﻿16 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  TAKING 
  AND 
  IMPREGNATING 
  THE 
  EGGS. 
  

  

  After 
  salmon 
  are 
  secured 
  by 
  the 
  seiue 
  or 
  other 
  means, 
  they 
  are, 
  for 
  

   convenience 
  in 
  handling, 
  placed 
  in 
  pens 
  or 
  live-boxes 
  made 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose, 
  the 
  ripe 
  or 
  nearly 
  ripe 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  being- 
  kept 
  separate. 
  

   Where 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  taken 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale, 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  have 
  

   separate 
  compartments 
  for 
  ripe 
  males, 
  ripe 
  females, 
  nearly 
  ripe 
  females, 
  

   and 
  males 
  partially 
  spent 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  again, 
  and 
  

   one 
  or 
  two 
  spare 
  compartments 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  convenient 
  where 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  handled. 
  

  

  Stripping 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  usually 
  done 
  every 
  day, 
  as 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  

   females 
  confined 
  in 
  the 
  pens 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  injured 
  within 
  the 
  fish, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  objection 
  to 
  keeping 
  the 
  i)arent 
  fish 
  in 
  confinement 
  

   any 
  longer 
  than 
  is 
  absolutely 
  necessary. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  signs 
  that 
  usually 
  accompany 
  ripeness 
  in 
  a 
  female 
  salmon, 
  

   the 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  ovaries 
  is 
  the 
  surest, 
  but 
  the 
  specific 
  

   signs 
  are 
  all 
  fallible, 
  and 
  the 
  spawn-taker 
  relies 
  rather 
  on 
  an 
  indescrib- 
  

   able 
  ripe 
  look, 
  which 
  is 
  neither 
  color, 
  shape, 
  nor 
  condition 
  of 
  organs, 
  

   but 
  a 
  general 
  appearance 
  which 
  shows 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  ripe, 
  

   and 
  can 
  be 
  appreciated 
  only 
  by 
  experience. 
  

  

  When 
  taking 
  the 
  eggs, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  men 
  stand 
  ready 
  with 
  dip 
  nets 
  to 
  

   hand 
  the 
  females 
  to 
  the 
  spawn-taker, 
  and 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  perform 
  the 
  same 
  

   office 
  with 
  the 
  males. 
  After 
  the 
  salmon 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  pens 
  they 
  

   are 
  held 
  suspended 
  in 
  the 
  net 
  until 
  their 
  violent 
  struggles 
  are 
  over, 
  

   after 
  which 
  they 
  become 
  quiet 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  handled 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   milt 
  can 
  be 
  expressed 
  easily. 
  

  

  All 
  methods 
  of 
  taking 
  salmon 
  spawn 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  same, 
  there 
  

   being 
  only 
  slight 
  differences 
  in 
  details, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  holding 
  

   the 
  parent 
  fish 
  and 
  impregnating 
  the 
  eggs. 
  Where 
  there 
  are 
  plenty 
  

   of 
  assistants 
  and 
  the 
  .salmon 
  are 
  of 
  medium 
  size, 
  the 
  most 
  exi^editious 
  

   way 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  takes 
  the 
  spawn 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  female 
  in 
  one 
  

   hand 
  and 
  press 
  out 
  the 
  eggs 
  with 
  the 
  other, 
  another 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  

   holding 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  The 
  male 
  fish 
  is 
  handled 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  

   This 
  is 
  the 
  method 
  employed 
  at 
  Baird, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  where 
  the 
  

   salmon 
  arc 
  larger 
  and 
  harder 
  to 
  manage, 
  the 
  "strait-jacket," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   called, 
  is 
  used; 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  trough 
  made 
  the 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   salmon 
  and 
  hollowed 
  out 
  to 
  fit 
  its 
  general 
  shape. 
  Across 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  

   is 
  a 
  permanent 
  cleat, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  upi)er 
  end 
  is 
  a 
  strap 
  with 
  a 
  buckle. 
  

   The 
  fish, 
  when 
  manipulated, 
  is 
  slid 
  into 
  the 
  trough, 
  the 
  tail 
  going 
  down 
  

   below 
  the 
  cleat, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  securely 
  held 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  buckled 
  in 
  at 
  

   the 
  upper 
  end 
  with 
  the 
  strap. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  unable 
  to 
  do 
  any 
  harm 
  by 
  its 
  

   struggles 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  can 
  be 
  pressed 
  out 
  at 
  leisure. 
  The 
  strait-jacket 
  

   is 
  almost 
  indispensable 
  with 
  very 
  large 
  salmon 
  and 
  is 
  very 
  convenient 
  

   when 
  the 
  operators 
  are 
  limited 
  in 
  number. 
  

  

  In 
  impregnating 
  the 
  eggs 
  the 
  main 
  object 
  is 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  milt 
  and 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  together 
  as 
  quickly 
  as 
  possible 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  left 
  the 
  fish. 
  

   By 
  some 
  persons 
  a 
  little 
  water 
  is 
  considered 
  desirable 
  to 
  give 
  greater 
  

   activity 
  to 
  the 
  milt, 
  but 
  if 
  left 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  miuute 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  there 
  

  

  