THE A R T I R I W PROPAGATION OF MARINE FISH
3
the federal government. Remarkable progress was made in culturing
and transplanting the anadromous shad, A h a a&pidisSinut (Wilson).
The shad, like the salmon, spends part of its life in fresh water, where
it spawns. In early times, the rivers of the Atlantic meet from St.
John’s, Florida, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were invaded by immense
shoals of shad which were caught by early settlers with dip and gill nets.
Stocks became scarcer as indiscriminate fishing incremed, and a further
marked decline oocurred with the extension of the lumber-jaoking
t d e . By 1867, shad stocks in the rivers of the Atlantic coast were
very depleted, and artificial propagation began aa a palliative measure.
During the years of civil war, stocks recuperated, and large catahwere obtained for some years after hostilities ceased. In 1873, 36 000
young shad from the east coast were transported acroae the continent
for release into the Sacramento river. By 1884, the shad had established itself in all rivers of the Pacific coast and eventually became an
important commercial species of the Californian and other markets.
The spectacular success of this transplantation, and of freahwater
fish hatchery programmes generally, undoubtedly influenced Spenoer F.
Baird, appointed in 1871 aa the first U.S. Commissioner of Fish and
Fisheries. He began an enquiry into the decrease of marine food-fishes
along the Atlantic seaboard of America, and as a first remedial measure,
introduced the idea of an artificial propagation programme. G. 0. Sara
(1866) had already established the fact that the ripe eggs of a sea fish,
the Lofoten cod, could be stripped from the femele and artScia3ly
fertilized with milt from the male, using the =me technique m praotised by freshwater fish culturists.
Baird chose Gloucester, Massachusetts, m a bpe from which the
cod-fishery of Cape Ann could be studied, with special reference to the
natural history and propagation of the species. Artifioial fertilization
experiment8 were first carried out in 1878, aa & p r e h h a r y to a mass
production programme. Eggs of the cod, Qadw &rim
L., were
obtained by stripping fish on the market, and aboard fishing vessels.
A few live cod were kept in floating boxes in the harbour. E d (1880)
reported a successful hatch at the first a t t e m p t 1 4 million cod fry,
which were released into local waters. Despite primitive apparatus
m d poor water conditions, the artificially fertilized eggs of Clwpeu
hre.engue L. (herring), MeZ4znaqrummw wgtefinus (L.) (haddock) and
pollaclliua virens (L.) (American pollack), were ale0 hatahed.
In 1885 the US. Fish Cornmiasion built its first commercial marine
hatchery at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where technical studies had
been going on for some time. During the first year the superintendent,
CWt. Chester, obtained an unusually high percentage hatoh of d
3
the federal government. Remarkable progress was made in culturing
and transplanting the anadromous shad, A h a a&pidisSinut (Wilson).
The shad, like the salmon, spends part of its life in fresh water, where
it spawns. In early times, the rivers of the Atlantic meet from St.
John’s, Florida, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were invaded by immense
shoals of shad which were caught by early settlers with dip and gill nets.
Stocks became scarcer as indiscriminate fishing incremed, and a further
marked decline oocurred with the extension of the lumber-jaoking
t d e . By 1867, shad stocks in the rivers of the Atlantic coast were
very depleted, and artificial propagation began aa a palliative measure.
During the years of civil war, stocks recuperated, and large catahwere obtained for some years after hostilities ceased. In 1873, 36 000
young shad from the east coast were transported acroae the continent
for release into the Sacramento river. By 1884, the shad had established itself in all rivers of the Pacific coast and eventually became an
important commercial species of the Californian and other markets.
The spectacular success of this transplantation, and of freahwater
fish hatchery programmes generally, undoubtedly influenced Spenoer F.
Baird, appointed in 1871 aa the first U.S. Commissioner of Fish and
Fisheries. He began an enquiry into the decrease of marine food-fishes
along the Atlantic seaboard of America, and as a first remedial measure,
introduced the idea of an artificial propagation programme. G. 0. Sara
(1866) had already established the fact that the ripe eggs of a sea fish,
the Lofoten cod, could be stripped from the femele and artScia3ly
fertilized with milt from the male, using the =me technique m praotised by freshwater fish culturists.
Baird chose Gloucester, Massachusetts, m a bpe from which the
cod-fishery of Cape Ann could be studied, with special reference to the
natural history and propagation of the species. Artifioial fertilization
experiment8 were first carried out in 1878, aa & p r e h h a r y to a mass
production programme. Eggs of the cod, Qadw &rim
L., were
obtained by stripping fish on the market, and aboard fishing vessels.
A few live cod were kept in floating boxes in the harbour. E d (1880)
reported a successful hatch at the first a t t e m p t 1 4 million cod fry,
which were released into local waters. Despite primitive apparatus
m d poor water conditions, the artificially fertilized eggs of Clwpeu
hre.engue L. (herring), MeZ4znaqrummw wgtefinus (L.) (haddock) and
pollaclliua virens (L.) (American pollack), were ale0 hatahed.
In 1885 the US. Fish Cornmiasion built its first commercial marine
hatchery at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where technical studies had
been going on for some time. During the first year the superintendent,
CWt. Chester, obtained an unusually high percentage hatoh of d