FISHING INDUSTRY OF THE GREAT LAKES 615 



Most of the eggs were wasted, nor could this destruction, under the 

 circumstances, have been avoided. 



No fisherman would assert that it is possible to save more than a 

 fraction of the spawn, since many of the fish are green or dead when 

 taken. If the nets are caught in a blow, and blows are the rule in the 

 fall, most of the fish taken are dead. Even under favorable condi- 

 tions the fishermen, where the collection of eggs is left entirely in 

 their hands, give first attention to handling the fish and care for the 

 spawn afterward. Many of them know well enough that the collec- 

 tion of a few hundred thousand eggs a trip is quite likely to satisfy 

 the hatchery official to whom the spawn must be surrendered, and 

 they act accordingly. 



Since the taking of whitefish from the spawning giounds was per- 

 mitted everywhere on all five of the Great Lakes, but since the entire 

 collection of eggs was equal at most to the quantity which Lake 

 Huron would have produced if the eggs of all the fish taken could 

 have been saved, it may be assumed then that conservationists con- 

 sider that the effectiveness of the output of one lake, handled b;^ the 

 hatcheries, equal to that of the other lakes left to natural conditions. 

 Furthermore, since whitefish are liberated as fry, the practice of hatch- 

 ing must be based on the assmnption that very few eggs hatch under 

 natural conditions. Either they are not fertilized in nature or they 

 are destroyed after fertilization by enemies or natural forces, or both. 

 There are no other possibilities. It can not be stated too positively 

 that any statements made with regard to the history of the whitefish 

 egg, or of the egg of any other Great Lakes fish, for that matter, are 

 purely theoretical. There is not a particle of evidence to show that 

 the eggs are not fertilized in nature, notwithstanding assertions to the 

 contrary, and all experience with fish breeding in nature indicates that 

 they are fertilized. As for enemies, it must be remembered that the 

 eggs of the whitefish are deposited at a time when other fish are least 

 active and take the minimum of food or cease feeding entirely. The 

 scale theory, which is now well established, is based on this assump- 

 tion. Besides, the eggs are laid on rough bottom, so that many must 

 fall into crevices where they would be comparatively safe. 



While it is very desirable that as many eggs as possible should 

 hatch, it can not be conceded that with the hatching of the egg the 

 most dangerous stage in the development of the individual has 

 passed. We have not yet the necessary knowledge of the life history 

 of any Great Lakes fish to enable us to state which are the critical 

 periods in the life history. It is apparent, however, to all field work- 

 ers, and to fish-culturists in particular, that an immense percentage 

 of the young fish die before they become an inch long and many more 

 perish before they attain double that length, else the stocking of 

 waters with fish would be a simple matter indeed. For this reason 

 it is essential that the question of whether fry planted by the hatcheries 

 have as much chance of surviving as those which are hatched natu- 

 rally, or whether they have any chance at all, be given consideration. 



Although there is no doubt that the distribution of fry in the Great 

 Lakes has been carried out with the best of intentions, it is neverthe- 

 less true that no one is qualified to say what are the most favorable 

 conditions for the planting of fry, and for safety's sake they should be 

 planted on the natural spawning grounds. In many cases this has 

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