source of
danger, floating against the screen or grating, and freezing
to it. I once lost 300,000 Lochleven Trout ova from this
cause. The winter had been unusually severe, the thermo-
meter for several weeks never rose above 25° Fah., but at
the beginning of February a thaw set in, and by the 1st of
March every trace of ice had disappeared. The stream
which fed the Fishery was in spate, and one of my hatching

houses is situated within the works, the water supply
being obtained from a 20-ft. plank pond, used in winter
as a settling tank, and whose feeder is supplied by a
lo-in. pipe from the main inlet works. These in their turn
are supplied by a sluice in a coffer-dam, and guarded by
a screen placed nearly parallel to the surface, formed of
perforated zinc in summer and of wooden slats | inch
apart in winter. The wooden frame had been removed on
the 3rd of March, when the temperature fell suddenly to
12° Fah., and the thin ice floating down the surface of the
stream clogged the perforated zinc screen, and froze into
a solid mass, entirely stopping the supply of the works ;
the water in the hatching trays unfortunately had been
lowered two days before to increase the current so as to
keep the eggs cleaner during the spate. The water fell in
the boxes sufficiently to pardally expose the eggs, these just
showing the coloured globules which precede the formation
of the red blood, and a thin film of ice formed on all the
esGfs. A few hours afterwards the screen was relieved, and
the eggs thawed out by a gentle current of water. For a
week no bad symptoms were visible, then several thousand
turned white ; in a month it was evident that, although
few more eggs had actually died, most of them had made
no further progress, and the few which showed a distinctly
formed embryo only proved how thorough had been the
work of destruction : the ice had squeezed all vitality out
of my baby Trout.

The stoppage of water by the screen being clogged with
thin ice is frequently an invisible danger. It cannot occur
when the stream is frozen entirely over, as the thin ice only
travels on the surface, and when it comes against the screen
is held there by the suction of the water in the same way in
which a leaf is (this, of course, must not be confounded with

/ater supply
ed in winter
pplied by a

in their turn

guarded by
e, formed of

slats I inch
I removed on
[ suddenly to
iurface of the
id froze into
if the works ;
;ly had been
rent so as to
water fell in
fgs, these just
the formation
id on all the

relieved, and
/ater. For a
eral thousand
hat, although
em had made
:d a distinctly
had been the
.11 vitality out

clogged with
: cannot occur
5 thin ice only
nst the screen
i same way in
ifounded with

the screen freezing up from insufficiency of water, which
only occurs at a more advanced period of the frost) ; the
stoppage, moreover, is temporary, for as soon as the tem-
perature rises, or the stream freezes entirely across, the
cause is removed, and the water soon clears the passage
for itself, but in this lies the very essence of the danger,
namely, that the water may have been off the works for a
few hours, and the eggs exposed to frost, and in the morn-
ing everything seems as usual, and the cause of the eggs
dying, perhaps a week afterwards, entirely unsuspected. It
is not advisable to place any hake or screen guarding the
inlet perpendicular to the water, as leaves, &c., will collect
in great quantities, and although fir branches laid in front
generally prevent the water being entirely cut off, the
amount of cleaning and watching is considerable, and a
certain risk will always exist.

A leaf screen made of perforated zinc laid nearly
parallel with the surface of the water is probably the safest
way of making a connection with an open river ; if pro-
perly placed, any debris collecting on the screen, so soon
as it begins to reduce the flow, is washed off by the upper
current, and the supply after having passed through the
zinc screen can be led into a small collecting well, and
thence piped to the Hatching-house.

The Hatchery itself should be substantially built on
sound foundations, brick and concrete being probably the
best materials to use ; . ventilation, light, and protection
from frost are the principal objects in construction ; and
above all things the drains must be sufficient and rat-proof.
Keeping these points in view, the situation of the Hatchery
should be governed by the water supply. The house also
should be as large as possible, as very much better work
can be done in a few central establishments than in many

v.wia»ic^*»a'«Bgp»»^ig«gar»ig.'twwy aA^t.>ii J ww^ jmi"- ' ii" |

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small ones. Eggs both tresh and eyed are so easily and
safely transported that distance from the spawning streams
is of far less consequence than proximity to a first-class
railway station, from which the distribution of the fry can

be readily effected.

The extreme importance of properly constructed and
efficiently controlled Hatcheries must be my excuse for
having dwelt so long on this portion in the paper, especially
as a very prevalent and to many a very pleasant idea is that
every watershed in the country should teem with small
Hatching-houses, and that the water should be stocked with
the improperly developed eccentricities so freely produced
by dirt, ignorance, and overcrowding.

Apparatus.
The apparatus employed in hatching Salmonidae must
necessarily vary with the species, temperature of water in
hatching, and the character of the waters it is proposed to
stock. The principal object is not to incubate the largest
number of eggs in a given space, but to so incubate the ova
that at some future period-for instance, twelve months
after laying down the ova-the largest number of healthy
fish may result ; and I say this advisedly, for it is quite
possible to hatch a very large percentage of the ova, and yet
a very small percentage of the fry survive the first few weeks
after they commence feeding. With a low temperature,
and where the ova have to be sent away either as eyed ova,
or the fry to be turned out before the conclusion of the yolk
sac period, a very much larger number of Salmon and Trout
eggs can be incubated per gallon of water per minute with-
out any apparent loss than is possible in this country with
a high temperature of water and with fry under constant
observation for months after they commence leeding.

ily and
streams
st-class
fry can

:ed and
;use for
pecially
1 is that
h small
:ed with
reduced

dae must
water in
iposed to
e largest
e the ova
; months
f healthy
: is quite
a, and yet
few weeks
iperature,
eyed ova,
if the yolk
and Trout
nute with-
untry with
r constant
ling.

At Howictoun I use boxes, each of which will rear 15,000
Lochlcven Trout fry for five or six months after hatching, and
this without any appreciable loss, but I do not care to lay
down more than 20,000 eggs on the grilles in each box, the
size of the egg being 35,000 to the gallon. I find that if the
eggs are laid down any thicker than this there is a decided
difference in the vitality of the alevins and feeding powers

of the fry,

I will now consider the Hatchery as a factor in the culti-
vation of migratory Salmonidje, restricting myself for the
present to those species placed by Dr. Gunther in the
group Salmones either with a wide geographical range, as
Salar, Trutta, and Cambracus, or limited to Great Britain
and Ireland, as Brachypoma and Gallivensis, merely point-
ing out that while touching on the general conditions
common to the increase of the above named species, the ex-
termination of the Bull Trout on the Tweed and the Sea
Trout on the Forth forms a very serious point to discuss in
treating of the culture of the Salmon, and that the best results
can only be obtained by the careful protection and arti-
ficial production of the species best suited to each particular
district. The objects here are to increase Salmones whose
pastures are in the sea, and whose nurseries are in the rivers.

The size of the river has no fixed relation to the number
and weight of fish caught in its estuary and contiguous sea-
board, and if a very large number of smolts were annually
turned in immediately above the tidal waters the stock of
Salmones would be increased by a proportion of the number
turned in, fixed only by the conditions of food and of
natural enemies in the estuary and adjoining sea. I do not
mean to say for an instant that all the fish reaching
maturity would return or attempt to return to the mouth of
the river in which they were liberated assniolts, but I think

. ---%«^lf»S^^^CI^SB»9e^M»S)

L-

that the evidence tends to show that most of them would do
so. The question at this point resolves itself into a matter
of pounds, shillings, and pence. Salmon smolts of two years
old can now be raised at less than sixpence apiece, and
Salmon in the estuary on their return are probably worth on
an average five shillings each ; rent and the expense of nets,
wages, and rates probably add another five shillings, of course
if there was a much increased take the proportion to each
fish would be less and all the fish that return to the estuary
are not caught, but it will be sufficient for our purpose if we
assume that a Salmon on his road to destruction is worth
while still free five shillings two years after it has been
liberated as a smolt ; if, therefore, lo per cent, of the smolts
turned in are caught two years afterwards no profit will
result, for the increase would only equal the first cost, and
the interest on the outlay would be nil.

The old idea in this country was to turn out young fish big
enough (and big enough does not necessarily mean suffi-
ciently educated) to take care of themselves. The results
from the Stormontfield experiment at first, when everything
was new and in working order, were sufficiently marked, but
they have not been permanent, and if pisciculture had
achieved no more, Salmon culture, in this country at least,
would be an interesting exotic, with magnificent results in
some cases, far oftener with none ; but fortunately it is not
necessary to depend on two year-old smolts for the future
increase of our Salmon fisheries. Mr. Spencer Baird, who
I am glad to see so ably represented at this Exhibition, in
a letter to the Commission of Fisheries of the Dominion of
Canada, refers to the magnificent increase of Salmon in
California, an increase in five years from five to fifteen million
pound weight in one river, an expenditure of merely two
million Salmon fry per annum, which in this country

aec^ipTi^BsrwBPW-KetfiKiaBrwaw

awnuwuMMWWiWH

X-

would entail less than a thousand a year after making a full
allowance for all expenses. But stocking with fry or with
smolts is but a small portion of the great question ; parts of
some of our Salmon rivers are too fouled by pollution
to rear fry after they are liberated ; it is only by adapt-
ing the means to the end that Salmon culture can reach
the highest degree of success. In many parts of the country
where the pollution is only moderate, we can meet it by taking
advantage of the pure water above or by turning smolts in
directly above the tidal waters, but I am certain the surest
remedy for pollution is to make pure water pay. It is easier
to shake an industry to its foundation than to put some-
thing better in its place, and if, through fish culture, pure
streams and more plentiful food would displace the black
.sewers of our midlands without the intervention of harassing
legislation, fish culturists will not have laboured in vain.

The next important point in Salmon culture is a con-
sideration of the mode of stocking. The watershed must
first be carefully surveyed, and the quantity of natural
feeding for young fry, yearlings, and smolts estimated.
Where clear spring water can be obtained close to gravelly
shallows suitable for alevins, the most economical and
efficacious manner of stocking is to cut narrow ditches just
above flood water mark, fill in with gravel, and sew down
eyed ova a few days from hatching, cover over with
branches, and leave alone.

Where no springs exist young fry a few weeks after
commencing to feed should be turned into the gravelly
ripples, but where the stream is too sluggish or too large to
be safe for fry, yearling fish can be turned in in spring as
soon as the kelts are out of the water, but smolts should
only be used immediately above the tidal water.

The temperature, hardness of water, earthy particles in

suspension, rainfall, &c., must be carefully studied in
connection with turning in the young salmon, but with a
little experience ultimate success is assured.

The Hatchery can supply eyed ova for the redds and fry
for the shallows, and ponds should be constructed near tho
Hatching-house for yearlings, but where it is necessary to
stock with smolts ponds for the purpose must be constructed
near the head of the estuary, as the carriage of two-year-old
samlets is neither easy nor economical. The time that inter-
venes between the smolt just entering the tidal water and
its first return towards the river varies considerably on the
east coast of Scotland ; two summers may sometimes inter-
vene, and we must be careful not to assume that all fish
return or attempt to return in the grilse stage, for I have
found in the case of the Lochleven Trout only a small
proportion spawn in the corresponding state.

But whatever the time is we know that his growth is most
rapid, and his sea food must be studied before much further
advance can be made in Salmon culture ; garvies and young
herring probably form a great portion of his food, but what-
ever it be his paths in the sea are as well marked, and to
some fishermen, alas, as well known, as in the river.

Trammels in the sea are successfully dropped by east
coast fishing boats on their way out and lifted on their
return. The food of Salmon at sea may possibly be
influenced by the modes of fishing. Boats year by year go
farther north and farther to sea for their Herrings; the
fishing grounds are slowly but surely receding from the
shore. It is too early yet to foreshadow the results, it may
be that food inshore grows more plentiful now that the
Herrings are further out, or it may be that the Herrings are
further out because the inshore food has decreased, it may
be, and to a certain extent it must be, a matter of changing

•a^ggri^^^tUfiStPi^tir**^

i^^tatif** HKiiwWafi'iii •» "r^*»ff

ptmtkA'fntsm-^'mnaUm

currents and temperatures ; but what I wish to impress in
this paper is that the sea food of the migratory Salmones
forms a very necessary preliminary study to the great
question of Sahnon culture.

A diagram expressing the art of Salmon culture would
contain no broad, hard, rectangular lines, no vivid colouring
easy to be understood, but flowing curves traced by the ever
varying intensity of the now few now many circumstances
whose combination constitute the problem of the migratory
Salmones. Temperature and food are here, as with the non-
migratory species, the principal factors. The modes of
capture and obstructions in rivers also weigh heavily against
the increase of Salmon. But when one of our watersheds is
sufficiently artificially stocked so that the advantages of the
process are brought clearly and directly before the public an
alteration in the modes of legal capture will assuredly follow.

Of obstructions in the river it is difficult to treat ; many
upper proprietors prefer good Trout fishing to the pleasure
of dragging about a few kelts in spring, and it cannot be
too strongly impressed that Trout are most destructive to
Salmon spawn, and that Salmon in their turn are after
spawning most destructive to Trout.

I am aware it is very commonly held that Salmon do not
feed in fresh water, probably because in common with all
large-ovaed Salmonidae the ovaries for from two to eight
weeks completely fill the cavity of the abdomen, and should
the fish yield to hunger during this time the freshly
swallowed food causes the immediate extrusion of the ova.

If Salmon never fed in fresh water a well-mended kelt
would be a superfluous expression in the parlance of
fishermen.

The deduction as to kelts in certain parts of the rivers is
obvious.

Obstructions in the river will interfere little with young
fish artificially bred descending to the sea, although they are
often fatal to the ascent of spawning fish. Returning to the
artificial propagation of salmon, the selection of breeders is
very important, eggs from young fish being far smaller m
size and the fry hatched from them more delicate than is
the case with ova spawned from mature breeders. I think
it therefore necessary that the Salmon should be caught and
selected so soon as the rod fishing closes, as by selecting the
best hen fish the future stock of the water will be much

improved.

The non-migratory Salmones in this country are
classed by Doctor Gunther under the following species—
S. Fario : Ferox : Gilleroo Nigri-pinnis ; Orcadensis and
Levenensis, but probably with the exception of the
S. Levenensis, which more nearly approaches a marine form,
these are all more or less permanent varieties of Fario ; and
their fry, at least those produced under artificial conditions,
are more easily reared than the fry of the migratory species.
Their cultivation may be said to consist in the selection of the
oldest females for breeding purposes, in the artificial incuba-
tion of the ova and the rearing of the fry ; beyond this their
culture resolves itself into a question of habitat and food, of
habitat by choosing the species or variety best suited to the
ends in view, and of food, for it is only by increasing the
food supply in the water that the heaviest weight per acre
and the most delicate quality of the flesh can be produced.
The cultivation of the food supply in fresh water is effected
by the reduction of coarse consumers of food who come in
competition with the Salmones, by the cultivation, intro-
duction, and acclimatization of fish whose value as food
for Salmones is greater than the value of the sustenance
they themselves derive from the water, as, for instance, the

Char of Loch Rannoch, who subsist almost entirely on the
daphnJE pulix. The smelt, and some of the white fish also,
may be the link in the chain which will bind the land-locked
salmon to our northern lakes, and prove a very disturbing
weight in the scales on the side of the upper proprietors on
waters now tenanted by the migratory Salmonidae. I have
only just commenced the construction of a botanical pond
to enable me to study water plants as herbage for molluscs,
shelter for grammari, and the natural production of myriads
of onfromostrica. On the sea-shore of the Western High-
lands if the kelp be not regularly cut, or in other words
rudely cultivated, for cutting is most assuredly a process in
cultivation, the whelks and bukies decrease on account of
the want of the young tender shoots of seaweed, and the
fishing in the neighbourhood is sensibly diminished.

From- this it is easy to understand what a great future
may be- opened out by the systematic culture of water
plants in our inland waters.

Food limits the culture of non-migratory Salmonidae,
therefore our study must be where to grow it, how to groj
it, when to grow it, and what to grow. In lakes some
shoal swimming fish is essential to the growth of the large
species of non-migrating Salmonidae. Since the Char have
disappeared from Lochleven in the first quarter of the pre-
sent century, the ten pound Trout in that loch have passed
into the realms of romance.

Acclimatization here steps in ; either the freshwater Smelt
of America or our own Osmerus eperlanus, which I have
successfully hatched and am now rearing in fresh water,
if introduced into a Highland loch, for instance. Loch Tay[
would enable it to carry a very heavy crop of some of the
larger inland species, for instance, the landlocked Salmon
of Loch Werner in Sweden, or the S. Sebago of America •

but we must not conclude that the acclimatisation of every
species is in all cases desirable, for if the Black Bass were
introduced into the Tay. and the Pike Perch allowed to
sport wherever he listed, even were the sport with the new
comers at all commensurate with the highly-coloured
descriptions which we have read, it will hardly compensate
for a troutless river, and a salmonless estuary. There may
be parts of the country where the Pike Perch would form,
a desirable addition to the local fauna, but I cannot conceive
the Black Bass, who is only at his best in waters essentially
fitted for Salmonidae, to be other than a most dangerous
intruder The Colorado beetle boasts, I believe, of a special
Act of Parliament, and I do think the introduction ol
strange and dangerous species of fish should only be
attempted under State control.

The S. Sebago, should he retain in this country his non-
migratory instincts, would probably be a splendid fish for
the Thames, and if used in the upper parts of the Severn
would introduce a new and important element in the
question of the respective rights of upper and lower pro-
prietors. It is not for the public good that this should be
done for this fish would probably be able to hold the
spawning grounds from all comers, and a rapid decrease of
the migratory species would be the result, and if it be urged
that a lake species would not localize itself to the upper
portions of our larger rivers, still if crossed with a British
■ variety, such as S. Levenenses, it in all probability would
do so. The acclimatization of the Corregoni. of which there
are many species, all of which can be easily transported as
alevins in my opinion, only to be considered as a factor in
the production of food for more valuable Salmonidae. If
we had the great American lakes, no doubt the large white
fish of Canada would, if introduced, form a valuable article

'■ «'g < j i Jiy ii»*¥«at*w>ya

of every
iss were
owed to
the new
coloured
npensate
lere may
uld form.
; conceive
ssentially
langerous
a special
uction ot
only be

\f his non-
id fish for
he Severn
nt in the
ower pro-
should be

hold the
lecrease of
it be urged
the upper
\ a British
ility would
ivhich there
nsported as

a factor in
lonidae. If
large white
table article

of popular food, but our space in this island is too con-
fined to enable us to deal with other than the best we can
have, and I doubt, except in a few solitary cases, if any of
the Corregoni fall under this head.

The introduction of Golden Tench and the varieties of
Carp are not considered in this paper, as the acclimatization
of fishes has been treated merely in relation to Sal-
monidae,

DISCUSSION.

Mr. WiLMOT (Commissioner for Canada) said he rose
with great pleasure to move a vote of thanks to Sir James
Maitland for the very lucid and instructive Paper he had
read, for he felt satisfied that much benefit would be
derived from it. He was a deep lover of the science of
fish culture, believing it to be one of the means by which
the population of the earth hereafter would derive much
benefit in the way of food and wealth. It was well known
that the waters of almost every country which had been
largely inhabited had become very scarce of fish, but this
result was brought about by the greed and avarice of
mankind almost entirely, not in consequence of the pre-
datory habits of other fish which frequented the same
waters. In any new country an abundance of fish was to
be found in the rivers and waters, showing that the balance
of nature was evidently correct ; that though fish fed on
fish, they did not exterminate one another; but the moment
man stepped in with his engines of destruction, the fish
were reduced to such an extent that this great Inter-
national Exhibition had been established for the purpose
of devising means whereby this description of food could
be increased. He regretted to find that, to some extent.

c 2

there was a difference of opinion with regard to the means
to be adopted to this end. but. for his part, he advocated
the protection of fish in every possible way. as well as of
assistance to those engaged in artificial production In
Canada this subject was of very great importance. I was
now some years ago since artificial culture was mtroduced
by himself, with the recognition of the Government and
now they stood second to no other country with regard to .t
The number of Salmon they turned out annually was not
exceeded by any other country in the world. During the
last two years from thirty-five to forty millions of Salmomdae
had been turned into the waters of Canada through the
artificial process, and, though there were no doubt sceptics
and others who were inimical to the science of fish cu ture,
he thought that could only arise from ignorance of the
benefits to be derived from it. At first sight it seemed
extraordinary that fish could be produced by artificial
means ; but it was a most simple process when understood.
Fish were so prolific, that man with a little ingenuity could
produce from them far more than nature could herself,
because it was a well-known fact that large quantities of
the eggs of the fish family were destroyed by other spec.es.
This was the ordained law ; it was intended that fish
should live on fish, 'because if all the eggs of fish were
permitted to hatch out. there would be no room in the
waters for them. Consequently, nature had provided wisely
that fish should live on one another, and this being the
case large numbers of ova must be consumed. Under
artiicial culture, however, where the egg was protected
from its enemies, a larger percentage could be brought o
maturity than by the natural process. Hence, if it could
be shown that 75 per cent, of the eggs could produce -ing
fish the system o ,jht to be encouraged by all intelligent

le means
dvocatcd
rcU as of
tion. In
It was
itroduccd
nent, and
gard to it.
\{ was not
luring the
almonidae
rough the
)t sceptics
sh culture,
ice of the
it seemed
\f artificial
inderstood.
luity could
jld herself,
lantities of
lier species.

I that fish
f fish were
3om in the
ided wisely
} being the
ed. Under
,s protected

brought to
;, if it could
oduce living

II intelligent

people. Sir James Maitland had gone into the lii *tter in
a most lucid and instructive manner, and 'here was no
doubt that when the Paper was disseminated it would do
a vast amount of good. The only difficulty that ^c ^.uv
was, that it did not appear to go hand in hand with the
ideas of some scientific gentlemen, who maintained that
protection was not necessary to some of our fish. lie
contended, however, that if an intelligent country con-
sidered fish culture of service at all, it should also adopt
every possible mode of protecting the fish. It would be
no use for a pisciculturist to trouble himself to reproduce
fish in great numbers if the intelligence and legislation of
the country did not protect that which had been produced,
and if every one were allowed to fish without any control.
It seemed to him, therefore, that it behoved all who were
interested in this matter to join in every possible measure
to enhance the production of fish, either by natural or
artificial means, and also to protect the fish afterwards.
Nearly every civilized country possessed laws for the
purpose of protecting fish ; and when some gentlemen
came forward and said that fish could not be exterminated,
the consequence must be that all these protective laws
were a mistake, and that every one should be allowed to
kill and cat as he pleased. He maintained, on the other
hand, that it was the duty of the legislature of every
intelligent country to suppress intemperance of all kinds,
not only in the matter of liquids, but in killing fish ; and
to pass judicious laws for the benefit of mankind. If any
law were more judicious than another, it was that the
waters .should be protected from the inordinate destruction
of man, in order that fish might be produced in larger
numbers, both as a luxury for the rich and for the benefit
of the poor. He felt that he was treading on somewhat

■ > iW^BOli IJBLW- liWMAwii'lWUUTiliOTKiai

delicate ground in giving expression to these sentiments ;
but as this was the first opportunity he had had, he felt it
his duty to express publicly the strong conviction which he
entertained on this subject.

Professor HuXLEY begged leave to second the vote of
thanks which had been so well moved by his friend
Mr. Wilmot. Unfortunately, he had not had an oppor-
tunity of seeing Sir James Maitland's establishment at
Howietown, but he had frequently been favoured by
reading and hearing what he had done, and thus had the
means of knowing not only the nature of his operations,
but what was to his mind the singularly precise and
accurate scientific spirit which he had brought to his work,
and it was the secret of the very remarkable success he has
obtained. In this matter, as in all biological questions, the
secret of success lay in attention to minute details, and
that was really the moral of the Paper. You must, in the
first place, be able to comprehend precisely — which very
few people did— the exceeding complexity of natural
conditions, and then you must know how to carry into
practice all the precautions necessary to meet the variation
in those conditions. He could not recommend anyone who
was endeavouring to acquaint himself with natural history
to take up a more useful and valuable study than that of
the manner in which Sir James Maitland had carried out
his operations with regard to fish ciilture. He dwelt upon
this point the more because, since the time — some forty
years ago — when M. Coste first popularised the notion of
fish culture, the idea became prevalent that you only had
to carry out artificial impregnation, or the collection of
spat in the case of Oysters, and the thing was done. He
need not say what disappointment those who first experi-
mented in the matter of Oyster culture were destined to

' ' tis I I . ' ;m,M---ii«nu— I I' !

; sentiments;
lad, he felt it
:ion which he

1 the vote of
»y his friend
id an oppor-
.blishment at
favoured by
thus had the
is operations,
■ precise and
t to his work,
success he has
questions, the
e details, and
1 must, in the
Y — which very
:y of natural
to carry into
t the variation
id anyone who
latural history
y than that of
ad carried out
ie dwelt upon
e — some forty
the notion of
t you only had
e collection of
vas done. He
lo first experi-
sre destined to

undergo ; that was a matter recorded not only in the minds
but the pockets of a large number of persons. The same
considerations applied to all forms of fish culture, and
unless those who undertook it were prepared to work at it
with that happy combination of science and practice which
was exemplified in the case of Sir James Maitland, dis-
appointment would await their efibrts, as it had those of
many persons who had attempted the same process. For
himself, he did not take very rosy views of the value of
protection pure and simple for sea fisheries, but perhaps
he was all the more inclined to attach especial value to
thoroughly well considered and scientific fish culture. He
was inclined to think that it was in this direction we must
look, and not to measures of inefficient protection, for the
ultimate preservation of our fisheries. This was not the
time to discuss the point, but he gathered from Mr.
Wilmot's remarks that there was some extremely wicked
person who had been saying that protection was of no use
in Salmon fisheries; that people should be allowed to
destroy anything and everything they liked ; but anybody
who heard the remarks he had ventured to ofier at the first
Conference would be aware that he, at any rate, was not
one of those wicked persons. No one had insisted more
strenuously than he had done on the absolute necessity for
the most careful protection for those sea fisheries in which
protection could be shown to be efficient, and if any one
were prepared to show that measures of protection as
efficient as those which were adopted in the Salmon
fisheries, and which must be enforced unless the Salmon
fishes were to be destroyed, would be equally efficient in
the case of any of the sea fisheries, by all means let them
be adopted, and no one would be a stronger advocate for
protection than he should be ; but, until it was made clear

that the regulations were efficient, that you were really
doing something for the fishery, and not burdening the
fishermen with useless and vexatious regulations, it would
be better to leave the question of protecting sea fisherie-:
alone.

Mr. Brady (Inspector of Irish Fisheries) said he might
say a word on the question of the protection of Salmon
fisheries, as compared with the protection of sea fisheries.
He belonged to the sister country, and they had had a
great deal of experience with regard to the protection of
both sea fisheries and Salmon fisheries. There were very
valuable fisheries in Ireland, and a series of Acts of Parlia-
ment had been passed for their protection, though pre-
viously to 1848 there was no machinery for putting them
in force. The Act of 1848, however, gave the machinery,
and imposed licence duties on all engines used for the
capture of Salmon ; the amount of revenue thus derived
being over ;^ 10,000 per annum, and the effect had been
that within his own official experience the Salmon fisheries
had increased from about ;^ 2* 000 a year to nearly ;f 6,000.
With regard to sea fisheries, although he was as great an
advocate as Mr. Wilmot could be for the protection of any
industry where it was required, he quite agreed with Pro-
fessor Huxley that if there was any doubt whatever about
the effectiveness of legislation, he should not hamper
fishermen by restrictions which might be perfectly useless.
The Act of 1842 gave power to the Commissioners in
Ireland to impose restrictions on sea fisheries as well as
Salmon fisheries, and certain restrictions were placed in
certain bays on certain modes of fishing, particularly
trawling. In one bay the restrictions were introduced in
1843, and were continued till 1862. At that time a change
in the Government took place, new ideas came in, and an

mnriiMtiMWM

inquiry was held as to the advantages derived from these
restrictive bye-laws in this particular bay, the result of
which was that the late Sir Richard Griffith, as Chairman
of the Commission, resolved to put an end to these restric-
tions, and this was done much against the wish of those
who opposed trawling. The effect had been that all
classes of fishing in that bay had greatly improved. There
was another bay where the same restrictions against
trawling were imposed in the same year, and had remained
to this day, and at the present time the fisheries there were
more deteriorated than they were fifty years ago, when
trawling was first interfered with. It would no doubt be
asked, Why did he not repeal that bye-law.? Well, he
certainly was inclined to repeal it, and invited the trawlers
to give evidence on the point ; but they did not come
forward, and therefore there was no power for the Com-
missioners to act.

Dr. Day said he did not think the remarks of Mr. Brady
had much to do with the subject in hand, for he could
not help thinking he had given opinions in the place of
reasons, and statements in the place of facts. Certainly
trawling might be going on and fisheries might improve,
but who that knew anything about fishing would admit
that because you secured a number of fish you must be
improving fisheries? Acting on that principle, if you
killed all the fish you would be improving the fisheries.
He could not see that trawling could by any possibility
improve fisheries in a bay, unless it killed certain carni-
vorous fish ; however, this question would come forward
at another time, when it could be more fully discussed.
With regard to the Paper of Sir James Maitland, he would
remark that that gentleman had taken up a position which
was assumed by the Government in most foreign countries ;

he had, at his own expense, kept hatcheries and fisheries,
which in almost every civilized country were carried on
by Government officials. If they were told that a person
who drew a fish out of the water was entitled to the thanks
of the community for adding to the food of the people, how
much more was he entitled to gratitude who spent his
time and money in increasing the number of young fish,
and so augmenting the food supply of the population at
large? Another question of some importance was this
Whom had they to thank for the present condition of
fisheries > Why those who made such large profits destroy-
ing the Salmon by polluting the rivers. If the legislature
permitted these things, surely it was bound to give some
assistance to fisheries by adding to the supply of young
fish, to make up for those that were destroyed. Sir James
Maitland'was carrying out investigations which no doubt
would be of great benefit to fisheries ; he was trying
experiments on hybridisation of fish. With regard to
land-locked Salmon, it might or might not remain m the
upper waters of the river if there was no large lake to
which it could have access. Also the question arose, if you
crossed the Trout and the Salmon, whether the young
would be sterile, and if they could not breed, would they
develop the propensity of going down to the sea. If the fish
remained in the upper waters of upper riparian proprietors,
would they have the means of getting a breed of fish which
they could keep to some extent to themselves? At present
the lower riparian proprietors on some rivers were catching
the largest proportion of the Salmon, whilst the upper
riparian proprietors were like clucking hens who were
hatching eggs and letting the fish down to destruction.
With reference to the acclimatization of fish. Sir James
Maitland had given a warning which ought to be taken

■iUi

i,ima^;j^jii3ttmgJ'''iTii' m- \ rt-^-"^-"^^"*^^^^^

isheries,
tried on
a person
e thanks
pie, how
pent his
ung fish,
lation at
ivas this,
dition of
destroy-
:gislature
five some
of young
5ir James
no doubt
as trying
regard to
ain in the
;e lake to
ose, if you
he young
rould they
If the fish
iroprietors,
fish which
At present
re catching
the upper
who were
iestruction.
Sir James
o be taken

to heart. There were many who would introduce new
kinds of fish to our waters, for three reasons ; one, that they
were good for sport to our anglers ; secondly, that like the
Gold Tench, they were pretty ; and thirdly, that they were
useful. Now he must confess he thought the Black Bass
was too rapacious a fish to be introduced. They heard the
other day of a wonderful collection of fish in the sea, and if
science would only point out any enormous piece of water
in which this Black Bass could prey on slioals of fish as
large in quantity as the Cod off Lofoden Island, where
they were told 120 million existed in one mile, then the
Black Bass might be introduced, but until these localities
were found it would be as well to be cautious.

Mr. Willis Bund said he knew a gentleman on the
Severn who had for some years, at great expense, hatched
a large number of fish and turned them into the water.
This year, owing to some local jealousies, as soon as ever
the fish were turned out, a considerable quantity of lime
was put into the water, and the fish were killed. Of course
that was an offence which could be dealt with and punished,
but there was another kind of offence, glanced at in the
Paper, which they were wholly powerless to prevent, and of
which they had an instance only lately. A gentleman had
spent a large sum in artificially breeding and in bringing a
Trout stream to a very high state of efficiency, when a
neighbour of his placed in the stream a bucketful of young
Pike. Of course he could not more effectually have
destroyed the work of years, but he was guilty of no legal
offence whatever. ' He therefore considered the hint given
in the Paper was very valuable, that some provision should
be made to prevent rapacious fish being introduced into
water not suited for them. Every water should be made
to produce the best fish it could, and if Salmonidae v/ere

the best fi* those »-aters could produce, they ought to be
confiaed to them-, at any rate, if large sun»s of money
«re spent, either by private individuals or the pubic m
introducing new fish and in improving the fishenes of he
water, there ought to be some means by wh.ch ■11-natured
persons could be prevented turning in rapacous fish, and
thus in a short time undoing the work of years. E.ther
the Local Fisheries Board or the Home Office should have
some authority or power to say what fish should be tur ed
into the waters, and he hoped that some "Sul""™ "' *^
sort would be one of the useful results which would foUow

from the Conference. ^ x • j

Professor G. BROWN GoODE (U.S. Commissioner) sa.d

said he should be pleased to give a few ^^^^^^ ^f^^^
what fish culture could do. Professor Ba.rd (U.S. Corn-
n^issioner) informed him that the Sacramento ^-^'^
fornia. was. owing to the large number of -nn-- there
to a large extent depleted of its Salmon; but by the
establishment of a hatchery there he had turne. out some-
thine, like sixty-seven millions of eggs or young fry of the
Californian Salmon in the past eight or nine years one-
fourth of which were put into the Sacramento Rive, and
it was now much more productive than ever before. On
the Clacamass, in Oregon, a similar experiment was tried
some years ago with a like result. These expenments ^ad
clearly shown that the Salmon industry of the Pacific
Coast, which was now producing fish to the value of sorne-
thing like three million dollars a day. was thoroughly under
the control o^" fish culture. He might also take the case of
the Connecticut, in the last century, which was one of the
most productive rivers ; but by the construction of a great
dam. 60 miles above its .aouth. the Salmon were cu. off
from the spawning ground, and for very nearly mnety

..>o*(i>MH«iws«s««**w«w;

;fa»--«awsas»*i*fe«»»w=»***«»*»*^***«*^^

It to be
money
ublic, in
s of the
■natured
fish, and
Either
uld have
le turned
n of this
Id follow

ner) said
lustrating

S. Com-
iver, Cali-
ies there,
It by the
out some-
fry of the
ears, one-
River, and
;fore. On

was tried
iments had
:he Pacific
e of some-
ghly under
the case of
one of the
, of a great
'ere cut off
irly ninety

years not a Salmon was seen. In 1866, or thereabouts, the
Commissioners of Connecticut began to plant Salmon in
this river, and four years afterwards they began to appear.
In the first year sc» fine Salmon, of 15 lbs. to 20 lbs. each,
were taken ; in the following year almost an equal number.
Since that the Commissioners of the States have discon-
tinued Salmon culture in that river, the supply has again
fallen off, and the river might now be considered practically
deprived of its Salmon again. He simply wished to add a
word in confirmation of what Sir James Maitland and Dr.
D ly had said concerning American Bass. Although he
did not like to say anything against a fish which was a
countryman of his own, he thought it was a fish which
interested only the private individuals who were able and
willing to feed him, and were willing to pay any sum for
the gratification they found in angling. So far as fish
with which public fish culturists should deal, the Black Bass
had no claims whatever, unless they put him into the same
stream with Pike, and let them fight it out together.

Mr. W. Oldham Chambers, seeing Professor Brown
Goode on the platform, thought perhaps he would have
given the Conference the benefit of his experience with the
Salmo sebago. A few months ago Professor Baird sent him
over fifteen thousand eggs of the land-locked Salmon, in
the hope that they would form an important feature in
fish breeding in this country, but he said nothing or little
about the Salmo sebago. He thought there were many
rivers in England which were completely cut off from the
sea, and if the land-locked Salmon could be introduced
into them, or into the Broads of Norfolk, it would be very
advantageous.

Professor G. BROWN GooDE remarked that his colleague
Mr. Earl, might be able to give more definite information

concerning the land-locked Salmon than he could, but at
the same time he should like to make up for his detractions
of the Black Bass by saying a word or two in favour of the
former fish. It was held in high esteem by his countrymen,
as might be judged by the fact that the United States
Commissioners had for some years carried on a hatchmg
establishment on Grand Lake Stream and the subordmate
streams on other lakes in Maine for the propagation of the
eggs of this fish. The young fry had been introduced mto
many smaller streams and lakes in the Northern States.
The experiment had not been worked out to the utmost ex-
tent yet, but there was every reason to believe that the land-
locked Salmon was going to be extremely valuable in the
northern lakes, and he saw no reason why it should not be
equally valuable in the lakes of Scotland. Mr. Wilmot was
equally familiar with this fish, for it might be said to be
more abundant in British North America than in the States.
It was undoubtedly the same race as the Salmo salar.
In some instances it had become land-locked by the erec-
tion of dams within the memory of man, in other instances
it had become land-locked by natural causes before or
soon after the settlement of the country, whilst in other
instances, again, it was not land-locked by any artificial
obstructions, but remained without any obstacle to its
visiting the sea save the great distance it would have to
traverse. It lived in the head-waters of some of the large
rivers. The same might be said, to some extent, of the
red-spotted Trout, or Char {Salnto fontinalis), which in the
northern parts of Canada and Nova Scotia descended to
the sea, where it lived during a large part of the year, and
was known as the Sea Trout, and was a great favourite of
anglers. It inhabited the lower stretches of rivers and
streams, and frequently descended into the sea; those

«4

_ u

but at
■actions
r of the
trymen,
I States
latching
jrdinate
n of the
ced into
I States,
most ex-
he land-
e in the
d not be
I mot was
lid to be
le States.
no salar.
the erec-
instances
before or
; in other
r artificial
cle to its
i have to
the large
;nt, of the
lich in the
cended to
year, and
iivourite of
rivers and
iea; those

which did «^ct into the sea were considered to be very (inc.
After passing the limit of Long Island, which was the
limit of the distribution of Salmon, tlie same barrier of
warm temperature which seemed to keep the Salmon from
going up the large rivers, prevented the red-spotted Trout
from descending from the mountains to the sea ; and it
had really become land-locked by reason of temperature
barriers in the southern part of its ra ige, though it extended
into the southern spur of the Alleghanies six or eight
degrees of latitude farther south than the point at which
it was able to descend to the sea. The land-locked Salmon
is a most delicious fish, though not quite so large as the
Salmo salar ; it was rarely more than eight or ten pounds
in weight, and, on account of its long detention in fresh
water and diminution in size, its eggs were considerably
smaller than those of sea-running Salmon.

Mr. WiLMOT said there was a celebrated American
showman who once came to England and took away an
animal called Jumbo. The same gentleman in former
years exhibited a certain animal at his museum in New
York which he advertised as the " What is it ? " It seemed
to him the same term might be applied to the land-locked
Salmon. His impression was that there was no such thing
in existence as land-locked Salmon, scientifically or natu-
rally. It was the true Salmo salar, which had a different
coat and a different shape from the water it lived in, in the
same way that the showman he referred to put a coat on
the animal he exhibited.

Land-locked Salmon, which he called Salmo salar, was a
fish which could be obtained by any pisciculturist at his
pleasure ; all he had to do was to hatch from the c^g of
the Salmo salar- a number of little fish, put them into a
large body of water trom whence they could not reach the

ncn, and if tliey fouinl food cnn.cjcnial to tlicir wants, they
would fjrow and dcvclopc into a larpjc fisli, sli<;htly changed in
colour and scarcely perceptibly in form. Such had been his
experience in America and Canada. Lake Ontario was once
filled with this fish. When he was a youth he had known
thousands killed in one nif:;ht, and the farmers caught them
in such numbers as they entered the .streams to deposit
their ova, that some of thcni got enough to buy their farms
with. In the stream which ran within a few yards from
where he was born and brought up he had killed hundreds
and thousands of them on their migration up from their sea.
Lake Ontario, into the smaller streams and rivers to de-
posit their ova, in the same same way as the Salmo salar
left the ocean and ascended rivers. For want of proper
precautions, proper protection and good legislation, this
Salmon had almost disappeared from Lake Ontario. At
first there were no laws in the country, and consequently
every man killed as he pleased, and as the poor creatures
came up, they were destroyed right and left. The Indians
killed them, and the white Indians killed them still more
To prove that the Salmo sehago was the true Salmo salar,
he might .say that he had taken eggs of Salmo salar, im-
pregnated them, hatched them, and taken them up into
the rivers running into Lake Huron ; and to-daj' some
of the true Salmo salar were found in Lake .Huron,
though smaller than were found along the coast. That
was evidence to show that you might make land-locked
Salmon in any water you chose where the fish could find
congenial food, and where they could not get to the sea.
It might be said, How could the Salmon in Lake Ontario
be said to be land-locked when the St. Lawrence emptied
that lake into the sea ? Salmon were feeders in the sea
and breeders in fresh water ; they migrated annually to the

wants, they
y changed in
lad been his
rio was once
had known
:aught them
to deposit
their farms
yards from
:d hundreds
)m their sea,
vers to de-
Salmo salar
t of proper
slation, this
ntario. At
onsequently
or creatures
rhe Indians
I still more
^almo salar,
7 salar, im-
em up into
o-daj' some
ike Huron,
oast. That
land-locked
1 could find
to the sea.
ake Ontario
ice emptied
! in the sea
lually to the

6 cry stream on either side up into Lake Onhrio •
and were ,t not for the great barrier of Niagara Fa" sh"'
Salmon would be founH ;„ .u ^ ^^^

--^^::ixr::-s:r;:re::

..n,e a, the .r„e sea Sataon on.y aecliLt. d .oTh
™ter. Any gentleman in England who was desi^Tof

™tt., desired to thanic Sir James MaMaX ^eSeT
len Paper, and also to thanlc Mr. Witao. for his relart

.retted that ^^'^zz cZzTj^:::::

represented He could only hope that thro gTih p^^L'
the members of .he Ugis|a.„re would be able to re"
mark leam, and inwardly digest what had pa^ld and
would persuade the Govemment of 0,e day .oteognt

l7nor°"r °' "■""' "'"""" •» <»" «*eri« H
aid 1 IT '^ "'' ""' •»*"'=^<«'-ection in which that
a.d should be given, but he went on the principle ha
inasmuch as State aid was given in fo«ig„ eoun"^/,";,'

.nour^^„^eo,o„ie.«.e same assistance ought to beX

The rcolulion wn, then put and carried ""»f >""'"'•

Sir JAMKS G. MA.TLAN... in reply, »M that he wa, very

Klad that hi. Paper had elicited remark, from the reprc-

Ltative, of America and Canada, both of wh.ch countr.c

^eT Icminently known for feh culture. I e could not

Iv that he agreed with .all the remark, that had been made,
say that neagre ^ ^^^,

Fish nc was a very old art , niu

^L man went out In a coracle, but f„h culture wa, t 1
very young, and it would be expecting a great deal ^
expect Payment to change legi,l.ation in a n-oment before
hi, art had had time to approve Itself to the na .on. He
'te agreed with the opinion expressed by Mr. lirady that
so tng a, there was any doubt, they should not leg„lat.

;; Regard to hi, hybrid "P"'-™"' ' ^ "7„ f.^y
voung to ,ay exactly what might come of them, but they
h : d peculiar form, in scaling, and pertaps m.ghhe^
LrdsLnecting different species of «»— J^,^
ducing them down to one or two speces, the °H"=« «'"B
l: I varieties. He was much obliged to Mr. W.lmo.
7"Z remarks on land-locked Salmon; but havmg had
le experience on lakes in Scotland w»";f -; f^
been bred and had not gone into *! ^^ ";«
invariably that where there were no Char ■■>*='»'<=*'
Salmon had become very large in the head, and seldom
!:r;ed fo-ror SVC pound, in weight. On t e o^=
hand ,ome nine year, ago he got a few egg, of the Leuv.
Trout from the Le Mr. Buckland, and turned about one
I d ed and nfty into a small piece of water a htt e ov^
one hundred acres, which contained nothmg but srn^dl
Perch. Last Friday a gentleman brought ~; *-
fish, which he had found washed a,hore, wh ch mu,t have
been iust nine year, old ; it measured 33i •"*'=• *"■' ™'
"lad condition. The Trout when put under con-

sly.
is very
rcpre-
untrics
uld not
I made,
it ever
as still
deal to
t before .
in. He
idy that
cgislate.
yet too
but they
ight help
c and re-
crs being
r, Wilmot
Lving had
Imon had
lad found
; lake the
id seldom
the other
the Leuvi
about one
little over
but small
)ne of these
must have
les, but was
under con-

ditlons of having shallow swimming fish beside it had
obtained this enormous size, .'ind hf had no doubt it was
absolutely necessary to land-locked Salmon to have shallow-
swimming fish to feed upon. If tl.cy were not present in
the water, they should be introduced first, and the Salmo
sebaf^o afterwards ; this would make the experiment more
successful. He concluded by proposing a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, who had taken a great interest in the
operations of the Fish Culture Association, of which he was
President.

The Marquis of HAMILTON had much pleasure In
seconding the vote of thanks to the Chairman. He could
not but think that the speeches which had been delivered
that morning would have the most practical effect on all
those interested in fisheries. He hoped the observations
made by Mr. Wilmot with reference to State aid being
given to the fisheries of this country, would be earnestly
taken up by the publ'c at large, and that before many
months had elapsed they would take a practical form, and
be brought forcibly under the notice of Government.
The vote of thanks having been passed unanimously,
The Chairman assured Congress it had given him the
greatest pleasure to be of any use by occupying the chair.
He had seldom presided at so interesting a meeting, or
gained so much knowledge in so short a time. He must
say he did not believe in land-locked Salmon as a distinct
species. He believed you could produce a land-locked
Salmon from the ordinary fish. He recollected when his
uncle, the late Lord Spencer, had the shooting of Glenlochy,
near Kilin, he collected a quantity of par and put them into
a small tarn high up on the hills, where they remained for
several years. When they went to fish this lake they saw a
number of silvery-looking fish of about 2 to 3 lbs. in weight,

jumping just like Trout would do. He believed those fish
were the par which were put in seven years before, which had
turned silver, like Salmon. It was hoped they would continue
to increase, but they became thinner, and gradually dwindled
away. Before sitting down he must say a word in defence of
the poor Black Bass, which had been so hardly used. He
fully agreed with the remark that they should not be put
into Trout streams, where they would be as destructive as
Pike, but in many parts of England, particularly in his own
country, there were neither Salmon nor Trout in the streams,
only Pike, Perch, and the most abominable of all fish, coarse
Bream. In those waters the Black Bass would be a useful
addition, he would rise to a fly ; he would take any bait ;
he would live with the Pike, and he was exceedingly good
eating. They contained very few bones, and he thought
the flesh was decidedly more like fresh Whiting than any

other fish.
The Congress then adjourned until 2 o'clock.

LONDOH: rHINTBD BT

WtLUAM CL0WB8 AMD SOUS. UMITBD. STAMFOBD STRBBT

AMD CMAMHC OOSS.

sd those fish
re, which had
mid continue
illy dwindled
in defence of
ly used. He
d not be put
estructive as
ly in his own
1 the streams,
ill fish, coarse
d be a useful
ike any bait ;
edingly good
i he thought
ing than any

TAMFOBD STRBBT

-4

""-'i,^UWii-:-

~mr~'i'~'fs!r-