42 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



The brood stock received from Lake Erie wintered in excellent con- 

 dition and was held in the wintering ponds until there was evidence 

 of nest preparation. Spawning commenced almost immediateh'' 

 after transfer to the spawning ponds, and the first fry were observed 

 on Ma}^ 22, some 12 days after the first nest building was observed, 

 the mean water temperature being about 60° F. Eggs and fry were 

 observed in the ponds as late as June 1. Distribution was under- 

 taken as soon as the young fish had reached the feeding stage, and 

 by June 7 fingerlings No. 1 from tlie current year's hatch were avail- 

 able. The 3'oung small-mouthed black bass make excellent growth 

 in the ponds at this station, and examples of fish 3^ inches long 

 when 3 weeks old are not uncommon. There were received from the 

 Michigan commission 103,000 rainbow-trout eggs, from which a 

 hatch of 94 per cent was obtained, the fry and fingerlings resulting 

 from these entering into the general distribution in the States of 

 Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. 



CHAKLKVOIX (MICH.) -StTBSTATION. 



Lake-trout egg collections were undertaken at the usual points on 

 Lakes Michigan and Huron, the collecting season extending from 

 November 1 to 25. The work yielded 44,000,000 eggs, as against 

 30,870,000 for the previous year. The weather conditions were gen- 

 erally favorable, and fishermen at most points secured satisfactory 

 numbers of fish. The quality of the eggs taken was, however, un- 

 satisfactory, and less than 50 per cent produced fry. 



There was no important change in the unsatisfactoiy fishing regu- 

 lations in force last season, and to this condition the poor results of 

 the season's work both as to quantity and quality of the eggs obtained 

 must be attributed. Whitefish eggs to the number of 46,080,000 were 

 obtained, a satisfactory increase over the 12,080,000 taken in the 

 same fields during the year previous. This number does not repre- 

 sent the full possibilities of the fields for egg collections when suit- 

 able changes in the fishing regulations become effective and funds 

 are available for certain changes in the methods at present employed 

 in egg collections. The collecting season extended from November 

 1 to December 4 and covered the usual points on Lakes Michigan 

 and Huron, most of the eggs coming from fields in the vicinity of 

 Alpena. The local collections were augmented by transfers from 

 Lake Ontario and Lake Erie fields, amounting in the aggregate to 

 approximately 50,000,000. 



In addition to the lake trout and whitefish, 20,000 eggs of the steel- 

 head from the Birdsview (Wash.) substation were incubated and 

 the resulting fry planted in a tributary of Pine Lake. 



ALPENA (MICH.) SUBSTATION. 



Though this substation is located on one of the most important 

 fishing ports of the Great Lakes, no fish-cultural operations have 

 been attempted for several years because of the unsatisfactory nature 

 of the water available for the hatchery. During the fall of 1922 it 

 was decided to give this water a further trial as to its suitability for 

 fish-cultural pur])oses. Accordingly, 1,500,000 lake-trout eggs and 

 6,000,000 whitefish eggs were forwarded in the eyed stage from the 



