﻿182 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  in 
  a 
  year. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  flsli 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  are 
  

   hatched 
  in 
  submerged 
  boxes, 
  provided 
  with 
  double 
  wire-mesh 
  tops 
  and 
  

   bottoms. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  simihir 
  to 
  whitefish 
  eggs, 
  being 
  semibuoyant 
  

   and 
  uouadhesive. 
  A 
  39i-pound 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  ovaries 
  

   weighing 
  5 
  pounds, 
  and 
  a 
  35-pound 
  fish 
  has 
  yielded 
  205,000 
  ripe 
  eggs. 
  

   Spawning 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  May, 
  in 
  shallow, 
  grassy 
  places. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  about 
  n- 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  number 
  74,000 
  to 
  the 
  quart. 
  

   About 
  97 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  impregnated 
  are 
  hatched. 
  With 
  the 
  

   water 
  temperature 
  at 
  55° 
  F., 
  hatching 
  ensues 
  in 
  15 
  days, 
  the 
  yolk-sac 
  

   being 
  absorbed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  The 
  fry 
  are 
  very 
  helpless 
  when 
  first 
  

   hatched. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  extremely 
  voracious 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  muskellunge, 
  great 
  

   caution 
  should 
  be 
  exercised 
  in 
  distributing 
  the 
  fry, 
  which 
  should, 
  as 
  

   a 
  general 
  practice, 
  be 
  placed 
  only 
  in 
  those 
  waters 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  

   already 
  exists. 
  

  

  THE 
  YELLOW 
  PERCH. 
  

  

  The 
  yellow 
  perch 
  {Perea 
  favescens), 
  known 
  also 
  as 
  ring 
  perch, 
  striped 
  

   perch, 
  and 
  raccoon 
  perch, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  strikingly 
  marked 
  aud 
  best 
  

   known 
  fresh-water 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  North-central 
  States. 
  It 
  

   is 
  commonly 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  tj^pe 
  of 
  the 
  spiny-rayed 
  fishes 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   systems 
  of 
  classification 
  is 
  given 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  among 
  fishes. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  body 
  color 
  is 
  golden 
  yellow, 
  the 
  back 
  being 
  greenish 
  and 
  

   the 
  belly 
  pale; 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  broad 
  vertical 
  blackish 
  bars 
  extend 
  from 
  the 
  

   back 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  median 
  line 
  of 
  abdomen; 
  the 
  lower 
  fins 
  are 
  largely 
  

   bright 
  red 
  or 
  orange, 
  most 
  highly 
  colored 
  in 
  the 
  breeding 
  male 
  ; 
  the 
  dor- 
  

   sal 
  fins 
  are 
  dull 
  greenish. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  elongated, 
  back 
  arched, 
  mouth 
  

   large 
  and 
  provided 
  with 
  bands 
  of 
  teeth 
  on 
  jaws, 
  vomer, 
  and 
  palate. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  found 
  from 
  ISTova 
  Scotia 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina 
  in 
  coastwise 
  waters, 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Upper 
  Mississippi 
  Valley, 
  and 
  

   in 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  is 
  very 
  abundant. 
  Through 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  successfully 
  introduced 
  into 
  lakes 
  

   in 
  California, 
  Washington, 
  and 
  other 
  Western 
  States, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  met 
  

   with 
  regularly 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cities 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  

  

  The 
  usual 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  perch 
  is 
  less 
  tlian 
  10 
  inches, 
  and 
  its 
  

   average 
  weight 
  is 
  under 
  a 
  pound. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  food-fish 
  of 
  fair 
  quality, 
  and 
  is 
  

   taken 
  for 
  market 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  quantities 
  annually 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  States 
  

   and 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  traps, 
  and 
  lines 
  being 
  used. 
  

   The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  output 
  is 
  over 
  $300,000 
  yearly, 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  

   which 
  sum 
  represents 
  the 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes. 
  It 
  bites 
  readily 
  

   at 
  the 
  baited 
  hook 
  and 
  is 
  caught 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  by 
  anglers. 
  

  

  Artificial 
  j)ropagation, 
  in 
  the 
  full 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  term, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   attempted 
  with 
  the 
  yellow 
  perch. 
  The 
  eggs 
  have 
  neither 
  been 
  artifi- 
  

   cially 
  taken 
  nor 
  artificially 
  impregnated, 
  but 
  the 
  brood 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  

   impounded 
  and 
  their 
  naturally 
  fertilized 
  eggs 
  hatched. 
  The 
  extent 
  to 
  

   which 
  this 
  modified 
  cultivation 
  of 
  yellow 
  perch 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  coast 
  rivers, 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  is 
  almost 
  limitless. 
  

  

  