XXVIII REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



appears to have been a considerably reduced rim^of shad in the 

 Potomac River, water conditions arising from prolonged dry weather 

 apparently affected the normal spawning habit, so that practically 

 no eggs were obtainable from the available rim, which in good vears 

 has furnished from 50,000,000 to 70,000,000 eggs. The Fort Hum- 

 phreys station had a normal season m the propagation of yellow perch. 

 No striped-bass eggs were secured from the cooperative work with 

 this species in North Carolina, probably for the same reason which 

 affected the shad activities. The Craig Brook (Me.) station conducted 

 the propagation of Atlantic salmon along the same lines as in previous 

 years, although a larger percentage of the eggs was assigned to the 

 Maine State hatcheries. 



Commercial species oj interior waters. — The important fishes in- 

 cluded in this group were distributed in numbers showing a material 

 increase over that of the previous year. Despite the fact that the 

 bureau's Cape Vincent (N. Y.) and Put in Bay (Ohio) stations were 

 able to secure whitefish eggs only in greatly reduced numbers, the 

 aggregate production of whitefish for the entire group was over 

 50,000,000 in excess of that in 1929. The increase was almost 

 entirely derived from the Michigan stations. An output of over 

 31,000,000 lake trout likeAv^se indicates an increase over the previous 

 year. The Michigan stations also contributed the bulk of this in- 

 crease, the activities at the Duluth (Minn.) station having been sharply 

 curtailed by a period of stormy weather at the height of the spawning 

 season. The cisco or lake herring showed a very noticeable decline 

 from the 1929 output. Wliile the propagation of pike perch on Lake 

 Champlain was conducted under weather conditions wliich materially 

 reduced the output, the total production of this form for the entire 

 group of stations was practically doubled. The Put in Bay station 

 enjoyed a particularly successful year with this species. Average 

 success attended the propagation of buffalofish and carp. 



GAME FISHES 



In reporting its game-fish distribution the bureau includes in this 

 category only the trouts, landlocked salmon, and the warm-water 

 pondfishes, comprising the basses, sunfish, crappie, catfish, pike, 

 pickerel, etc. It is true that the pike perch, the lake trout, and the 

 steelhead salmon are equally sought as game fish in many sections 

 of the country. Inclusion of these varieties in the list of game 

 species would consequently double or treble the output of this class. 

 It is among the game fish hatcheries that the greatest expansion of 

 facilities has occurred, and this expansion is reflected in an increased 

 output of all forms excepting the black-spotted trout, smallmouth 

 black bass, and the grayling. 



In developing its program to become independent of all outside 

 sources of egg supply the bureau has established several new collect- 

 ing stations for eggs of wild trout in the Western States. The 

 Meadow Creek (Mont.) auxihary of the Bozeman (Mont.) station 

 again echpsed previous records with the Loch Leven trout, securing 

 over 19,000,000. All station brood stocks of trout have been in- 

 creased in number and the substation for the production of brook- 

 trout eggs, located at York Pond, N. H., virtually doubled its output 

 of the previous year. Of the total distribution of the game varieties 



