204 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



differing in different waters, and when the brood is hatched the members of it 

 remain together the first season, if not destroyed, and for the first few weeks 

 making a sohd, compact mass. The eggs are heavy and adhesive, and unless 

 deposited in a strong current, will stick to whatever may compose the spawning bed, 

 until they become coated with sediment and separate. The fish will average about 

 150,000 eggs, but if the run is of good-sized fish they may furnish 200,000 each. 

 Mr. M. B. Hill took from one fish in Lake Ontario 609,176 eggs, and, after strip- 

 ping, the fish weighed thirteen and one-half pounds. The eggs hatch in from tweK'e 

 to eighteen days, depending on the temperature of the water, and as soon as hatched 

 the young pre)" upon one another. 



At present the facilities for hatching pike-perch are very incomplete in this State, 

 but, as will be seen in the table of distribution, this Commission hatched and planted 

 during thfe year 41,550,000 pike-perch fry, and with improved facilities, which are 

 contemplated, the output will be three or four times greater, and the Commission 

 hopes in this way to add materially to the food supply in the waters of the State. 

 The first planting of artificially hatched pike-perch was made in this State in 1893. 

 In spite of the glutinous condition of the eggs and the consequent difficulty in hatch- 

 ing them, the State had increased the percentage of eggs hatched about thirty per 

 cent. That the plantings of pike-perch have done well is attested by the following 

 letter, written by Mr. S. Makepeace, of Plessis, Jefferson County, N. Y., to Mr. James 

 Annin, Jr., Superintendent of Hatcheries, under date of September 30, 1896: "Think- 

 ing it might be interesting to you to hear about the pike-perch that were planted in 

 Clear Lake in the spring of 1895, I thought I would write you. In the month of June 

 they were six to seven inches long, in August about ten inches, and now they are 

 fourteen inches long. They are good biters, and all that have been caught (except 

 two) have been put back in the lake. They were caught in the evening, while fishing 

 for bullheads. They are fine to look at. I think I will apply for another lot next 

 spring, as I don't think we will be able next year to have the fishermen put them back, 

 and as I understand this matter they will not spawn till they are about three years old. 

 No pike-perch were in this lake before this plant was made." 



Mr. John Wilkins, of Middletown, N. Y., also writes me as follows: 

 "The pike-perch came a few weeks ago, about 65,000, and were planted in the 

 Wallkill River, or rather in the small brooks tributary thereto, and will work down into 

 the main river as they grow older. I am trying a like experiment with 150,000 of 

 them." (The experiment is one that was tried successfully with brown trout fry; viz., 

 rearing and feeding them in separate waters until they were eight months old before 

 planting them in the water which it was expected would be their home.) " I have 

 planted them in batches of 50,000 each in the ponds of Horace Thompson, supervisor 



