PROPAGATIOX AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 35 



tilized eggs were deposited on the reefs where taken. The remaining 

 stock produced 167.500.000 fry, which were liberated on the spawning 

 grounds in the lake, care being taken to scatter them over as wide an 

 area as possible. The incubation period was shortened by the un- 

 usually mild winter, averaging only 119 days, in a mean temperature 

 of 38^° F. 



The high-water temperatures prevailing during most of the winter 

 brought on a run of pike perch in March, and some of the commer- 

 cial fishermen reaped very good returns during the latter part of 

 that month. Xo spawning fish were in evidence in March, however, 

 and the run tliroughout the entire season was characterized by the 

 very small number of spawners included in it. Egg-collecting oper- 

 ations extended from April 5 to April 24. but the number of eggs 

 taken was proportionately small. Despite the fact that the fisher- 

 men were willing and anxious to act on any suggestion with a view 

 to obtaining good eggs, the quality of the eggs was uniformly poor, 

 being about the poorest, in fact, ever noted in eggs handled at the 

 station. The total of 111.600,000 laid down in the hatchery yielded 

 only 12.600,000 fry. These were strong and active, however, and 

 the entire output was liberated in good condition on the spawning 

 grounds in the lake. 



Soon after the middle of May the carp propagation work, inaugu- 

 rated, two seasons ago in connection with the Port Clinton fisheries, 

 was taken up, a small hatching battery for the purpose being set up 

 in one of the tish houses at that point. During the egg-collecting 

 period, extending from May 23 to June 11, spawn takers made daily 

 visits to the fishing grounds to take eggs from the ripe fish landed 

 in the seines, liberating at the same time the fry hatcjied from earlier 

 lots. The catch of car)) was below that of a normal season, but the 

 efr^ collections were considerably larger than in either of the two 

 previous seasons, tlie total amounting to 74.;{2r).0()O. From this stock 

 63,32r).00O fry were hatched and planted on the spawning grounds 

 in the Portage River, between Port Clinton and Oak Harbor. 



During the fall, arrangements were made with local fishermen on 

 Lake Erie to save all smallmouth black bass taken in their seines 

 and hold them in live boxes until a sufficient numiier could be secured 

 to warrant a shi|)ment. By this means SOf) adult fish of that species 

 were collected during October and forwarded to various pond fish- 

 cultural stations of the bureau to serve as a brood stock. 



CAPE VINCENT (N. T. ) STATION. 

 [J. r. SxYDEK, Superintendent.] 



During the first half of November lake-trout eggs to the number 

 of r)4U,000 were taken at points on Stony Island, N. Y., and Pigeon 

 Island, on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. As is usual at that 

 time of the year, stormy weather was encountered and all of the 

 eggs were obtained during but four days of weather suitable for 

 fishing. Thirty-nine thousand eggs were shipped to applicants, and 

 of the 4r)0.000 fry hatched from the remainder 80,000 were furnished 

 for storking interior waters in the State of New York and liTO.OOO 

 were returned tr) Lake Ontario waters. Collections of whitefish 

 eggs from Lake Ontario amounted to 150,200,000. 



