REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



XLVII 



Whitefish. — The first eggs, 100,000, ^vere received November 4, and 

 the last 1,600,000, from Beaver Island, on December 16. The season's 

 receipts were 40,700,000 eggs, as follows: 



Lake Micbimm. 



Epou fetto 



Naubin way 



Heyniaim's fishery 



Schlein'8 fislierv , 



Scott Point and Point Pat 



terson 



Beaver Island , 



Point Savitan. j. 



Hay Point and Uetour Pa.s- 



saee 



Middle and Thunder Bay ^ 



islands > 



North Point and Alpena . . ) 



Sturgeon Point 



Miller Point 



Days. 



Number. 



1, 500, 000 



2, 400, 000 



6, 620, 000 



4, 700, 000 

 11, 500, 000 



The loss of eggs dnring development was 10,580,000, nearly 26 per 

 cent. This loss was mainly due to neglect on the part of the fishermen 

 in not hauling their nets oftener, frequently allowing them to remain 

 four or five days during severe storms and bad weather. Eggs taken 

 from fish caught in gill nets are invariably poorer than those from fish 

 taken in any other manner, from the fact that when the spawn is 

 taken many of the fish are in a half lifeless condition. Another fiictor 

 was the quantity of sawdust in the water supplied to the hatcheiy. 

 Owing to the direction of the prevailing winds during JS'ovember and 

 the early part of December, the sawdust which was deposited in the 

 bottom of the bay was so stirred up at times as to be forced into the 

 hatchery in such quantities as to almost stop the working of every jar. 



Of the good eggs there were shipped between February 12 and March 

 15, 1892, to the Iforthville Station 370,000; to the Duluth Station, 

 8,000,000, and to Central Station, 4,000,000. The balance of the eggs, 

 17,750,000, were hatched at the station and the fry distributed from 

 April 15 to May 4 at points in lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. 

 The first eggs hatched April 5, but owing to the very low temperature 

 of the water the hatching was very slow and not completed till April 

 25. The temperature of the water fell from 55° on October 1 to 33° 

 on December 5, remaining at 32^° from December 6 to March 29. From 

 330 on March 30 it rose to 39° on April 10, fiilling back to 3Q° on April 

 13, where it remained till April 15. On the 16th it had advanced to 40^, 

 rising slowly until May 8, when it was 48°. 



DuLUTii Statiox, Minnesota(R.O. Sweeny, Su., Supkhintendent). 



The oijerations of this statioji were confined to tl^ propagation of 

 the whitefish, lake trout, i)ike i)erch, and Von Behr trout. 



Whitefish. — On February 27, 1892, 10,000,000 eggs were received 

 from the Put-in Bay Station, and on March 9, 8,000,000 from the Alpena 

 Station. The first lot began to hatch February 29, and the scodiid lot, 

 the delivery of which to the station had been delayed by reason of the 

 intensely cold and stormy weather, on the day of their receipt. On 

 March 5 the first planting (►f fry was made, these being placed in the 

 current of I^estcr lliver, off its mouth, by which they were carried into 



