Fish Farming.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 174, 16 October 1886, Page 6 (Supplement)

Fish Farming.

The Chinese have for ages been famous for the degree of perfection to which they have brought the science of fish farming ; the Romans also understood the business ; and at an early period in the civilisation of this country it wae diligently practised, When there were no railways, fast flying coaches, or even regular carriers' carte, it mattered not how overflowing was the harvest of the sea if the hauls made by the primitive fishermen who paddled around the shores of thia island home could not be transmitted very far from the beach upon which they were landed So it came about that avery well-to-do individual had his own private fish-stew, and the care taken by the monks in that respect is one of the prominent traditions which mtet us in all works upon fish culture. With increased means of communication, and improved methods of sea-fishing, the inland ponds, or fish iarms, tell into disuse. Upon old English estates you may continually, in these days, come upon the remains of ancient stews, amd there are lukes left in the few parks upon which the hand of change has scarcely touched where the carp, tench, and pike have bred from generation to generation, until they are as distinguished in the matter of lineage and time as their human owners. The abundance of sea fish inhabiting the peas of the British Isles and their excellent quality discouraged fash farming, either as a necessity or as a paying speculation, With the exception of salmon, which is a migratory fish, ha\f fresh water and half salt, and the ever popular eel, there is no fresh water fish, however rich may be the sauces in which it is served up, that will compare with the commonest of the fish taken from the eea. While fißb -farming as a means of supplying food may be regarded as a thing of the past, it is ooming into fashion again as a method of affording the materials of sport. A few weeks ago a comerence was held at South Kensington in the interests of the National Fish Culture Association, a society established four years ago, to promote amongst other objects the science and practice of fish-farming. As waste paper, or waste breath, without actual results, the association as soon as their funds would allow them, proceeded to hatch out fith in the trays ranged alongside the aquarium of the Exhibition, and to establish at some cost a regular fishfarm in Delaford Park on the River Iver, A number of gentlemen went down there to witness the measure of success which has attended the venture. The district is in some respects classical ground, and, spite of railways, ia still a pretty piece of rural England, as it was in the days of Milton, who Hved at Harefield, on the River Colne, within two or three mile?, and of Sir Humphrey Davy, who got much of the matter for his " Salomonia "at Denhani on ,the aame stream. The River Iver ia a branch of the Colne, and was a famous trout; stream. The property was acquired by the pssociation on easy I terms, and a substantial amount of capital was embarked in the preparation of the farm for the culture of fish. A aeries of thirty-two pounds in a line running parallel with the river, from which it [ is separated by overbranching trees, and a gravel path, bordered by all manner of wild growths, was constructed, with a perpetual stream of wator from beginning to end. To this nursery the fry hatched out at South Remington have been transferred. In response to the liberal provender cast upon the waters by Mr Oldham Chambers, under ■ whoae supervision the entire work haa been dono, the lusty young fish came splashing to the surface, showing the visitors that I they were very much alive and flourishing The Delaford establishment though very complete is on a small scale, at least as com pared with the magnificent hatchery upon which Sir James Gibson Maitland at Howietoun, near Stirling, has lavished so much time, labour, %nd hard cash. Nor has it the natural advantages which give special value tooths breeding ponde of Mr T, Andrews, of Guilford. The chief requisites in work of this kind are a constant supply of pure water and an unfailing supply of natural food. At Howietoun several horses are cut up per week to feed the young fish. Artificial feeding is also necessary at Delaford, for although the fresh water shrimp exists there is not. sufficient natural food to sustain the young fish in the small ponds. It was at one time understood that the chief aim of the National Fish Culture Association should be the rearing of what are called coarse fish ; that is to say, the common fish, such as perch,' tench, carp, and even pike, for the young of which for sporting purposes there is a continual demand, with, but one or two places in the whole country where the fry can be procured. Nothing as yet has been done in this direction at Delaford, the hatching operations paving been confined to English trout and grayling, and a few specimens sent over from the United States. The eggs that visitors last year and the year before saw in the trays in, South. Kensington were taken from parent fish in Canadian lakes and American hatcheries ; and the developed fish are now. to be seen at Delaford, where they attained almost the maximum size possible for fish of such age to reach. The Marquis of Lome has taken a great deal of interest in .the acclimatisation of fish brought from the other side of the Atlantic, and has from time to time*ob- < tamed drafts of young fish Btock from the Delaford farm for experimental introduction into come of his Highland lakes. Visitors to Delaford are shown samples of the white-fish', 4 which supports a valuable food industry on the shores of the deepwater lake ' of 'Canada,' and of the salmo:Bib»go, or land-locked salmon. ,As experiments,, these efforts at acclimatisation are very interesting,' but the white-fish 1 will probably require deeper and larger volumes 'of, water „th«n the British Islands will be able to Afford. « The American brook trout has a habit, when put into English streams,, of wandering away, and should not , be placed where there are means of keeping it within bounds. A number of the most

lovely trout propablyin theyworld, 89 fay as colouring goes,, are show;u.,at Delafqrd— name]y,Mthe rainbow trout of the Pacific streams. It. is ; aptly named ;,salmairidius, and in l f&7;oiu'ab,le ,)ights all, the, colours of the 11 rainbpw , ar,©, .reflected 1 from the trout, Gentlemen, who have a fancy for,eslablishing new strains of fish have tr|ed the Loch leven trout, which , was at one time supposed,, to be ,a; land-locked jeea-going fieh. Placed in, English rivers, however, it thrives well and gives . .excellent sport to the > flyfieher., . „ „" -, „ It is astonisliing that the owners of lakes and large pondp that are suitable for the purpose, or tthatt t with a little trpuble may be made so,, should, not increase the value of their property by tenanting their waters with fish of th^is kind, especially when the Btock can be continually replenished without any difficulty about natural breeding from such fieh farma as that at Delaf ord. In conducting the routine, , work and incidental , experiments of fish farming, new lights , have been constantly thrown upon .problems which have for , many years, , vexed* ichthyologists, , and the modern authors eeem to be arriving at a definite conclusion that the varieties of trout which used to , be considered separate species are of one common stock. Thus we are assured that the salmo ferox, or great lake trout, .the brown trout , of ordinary streams, the burly trout of the River; Thames, and even the gillaroo of the Irish lakes, are but . varieties of ealmo ,fariq, putting! on, a dress and habits of their own according to ,the nature, of the food they eat and the waters they inhabit. At Howieto'un, Dr. Francis Day, in conjunction with Sir James Gibson Maitland, has been for years carrying out successful experiments, the results of wfoch are made known in his standard' work on British fishes, and will be further explained in a new forthcoming work on the Salmonide.