52 



REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



of loo jars of the Chase pattern. The borrowed jars were operated 

 by tapping the fry tanks and using wooden faucets, the jars standing 

 upon the floor, and in this way the surplus eggs were cared for until 

 the natural losses and the shipments to other stations made room for 

 all the eggs in the regular batteries. 



The eggs commenced hatching on March 25 and were all out by 

 April 15, the period of incubation being 128 days. Eighty-two per 

 cent of the eggs retained were hatched, giving a total of 200,500,000 

 fry, which were liberated in the waters of 

 Lake Erie. 



Preparations were made for the collection 

 of lake-herring eggs and a force of men sent 

 to Ashtabula, Ohio, where large catches of 

 herring had been reported, but up to very 

 late in the season very few female fish were 

 taken and none of these Avere spawning. On 

 December 6 the weather turned so cold as to 

 make large fields of ice, and as there seemed 

 to be no prospects of continuing the work 

 the men were ordered home and the efforts 

 to secure herring eggs were discontinued. 



On April 2 men were placed in the Toledo, 

 Ohio, and Monroe, Mich., fields for the col- 

 lection of pike-perch eggs, and on April 6 

 pike-perch work was also taken up at Port 

 Clinton, Ohio. Although the weather turned 

 cold, the spawn-takers were very successful 

 in securing eggs, the total collections amount- 

 ing to 437,200,000, the greatest number with 

 one exception ever secured in one season at 

 Put-in Bay Station. The first eggs were 

 received April 4 and the last April ID, the 

 total yield from the various fields being as 

 follows: Toledo field, 246,850,000; Port 

 Clinton field, 126,800,000; Monroe field, 63,550,000. 



Of these eggs 66,000,000 were shipped to State fish conmiissions 

 and on other assignments, leaving a l)alance of 371,200,000 on hand to 

 be hatched at the station. Of those retained 48 per cent hatched, and 

 the resulting 143,000,000 fry were disposed of as shown bj^ the tables 

 of distribution. The loss on the eggs was much greater this season 

 than last, being 52 per cent as against a record of 34 per cent the 

 previous year. As the same spawn-takers were employed this 3^ear, 

 and the methods were the same as last year, the only possible way 

 to account for the greater loss is the difference in the temperature of 

 air and water, the weather remaining cold and disagreeable through- 



The Downing jar. 



