1044 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



[8] 



2J0TE.— Left Alpena for KorthviUe December 2, arriving the day following. 

 OPERATIONS AT THE HATCHERY. — DISTRIBUTION OF EGGS AND FRY. 



Twenty-two railliou five hundred thousand eggs were shipped from 

 the spawning grounds, all arriving at the hatchery in good condition. 

 The first lot came from the islands November 21, and the last lot from 

 the same source December 8. Upon arrival the eggs are washed from 

 the trays of each case successively into a tub of water, and dipped 

 thence with a skimmer into the hatching jars. All the jars on hand 

 were filled before the last shipment of eggs but one came to hand from 

 the spawning grounds. Pending the arrival of a number of jars daily 

 expected, the eggs of this lot were allowed to remain in the shipping 

 cases, which were placed in a room varying in temperature from 38° to 

 55°. The jars soon came along, but some little time was consumed in 

 fitting them up for the reception of eggs ; so that ten days had elapsed 

 from the time the eggs were arranged in the cases at the islands until 

 their removal therefrom at the hatchery, yet no special loss on this 

 account was shown. Up to this time the eggs remained nearly intact, 

 although conferva had begun to develop from the dead eggs. However, 

 a few matted chunks adhered to the trays when emptied, and these, with 

 others rapidly forming, would soon have caused serious loss had they 

 been allowed to remain undisturbed much longer. 



For experiment, we took from this lot of eggs as soon as they reached 

 the hatchery about 25,000, and placed them in a hatching box, where, 

 of course, the water is constantly renewed, but the eggs themselves lie 

 nearly or quite motionless on the trays. Here we allowed them to re- 

 main 7 days without removing the dead eggs. At the end of this time 

 they had collected in masses and bunches, scarcely any remaining that 

 were not held by the outreaching fingers of conferva. Fully one-half 

 were already destroyed, and we succeeded in saving a portion of the 



