PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1924 381 



rate of infertility on several lots of eggs washed and hardened in tur- 

 bid creek water ran from 12 to 13 per cent, while the losses from this 

 cause on eggs taken from the same fish at the same time, but washed 

 and hardened in the creek water after precipitation had freed it from 

 sediment, amounted to not over 7 per cent. 



RESULTS ATTAINED IN THE STOCKING OF IDAHO WATERS 



During June, 1924, the United States forest examiner, in company 

 with the Idaho State fish commissioner, made an extensive survey 

 of the conditions in a number of streams and lakes under Federal 

 jurisdiction in the State of Idaho, and in connection with this inspec- 

 tion considerable numbers of brook trout, rainbow trout, and land- 

 locked salmon were planted. Shiners were also introduced in practi- 

 cally all waters in which the game fishes were placed with the 

 object of establishing a source of food supply for them. 



Practically all of these waters were barren of game fish prior to 

 1920, when the first plants of the species mentioned above were made. 

 In several of the lakes examined the investigation showed conclu- 

 sively that the fish planted then and at subsequent periods had 

 become firmly established. Especially was this the case in Alturas 

 Lake, where small rainbow trout in considerable numbers were found, 

 indicating that the introduced fish had spawned there. Abundant 

 evidence of the recent spawning of rainbow trout was also found in 

 Toxaway Lake. In upper Champion Lake, eastern brook trout, 

 planted there for the first time in 1922, now weigh from 2 to 2^ 

 pounds. Rainbow trout planted in 1920 were found to weigh from 

 4 to 5 pounds. This lake contains an abundance of natural food, 

 and the brook trout were very fat. In a number of other lakes the 

 fish appeared to be well established, and indications that the results 

 of former plantings had been unsuccessful were found in only a few 

 instances. 



GROWTH OF RAINBOW TROUT IN MONTANA WATERS 



During the progress of rainbow-trout egg f'ollections at the Meadow 

 Creek (Mont.) substation an interesting feature was the capture of a 

 female rainbow trout 12 pounds- in weight. This fish was spawned 

 on May 1 and yielded 43 ounces of eggs at 135 per ounce, or a total 

 of 5,805. It is believed this may be the same large fish that was 

 recorded as having been captured and spawned during the first week 

 of May in the two years previous. » 



. MORTALITY OF FISH IN LAKE ERIE 



Visitors arriving at Put in Bay, Ohio, on the passenger steamer 

 leaving Toledo on June 22, reported that they had seen thousands of 

 dead pike perch and saugers floating on the surface of the water 

 between the mouth of the Maumee River and Put in Bay, a stretch 

 of 32 miles. On measuring, some of the dead fish were found to be 

 from 9 to 12 inches in length. The cause of the mortality was gen- 

 erally believed to have been due to pollution carried in the water of 

 Maumee River. 



