174 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



THE ARTIFIC'IAf. PROJPA«ATIOIV OF THE STRffPEK BASS (ROC'CIJS 



JL,II\EATl.TS) ON ALBEMARL-E SOrNW. 



By S. a. WORTH. 



Office Superintendent Fish and Fisheries, 



Morganton, N. (7., September 22, 1881. 

 Hon. S. F. Baird, 



JJ. 8. Commissioner of Fisheries^ Washington, D. G. : 



Dear Sir : Some months ago I promised to write you fully upon the 

 subject of the fertilization and hatching of rock-fish or striped bass 

 eggs taken by me on the Albemarle Sound in the spring of 1880. Cir- 

 cumstances have in different ways prevented my doing so at an earlier 

 date, but I finally undertake the task, which is one of pleasure. I shall 

 feel more than repaid if my observations shall tend in the least to fur- 

 ther inquiry in the same direction. 



The rock fish or striped bass {Boccus lineatus) is found in considerable 

 abundance in the Albemarle Sound, but it has not so frequently oc- 

 curred there in the spawning state, owing perhaps to the suspension of 

 operations at the large fisheries about or before the time the eggs 

 rij)en. 



I was superintending a shad-hatching force at Avoca, and having at 

 that time but few men who could strip shad well, had attended the 

 seine hauls at Sutton fishery, where I took the most of the eggs myself. 

 At eleven o'clock on the night of April 28, among a scant haul of shad 

 and herring I found a large spawning rock-fish. I had a large number 

 of impregnating i^ans ready to receive eggs, and after I had taken eggs 

 in seven of them, commenced to apply the milt. There were only five 

 or six males and but a i^ortion of them ripe, and I exhausted the milt in 

 the sixth pan. ISIone of the males were more than 16 inches in length, 

 and the milt was very scarce. I did not apply more than one-fourth as 

 much as is usually applied to shad eggs. By accident, the tin dippers 

 had been left at the hatchery, and when I discovered this I was afraid 

 that the milt would stand too long, and I put water to the eggs by dij)- 

 piug each pan into the open water of the sound. An easterly storm 

 brought heavy waves on the beach which were full of sand, small bits 

 of wood, and other injurious substances in the form of fish scales and 

 oftal washed upon the beach where herring were cut . In the act of im- 

 mersing the pans into the waves violent motion was given them in the 

 riding and jumping sustained, and after a survey of their unfavorable 

 handling and a comi^arison with the handling carefully guarded in im- 

 pregnating shad eggs, 1 despaired of success. Finding that it was not 

 possil)le to get further rock milt for the seventh pan, I took a male shad 

 and applied to the eggs in it. All of the eggs were watered and washed, 

 a tin pan being used as a dipper, in the same general manner adopted 



