Report of the commissioner for 1877.

  • United States Fish Commission
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the commissioner for 1877. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    classes, domestic and foreign, both increasing very rapidly from year to year. All requests of this kind are entered on proper blanks, giving the date of application, the character of fish desired, name of applicant, member of Congress or other person through whom the request is con- veyed, the region or spot to be supplied, instructions as to route, rail- road or otherwise, by which they are to be shipped; all being informa- tion necessary to a proper response. It is, of course, impossible to meet every call, and a selection of recipr ients is sometimes necessary, the object being to diffuse the benefits of the commission over the greatest possible extent of country. Accord- ingly, if an application comes from a locality near the mouth of or low down a current or stream, the actual planting is made at the head- waters of the river, so that the entire stream will receive the benefit. This policy is based on the fact that an anadromous fish, introduced at a given point in a river, is not likely to ascend above that point, on its return from the ocean. An accompanying table will show the number of calls, and the pro- portion of the demand for the different species. By this it will be seen that the carp is rapidly becoming the favorite, as its culture is more within the reach of individuals than that of the salmon or shad.* It is customary for the Commission to request that all applications for fish be made through some member of Congress, who can vouch for the standing of the applicant and the character of the locality to be sup- plied. It is, of course, impossible for any one resident in Washington to know the persons asking for fish, whether they are responsible parties, and whether they want them for the benefit of the community or for some merely personal end. The demand from foreign countries for eggs or young fish is also in- creasing very rapidly and has been met as far as practicable, without affecting the interests of the United States. In most cases, especially that of the California salmon, the only limit to the home applications is, in the first place, the amount of the Congressional appropriation for it, and second, the extent to which the State commissions or clubs devoted to the stocking of particular waters can meet the expense of hatching out the eggs when received, and of introducing them into the waters. For several years past a much larger demand might have been easily met. * Number of applications for fish. 1873 1876 . 171 1874 49 1877 254 1875 The following are the different species applied for in 1877: Shad Trout 19 Calif orni a 8aim on.. Carp Land-locked salmon .. Tench 6 Whiteflish 254
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