(Edi/Dr's Note: This year Is the 15oth anniversary of the lnvenfion of the fish hatchery by Seth GrB11n ;n Caledonia, New 'ri:Nk.Allen Mac, the manager of the GaJedonia Fish Hetchery, reporfBd that the 150th anniversary of the first. fl'Sh hatchery In Amerta was observed on Au.gust 4, 2014.J

ish hatcheries and fish farms,are found all over the world today. They are used to breed and grow fish to be released into streams, ponds., and lakes in nearly every nation. some fish are bred and grown and go directly to the market Fishing may be considered something of a rural activity to those who live in cities, but there was a time in the mid-19th century when depletion of many species offish in lakes and streams was a major problem that affected everyone no matter where they lived. Fish was a major food source and since prehistoric times, the only way they could be obtained was by either spearing them, angling with a rod and reel, or by using various types of traps and nets. Fish breeding was, relatively unknown or was only a mild curiosity. Several people toyed with the idea, but no one had experimented with actually growing fish more than Seth Green. In fact, he mastered it and turned it into a major world industry. His observations of fish in the wild caused him

Thousands ofyoung salmon, born in a fish hatcher-y, .swim about in a large; outckJor tank. to move from fish catching to fish hatching and made him As successful as they were, Adonijah was ambitious wo rid famous as.the father of fish culture. and wanted to leave the area that was then considered tn be wilderne$, for bigger and better things. H~ While attending Finger Lakes Community wife, Betsey, had grown weary of living College in Canandaigua, Nlew York, ~ in fear of wolves, wild cats, and I had the privilege of taking ·='· rattlesnakes that lived in the area fisheries technology dasses with in tllose days. The family moved, Professors John Faust and Frank but not too far away, to what Smith, two of the most educated was then the village of Carthage, individuals of fishing techniques located by the lower falls of the I have ever known. lbey intro­ ·Genesee River, three miles north duced me to many various fishing of downtown Rochester. Ships methods that I never would have that were laden with goods bound known otherwise. Professor Faust for Canada would leave Carthage gave me the opportunity to by and then .return with Canadian fishing with a "Seth Green" rig, goods. Adonijah qpened a tavern which is five flashy hooks on a called the Pavilion and the family single, heavy-duty pole, resulting enjoyed C()mfort and prosperity in higher prOductivity because until 18.37 when a financial panic five different s.trata in the water hit the area, severely affecting column are targeted at the same the economy Of the village. time.Although my luck was not good that day, I was impressed Selh Green became internationally fornou$ and was Seth had learned much about enough to want to know more known 4f the "Father ofFish Culture.~ Hi$ invention fishing on the Genesee River and of the fish hiltdrery rqJopulated rhe MJrids water­ about Seth Green. way$ and made fish an eamomical foad for mililom. decided to make it his trade. kl a boy, he had sold the fish he Green was born on March 19, 1817 in a cabin in a heavily caught to local ships and crews that docked at the port wooded area near what is now the corner of CUiver Road near his father1i tavern. By the time Seth was twenty, he and Empire Boulevard. His father, Adonijah, \Illas one of the had started providing for himself so well that he decided only farmers living in the town of Irondequoit at that time. that fishing VKJuld be his trade. He loved his rod and reel Setti grew up an average country boy, with a deep fove dearly and, through fis.hing, he !earned more than just how for the woods and streams. A friend of his said that Seth to fish; tflrough observation he acquired special knowledge took to fishing like a duck to water. He was a true angler about fish which distinguished him from other anglers and made his own hooks ~rom pins. In fact, Seth's hooks along the banks.of the Genesee. were so well made, that his.friends would trade two of their store-bought hOoks for just one of Seth's homemade When he was twenty-one years.old, he was fishing on the ones. Seth also learned farming very early and learned shore of Keeler's Creek, a small stream 30 miles north how to sow wheat and com. seth bet~iended some local of Coburg, Ontario and saw something peculiar going Seneca Indians, and from them he learned many secrets on with the salmon in the stream.A tree partially hung of hunting and fishing. He became a capable trapper and over the stream, and he climbed it to get a better look. his father oould depend on Seth to bring in plenty of small He concealed himself in the foliage, and he witnessed animals and fish fur dinner. Hunting together in the forest, the method of fish propagation. This was the discovery father and son would also bag larger game such as deer, that was.the turning point in his life. He began thinking of wild hogs, and even bear. ways that the process could be improved. For two days. he watched the salmon and observed that when the female re eased her eggs, the mares ate as many of the eggs as they could find. Very few eggs remained, and fhey only survived because they were covermt wittl gravel on the bottom of the stream. This waste bothered Seth, and he began ttlinking of ways. he could prevent It. He decided that in the future, he would try to find a way to hatch fish artificially. When he returned to Carthage, he observed various types of ot'her fish anqJerimen1s.

He op,ened a shop near the High Falls on Front Street in Rochester. seth soon had a reputation for being the greatest fisherman in the entire state, and by 1857 he was the largest dealer in fish in the New York State as well. He employed 1()0 anglers who were Histor it sign at the site ofSeth Green} first fish bringing in twelve to twenty-five tons of hatdiery in Caledonia, New Turk (Above) fish per montll. In the summer of 1864, Seth decided to move to Caledonia The Ctfledon ia Fish Hatchery still operates today. It is atte of 12 .state fish IUJtcheries Creek in order to experiment with opemting in New York St.ate. Seth Green was hatching brook trou~ without pollution superintendent ofall of th.em (Top left) and fhe normal seasonal limitations. The Ctfledon {a fim hatchery- operates with The temperature of the c~eek was cold, both indoor and outdoor hatddng tMks. between 45 and 00 degrees, which is (Cen~r) perfect for hatching trout He built his first rearing ponds in Caledonia, which Outdoorfish hatching pools at the Caledonia was something entirely new. Some Fish Hatchery. (Lower Left) American and Eurqpean scientists had experimented with artificial fertilization he had only a2S percent success rate. He ~pt his method and incubation, but it was little more than a laboratory secret for years and sold the spawn, 1,mm at a time, for curiosity with no practical value. Seth's idea was not only $8 to $10. This made Seth very famous because what he to use Ute fishing grounds in Caledonia that he pmchased was doing with fish found Its way into the New York City for catching and selling brook trout to Buffalo, Niagara, and newspapers. Rochester, but also to raise fish himself so that he could restock public waters. He constructed large buildings Green was single-handedly responsible for devising the near the creek and created the Caledonia Fssh Hatchery. method for shad propagation in New England. He was Huge tanks were used to conduct experiments in dry contacted by the fish commissions of four New England impregnation which caused him to achieve a 97% states. He was unsuccessful at first because the method success rate. Eggs from the :used for trout was not female and milt fr-0m the ' useful for shad. Not male are mixed in a only that, but some pan containing no of the shad fishermen water. Originally, he who were assisting had mixed water with r the fertilized ,eggs, like the ~. Europeans did, but found that

TIH. ~11\[J l( ll lPLI ,.' ' I him did not want him to succeed. The shad population the eggs could be shipped because of the time required in the Connecticut River near Holyoke, MassachusetlS for travel, but he did believe he would be able to ship was so lowthatthere was a high prioe per pound for the hatchlings while their food sacs were stm attached. shad at market If shad suddenly became more plentiful, Nevertheless, he believed the chances of success were me price would go down dramatically. Some individuals poor because of the dry areas of land he V«>uld have to sabotaged his efforts, by 'knocking over trays of eggs, traverse whicfl meant that finding fresh water for the fish closing the gates that supplied his hatching lx>xes, and would .prove difficult. They sent him money to travel to even tearing his fishing nets. still, in the end, Green was f.alifomia on a train with 12,000 hatchlings in milk cans. successful in finding a method to hatch the shad eggs When water became scarce, he used fresh water from and as.it turned ou~ it was even much easier than trout the train to replenish the supply for the litUe fish. When He hatched 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 shad a day and by this was discovered by the porters on the train, lleir the end Of 1863, 60,000 shad had been placed in the initial reaction was anger, but once they listened to the Connecticut River. Several years later, shad were so story of Seth Green's mmion, they became sympathetic plentiful that the price of shad went from $40 for 100 to the situation and helped him get as much water as he to merely $3 for 100. The New England states needed. When Green atrived in California, he deposited that had hired Green paid him less than 1,000 shad fry into the Sacramento River and other places $2CO for his efforts, and this severely in California Eventually shad became sa troubled Green for some time to come, plentiful on the Pacific Coast that because he thought that his hard fishermen had to limit their catch work was worth a lot more. for fear of overstocking the market. In 1868, fisheries had sprung up all over New York Stam, Green led the effort to and they needed to be managed. restmck the Potomac and The Board of Commi$iOOers the Hudson rivers as well, of Fisheries was formed that and back near Rochester, year, and the firat three propagation of trout became ~ members included former successful that in 1874, the Fish Bovemor Horatio Seymour, CommisSion notified the public that Robert Barnwell Roosevelt these fish could be ob1ained and Seth Green. Within 1he Seth Grun fly was a ver.sritile fly, 5trving as a first· rate bass fly. in Galedoni~ but _only by two years, a hatchery a lake fly, and with a different win& it was good for trout. those with suitable house was constructed for In 19th-century fly fishing, Seth Grren's flies were amsltkred the finest. means to transport the purpose of hatching them, such as milk cans. whitefish and lake trout (then called salmon trou1). In 1870, The fish were only available from February 10 to 26. Seth Green resigned as a commmione·r and was promoted to firmly believed that depleted streams could be repapulated Superintendent of Fisheries for the entire state, a post he with hatchery-raised tmu~ and he sent out articles and k~pt until he died. letters to promote the idea that soon caught on with the public. The legislators in Albany made an appropriation In this position, he received a massive amount of mail, and for the purchase of a site to build a state hatchery. Until he ans¥11ered letters in detail from all parts of the country. thiS time, the Fish Commission ran its operations from a He received a letter in 1871 from the fim commissioners much smaller hatohing house. Bifook trout had not been of California, Throckmorton and Redding, asking him if it produced at publiC expense before this time, but with ~he was possible to take shad to Califomia. Breen did not think construction of the New York state hatmery on the same land where Breen built his original hatchery, it became easy to produce ttmusandsoffry(small, young fish) fmm a single pair of fish. In 1876, the Fish Commission issued a statement that said that the hatchery in Caledonia 'M>Uld ,produce one million fish after February 15, 1876 and was willing to distribute them to anyone who was willing to take them. Green believed it was more important to feed people than to make a profit 11 The importance of fish as food, and their cheapness, render it a matter of great importance that the supply shall not be diminished, but German Fishennen's Club in Berlin gave Seth a gold medal very much increased." for his achievemen1s in fish culture. In addition to his fish breeding r~putation, Green was also known as one of Seth Green gained recognition from ooastto coast in the America's finest fly fishermen. He won many fishing and casting toumamen1s from 1866to1878. United Slates and throughout the world as well. He was known in Germany and France and he was even known in New Zealand and Australia. He was the first to have Green wrote several books on breeding and fishing. In packed and shipped fish eggs to each of those countries. 1870 he authored Trout CultlJre and in 1879 he coauthored In 1872 and 1875, the Societe lmperiale d'Acclimatation Rsh·Hatching and Fish Catchingwith long-time associate of France awarded him a gold medal for his 'M:lrk in R.B. Roosevelt. In it he made known that his primary concern was yielding vast results for the benefit of all pisciculb.Jre. In 1876, he was given an award by the humanity. United states Centennial Commission at the International Exhibition he!d in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1880, the

Greene returned to Holyoke, Massachusetts. in 1874 and great benefactor and a friend of the poor." The Democrat was surprised that many peopte surrounded him and and Chronicle on August 22 read: "The last moments were were genuinely glad to see him. Later when he S:poke painless and he never aV«Jke from a stupor into which he of this event he said that it made him feel so happy at fell several days ago. His physicians, Doctors Hurd and this.outburst of affection from the people that he forgave Dayfoot, did all in their power, but his condition was beyond everyone who had misused him and tried to sabotage his the help of medical skill." efforts, including the New England states that had paid him so little for his hard work in 1867. Seth Green was buried in a family plot along with his father Adonijah and his mother Betsey. He was survived He was a regular writer in a weekly journal devoted to by his wife, Helen Cook Green, and several children. The fishing called American Angler. In 1888 his final work was monument stands in the middle of the plot with a female a book called Home Fishing and Home Waters. He gave figure on a pedestal. She has her hand raised with her strict advice about fhe sizes of fish to take home. "Do not finger pointing upward, which ~mbolizes "gone home to save any that are under six inches. in length. In another God". Beside her at her feet is an anchor, which represents year these will more than double their weight, and be fish hope. On the upper part of the pedestal, on all four oomers, worth taking. Do not act on the principle that if you do not is a symbol repres·enting sheaves of wheat a metaphor take them, someone else will, but do your share manfully, reminding us that we are like wheat that is ready to and your good example will, witlmutdoubt, have its effect be harvested and taken up to God. Since it is a family on others." monument, other family members are listed as well. Seth's individual stone simply reads "seth Green 18.17-1888" with Green was very fond of going on fishing trips with his the word Father on the very top of the stone. friend R.B. Roosevelt. Great South Bay near Long Island in New York was one of their favorite places.to fish as were The famous angler and fish farmer, Seth -Green was a various rivers and streams. Unfortunately in 1882, pioneer who transformed a laboratory curiosity into a an one of these trips along the coast of the Carolinas, way to repopulate depleted flS!h species and feed masses seth contracted typhoid pneumonia. He never fully cheaply. He was a well-respected scientist! an adventurer recovered, but he managed to carry on his work despite and a hero of a different oort, the kind who gave life a his weakened concuron. helping hand when it needed it most His fish hatcheries led pisciculture from infancy, until they moved from being In January 1888, while traveling with his ~n to view a a fad into a major industry. Today, fisheries technology is new fish species, the cutter in which they were riding taught in many places in the world, including the state overturned. Seth fell on his face while still managing to Univers.ity of New "filrk at Cobleskill, New York and Finger hold on to the reins. He strained the muscles in his back Lakes Community (',allege in Canandaigua, New"fillk. Many most severely and as a result was bedridden at his home of the methods.students leam today were developed by until he died. Oddly, the official cause of death reoorded Seth Green. on the interment records at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York is.senility, which is a serious loss of (Note: The author, Mir/in Douglas Moorff81d, is a sflldent cognitive ability in a previously unaffected person. In a local at the University of Rochester and prepared this essay as newspaper, his.friend Wm. R. Montgomery gave a tribute to part of the course requirements for Pieligim 167, taught him: 11 Died at Rochester, N.Y. on August 20, 1888, the great by Profestnr Emil Homerin, who is also a lrostee of the fish culturist, Seth Green. If a man who adds to the heritage Friends at Mourrt Hope Cemetery.) of the world a blade of grass is a benefactor, what must we say of the man who gives to the VKJm-out, exhausted, ·"'===!' - "-""""""'==:·· and barren streams of the country, as the result of his skill and observation, by artificial means, planned by himself, millions of palatable fish, that without his judgment and manipulation wou!d not have existed? ... Seth Green was.a The IRrlends of Mt. Hope Cemmry Non-frolit (lrg. P.O. Box 187,~ U.S. Pos1age ...... iiililm...... ,_. Rochester, NY l46i8-on3 PM> Rii:hestet; NV Pennlt No. 1037

The gardening tJO mmlttee of the Friends of Mount Hope C.emeter-~ headed by Mary Olinger, maint.aim a number ofhist.oric grave sites, and they 11/so have created thttt rock gardens in the north entmnce areii on Mouni Hope Avenue. The garden pictured here is on the downside of the shoulder of the aibblestoneroad thnt nms from the entrance area up the hi1l t.o Indian Trail Avenue. It and the other two rock gardens are worth a visit; l1S is the cemetery itself All of the ingredients that tMke a remetery beautifa!, pearefa~ and tjlllet are to be found in the first municipal Victorial'I cemetery in America, Mount Hope. -PHOTO BY MARILYN NOLTE

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