EEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



15 



The weighing aud measuriug of 825 mature sahnou (312 males and 

 513 females) gives the following: 



A vorage weight of males. pounds . 3. '.)8 



Average weight of femalea. .do. . . 3. 91 



Weight of heaviest male do. . . 6. 00 



Weight of heaviest female, .do. . . 5. 50 



Weight of lightest male do. . . 1. 91 



Weight of lightest female. . .do. . . 2. 00 



Average length of males., inches. 21. 30 

 Average length of females . . do . . . 20. 60 



Length of longest male do. . . 26. 00 



Length of longest female do. . . 24. 00 



Length of shortest male do. . . IG. HO 



Length of shortest female. . .do. . . 17. 00 



At the close of the fishing season in November, 1889, a new depar- 

 ture was made, being the restripping of the fish prior to their liberati<m 

 from the inclosurcs. Most of the females were found to contain eggs, 

 the aggregate amounting to 33 pounds, or about 75,000 in number. In 

 development these eggs proved to be quite as good as those taken pre- 

 viously. 



1890-91. 



Active work was begun October 29, 1890, and between that date and 

 November 18, 510 landlocked salmon were captured. Of this number 

 371 were females, which yielded 778,790 eggs. In March, 1891, there 

 remained 049,906 good eggs, of which 163,000 were retained for hatch- 

 ing and liberation in local waters, and 29,000 turned over to the Maine 

 fish commissioners. The remainder, 456,900 eggs, were mainly con- 

 signed to various fish-hatcheries, national. State, and private, enumer- 

 ated in the details of distribution; the eggs reserved were hatched, and 

 in June the fry were released in local waters, with the exception of 

 50,000, which were held in rearing troughs beyond the present year. 

 Two thousand of the fry retained were derived from eggs taken at the 

 final stripping of the brood salmon junior to their release in November, 

 1890, and were placed apart for purposes of observation. They were 

 discovered to suffer a less mortality during June than the others; the 

 death rate during that month among the larger number being 15 to 

 each 2,000, while the loss of these 2,000 fish obtained from the late eggs 

 was but 3. A portion of the eggs which produced the fry under con- 

 sideration must have remained in the parent fish nearly a month 

 subsequent to the dates when the brood fish were first relieved of their 

 spawn. 



CkaKt Brook Station, Maine (Chaules G. Atkins, Supekintendent). 



In the report for 1889 reference was made to the intention to establish 

 a permanent station at this point and to purchase the property then 

 under lease. Congress by act approved March 2, 1889, having appro- 

 priated $11,000 ^' for the purchase of ground, construction of buildings 

 aud ponds, and purchase of equipment of fish-liatchery and rearing 

 stations near Craig Brook, Eeed Pond, aud Branch Pond, Maine;" 

 and the agreement of the owner of the Craig Brook property to sell the 

 same to the United States having been obtained, the Attoriiey-Ceneral 

 was requested to have the title examined and tlie pro])er transfer made. 



