REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LIII 

 Put-in Bay Station, Ohio (J. J. Sthanahax, Superintendent). 



The following important improvements \rere made at the station 

 dnring- the year: A frame storehouse 15 by 20 feet, 1^ stories high, was 

 erected on the southwest corner of the station grounds; the old dock 

 was replanked throughout and sui:)i)lied with new timbers where needed ; 

 a rowboat dock, 40 feet by 9 feet, was built at the southeast corner of 

 the building, running parallel to and 20 feet away from the main dock; 

 a 30-foot channel, 200 feet long and 7^ feet deep, was dredged from the 

 dock outward to deep water; retaining walls were built on the north 

 and the west sides of the main building and on the northeast of the 

 grounds on the lake front; the grounds were graded and seeded and 

 walks were built; a 60-light gas plant was installed in the hatchery, 

 and to obviate the possibility of the water supply being cut oft', the 

 suction pipe at the end of the dock was placed in deep water in the 

 new channel. 



During October the usual arrangements were made for collecting 

 whitefish and herring eggs at various points on Lake Erie, but owing 

 to the exceedingly bad weather during the spawning season the total 

 take was less than half that of the previous year. 



The lirst eggs were obtained on oSTovember 4, but a violent storm 

 commenced November and lasted for several days, causing great 

 destruction to the nets, and breaking up and driving the schools of 

 whitefish and herring out into deep water. Scarcely a pound net 

 escaped injury, and it was estimated that over one-third of the gill nets 

 in the western end of the lake were destroyed; 21 pounds belonging to 

 a firm in Toledo were so injured that they were not fished again during 

 the season. 



At the close of operations, on November 20, the total collections 

 amounted to 86,139,000 whitefish and 11,725,000 lake-herring eggs, 

 secured from the following fields : 



Collecting field. Whitefish. | Herring. 



Port Clinton 



Putin Bay 



Xorth Ba'sa Lsland . 



Toledo 



Kelly Island 



Jtiddle Bass Island. 

 Catawba Island 



Total 



45,513,000 ' 5,225,000 

 12, 213, (!00 I 3,200,000 

 12, 159, 000 I 1, 100, 000 



7, J 37, 000 ' 2,200,000 



4,617, 0i!0 I 



2,439, 000 ' 



2,061,000 



86, 139, 000 



11, 725, 000 



Owing to the unfavorable conditions under which the eggs were col- 

 lected, their (juality was not so good as in former years. The first fry 

 were planted on March 20, and deposits were continued to April 29, 

 during which time 60,309,000 whitefish, and 7,299,000 lake herring were 

 liberated. 



For the purpose of experiment, 2,000,000 fry hatched early in April 

 were held in four tanks and were fed on fine middlings prepared by 



