PROPAGATIO:!Sr AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 37 



April 20. A cold spell in April, following the warm weather of 

 March, caused a protracted incubation period for the pike-perch 

 eggs. In this connection it is interesting to note that while the egg 

 collections were made during the period from April 6 to 20 there 

 was very little difference in the dates on which any lot of eggs 

 reached the eyed stage or completed incubation. The eggs were of 

 extremely poor quality, the loss during incubation being in excess 

 of 77 per cent. 



Collections of yellow-perch eggs were in progress from April 21 to 

 April 23. Of the 43.950.000 taken 12.000,000 were delivered to the 

 State hatchery at Burlington, Vt. The remainder were incubated 

 with but slight loss. Upward of 33.000,000 of the pike-perch eggs 

 were shipped to applicants, 14,700,000 going to hatcheries in the 

 State of Vermont. 



PROPAGATION OF YELLOW PERCH. BRYANS POINT (MD.) STATION. 

 [L. G. Haeuon, Superintondent.] 



Fish-cultural operations were undertaken at this point on March 

 1, the work being addressed to the propagation of the yellow perch. 

 Between the 3d and the 10th of March 18,226 brood fish were taken. 

 Spawning occurred between the 10th and the 23d of March, resulting 

 in a total collection of 172.030,000 eggs of excellent quality. Of 

 these 2,000.000 were shipped to Washington, where they served as 

 an exhibit during incubation, the fry being used to supply appli- 

 cants in Virginia. The remaining eggs were incubated in the hatch- 

 ery', producing 158,819,450 fry, which were planted on the spawning 

 grounds. 



MARINE FISH CULTURE. 



The season's work in this field may be considered satisfactory, 

 the output of eggs and fry comparing favorably with that of the 

 year previous. While there was a falling off of nearly 50 per cent 

 in the output of cod as compared with last year, this is compensated 

 for by satisfactory increases in the i)roduction of other si)ecies, not- 

 ably the haddock. The work during the past season was extended to 

 include the pole flounder {Glyptocephalus ci/noglossus), a species 

 not previously propagated. This fish, locally known as the "gray 

 sole," has only recently been introduced in the markets of New Eng- 

 land. Its existence in these waters has long been known, but pre- 

 vious to the use of the otter trawl in the shore fisheries it was not 

 generally known to fishermen. Because of its small, weak mouth 

 it was not taken on the trawl lines. It has since proved to be a 

 popular fish, commands a high price in the markets, and a fishery 

 of imiK>rtance is being built up in connection with it. 



Inadecjuate funds have i)revented the develoi)ment of ])ossibilities 

 for valual)le work in the conservation of the large number of eggs 

 of the marine fishes that are annually lost in connection with 

 commercial fishing. Such work has now been undertaken on a 

 limited scale by placing spawn takers on the fishing vessels operating 

 in tli(! offshore fisheries, to strip the mature eggs from the fish taken, 

 fertilize, and return them immediately to the water. The work is 

 considered of special \alue, since it deals with the conservation of 

 vast (juantities of eggs of the cod and haddock which have heretofore 

 been annually destroyed. 



