REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



11 



night, wire screens were substituted. While the wire screen did not 

 prevent the mud from entering the troughs, it stopped most of the 

 parasites. It became necessary about this time to increase the amount 

 of water from 5 to 12i gallons, as with the smaller amount it was not 

 unusual to find a thin scum of ice over the troughs in the moruing. 

 When the feeding of the fish in the ponds commenced, late in April, the 

 stock consisted of 90,000 landlocked salmon fry, 19,538 brook trout, 

 10,352 golden trout, 83,257 lake trout, 5,060 rainbow trout, 7,259 Loch 

 Leven trout, 4,892 hybrids; total, 220,364. 



Arrangements were made to care for the lake-trout fry in troughs in 

 the carpenter shop, the supi^ly of water being taken from the main 

 flume, but as the temperature rose it was deemed advisable to remove 

 the lake trout and brook trout to a temporary nursery erected a half 

 mile up the mountain side, east of the spawning-house. In preparing 

 this nursery it was necessary to place a dam across the brook and to 

 cut a road through the underbrush. The temperature of the water 

 in the hatchery reached 71° on May 11, causing a large loss of fry, 

 especially of those that had not absorbed the sac. The rainbow trout 

 suffered such heavy losses that it was decided to deposit the balance (350) 

 in Green Lake, also the 1,000 hybrid Von Behr and landlocked salmon 

 and 3,700 Von Behr and brook. At the close of the month the follow- 

 ing fry were reported on hand: 59,878 landlocked salmon, 14,314 brook 

 trout, 6,800 golden trout, and 70,416 lake trout. All of the Loch Leven 

 trout received from Scotland succumbed, owing to extreme heat, not- 

 withstanding the fact that special efforts were made to save them by 

 putting them in the temporary nursery. 



The temperature of the water during June was normal, and the 

 losses of fish and fry comparatively small. The maximum and mini- 

 mum air and water temperatures during the year were as follows : 



July 



A ugnst . . . 

 September 

 October . . . 

 Not ember. 

 December . 



January. . 

 February 

 March ... 

 April — 



May 



June 



During winter 50 tons of ice were cut and stored, and repairs were 

 made on the main flume. Considerable work was also done on the 

 roads leading to the station, and a temporary bridge, 60 feet long, was 

 built across Great Brook so as to permit of the hauling of wood. 



The experience of the past two years has demonstrated the fact that 

 the temperature of the water at present furnished the hatchery is too 

 high during certain portions of the year for the successful rearing of 

 lake and brook trout, though the landlocked salmon thrive in it. It is 

 therefore recommended that steps be taken to secure the spring which 

 has been used for supplying the temporary nursery. The water is of 

 standard temperature, 42'^ F., and its volume is from 50 to 100 gallons 



