XXVI EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



ripe eggs, weighing only from six to eight pounds. This, Mr. Stone 

 thinks, is due to the stoppage of the large salmon by the fishing at the 

 canneries on the Lower Sacramento, allowing only the smaller fishes to 

 pass. 



It will doubtless somewhat astonish many persons at the East who 

 are not familiar with the scale of operations on which the business is 

 conducted at the West, to be told that from seven to nine thousand 

 salmon were several times taken at the station in a single day. 



The number of eggs actually secured and embryonized was so large 

 that two cars were required to transport them to the East. Of these, 

 the first left Redding with 4,000,000 on the 29th of September, arriving 

 at Chicago on the 3d of October. The second, with 3,250,000, arrived 

 at Chicago on the 7th of October. They were met by Mr. Fred. Mather, 

 and the distribution was immediately made from that city by express. 

 The details of distribution will be found in the schedule attached to Mr. 

 Stone's report. 



As usual, a large number were hatched out and planted in the Mc- 

 Cloud, for the purpose of keeping up the supply in the Sacramento, 

 2,500,000 being thus treated ; 500,000 eggs were presented to Canada, 

 100,000 to England, 100,000 to France, 100,000 to Holland, 250,000 to 

 Germany, and 200,000 were sent to New Zealand. 



In the report for 1877 mention is made of the shipment to various 

 foreign countries of California salmon. The half million of eggs sent to 

 New Zealand arrived in perfect condition, and were distributed by the 

 government, to the several provinces. The latest advices speak of the 

 young fish being seen in every direction, and promising to be the ances- 

 tors of a numerous progeny. Owing to various causes, however, the 

 consignments to Germany, France, England, and the Netherlands in 

 1877, were failures, only about 25,000 eggs of the German lot surviving. 

 These had been packed in a special manner by Mr. Mather, and escapied 

 the fate of the rest. 



Owing to the very high opinion entertained by European fish culturists 

 of the California salmon as a food fish, both on account of the ease of 

 its cultivation and the fact that it resists higher temi^eratures of water 

 than the Atlaatic salmon, it was determined to renew the exi^eriment, 

 by a transmission in 1878 ; and Mr. Mather was authorized to repack 

 the eggs in his own way and accompany them to their destination. In 

 accordance with instructions he, therefore, met the car containing the 

 eggs from California at Chicago and received 250,000 for Germany, 

 100,000 for France, 100,000 for Great Britain, and 100,000 for the Neth- 

 erlands. These he carried to his residence at Newark, and after repack- 

 ing them by his own method, he took passage by the Bremen steamer 

 Oder, and arrived at Bremerhaven on the 23d of October. The con- 

 signment for France was shipj)ed from Southampton, on the way, and 

 that for England was sent, for the most part, to the Southport Aqua- 

 rium. The eggs for the Netherlands were met by an. agent of the gov- 



