EEPORT OF THE COMMTSSIOlSrER OF FISHERIES. 67 



obstruction by floating debris. An efi^ort was then made to operate 

 it on a flat at the mouth of the stream, and here a considerable 

 munber of brood fish were taken. As a result of the season's experi- 

 ments with this net it was decided to construct several more on the 

 same lines, equip them with proper leads, and depend upon this 

 method in the future for securing a brood stock, arranging for their 

 operation in close proximity to the hatchery. Only 39,150,000 eggs 

 were taken, and the percentage of hatch was somewhat below the 

 average. However, this is not attributed to the poor qualitv of the 

 eggs, but is believed to have been wholly due to the imperfect and 

 untried conditions encountered in the new location. A few fry 

 were retained for filling local applications, but the bulk of the out- 

 put was planted near the station in Missisquoi Bay. 



The collection of eggs was deemed too small to warrant the resump- 

 tion of the field hatching operations inaugurated last year at Burling- 

 ton, Vt. In lieu thereof the State Fish Commission undertook collec- 

 tions from the Lamoille River with equipment loaned by the Bureau, 

 and the 32,500,000 eggs secured were eyed in the Sandy Point hatchery 

 and then transferred by the State authorities to Burlington to be 

 hatched and distributed locally in Lake Cham plain waters. 



After completing the collection of pike-perch eggs, 20,000,000 

 eggs of the yellow perch were taken for filling applications. The 

 applicants for this species were so scattered that it was found im- 

 practicable to supply all of them during the short period that fry 

 were available. Therefore a certain proportion of the fish were 

 placed in a small pond at St. Johnsbury station, with the view of 

 loi'warding them to the more distant applicants in connection with 

 the black-bass distributions later in the season. 



PROPAGATION OF MIGRATORY FISHES OF THE ATLANTIC RIVERS. 



The results of the shad season on the Potomac River were decidedly 

 encouraging, there being a fair catch of fish and an abundance of eggs 

 of good quality available for hatcliing. On the other hand, the efforts 

 put forth at the Edenton (N. C.) station were practically fruitless, the 

 collection of shad eggs being the smallest in the history of the Bureau's 

 work in that region. 



In advance of the shad hatching soason the Bryans Point station 

 was engaged in the propagation of yeUow perch. In preparation for 

 that work, 25 live cars were anchored in the mouth of a convenient 

 creek for the reception of a brood stock, which was obtained by 

 making daily visits to the nets of the commercial fishermen operating 

 in neighboring streams and purchasing all available specimens. In 

 this way 14,874 were acquired during March and installed in the live 

 cars, where eggs to the number of 141,740,000 were dropped and 

 bailed up for development in hatcliing jars between March 23 and 

 April 3. Having finished spawning, the brood fish were released in 

 local waters. The crop of eggs produced 130,370,000 vigorous fry 

 for return to the spawning grounds. 



During the mild weather of early April, shad appeared on the 

 spawning grounds in numbers, and the fishermen made good catches 

 until April 8. From that date until April 15 cold and stormy weather 

 prevailed, and the water temperature dropped from 53° F., April 1 

 to 44° F., April 10. On April 17, when the temperature rose to 

 54° F., the catch was again good and the first eggs of the season 



