﻿190 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  fisli, 
  to 
  active 
  prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  without 
  regard 
  to 
  season, 
  

   age, 
  or 
  spawning 
  state, 
  resulting 
  in 
  practical 
  extermination 
  and 
  the 
  

   suspension 
  of 
  fishing 
  operations. 
  Considering 
  the 
  entire 
  country, 
  it 
  is 
  

   estimated 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  decade 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  

   catch 
  has 
  been 
  60 
  to 
  80 
  per 
  cent. 
  Much 
  of 
  the 
  decline 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  

   is 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young, 
  which 
  linger 
  near 
  the 
  

   mouths 
  of 
  rivers 
  and, 
  becoming 
  entrapped 
  in 
  nets 
  and 
  pounds, 
  have 
  been 
  

   killed 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  annoyance 
  caused 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  sturgeon 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  attains 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  over 
  

   500 
  i^ounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  150 
  pounds. 
  

   The 
  lake 
  sturgeon 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  about 
  200 
  pounds 
  ; 
  the 
  average 
  

   at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  CO 
  pounds. 
  The 
  known 
  maximum 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  white 
  sturgeon 
  is 
  848 
  pounds, 
  and 
  those 
  weighing 
  500 
  pounds 
  

   or 
  more 
  were 
  not 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Kiver 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  the 
  

   average 
  weight 
  was 
  fully 
  150 
  pounds; 
  but 
  at 
  present, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   Sacramento 
  Iliver, 
  the 
  average 
  is 
  much 
  less. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  is 
  spring 
  and 
  summer. 
  When 
  

   fully 
  mature, 
  the 
  ova 
  constitute 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   weight 
  of 
  the 
  female. 
  When 
  ripe, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  ovarian 
  

   walls 
  and 
  lie 
  loose 
  in 
  the 
  abdominal 
  cavity. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  the 
  common 
  Atlantic 
  sturgeon 
  is 
  from 
  1,000,000 
  to 
  2,500,000. 
  

   The 
  spawning 
  of 
  the 
  anadromous 
  si)ecies 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  either 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   or 
  brackish 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  streams. 
  The 
  lake 
  sturgeon 
  prefers 
  rocky 
  

   ledges 
  near 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  lakes. 
  When 
  deposited 
  naturally 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   soon 
  become 
  glutinous 
  and 
  adhere 
  to 
  sticks, 
  weeds, 
  brush, 
  and 
  other 
  

   objects. 
  The 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  is 
  ^ 
  inch. 
  

  

  The 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  systematically 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  or 
  Canada, 
  although 
  the 
  time 
  seems 
  opportune 
  for 
  

   rendering 
  aid 
  to 
  nature 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  supply. 
  Experimental 
  

   work 
  indicates 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  insurmountable 
  obstacles 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  

   of 
  extensive 
  artificial 
  propagation, 
  although 
  the 
  work 
  presents 
  some 
  

   unusual 
  difficulties. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  drawbacks 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  rivers 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  

   obtaining 
  ripe 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  fish 
  simultaneously. 
  The 
  important 
  

   fact 
  has 
  been 
  determined, 
  however, 
  that 
  both 
  eggs 
  and 
  milt 
  may 
  be 
  

   cut 
  from 
  live 
  or 
  recently 
  killed 
  fish 
  and 
  fertilization 
  be 
  thus 
  successfully 
  

   accomplished. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  milt, 
  pieces 
  of 
  testes 
  may 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  and 
  the 
  milt 
  squeezed 
  therefrom 
  through 
  a 
  coarse 
  cloth. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  fishing 
  centers 
  are 
  

   not 
  ready 
  to 
  spawn 
  when 
  caught, 
  and 
  their 
  retention 
  in 
  the 
  crude 
  pens 
  

   used 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  rough 
  handling 
  they 
  receive, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  render 
  their 
  eggs 
  incapable 
  of 
  fertilization. 
  The 
  successful 
  

   penning 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  pending 
  the 
  rii^ening 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  milt 
  would 
  

   greatly 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  work, 
  as 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  in 
  a 
  

   given 
  place 
  usually 
  extends 
  over 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  weeks. 
  

  

  The 
  glutinous 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon's 
  egg 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  drawback 
  in 
  

   the 
  propagation 
  experiments 
  heretofore 
  conducted. 
  The 
  eggs 
  become 
  

  

  