United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries

Report of the Commissioner for 1872 and 1873

A. Inquiry into the decrease of the food fishes.
B. The propagation of food-fishes in the waters of the United States.

With supplementary papers.

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1874

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REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. ** Report Table Of Contents
Report as searchable pdf file

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A.THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES, AND THE SPECIES OF COREGONUS OR WHITE-FISH

I. Report on the fisheries of the Great Lakes; the result of inquiries prosecuted in 1871 and 1872. BY James W. Milner. (Table of contentson p. 77).

II Miscellaneous notes and correspondence relative to the whitefish. (with Index)

A The whitefish of the great lakes 79
1. Lake Superior 79
2. Lakes Erie and Ontario. 80

B. The whitefish of Eastern Maine and New Brunswick. By Charles Lanman 84

C. Descriptions of new species of coregonus and argyrosomus. By James W. Milner 86
1.Argyrosomomus hoyi Gill. Cisco of Lake Michigan 86
2.Argyrosomomus nigripinis 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 proteus Pallas; hump-backed salmon 97
3. Salmo cooperi Suckley; Cooper's salmon. 99
4. Salmo dermatinus Rich 100
5. Salmo consuctus Rich 101
6. Salmo canis Suckley; dog salmon 101
7. Salmo salar Linn.; common salmon. 104
8. Salmo quinnat Rich.; quinnat or Sacramento salmon. 105
9. Salmo confluentus, Suckley; Towalt salmon 109
10. Salmo aurora Gir 110
11. Salmo argyreus Gir. 110
12. Salmo paucidens Rich.; weak-toothod salmon. 111
13. Salmo tsuppitch Rich.; white salmon. 111
14. Salmo clarkii Rich.; Clark's salmon 112
15. Salmo immaculatus Storer; the unspotted salmon 113
16. Salmo gairdneri Rich.; Gairdner's salmon 114
17. Salmo truncatus Suckley; square-tailed salmon 115
18. Salmo richardi Suckley ; suk-kegh 117
19. Salmo campbelli Suckley; Pacific red-spotted salmon-trout 118
20. Salmo hudsonicus Suckley; Hudson's Bay Bay trout 119
21. Salmo rossii Rich.; Ross' Arctic salmon 120
22. Salmo hearnii Rich.; Coppermine River salmon 121
23. Salmo alipes Rich.; long-finned char 121
24. Salmo nitidus Rich; the augmalook. 122
25. Salmo fontinalis Mitch.; brook-trout of the Atlantic coast 123
26. Salmo iridea Gibbons; Pacific brook-trout 129
27. Salmo masoui Suckley; Mason's grout. 134
28. Salmo virginalis Gir.; Utah trout 135
29. Salmo lewisi Gir.; Lewis's trout 139
30. Salmo brevicanda, Suckley ; short-tailed trout 140
31. Salmo gibbsii Suckley; Columbia salmon-trout 141
32. Salmo sebago Gir.; the Sebago trout 143
33. Salmo kennerlyi Suckley; Kennerly's trout 145
34. Salmo warrenii Suckley; Warren's trout 147
35. Salmo bairdii Suckley ; Baird's river-trout 148
36. Salmo parkei Suckley; Parke's river-trout 149
37. Salmo oquossa Gir.; blue-back trout 150
18. Salmo namaycush Pennant; Mackinaw or salmon trout 151
39. Salmo confinis DeKay; lake-trout 153
40. Salmo siscowet Agass.; the siscowet 156
41. Salmo symmetrica, Prescott; Winnipiscogee trout 157
42. Salmo hoodii Rich. Hood's, salmon 159
43. Salmo newberryi Gir 159

IV. THE SALMON OF THE DANUBE, OR THE HUCHO (Salmo hucho,) AND ITS INTRODUCTION INTO AMERICAN WATERS. By Rudolph Hessel 161

V. IMPROVEMENT IN THE SALMON FISHERIES OF SWEDEN (extract from the report of the Royal Swedish Intendant of Fisheries 1868. 166

VI. REPORT OF OPERATIONS DURING 1872 AT THE UNITED STATES HATCHING- ESTABLISHMENT ON THE MCCLOUD RIVER, AND ON THE CALIFORNIA SALMONIDAE GENERALLY, WITH A LIST OF SPECIES COLLECTED.
By Livingston Stone. 168

A. Introductory remarks
1. The salmon-hatching establishment on the McCloud River. 168
2. The location of the salmon-breeding station on the McCloud River 170
3. Changes proposed for another season 170
4. Why more salmon eggs were not obtained in 1872. 171
5. Conditions of hatching Salmonm 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 Salmonidae of the Sacramento River 175
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
17. General movements, &c., of the Sacramento salmon in the McCloud River 181
18. Condition of the salmon during their stay in the McCloud River 182

Table showing; the movements, conditions, &c, of the Sacramento salmon in the McCloud River in each month of the year 183

Table Showing the condition of the ova, of the salmon at the headwaters of tho Little Sacramento, (Mount Shasta;) at tho Lower McCloud; at Tehama; at Rio Vista and Sacramento City; and at Eel River, Humboldt County, California..183

19. Answers to queries concorning, the Sacramento salmon given in the order of Professor Baird's printed list of questions entitled: "Questions relative to the food-fishes of tho United States 184

A. Name 184
B. Distribution 184
C. Abundance 185
D. Size. 185
E. Migration and movements 186
F. Relationships 169
G. Food 190
H. Reproduction 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 Salmonidae of the Sacramento River 197
21. Other Salmonidae of the McCloud River 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 RIVER. By Livingston Stone. 216
Fragmentary notes. 217

VIII. THE SALMONIDAE OF EASTERN MAINE, NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA, By Charles Lanman 219
1. The brook-trout, (Salmo fontinalis) 219
2. The great gray-trout or toque, (Salmo toma) 220
3. The white sea-trout, (Salmo inmaculatus). 221
4. The Salmon (Salmo salar) 223
5. The American smolt, (Osmerus mordax) 224
6. The capelin, (Mallotus villosus).. 225

IX. ON THE SALMON OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA, 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 land-locked salmon 338
2. The togue 354

XI. THE LAKE TROUTS By A. Leith Adams, M.A., &c.. 357

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 RELATIVE TO SALMON AND TROUT 369
A. On the salmon in Maine. By Thomas Lincoln 369
B. On the stomachs of salmon and their contents 371
1. On the coecal 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, MD 372
D. On the edible qualities of the Sacramento salmon. By S.R.Throckmorton 374
E. On the salmon-fisheries of the Sacramento River. By Livingston Stone
1. Drift-act 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. New Hampshire. 380
D. New Jersey 381
C. Pennsylvania. 382
D. Ohio 382
E. Wisconsin 383

APPENDIX C. THE SHAD AND ALEWIFE, (species of Clupeidae) 385

XV. LETTERS REFERRING TO EXPERIMENTS OF W.C. DANIEL,MD, IN INTRODUCING SHAD INTO THE ALABAMA RIVER

XVI. LETTERS REFERRING TO THE PRESENCE OF SHAD IN THE RIVERS TRIBUTTY TO THE GULF OF MEXICO 391

XVII. REPORT FROM 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
S. Decrease in North Carolina 393
4. Contrivances that capture all the fish 401

XVIII. REPORT ON SHAD-HATCHING OPERATIONS 403
A. Operations in 1872 403
B. Operations ill 1873- 406
1. The Savannah,Neuse, and Roanoke Rivers 406
2. The Delaware River. By J. H. Slack, M. D. 409
3. Report on the transfer of shad from the Hudson to the Sacramento River. By Livingston Stone
4. On shad-hatching operations by the commissioners of the State of Maine By E.M.Stilwell

XIX. REPORT ON THE PROPAGATION OF THE SHAD (AL0SA SAPIDISSIMA,) AND ITS INTRODUCTION INTO NEW WATERS, BY THE UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER IN 1873. By James W. Milner 419
1. Shad-hatching, an important discovery 419
2. Plan of operations
3. Operatidns on the Savannah, Neuse, and Roanoke Rivers
4. Operations on the Potomac River
Table shad-hatching on the Potomac River, Jackson City, Va., opposite Washington D. C.,in the year 1873 425
5. Methods employed shad-hatching 425
6. Relation of the temperature of water to the propagation of the shad 428
7. The ovaries and ova of the shad
8. The male fish 431
9. The impregnation of shad-eggs 432
10. The Susquehanna, Delaware,and Hudson Rivers 433
11. Journal of a trip with shad and eels to Calumet 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 Champlain, Vermont. 439
16. Shipment of shad to the Housatonic River, Connecticut. 439
17. Shipment of shad to the Penobscot River, Maine 440
18. Establishment of station on the Androscoggin River 440
19. Second shipment (of shad to the waters of Lako Champlain, 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
b. The case of the fish 444
c. Witter adapted to young fish 445
d. Temperature of the water in the cans 447
e. Transferring them from the cans to the river 447
f. 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 ON 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. 512

B. Notes on the shad as observed in the Delaware River. 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 458
b. Destruction of fry 458
c. Destruction of seed-fishes 459
d. Destruction of impregnated ova 459

4. Habits of shad in the spawning season 459

C. The shad and gaspereau or alewife of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia 459
By Charles Lanman. 461
1.The 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 in Europe, from its earlier record to 1854. By Jules Haime 463

B. Report on the progress of pisciculture in Russia. By Theodore Soudakevicz 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 spawn 499

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B. Report on the progress of pisciculture in Russia— 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 I
10. Pisciculture in Finland 512

C. Report on the state of pisciculture in France and the neighboring Countries.
By M. Bouchen-Brandeley, 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 of fish-culture in the United Status. By James W. Milner. 0
1. The methods employed in fish-culture 523

2. Transfer of living fishes524
The pike or pickerel 524
The muskellunge.... 524
The black bass and Oswego bass 525
The wall-eyed or glass-eyed pike 526
The eel 526
The alewife 527
The smelt 527
The white-fish 527
The salmon 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
he brook-trout 535
The salmon 538
The shad 543
The white-fish 545
The Otsego bass 552
Tho salmon-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 advancement 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

XXII. PAPERS RELATING TO PRACTICAL FISH CULTURE 567

A. Method of treating adhesive eggs of certain fishes, especially of the Cyprinidae, in artificial propagation. By Rudolph Hessel. 567

B. On the so-called "dry" method of impregnating Kpawn. By Alexander Stenzel, Inspector of fisheries in Silesia, Germany. 571

C. Fish culture in salt or brackish waters. By Theodore Lyniau, 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
Stilwell 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 OBSTRUCTIONS TO THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF FISHES IN STREAMS,AND THE REMEDY. 589

XXIII. 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
. 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. Cail's fish-way 608
7. Pike's fish-way 609
S. 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. Fishways with oblique partitions 613
14. General arrangement 614

E. Subsidiary considerations 615
1. Protection against floods 615
2. Material and cost 615

XXIV. ON OBSTRUCTIONS TO THE ASCENT OF FISH IN CERTAIN RIVERS 617

A. Obstructions in the rivers of Maine. By E. M. Stilwell 617
Saint Croix River 617
Pemmaquan River 617
Dennys River 617
Orange River 618
East Machias River. 618
Machias River. 618
Wescongus or Pleasant River 618
Narrarguagus River. 618
Union River 618
Penobscot River and tributaries. 618
Saint George River 619
Medomac River 619
Damariscotta River 619
heepscot River 619
Kennebec and tributaries 619
Presumpscot River 621
Saco River and tributaries 621
Mousam River. 621
Salmon Falls River 621

B. Obstructions in the tributaries of Lake Champlain.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
Pensankee River 630
Oconto River.... 630
Peshtigo River 630
Menomonee 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. Synopsis of the higher fresh-water Crustacea of the Northern United States 637

Macrura 637 Family Astacidae 637
Family Paleomonidae 640
Family Penaeidae 642
Schizopoda 642
Family Mysidae 642

Amphipoda 645
Family Orchestidae 645
Family Lysianassidae 647
Family Gammarida 651
Isopoda. 657
Family Asellidae. 657

B. The crustacean parasites of the fresh-water fishes of the United States 661
Family Argulidae. 662
Family Caligidae 662
Family Lernaeopodiae 662
Family Lernaeoceridae 665

XXVI. SYNOPSIS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN FRESH-WATER LEECHES. By A. E. Verrill 666
Genus Macrobdelia 667
Genus Aulastomum 670
Genus Democedes 671
Genus Semiscolex 671
Genus Hexabdella 672
Genus Nophelopsis 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
Copepods 697
Siphonostoma 697

Worms 697
Oligochaeta 697
Bdellodea 699
Turbellaria 700

Molluscs 700
Gastropods 700
Lamellibranchiata 703

Radiata 705
Bathymetrical distribution of species 706

XXVIII FOOD OF FRESH-WATER FISHES. By Sidney I Smith 708

XXIX. NATURAL AND ECONOMICAL HISTORY OF THE GOURAMI, (Osphromenus goramy.) 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 temperature. 713
Table of atmospheric tomperatures 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 Re'union 718
West Indies. 719
France 721
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. Milner 729

APPENDIX G. MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS 743

XXXI. TEMPERATURE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, FROM RECORDS OF THE UNITED STATES COAST-SURVEY 746

XXXII. CORRESPONDENCE WITH COMPANIES RELATIVE TO FACILITIES IN TRANSPORTATION, ETC 749

XXXIII. REPORTS OF SPECIAL CONFERENCES WITH AMERICAN FISH-CULTURISTS' ASSOCIATION AND STATE COMISSIONERS OF FISHERIES 757
A. Meeting at Boston, June 13, 1872 757
B. Meeting at Now 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 PLATES 785

GENERAL INDEX OF APPENDICES 791

PLATES

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