﻿44 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIE.?,. 
  

  

  THE 
  EGGr 
  HARVEST. 
  

  

  The 
  natural 
  deposit 
  of 
  spawu 
  by 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  salmon 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  occurs 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  October 
  and 
  ISTovember. 
  

   In 
  artificial 
  operations 
  at 
  Dead 
  Brook 
  it 
  has 
  rarely 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   begin 
  spawning 
  before 
  October 
  22, 
  or 
  to 
  close 
  later 
  than 
  November 
  15.* 
  

  

  Dead 
  Brook 
  is 
  commonly 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  low 
  stage 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  Septem- 
  

   ber, 
  but 
  it 
  rarely 
  fails 
  that 
  before 
  October 
  20 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  material 
  

   increase 
  in 
  volume. 
  Whenever 
  a 
  sudden 
  rise 
  occurs, 
  even 
  in 
  August 
  

   or 
  September, 
  imprisoned 
  salmon 
  are 
  at 
  once 
  excited 
  to 
  activity, 
  and 
  

   any 
  aperture 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  barrier 
  sufficient 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  a 
  

   salmon 
  is 
  sure 
  to 
  lead 
  to 
  loss. 
  As 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  approaches 
  the 
  

   sensitiveness 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  such 
  intiueuces 
  increases, 
  and 
  a 
  rise 
  about 
  

   October 
  20 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  general 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  upstream 
  

   in 
  search 
  of 
  spawning-grounds. 
  Advantage 
  is 
  taken 
  of 
  this 
  circum- 
  

   stance 
  to 
  entrap 
  them 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  barrier, 
  where 
  a 
  small 
  pound 
  with 
  

   a 
  board 
  floor 
  and 
  a 
  barbed 
  entrance, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  weir, 
  is 
  constructed 
  a 
  

   few 
  days 
  in 
  advance. 
  The 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  trap 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  stage 
  of 
  

   the 
  water, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  always 
  the 
  case 
  that 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  fail 
  to 
  

   enter 
  it, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  final 
  resort 
  is 
  to 
  a 
  seine, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  recalcitrant 
  

   salmon 
  are 
  swept 
  out 
  of 
  pools 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  wont 
  to 
  lie. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  are 
  dipped 
  from 
  the 
  trap 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  seine 
  with 
  soft 
  bag-nets, 
  

   such 
  as 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  collecting 
  them 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  

   assorted 
  according 
  to 
  sex 
  and 
  condition, 
  to 
  facilitate 
  manipulation, 
  and 
  

   placed 
  in 
  floating 
  wooden 
  pens, 
  which 
  are 
  moored 
  to 
  the 
  bank 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  the 
  spawn-house. 
  These 
  pens 
  are 
  about 
  12 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  4 
  feet 
  wide, 
  

   with 
  grated 
  sides 
  and 
  floors, 
  affording 
  sufficient 
  circulation 
  of 
  water, 
  

   and, 
  although 
  indispensable 
  for 
  the 
  convenient 
  manipulation 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  

   the 
  confinement 
  in 
  such 
  narrow 
  quarters 
  leads 
  to 
  considerable 
  chafing 
  

   of 
  noses 
  and 
  tails, 
  and 
  if 
  long 
  continued 
  affects 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   sexual 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  unfavorably, 
  retarding 
  the 
  maturity 
  of 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  and 
  even 
  affecting 
  their 
  quality. 
  The 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  

   from 
  the 
  brook 
  is 
  therefore 
  delayed 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  risking 
  the 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  earliest 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  brook 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  possible 
  

   injuries 
  in 
  the 
  pens. 
  

  

  The 
  spawn-taking 
  operations 
  begin 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  any 
  females 
  are 
  ready 
  

   to 
  yield 
  their 
  eggs. 
  A 
  scarcity 
  of 
  males 
  in 
  breeding 
  condition 
  has 
  never 
  

   yet 
  occurred 
  at 
  this 
  .station 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  hardly 
  

   ever 
  at 
  its 
  close. 
  Among 
  the 
  earliest 
  captures 
  there 
  are 
  always 
  a 
  few 
  

   unripe 
  fish, 
  but 
  invariably 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  day 
  of 
  October 
  all 
  are 
  ripe. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning-house 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  single, 
  plain 
  room, 
  with 
  two 
  doors. 
  

   From 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  beams 
  hangs 
  a 
  steelyard 
  and 
  a 
  bag, 
  in 
  which 
  salmon 
  

   are 
  weighed. 
  At 
  one 
  end 
  is 
  a 
  stove, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  fire 
  is 
  built 
  in 
  very 
  

   cold 
  weather. 
  At 
  the 
  other 
  end 
  is 
  a 
  graduated 
  board, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  Canadian 
  rivers 
  the 
  dates 
  are 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  earlier. 
  Thus 
  at 
  the 
  Ga8p6 
  hatchery, 
  

   in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Quebec, 
  in 
  1894, 
  the 
  -work 
  of 
  spawning;' 
  began 
  October 
  10 
  and 
  closed 
  

   November 
  2. 
  

  

  