A FISH FARM.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5192, 12 November 1877, Page 3

A FISH FARM.

AN INTEEE3TIKO BREEDING ESTABLISHMENT ON THE BANKS OF THE THAMES. Close to the banks of the Kivcr Thames, within a stone’s throw of Cherlsey bridge, a fish-breeding establishment, which was started some few years ago by a private gentleman, has year by year been enlarged and improved upon until it has now become one of the most complete establishments of the kind in the kingdom. The undertaking, being a private one, has been little before the public, notwithstanding the fact that the main object of the proprietor has been to benefit the public generally by improving the fish of the metropolitan river. That it is likely he has succeeded in this respect may be surmised from the fact that within the last few years some tens of

thousands of fish have been hatched in the ; .troughs at Cherlsey aud turned into the Thames at various places, Mr. Forbes, the originator and proprietor, has displayed great ingenuity in the construction of his fish-breeding house. By a simple yet clever device the machinery for aerating the water is worked by water itself. This is accomplished by directing the waste flow into a receptacle somewhat the shape of a bellows. This fills and empties itself every few minutes, the action each time setting the machinery in motion, thus securing a constant and thorough aeration of the water. In other matters of detail the same economy of expense and labor have been carefully studied, and though Mr. Forbes has been at great expense in building his fish-house, and in perfecting his plans for regulating a proper supply of water, ho has now succeeded in being able to carry on his operations under the most favorable conditions and at a comparatively trifling expense. The water supply is derived from a well, from which some six thousand gallons are daily pumped into a receptacle or reservoir placed at the top of the fish-house. Flowing through the tanks day and night, the water drains off into open air ‘tanks, situated in the garden (where are deposited a number of full-grown fish of various descriptions), and eventually empties into the Thames. At present there is no “hatching” going on. The tanks are, however, filled with a splendid lot of fish of various ages and descriptions. Young salmon, apparently none the worse for their sojourn in their temporary home, great lake trout, common trout, American trout, Loch Levin trout (a new and interesting addition to the tanks), and a number of salmon and trout from continental waters, are all to be seen in various stages of growth in splendid condition. Mr. Forbes and his wife carefully look afterthe feeding of the fish themselves, and are assisted by Galloway, the only Thames fisherman who has seen and assisted in the capture of salmon in the Thames many years ago, when that fish was indigenous to the river. In drawing attention to Mr. Forbes’ fishing establishment, it is only due to him to say that it is carried on at his own expense without any pecuniary assistance. The thousands of fish which are each year reared in his tanks and turned into the river are a free gift, aud with the commendable view of benefiting Thames anglers generally by securing a more abundant stock of fish. This good work, it will be remembered, was formerly carried on by the Thames Angling Preservation Society, under the direction of Frank Buckland and Stephen Ponder. For several years these gentlemen worked energetically and successfully in rearing a fine stock of fish at the Saubury pond (given by the Thames Conservancy Board to the society), and turning thousands into the river. The special fund which was collected formerly each year by the Thames Angling Preservation Society for this object was stopped some years ago, since which time the artificial stocking of the river with salmon aud trout has been left almost altogether in the hands of a private gentleman, whose disinterested exertions will be duly appreciated by all Thames anglers. It is expected that when the New Natural History Museum is opened at South Kensington the authorities will be enabled to give greater facilities to Frank 33uckland for carrying on his fish-breeding experiments. The accommodation at present at his command is extremely limited, and far below what it ought to be for the investigations necessary for the study of the economical working of our fisheries.