70 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



The stations showing increased ])roduction of brook trout over last 

 year were those at Cape Vincent, Clackamas, Duluth, and Nashua. 

 Some losses occurred at the Erwin station owing to the poor quahty 

 of eggs obtained from commercial dealers. 



At the Hornbrook auxiliary of the Baird (Cal.) station, 205,650 

 rainbow-trout eggs were collected from wild spawners during the 

 spring. 



In an effort to improve the brood stock of rainbow trout at eastern 

 stations of the Bureau, a consignment of e^gs from wild fish, of extra 

 large size, was forwarded from collecting fields in the vicinity of Boze- 

 man to Wytheville during the spring, with the view of distributing 

 the resulting fry to the various rainbow stations in the East to be 

 reared for breeders. 



There was an aggregate output of 10,250,465 basses, crappies, sun- 

 fishes, and catfishes, this being a slight increase over the 1916 distri- 

 bution. The yield of black bass was greatly curtailed at a number 

 of stations by cold weather during the spring which caused the brood 

 fish to abandon their nests. 



The closure of the San Marcos station, owing to the failure of the 

 Texas Legislature to enact legislation favorable to the Bureau's work 

 in that State, reduced the output of the station from 370,925 in 1916 

 to 90,656 in 1917. 



At the Bulloch ville (Ga.) station a half-acre pond was treated with 

 quickhme in March for the purpose of stimulating aquatic plant life, 

 so essential in pond cultural operations. Brood fish to the number 

 of 56 nested in the pond thereafter, and it is believed that the experi- 

 ment will have a favorable outcome. 



At Odell and Meadow Creeks field stations, in Madison Valley, 

 Mont., 995,000 rainbow-trout eggs were collected during April and 

 May, and in May and June eggs of the grayhng to the number of 

 2,800,000 were secured. This work was seriously hampered by high 

 water, which permitted the fish to escape from the main channels of 

 the streams into numerous small rivulets, where they were inaccessible 

 for propagation. As a consequence egg collections of both species 

 were greatly curtailed as compared with past seasons. After provid- 

 ing for the return to the spawning grounds of a sufficient number of 

 fry for the maintenance of the stock therein, the balance of the eggs 

 were shipped, some as eyed eggs on assignment, and some to the Boze- 

 man station with the view of utilizing the product in filling apphca- 

 tions for young fish. 



The spawning season of the blackspotted trout in the Yellowstone 

 National Park ordinarily extends from the latter part of one fiscal 

 year into July or August of the next, the fish on the west side of Yel- 

 lowstone Lake usually spawning during June and on the opposite side 

 in July. During July, 1916, the egg collections in this region aggre- 

 gated 7,400,000, all of which were taken from fish that had ascended 

 tributary streams to spawn. Tlie fish were seined from below racks 

 or barriers that had been installed for their interception, and held in 

 live cars for ripening. All of the eggs were eyed in the park hatchery 

 and then transferred, part to various stations of the Bureau, and part 

 to various State fish hatcheries. In the spring of 1917 the work was 

 resumed, and eggs amounting to 440,000 were secured from the Soda 

 Butte field. 



