REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XLVII 



Whitejish. — The first eggs, 160,000, were received November 4, and 

 the last 1,000,000, from Beaver IslaDd, ou December 10. The season's 

 receipts were 10,700,000 eggs, as follows: 



Lake MicLi"!iii. 



Epoufette 



Naubinway 



Heyniauu's tishrry 



Sclilein's tisherv 



Scott Point and Point Pat 



terson 



Beaver Island , 



Lake Huron. 



Point Savitan 



Hay Point and Detour Pas 



sage 



Middle and Thunder Bay 



islands 



North Point and Alpena . . 



Sturgeon Point 



Miller Point 



Days. 



21 



30J 



53 



21 

 30 



Number. 



1, 500, 000 



2, 400, 000 



6, 620, 000 



4, 700, 000 

 11, 500, 000 



The loss of eggs during development was 10,580,000, nearly 26 per 

 cent. This loss was mainly due to neglect on the part of the fishermen 

 in not hauling their nets oftener, frequently allowing them to remain 

 four or five days during severe storms and bad weather. Eggs taken 

 from fish caught in gill nets are invariably poorer than those from fish 

 taken in any other manner, from the fact that when the spawn is 

 taken many of the fish are in a half-lifeless condition. Another factor 

 was the quantity of sawdust in the water supplied to the hatchery. 

 Owing to the direction of the i^revailing winds during November and 

 the early part of December, the sawdust which was deposited in the 

 bottom of the bay was so stirred uiJ at times as to be forced into the 

 hatchery in such quantities as to almost stop the working of every jar. 



Of the good eggs there were shipi^ed between February 12 and March 

 15, 1892, to the North ville Station 370,000; to the Duluth Station, 

 8,000,000, and to Central Station, 4,000,000. The balance of the eggs, 

 17,750,000, were hatched at the station and the liy distributed from 

 Ax^ril 15 to May 1 at points in lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. 

 The first eggs hatched April 5, but owing to the very low temperature 

 of the water the hatching was very slow and not completed till April 

 25. The temperature of the water fell from 55° on October 1 to 33'^ 

 on December 5, remaining at 32^-° from December 6 to March 29. From 

 33° on March 30 it rose to 39° on April 10, falling back to 36° on April 

 13, where it remained till April 15. On the 16th it had advanced to 40°, 

 rising slowly until May 8, when it was 48°. 



DuLUTii Station, Minnesota (R. O. Sweeny, Sk., Supekintendent). 



The operations of this station were confined to ti^ propagation of 

 the whitefish, lake trout, pike perch, and Von Behr trout. 



WMieJish.— On February 27, 1892, 10,000,000 eggs were received 

 from the Put-in Bay Station, and on March 9, 8,000,000 fromthe Alj)ena 

 Station. The first lot began to hatch February 29, and the second lot, 

 the delivery of which to the station had been delayed by reason of the 

 intensely cold and stormy weather, on the day of their receipt. On 

 March 5 the first planting of fry was made, these being placed in the 

 current of Lester River, otf its mouth, by which tliey were carried into 



