76 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



is poured off and clear water is put in the pan, in which the eggs are 

 allowed to remain until they separate, which will be in from 15 to 45 

 minutes, depending on the temperature of the water. It is preferable 

 to take the eggs to the hatchery before the milt and water are poured 

 off, and there rinse them oft' and place them directly on the hatching- 

 trays (previously arranged in the troughs) and then allow them to 

 separate. In freezing weather it is advisable to strip the eggs in water 

 or to use two pans, one set in the other, with water in the bottom pan 

 to prevent the eggs from being chilled. 



In taking spawn the manipulation of the fish without injury is a very 

 delicate and exacting task, full knowledge of which can only be 

 acquired by experience, as it is difficult to squeeze the spawn from the 

 fish without injuring or even killing it. In taking hold of the fish in 

 the spawning-tub the operator catches it by the head with the right 

 hand, the back of the hand being up, and at the same time slips the 

 left hand under the fish and grasps it near the tail, between the anal 

 and caudal fins. A fish caught in this way can be easily turned over 

 as it is brought out of the water, so that its abdomen is up and in the 

 proper position for spawning by the time the spawning-pan is reached. 

 If the fish struggles it must be held firmly, but gently, until it becomes 

 quiet, and when held in the right position it will struggle only for a 

 moment. A large fish may be held with its head under the right arm. 



When the struggle is over the right hand is passed down the abdo- 

 men of the fish until a point midway between the Electoral and ventral 

 fins is reached, then with the thumb and index finger the abdomen is 

 pressed gently, and at the same time the hand is slipped toward the 

 vent. If the eggs are ready to be taken they will come freely and 

 easily, and if they do not, the fish is put back in the pond until ready to 

 spawn. If the eggs come freely from the first pressure the operation 

 is repeated, beginning at or near the ventral fin. 



After the first pressure has been given, by holding the head of the 

 fish higher than the tail, all of the eggs that have fallen from the 

 ovaries and are ready to be expressed will fall into the abdomen, near 

 the vent, so that it will not be^ necessary to press the fish again over 

 its vital parts, the eggs having left that portion of the body. All of 

 the eggs that have fallen into the abdomen below the ventral fin can 

 be easily ejected without danger of injury to the fish, caused by unnec- 

 essary pressure over its important organs after the eggs have left that 

 part of the body. If these directions are judiciously and carefully fol- 

 lowed but little, if any, damage will result; and, as an illustration, it 

 may be mentioned that fish have been kept for 14 years and their full 

 quota of eggs extracted each season during the egg-producing term, 

 which is normally from 10 to 12 years. The male fish is to be treated 

 very much in the same manner as the female, except the milt must not 

 be forced out, only that which comes freely being taken. 



After stripping, the fish are not returned to the spawning pond, but 

 spent females are placed in one pond and the males in another. The 



