400 U. S, BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



jars it became necessary to employ a different type of screen from that 

 ordinarily used, with heavier and coarser wire cloth for the battery 

 troughs. Even under this arrangement the screens had to be emptied 

 and cleaned at frequent intervals, but the stream of minnows was not 

 continuous for long periods, and sometimes for a week or more there 

 would be no trouble from this source. 



In the early winter of 192-1, 7-19,000 brook-trout eggs were received 

 by purchase from commercial hatcheries, and 436,000 were furnished 

 the station by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission in payment for cisco 

 eggs supplied to that State in past years. The Pennsylvania eggs 

 were unusually large and highly colored, and the fry were correspond- 

 ingly large and very vigorous. At the close of the fiscal year a con- 

 siderable number of young brook trout were being held in troughs 

 supplied with water from the city works in an effort to rear them to 

 a larger size before planting. One hundred thousand rainbow-trout 

 eggs were received from the State of Michigan in return for cisco 

 eggs previously furnished that State, and 8,000,000 eyed pike-perch 

 eggs were transferred to Cape Vincent station from the Swanton (Vt.) 

 substation. The fry from all these eggs were used to supply appli- 

 cants and to make plants in public waters. 



It has been the practice in past years to distribute all brook and 

 rainbow trout fry produced at this station in the fry stage. This 

 procedure having been the cause of a great deal of dissatisfaction on 

 the part of applicants receiving the fish, it was determined during the 

 year to locate, if possible, a suitable site for a field rearing station, 

 one where an abundant supply of water of good quality would be 

 available for the work. With this in view, the station superintend- 

 ent has inspected a number of sites, but thus far he has found none 

 that is well adapted to the purpose. 



SWANTON (VT.) SUBSTATION 

 [J. P. Snyder, Superintendent] 



Owing to lack of sufficient funds for its operation, this substation 

 remained closed throughout the fiscal year 1923. It was opened early 

 in April, 1924, and fitted up preparatory to undertaking pike-perch 

 propagation on a cooperative basis with the States of Pennsylvania, 

 Connecticut, and Vermont. Pennsylvania and Connecticut agreed 

 to furnish most of the funds required, receiving in return therefor 50 

 per cent of the eggs collected; the bureau assumed a portion of the 

 expense and provided the services of a competent fish-culturist to 

 direct the operations, while the State of Vermont furnished the serv- 

 ices of a man to assist in the hatchery. 



The spring was unusally late, but as soon as ice conditions would 

 permit seining operations were started, and two large traps and five 

 small ones were set at suitable locations on the spawning grounds in 

 the vicinity of the hatchery. Brood pike perch were taken before the 

 total disappearance of the ice in the lake, and with them numbers of 

 black ana red fin suckers, mullet, catfish, and sheepshead; also, in 

 smaller numbers, whitefish, ling, gar, black bass, sand pike, pickerel, 

 bullhead, smelt, and sunfish. These fishes were sold by the fishermen, 

 the State of Vermont having granted this privilege to compensate 

 them for the brood fish turned over to the hatchery as a source of 

 egg supply. 



