1052 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [16] 

 HATCHING AND DISTRIBUTION OF CALIFORNIA TROUT. 



On January 24, Mr. Myron Green, of the United States station at 

 Baird, Cal., consigned to tlie Nortliville hatchery a case containing 

 45,000 eggs of the rainbow trout, and on February 6 a second lot of 

 30,000. The first shipment reached North ville February 2, and the last 

 February 14, both in excellent condition. ISTumber of dead eggs picked 

 from first lot on arrival, 615; from the last, 272; subsequent loss on 

 eggs, about 2,600. The fish began hatching February 24, and all were 

 out by the middle of March. 



Shortly after these fish hatched an accident occurred by which 18,000 

 of them perished. On the night of March 21 a flooding rain-storm 

 washed into the feeding reservoir, and thence into the tanks supply- 

 ing the hatching boxes, a sufficient quantity of moss, leaves, and debris 

 generally to almost wholly clog the screens, diverting to the overflow 

 or waste channel the water that should have passed through the trays 

 on which the fish were still retained. The oldest fry fared much 

 worse than those more recently hatched, and especially those in boxes 

 at the foot of the row, the limited amount of fresh water still running 

 having become de-oxygenated before reaching them. In the head 

 boxes, and also in an adjoining row of boxes containing fry of brook 

 trout (of about same age, but much smaller), the loss was merely nomi- 

 nal. In a third row containing the Schoodic sahnou, just hatched, there 

 was no loss whatever. 



I had felt that everything was secure and free from danger of acci- 

 dents — that every precaution for the safety of the fish had been ob- 

 served ; but since meeting with so serious a loss from a source wholly 

 unanticipated, I can but feel that the only safeguard against accidents 

 or insecurity lies in never leaving the fish alone, and shall, therefore, 

 in the future, employ a night watch so long as fish in any considerable 

 numbers remain in the hatchery. 



Appended is a statement of distribution, &c. : 



Number eggs received from California 75, 000 



Loss on eggs during incubation 3, 500 



Number fish hatched 71, 500 



Loss by accident, as noted . . . 18, 000 



Loss of fry to date (June 30) in nursery tanks 3, 500 



Fry on hand in nursery tanks 10, 000 



April 28 — Deposited at Beitner Station, Grand Tra- 

 verse County, Michigan, in Boardman River,tributary 



to Grand Traverse Bay 3, 000 



May 2 — Delivered to A. C. Lanier, of Madison, Ind . . 3, 000 

 May 7 — Deposited by George N. Matheson, of Sarnia, 

 Ontario, in small stream in Western Ontario, tribu- 

 tary to Lake Saint Clair 3, 000 



