PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1923. 55 



methods pursued by him having aroused much dissatisfaction, it 

 was decided to discontinue his services and detail one of the statu- 

 tory employees of the Edenton station to assume charge of the work. 

 It was discovered after the arrival of this employee that in past 

 seasons the local fishermen had been paid at the rate of $20 per 

 million for eggs furnished and had been allowed additional com- 

 pensation for the time consumed in delivering them at the hatchery. 

 He at once established a price of $20 per million for eggs delivered. 

 This reduction in price, together with the change in management, 

 incurred such ill feeling among the fishermen that they refused for 

 a time to make any egg collections. However, after being thoroughly 

 convinced that the station would be closed if they persisted in their 

 refusal to cooperate, their attitude changed and they began furnish- 

 ing eggs for propagation, the tirst delivery being made on May 5. 



It was soon discovered, in connection with the prosecution of 

 fish-cultural work at this point, that the waste matter discharged 

 from a paper mill located at Eoanoke Rapids was polluting the 

 river water to such an extent that the fry succumbed soon after 

 liberation. Egg collections were at once discontinued and the Avork 

 was terminated as soon as the stock on hand could be disposed of. 

 During the short period of operations — from May 5 to May 9, 

 inclusive — 22,084,000 striped-bass eggs were received at the hatchery 

 and 16,370,000 fry produced and liberated. 



ATLANTIC SALMON. 



CRAIG BROOK (ME.) STATION. 



LJ. I>. Di) Uoi TIER, Superintendent.] 



A small lot of young Atlantic salmon held over from the hatch 

 of the previous year Avas carried through the months of July and 

 August, 1922, and then liberated in Dennys River, Me., the distribu- 

 tion comprising 40,000 No. 2 fingerlings. Heavy April rains having 

 Avashed aAvay the barriers of the Dead Brook inclosure. Avhere brood 

 Atlantic salmon have heretofore been held awaiting the cleA^elopment 

 of their eggs, it was decided to omit the customary purchase of adult 

 stock during June, and, in vieAv of the antagonistic attitude of the 

 salmon-weir fishermen, it is believed that A^ery feAV of them Avould 

 have been Avilling to supply the fish eA^en if the bureau had been in 

 a position to take them. On March 10 a shipment of 500,000 Qjed 

 Atlantic-salmon eggs Avas receiA^ed from the Canadian Government 

 in exchange for an equal number of brook-trout eggs, this being the 

 third successiA-e year the station has receiA^ed eggs from that source. 

 Of the resulting fry 451,000 were liberated in tributarj^ waters of the 

 l^enobscot River after the absorption of the food sac, and 14,820 were 

 on hand at the close of the fiscal year. 



RESCUE OF STRANDED FOOD FISHES. 



[C. F. CfLLEK, in cliargo.] 



With the Homer (Minn.) station as a central directing point, 

 rescue operations on the upper Mississippi River Avere taken up early 

 in July and vigorously prosecuted to the end of October, at which 



