372                  WISCONSIN     BLUE BOOK.




          WISCONSIN FISH COMMISSION.


                          Comrmissio ners.
GOV. WILLIAMI E. S3IITH, ex offido .............. 3ndison.
PHILO DUNNING. President       ..................Madison.
U, L. VALENTINE, Treasurer and Secretary ........ Jaejeville.
MARK DOUGLAS.         ...........................3ilruse, JacksonCo.
JOHN F. ANTISDEL ............................... Milwauke-.
CHRISTOPHER HUTCHINSON ..................... Bectown, Grant Co.

                          Superintendent,
H. W . W ELSHER ......................................... ...... M1adison.

                   ARTIFICIAL FISH CULTURE.
  The first account we have of artificial impregnati on of fish eggs was
late
In the 14th century, and is said to have been discovered by Don Pinchon,
a
French monk. The art seems to have been forgotten, if it had ever existed,
till 1758, when it was revived by Jacobi, and an account of it was published
In German by Count Goldstein. The first practical use of the art was made
in Hanover. In 1837, a Mr. Shaw, in Scotland, resorted to artificial impreg-
nation for the purpose of restocking salmon streams; in 18 i1, Boccius, a
civil
engineer of Hlammersmith, England, practiced the art with the trout; in
1842, Joseph Reney, a poor fisherman in the Vosges, without any knowledge
in respect to previous experiments, discovered the art and re-stocked the
Moselle and other streams, gaining thereby his livelihood. Prof. Caste, of
The College of France, gave to the enterprise his sanction, and this gave
rise
to the modern industry of fish culture. This business is carried on exten-
sively and profitably throughout Central Europe, and is patronized by the
governments of the Great Powers. One establishment at Huningen, Ger-
many, with its buildings and ponds, cover eighty acres.
  About twelve years ago, the attention of the New England States and New
York was called to this subject, owing to the alarming depletion of their
streams in producing fish food. Scientific and practical labors were vigor-
ously entered upon, and availing themselves of the experiments made by
European governments, a system of State fish commissions was set on foot,
and by the aid of public money those depleted waters have been brought
back to their maximum supply of fish. Notwithstanding the increased con-
sumption of fish, owing to the increased population, the annual hatch of
brook trout, salmon, shad, salmon trout, herring, and other varieties o1
food
fish, will keep the market supplied, and at a reasonable cost, so as to bring
this
universal article of diet within the reach of all. Gradually State Fish com-
missions have increased until now, me e believe, twenty-eight States and
Terri-
tories are provided with commissions. The Dominion of Canada, from the
Gulf of St. Lawrence to the head-waters of the lakes, manifests a lively
in-
terest in artificial fish propagation, and has several large artificial hatcheries,
oneoof which is lotmtcd at Windsor, opposite Detroit, where from 15,000,t00