100 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



known, however, at the end of the year whether the black bass had 

 produced numerously or not, the young at that time being still in the 

 spawning-beds. The rock bass and goldfish spawned in May, many of 

 both species hatching during that month. The numbers of fish of all 

 kinds on hand, counted or estimated, at the end of llscal year, June 30, 

 1893, are represented in the table which follows : 



Tear batched. 



Kind. 



Rainbow trout 



Black-spotted trout. 



Black bass 



Rock bass 



Carp 



Goldfish 



112, 000 



20, 000 

 8,000 

 8,000 



1892. 



4,000 

 300 

 50 



1890 or 

 earlier. 



200 

 10 



200 

 50 

 100 



Put-in Bay Station, Ohio (J. J. Straxahan, Superintendknt). 



Production was greatly curtailed by hard weather, there occurring 

 in the eleven days after October 28 three gales of unusual severity, 

 many of the fishermen's nets being injured so badly that they were 

 pulled out for the season. There were also severe gales in the spring 

 months, interfering with the collection of pike-Derch eggs. All eggs 

 taken, however, proved to be of fair quality. 



Whitefish. — The collection of whiteflsh eggs was not commenced, 



owing to storms, until November 11, the season terminating November 



23, with an aggregate of 50,080,000, derived from sources below : 



North Bass Island, Lake Erie 22, 690, 000 



Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie 5, 600, 000 



South Bass Island, Lake Erie 14, 310, 000 



Kelley Island, Lake Erie 5, 590, 000 



Catawba Island, Lake Erie 1, 400, 000 



Toledo, Lake Erie 280, 000 



Unrecorded 210, 000 



As many as two-fifths were from gill nets, and all were obtained 

 through spawn- takers attached to the station, and paid for at the rate 

 of 40 cents per liquid quart. Only eggs of good (juality, were pur- 

 chased, determinations being made by microscope immediately after 

 segmentation. 



On February 13 a shipment of 5,000,000 eggs was made to the New 

 York Fish Commission, addressed to the hatchery at Clayton, M. B. 

 Hill, superintendent. These, by error, were shipped by freight, and 

 were on the road twenty days, and on arrival were found to be frozen. 

 They were successfully thawed out, however, and ^Ir. Hill, in a letter 

 dated April 10, gave the gratifying information that all were hatched 

 and liberated with a loss of but 10 per cent. On February 27 a ship- 

 ment of 5,000,000 eggs was sent to Duluth Station. Eggs retained 

 produced 22,570,000 fry, which were liberated on reefs off the islands 

 in the vicinity of Put-in Bay Station. In development it was discovered 

 that those eggs which occupied the upper tier were of poorest quality. 

 The reason for this was not definitely ascertained, but was supposed 



