﻿198 
  EEPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  then 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  spawn-kettle 
  containing 
  clean 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  

   poor 
  or 
  dead 
  eggs 
  are 
  thrown 
  away. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  eggs 
  obtained 
  on 
  a 
  given 
  vessel 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  kettle 
  nntil 
  

   the 
  receiving-house 
  on 
  shore 
  is 
  reached, 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  

   changed 
  at 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  passage 
  in; 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  uniform, 
  the 
  eggs 
  -are 
  shifted 
  from 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  to 
  

   another, 
  according 
  to 
  conditions. 
  Sometimes, 
  when 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  very 
  

   choppy 
  or 
  rough, 
  the 
  pail 
  can 
  not 
  safely 
  be 
  used, 
  as 
  the 
  eggs 
  will 
  spill 
  

   out, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  then 
  sti'ipped 
  directly 
  in 
  the 
  spawn-kettle 
  and 
  cleaned 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  formerly 
  the 
  practice 
  to 
  take 
  cod 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   water, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1896-97 
  it 
  was 
  determined 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  

   relative 
  efficacy 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  wet 
  and 
  dry 
  methods 
  of 
  fertilization. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  spawn-takers 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  employ 
  the 
  dry 
  method 
  

   and 
  others 
  the 
  wet 
  method. 
  The 
  experiments 
  show 
  that 
  when 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  dry 
  method 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  percentage 
  was 
  fertilized 
  

   than 
  when 
  taken 
  in 
  water. 
  Eggs 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  on 
  trawl 
  lines 
  inva- 
  

   riably 
  yield 
  a 
  larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  fry 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  

   nets, 
  although 
  fine 
  eggs 
  are 
  frequently 
  obtained 
  from 
  net 
  fish. 
  The 
  

   explanation 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  nets 
  soon 
  become 
  entangled 
  

   and 
  are 
  either 
  drowned, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  shortly 
  after 
  being 
  meshed; 
  they 
  

   struggle 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  more 
  than 
  fish 
  on 
  trawls 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  dead 
  when 
  taken 
  into 
  the 
  boats, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  scaled, 
  

   which 
  indicates 
  severe 
  exertion 
  in 
  trying 
  to 
  escape. 
  Trawl 
  fish, 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  alive 
  and 
  active 
  when 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   water, 
  and 
  very 
  few 
  fish 
  without 
  scales 
  are 
  found 
  unless 
  the 
  gear 
  has 
  

   been 
  out 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  or 
  has 
  been 
  set 
  during 
  a 
  heavy 
  storm, 
  when, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  will 
  be 
  dead. 
  

  

  Better 
  results 
  are 
  obtained 
  from 
  eggs 
  taken 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  

   fairly 
  cold 
  than 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  warm, 
  as 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  is 
  high 
  it 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  for 
  spawn-takers 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  water 
  containing 
  the 
  eggs 
  at 
  a 
  

   safe 
  temperature, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  egg 
  house 
  on 
  shore 
  is 
  reached 
  there 
  is 
  

   almost 
  always 
  a 
  heavy 
  loss. 
  When 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  too 
  cold 
  for 
  eggs 
  to 
  

   be 
  kept 
  on 
  the 
  vessel's 
  deck 
  the 
  spawn- 
  takers 
  put 
  them 
  below 
  the 
  deck, 
  

   where 
  the 
  temperature 
  will 
  be 
  suitable. 
  

  

  Many 
  difficulties 
  and 
  much 
  exposure 
  are 
  encountered 
  by 
  the 
  men 
  

   who 
  collect 
  cod 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  vessels, 
  and 
  during 
  severely 
  cold 
  

   and 
  windy 
  weather, 
  when 
  the 
  deck 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  ice 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  

   freeze 
  stiff 
  in 
  the 
  dories 
  before 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  vessel, 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  get 
  good 
  eggs. 
  During 
  boisterous 
  weather, 
  when 
  the 
  

   fleet 
  succeeds 
  in 
  hauling 
  the 
  gear 
  only 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  a 
  week, 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  generally 
  dead 
  when 
  taken. 
  A 
  spawn-taker 
  often 
  

   secures 
  a 
  good 
  lot 
  of 
  eggs 
  and 
  can 
  find 
  no 
  ripe 
  milt 
  fish, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  

   event 
  he 
  will, 
  if 
  the 
  weather 
  permits, 
  visit 
  the 
  nearest 
  vessel 
  in 
  quest 
  

   of 
  milt. 
  Sometimes 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  school 
  of 
  milt 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  and 
  very 
  

   few 
  female 
  fish, 
  and 
  a 
  vessel 
  may 
  catch 
  several 
  thousand 
  pounds 
  of 
  cod 
  

   day 
  after 
  day 
  without 
  finding 
  ripe 
  spawn 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  them, 
  while 
  another 
  

  

  