BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 229 



Note by Me. T. B. Ferguson. — The repoitof S. G. Wortli, superiu- 

 teudent of fisheries of North Carolina, on liis striped bass hatchinj? oper- 

 ations, conducted at Weklon, N. C, under the ausi)ices of the United 

 States Fish Commission, contains a matter of great importance to alarge 

 number interested in fisheries and in fishing \Yho have anxiously looked 

 for successes in this direction. As this fish is one of the most impor- 

 tant and interesting of all the food-fish of the Atlantic coast, the pos- 

 sibility of arresting its alarming decrease has been looked forward to 

 with great anxiety by many. 



Mr. Worth's report is not so important as a record of work that hag 

 actually been accomplished as in having demonstrated the practica- 

 bility of carrying on this important work at the point selected for these 

 operations. 



I have never doubted the ability of our experts in fish-culture to care 

 for and develop with but slight loss the eggs of this fish. The difticulty 

 has been in finding a place where the mature fish could be obtained 

 with any certainty. 



The Roanoke River near Weklon having proved to be such a locality, 

 I cannot too strongly urge that immediate steps be taken for the estab- 

 lishment of a hatchery at this point, so equipped, and equipped in time 

 for the next season's work, as to insure successful operations on a large 

 scale. 



Table I. — Hatching and planting of striped bass or rock-fish at Weldon, N. C, 1884. 

 [Under the direction of S. G. Worth, superintendent; C. M. McDowell, captain of the force.] 



Date. 



1884. 



May 2 



2 



G 



12 



16 



17 



Total. 



OS 



^ 



Pounds, 

 15 

 42 

 11 

 12 

 15 

 14 



Condition of ovaries. 



Two-thirds spent. . 



Ovaries full 



Onc-thiid spent 



One-half spent 



One-third spent. . . 

 Ovaries nearly fuU. 



o <c 



IS 



W) 

 fcD 



a 



6200, 000 



cl, 150, 000 



(Ki50, 000 



e240, 000 



60, 000 



420, 000 



3G, 000 



34, 500 



;^210, 000 



6 I 2,420,000 



1, 535, 000 



298, 000 



280, 500 



a The eggs represented by the numbers in this column were taken before the hatchery was ready 

 and were kept on wet trays several hours before being released. 

 h Eggs ten hours old when planted. 



c Twenty-five thousand of these were ten hours old when released. Part of the eggs were left in 

 the ovaries. 



d Forty thousand of these were thrown awaj' from lack of milt. 



eOf this lot 160,000, after impregnation, were upset upon the ground by a careless bj-stander, and 

 30,000 shipped to Washington, D. C, by express, coagulated and perished while in transit, and 10,000 

 were broken in handling tho.-^e for express shipment. 



/The 36,000 fry hatched from 40,000 eggs. 



g There were kept 7,500 fry in an aquarium for inspection, where they gradually died, after some days' 

 confinement. 



h The 10,000 fry unaccounted for were hatched 'from eggs on trays, where they were kept alive sixty 

 hours by way of experiment. 



