﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXIX 
  

  

  only 
  26,379 
  healthy 
  fry 
  resulting- 
  from 
  them; 
  10,000 
  were 
  distributed 
  in 
  

   New 
  Hampshire 
  waters 
  and 
  the 
  balance 
  Avere 
  retained 
  for 
  rearing. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  months 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  air. 
  and 
  water 
  

   temperatures 
  at 
  Caspian 
  Lake, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  testing 
  the 
  qualiticatioiis 
  

   of 
  the 
  lake 
  water 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  operating 
  a 
  trout 
  hatchery 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale. 
  

   During 
  November 
  the 
  surface 
  temperature 
  ranged 
  from 
  45° 
  to 
  33°. 
  On 
  

   the 
  spawning-beds 
  (from 
  1 
  to 
  feet 
  in 
  depth) 
  it 
  registered 
  the 
  same, 
  

   whereas 
  it 
  varied 
  from 
  45° 
  to 
  38° 
  when 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  dejjth 
  of 
  40 
  feet. 
  

   In 
  December 
  and 
  January, 
  with 
  an 
  air 
  temperature 
  below 
  zero, 
  the 
  

   water 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  100 
  feet 
  registered 
  37° 
  and 
  38° 
  above 
  zero, 
  indicating 
  

   that 
  an 
  equable 
  temperature 
  of 
  from 
  37° 
  to 
  40° 
  can 
  be 
  maintained 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year 
  with 
  water 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  over 
  20 
  feet. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  sandpiper 
  was 
  killed 
  on 
  June 
  13 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  gizzard 
  were 
  

   found 
  the 
  vertebral 
  columns 
  of 
  several 
  small 
  fish 
  about 
  IJ 
  inches 
  long. 
  

  

  In 
  November 
  the 
  sui)erintendent 
  was 
  instructed 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  in 
  New 
  Hampshire 
  respecting- 
  the 
  advisability 
  of 
  establishing 
  a 
  

   station 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  trout 
  at 
  some 
  suitable 
  point 
  in 
  that 
  State. 
  

   This 
  work 
  covered 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  two 
  weeks 
  in 
  December 
  and 
  January. 
  

  

  Cape 
  Vincent 
  Station, 
  New 
  Yokk 
  (H. 
  D. 
  Dean, 
  Superintendent). 
  

  

  An 
  appropriation 
  of 
  $2,500 
  having 
  l)een 
  secured 
  for 
  the 
  completion 
  

   of 
  the 
  hatchery 
  and 
  grounds, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  improvement 
  was 
  commenced 
  

   early 
  in 
  July. 
  The 
  building 
  was 
  completed, 
  the 
  grounds 
  graded, 
  a 
  wire 
  

   fence 
  constructed 
  around 
  the 
  property, 
  a 
  walk 
  laid 
  from 
  the 
  street 
  to 
  

   the 
  liatchery, 
  and 
  a 
  gas 
  plant 
  installed. 
  

  

  Permission 
  having 
  been 
  granted 
  by 
  the 
  Canadian 
  Government 
  to 
  col- 
  

   lect 
  whitefish 
  eggs 
  in 
  Bay 
  Quinte, 
  under 
  the 
  supervision 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  

   overseers, 
  the 
  grounds 
  between 
  Belleville 
  and 
  Deseronto 
  were 
  exam- 
  

   ined 
  and 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  operate 
  four 
  

   seines 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Massassaga 
  Point, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  agreeing- 
  to 
  

   pay 
  all 
  expenses 
  of 
  running 
  the 
  seines 
  for 
  the 
  coarse 
  fish 
  and 
  to 
  allow 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  whitefish. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  penned 
  in 
  crates, 
  

   under 
  the 
  su])er 
  vision 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  employees 
  of 
  the 
  station. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   400 
  collected, 
  only 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  females, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   these 
  were 
  so 
  bruised 
  in 
  handling 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  worthless. 
  As 
  it 
  

   was 
  seen 
  that 
  very 
  few 
  eggs 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  on 
  November 
  

   13 
  four 
  more 
  seines 
  were 
  secured 
  nearer 
  Deseronto. 
  Many 
  fish 
  were 
  

   caught 
  there, 
  but 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  were 
  females, 
  and 
  these 
  yielded 
  no 
  eggs, 
  

   though 
  they 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  pounds 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  Pound 
  nets 
  belong- 
  

   ing- 
  to 
  the 
  Commission 
  were 
  also 
  operated 
  in 
  Ohaumont 
  Bay 
  without 
  

   results, 
  and 
  at 
  Three 
  Mile 
  Bay 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  traps 
  were 
  operated 
  and 
  a 
  

   good 
  many 
  fish 
  captured, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  heavy 
  gales 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  them 
  

   died 
  before 
  the 
  eggs 
  could 
  be 
  taken. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  season's 
  operations 
  only 
  2,300,000 
  eggs 
  of 
  very 
  poor 
  

   quality 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  all 
  sources, 
  ft'om 
  which 
  750,000, 
  fry 
  were 
  

   hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  total 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  

   work 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  $476.41. 
  

  

  