190 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the fish, to active prosecution of the fishery without regard to season, 

 age, or spawning state, resulting in practical extermination and the 

 suspension of fishing operations. Considering the entire country, it is 

 estimated that during the past decade the decrease in the sturgeon 

 catch has been CO to 80 jjer cent. Much of the decline in some places 

 is attributable to the destruction of the young, which linger near the 

 mouths of rivers and, becoming entrapped in nets and pounds, have been 

 killed on accouiit of the annoyance caused the fishermen. 



The common sturgeon of the Atlantic Coast attains a weight of over 

 500 pounds, but the average in recent years is not more than 150 pounds. 

 The lake sturgeon reaches a weight of about 200 pounds; the average 

 at the present time is 60 pounds. The known maximum weight of the 

 Pacific white sturgeon is 848 pounds, and those weighing 500 pounds 

 or more were not rare in the Columbia l\iver some years ago, when the 

 average weight was fully 150 pounds; but at present, as well as in the 

 Sacramento Eiver, the average is much less. 



The spawning time of the sturgeon is spring and summer. When 

 fully mature, the ova constitute from 20 to 30 i^er cent of the total 

 weight of the female. When ripe, the eggs are free from the ovarian 

 walls and lie loose in the abdominal cavity. The number of eggs pro- 

 duced by the common Atlantic sturgeon is from 1,000,000 to 2,500,000. 

 The spawning of the anadromous si^ecies takes place in either the fresh 

 or brackish waters of the streams. The lake sturgeon prefers rocky 

 ledges near the shores of lakes. When deposited naturally the eggs 

 soon become glutinous and adhere to sticks, weeds, brush, and other 

 objects. The diameter of the egg is ^ inch. 



The culture of the sturgeon has not been systematically carried on in 

 the United States or Canada, although the time seems opportune for 

 rendering aid to nature in order to keep up the supply. Experimental 

 work indicates that there are no insurmountable obstacles in the way 

 of extensive artificial propagation, although the work presents some 

 unusnal difficulties. 



One of the drawbacks met with in the Atlantic rivers is tliat of 

 obtaining ripe male and female fish simultaneously. The important 

 fact has been determined, however, that both eggs and milt may be 

 cut from live or recently killed fish and fertilization be thus successfully 

 accomplished. In order to secure the milt, pieces of testes may be 

 obtained and the milt squeezed therefrom through a coarse cloth. 



A large proportion of the females taken at the fishing centers are 

 not ready to spawn when caught, and their retention in the crude pens 

 used by the fishermen, together with the rough handling they receive, 

 appears to render their eggs incapable of fertilization. The successful 

 penning of the fish pending the ripening of the eggs and milt would 

 greatly add to the success of this work, as the spawning season in a 

 given place usually extends over a number of weeks. 



The glutinous nature of the sturgeon's egg has been a drawback in 

 the i:)ropagation experiments heretofore conducted. The eggs become 



