20 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
ferred to Duluth from collecting points in Lake Huron. These eggs 
were of exceptionally poor quality and the losses sustained during 
incubation were far above normal. However, owing to their slow 
development in intensely cold water, the 3,800,000 fry hatched were 
of good quality. This stock was utilized in filling applications sub- 
mitted from North Dakota, Michigan, and Minnesota, the distribu- 
tion occurring in late May and early June. 
In addition to operations with the commercial species, the Duluth 
station had an output of 376,000 brook trout and 44,500 steelheads, 
the eggs of the former having been purchased from commercial fish 
culturists, while those of the hatter were transferred from one of the 
Pacific stations. 
In the lake-trout fields covered by the Michigan stations the 
spawning season opened October 18, a few days in advance of former 
years, and closed 10 days earlier than usual, shortening the egg- 
collecting period about one-third as compared with 1914. Owing 
partly to this fact and partly to unfavorable weather the catch of 
fish was reduced to almost 50 per cent of a normal take. The pre- 
vailing high winds frequently prevented the lifting of the fisher- 
men’s nets for periods of five to seven days in succession. As a 
consequence many of the eggs were of very poor quality, and of 
the 43,544,000 taken at all points 17,461,800, or 41 per cent, were 
lost before the eye-spots developed. When sufficiently advanced 
for shipment, 9,674,200 were forwarded to other Great Lakes sta- 
tions of the Bureau and to State hatcheries in Wisconsin and Michi- 
gan. The output of fry from the balance numbered 16,408,000, all 
of which were returned to the spawning grounds in Lakes Michigan 
and Huron, with the exception of 2,000,000. This lot was deposited 
in Whitefish Bay, an arm of Lake Superior. 
The first whitefish eggs for stocking the Michigan stations were 
taken October 11 at the Charity Island fishery, in Saginaw Bay, and 
the last on December 20 at Northport, Lake Michigan. In addition 
to the two points mentioned field stations were maintained at Nau- 
binway, St. James, Antrim City, and Traverse City, and an experi- 
ental collecting point was opened at Alden, on Torch Lake, to 
determine the feasibility of takmg whitefish from inland waters in 
sufficient quantities to warrant the expense. From the knowledge 
thus gained it is believed the work in this direction can be advan- 
tageously extended through next year. 
Collections were made as usual in the Detroit River at the Belle 
Isle fishery, and the old Grassy Island fishery was operated again 
for the first time since the dredging of the river channel. The 
results of the work at the latter pomt demonstrated conclusively 
that “ has been permanently destroyed as a whitefish spawning 
ound. 
As in the lake-trout work, extremely rough weather was encoun- 
tered during the major portion of the whitefish spawning season, 
obstructing fishing operations to such an extent that the catch was 
hardly half that of an average year. Especially poor results were 
attained at the Charity isinnd fishery, where the field is so exposed 
that the nets were either blown out entirely or the high winds made 
it impossible to lift them for days at a time. In round numbers, 
the Detroit River fisheries yielded 25,000,000 eggs, the one at Charity 
Island 18,500,000, and those in upper Lake Michigan 72,500,000. 
