794 EEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



15 ounces spawn. I think this a small yield of spawn for so large a fish. 

 Another female to-day, 19 inches long, weighing 2 pounds 1 ounce after 

 spawning, gave 14 ounces spawn, which counted out 2,068 eggs. The 

 average yield is much less than this. Up to this date we have taken 

 450,000 eggs from 386 female fish, an average of 1,166 per fish. This is 

 a much higher average than any preceding year, the fish averaging 

 larger than usual. There is always a slight uncertainty in the estimates 

 of the number of eggs, but the error from this source is probably not 

 over 5 per cent. 



The backwardness of the fish this season is more evident now than 

 ever. Less than half of our female fish have yielded their eggs, and the 

 number of eggs taken is less than ever before at this date. We have, 

 however, over 500 gravid fish on hand, besides the catch of the last two 

 •nights. 



November 22, p. ni. — On examining the fish taken during the last two 

 nights, we find 241 ripe out of 406 females. They add 243,000 to our 

 stock of eggs, and will add 25,000 more on second handUng. 



November 25. — The catch of fish has fallen ofi' rapidly since the 22d. 

 Only 38 taken last night. Evidently the season is drawing to a close. 



To-day's work adds 445,000 to our stock of eggs, and brings the total 

 thus far up to 1,170,000, with some hundreds of females yet on hand ; 

 948,000 are now deposited in the new hatching-house, and the remainder 

 wiU be jilaced in the old house. 



To-day we have taken 445,000 eggs. This unusual feat was accom- 

 plished by six men working all day, without weighing or measuring any 

 of the fish handled. That gives an average of 74,000 as a day's work 

 for a man, or, say, 7,400 per hour. This would be accounted very slow 

 progress with sea-going salmon, either of the Atlantic or Pacific. But 

 the Schoodic salmon are among the least prolific of fishes, and to get 

 the eggs taken to-day we had to handle over a thousand salmon. The 

 work of putting the eggs in the trays took over four hours in addition. 

 1 find that the best working party at the spawning- shed consists of five 

 or six persons — one to dip the fish and pass them to the spawn -takers, 

 one to keep the tally, three to take spawn, and, i)erhaps, one more to 

 wash and care for the eggs. In addition to these, it will require one 

 man to carry the eggs to the hatching-house, and another to place them 

 in the troughs, and, if the fish are weighed and measured, another man 

 will be required for this. The weighing and measuring have been done 

 this year, as usual, every day except when the work pressed too much. 

 The general results are tabulated below. 



December 3. — This afternoon we began sending off the iDarent fish. Up 

 to this date all caught have been kept in our inclosures. All unripe, and 

 all awaiting manipulation, were kept in the inclosure below the spawn- 

 ing-shed. After the final manipulation they were placed in a roomy in- 

 closure above the spawning-shed. Having now, as is supposed, taken 

 aU the fish possible for this season, there is no objection to setting the 



