﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXYII 
  

  

  ascribed 
  for 
  tlie 
  large 
  loss, 
  thongli 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  attributed 
  to 
  confinement 
  

   of 
  the 
  trout 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  period 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  ripe. 
  Next 
  

   year 
  a 
  temporary 
  auxiliary 
  hatchery 
  will 
  be 
  constructed 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  

  

  At 
  Caspian 
  Lake, 
  32 
  miles 
  from 
  St. 
  Johnsbury, 
  the 
  trout 
  were 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  small-meshed 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  dip 
  nets, 
  the 
  only 
  

   improvement 
  in 
  the 
  apparatus 
  being 
  the 
  jack 
  lights, 
  which 
  were 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  especially 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  caught 
  

   between 
  sunset 
  and 
  midnight. 
  The 
  first 
  were 
  captured 
  October 
  29, 
  and 
  

   work 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  lake 
  froze 
  over, 
  on 
  December 
  2. 
  Long 
  after 
  

   the 
  1st 
  of 
  January 
  the 
  trout 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  work 
  on 
  their 
  beds 
  under 
  

   the 
  ice. 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  taken 
  in 
  dip 
  nets 
  amounted 
  to 
  1,457, 
  their 
  

   average 
  weight 
  being 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  1 
  pound. 
  The 
  season 
  lasted 
  one 
  

   month, 
  commencing 
  JSTovember 
  10, 
  and 
  97 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  500,000 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  good. 
  For 
  convenience 
  and 
  comfort 
  while 
  collecting 
  the 
  eggs 
  a 
  

   boat-house 
  was 
  constructed 
  over 
  the 
  confining 
  pen 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  with 
  

   platform 
  space 
  for 
  the 
  spawn-takers. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   private 
  hatchery 
  located 
  near 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  reached 
  

   the 
  eyed 
  stage 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  St. 
  Johnsbury. 
  The 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  taken 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  continued 
  from 
  January 
  17 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  April. 
  

  

  Willoughby 
  Lake 
  (situated 
  26 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  station, 
  16 
  by 
  rail 
  and 
  

   10 
  by 
  wagon 
  road) 
  was 
  examined 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  collecting 
  eggs 
  of 
  

   the 
  lake 
  trout, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  pressure 
  of 
  other 
  work 
  the 
  investigation 
  

   was 
  delayed 
  until 
  Koveuiber 
  10, 
  when 
  it 
  appeared 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  had 
  

   already 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs. 
  From 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  

   and 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  taken. 
  Suitable 
  facilities 
  were 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  

   establishment 
  of 
  an 
  auxiliary 
  field 
  station. 
  

  

  At 
  Fairbanks 
  Pond, 
  3 
  miles 
  from 
  St. 
  Johnsbury, 
  31,500 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   collected. 
  The 
  work 
  at 
  Pico 
  Pond 
  proved 
  unprofitable, 
  and 
  operations 
  

   were 
  discontinued 
  after 
  12,000 
  eggs 
  had 
  been 
  secured. 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   taken, 
  the 
  total 
  loss 
  on 
  nearly 
  10,000 
  amounting 
  to 
  only 
  30. 
  During 
  

   the 
  winter 
  110,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  shiiDped 
  to 
  the 
  applicants 
  mentioned 
  below, 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  the 
  season's 
  take 
  491,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched, 
  

   a 
  fair 
  proportion 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  collected 
  : 
  

  

  S. 
  M. 
  Pearson, 
  Stratham, 
  N. 
  H 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  10, 
  000 
  L. 
  J. 
  Jolinson, 
  Brattlel)oro, 
  Vt. 
  . 
  . 
  15, 
  000 
  

  

  Vcrmoiit 
  Fish 
  Commissiou 
  50,000 
  Clarence 
  Brown, 
  Toledo, 
  Ohio.. 
  . 
  15,000 
  

  

  Adirondack 
  League 
  Club, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  .. 
  25,000 
  Connecticut 
  Fish 
  Corumission 
  . 
  .. 
  25,000 
  

  

  While 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  sizes 
  of 
  the 
  trout 
  eggs 
  

   taken 
  from 
  different 
  waters, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  always 
  vary 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  as 
  was 
  supposed. 
  The 
  vsizes 
  of 
  eggs 
  taken 
  at 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  

   field 
  stations 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  propoi 
  tion 
  of 
  34, 
  41, 
  and 
  42 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  inch. 
  

   Those 
  numbering 
  34 
  and 
  42 
  to 
  the 
  inch 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  trout 
  averag- 
  

   ing 
  5 
  to 
  the 
  pound, 
  while 
  those 
  numbering 
  41 
  were 
  secured 
  from 
  fish 
  

   weighing 
  over 
  a 
  pound 
  each. 
  

  

  