XXXII.-REPORT ON THE PROPAGATION OF SCHOODIC SALMON 



■ IN 1882-'83. 



By Charles G. Atkins. 



THE NEW BUILDINGS. 



The changes in the buildings rendered necesgary by establishment 

 of headquarters at the hatchery at the cove were brought to completion 

 this season, and these matters kept a small force of masons, cari)enters, 

 painters, and laborers at work during nearly the whole autumn and 

 winter. We can now congratulate ourselves on being well prepared 

 for the successful management of any stock of eggs we are likely to get, 

 and on a probable suspension of the work of building and tearing down, 

 which has unavoidably attended nearly every season's operations thus 

 far, often to our serious inconvenience during the spawning season. 

 The attendant expenses will likewise doubtless be materially reduced 

 hereafter. 



The superintendent's cottage has been moved to a new site, close by 

 the main hatchery, and has received important repairs, extending to 

 finishing and painting within and without. 



The group of buildings at headquarters now comprises the main hatch- 

 ery (No. 3), the superintendent's house, a keeper's lodge, a small ice- 

 house, and a wood-house. Directly in front of the superintendent's 

 house is the fishing ground, with the spawning house and a watch-house 

 perched on a pier in a position commanding views of all the nets. 

 About 50 rods down the stream stands the " river-house," or hatchery 

 No. 2. The original hatchery in the woods completes the list. 



2. SPAWNING. 



The nets were placed to intercept the descending salmon, as usual, 

 about the middle of September, and on the fourth day of November 

 the arrangements for the capture of fish were completed. 



In the early catches the males, as usual, largely predominated, con- 

 stituting 66 per cent, of those taken November 5 ; 47 per cent. Novem- 

 ber 6 and 59 per cent. November 7. The females were in excess No- 

 vember 8 and on every other day to the close of the fishing season, 

 November 20. The totals were 600 males and 1,004 females. In re- 

 spect to size and condition, they were the finest fish we had ever taken. 

 The males averaged 3.1 pounds in weight and 19.9 inches in length; 



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