The microscope in the hatchery

Without the aid of the microscope, it is safe to assume that fish Culture would now stand exactly where it did seventy-five years ago when methods of artificial fertilization were first applied. It is also safe to assume that the results from fish culture would be as unsatisfactory as they were at that time when the fishery resources were steadily declining in spite of the increased liberation of advanced fry from the hatcheries. During the past few years the microscope has saved millions of fish in our hatcheries which otherwise would have been sacrificed to disease. Moreover, the microscope has permitted all of the recent work in selective breeding, nutritional requirements, and disease control. This work marks most of the progress fish culture has made during the past twenty-five years. This progress forms the first definite step away from the old system of hatching and distributing fish, a system which was founded by the ancient Chinese. The microscope has been the key which enabled the fish culturist to solve the riddle of success which has stood, unanswered, for 2,500 years.