﻿•EEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  49 
  

  

  and 
  for 
  stocking 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  hatcheries 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  in 
  other 
  

   States. 
  The 
  remaining 
  stock 
  sufficed 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  Sault 
  Ste. 
  Marie 
  

   and 
  Charlevoix 
  hatcheries, 
  and 
  the 
  fry 
  hatched 
  therefrom 
  were 
  

   returned 
  to 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  lake- 
  trout 
  work 
  was 
  in 
  progress 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  

   for 
  the 
  penning 
  of 
  brood 
  whitefish 
  near 
  the 
  important 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  

   Detroit 
  Eiver 
  and 
  at 
  Charity 
  Island, 
  in 
  Saginaw 
  Bay. 
  At 
  the 
  latter 
  

   point 
  5,393 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  collected 
  and 
  were 
  being 
  held 
  in 
  pens 
  to 
  

   ripen 
  when 
  the 
  great 
  storm 
  of 
  November 
  9 
  swept 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  station, 
  

   carrying 
  away 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  crates 
  and 
  with 
  them 
  4,329 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   SI, 
  500. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  damaged 
  crates 
  were 
  recovered 
  later, 
  but 
  the 
  

   few 
  fish 
  remaining 
  in 
  them 
  were 
  dead. 
  As 
  the 
  storm 
  had 
  totally 
  

   destroyed 
  the 
  pound 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  thus 
  putting 
  a 
  stop 
  to 
  the 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  work 
  came 
  to 
  an 
  abrupt 
  end, 
  

   with 
  very 
  inconsiderable 
  results 
  to 
  compensate 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  

   money 
  expended. 
  In 
  the 
  Detroit 
  River, 
  where 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  

   storm 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  severe, 
  103,280,000 
  eggs 
  of 
  medium 
  quality 
  were 
  

   secured. 
  In 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  partiaUy 
  make 
  up 
  for 
  the 
  shortage 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  Charity 
  Island, 
  three 
  collecting 
  

   stations 
  were 
  opened 
  in 
  December 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  relatively 
  small 
  

   fisheries 
  in 
  upper 
  Lake 
  Michigan, 
  and 
  here 
  approximately 
  25,000,000 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  stock 
  was 
  further 
  supplemented 
  by 
  transfer 
  

   from 
  the 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  fields 
  of 
  41,400,000 
  green 
  eggs, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   relieving 
  the 
  congested 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Put-in 
  Bay 
  hatchery. 
  The 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  Detroit 
  and 
  Sault 
  Ste. 
  Marie 
  hatcheries, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  eyeing 
  very 
  heavy 
  losses 
  resulted. 
  Eyed 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  5,600,000 
  were 
  utilized 
  in 
  filling 
  applications, 
  and 
  

   101,100,000 
  fry 
  w^ere 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  watere 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  

  

  The 
  whitefish 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  L'etroit 
  River 
  have 
  been 
  undergoing 
  a 
  

   steady 
  decline 
  for 
  years, 
  resulting 
  in 
  corresponding 
  decreases 
  m 
  egg 
  

   collections 
  at 
  Grassy 
  Island 
  and 
  BeUe 
  Isle 
  in 
  that 
  river. 
  A 
  deep 
  

   ship 
  canal 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  construction 
  which 
  will 
  cut 
  throug-h 
  a 
  

   portion 
  of 
  Grassy 
  Island, 
  completely 
  destroying 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  

   now 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  in 
  that 
  river. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  

   whitefish 
  eggs 
  now 
  taken 
  in 
  Michigan 
  waters 
  are 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   field 
  station 
  on 
  Charity 
  Island, 
  in 
  Saginaw 
  Bay, 
  established 
  m 
  1910, 
  

   and 
  from 
  several 
  points 
  in 
  upper 
  Lake 
  Michigan. 
  All 
  the 
  eggs 
  thus 
  

   taken 
  are 
  first 
  shipped 
  to 
  the 
  Detroit 
  hatchery, 
  and 
  after 
  reaching 
  

   the 
  eyed 
  stage 
  part 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  transferred 
  and 
  hatched 
  at 
  the 
  aux- 
  

   iliary 
  stations 
  in 
  northern 
  Michigan, 
  the 
  resulting 
  fry 
  being 
  deposited 
  

   on 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  This 
  method, 
  entailing 
  

   the 
  expense 
  of 
  double 
  transportation 
  of 
  eggs 
  for 
  partial 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  on 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  grounds, 
  is 
  hardly 
  justifiable, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  abandoned 
  

   as 
  soon 
  as 
  practicable. 
  

  

  The 
  Bureau 
  is 
  now 
  paying 
  an 
  annual 
  rental 
  of 
  S425 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   the 
  land 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  Detroit 
  hatchery 
  is 
  located. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   heavy 
  expense 
  involved 
  m 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Detroit 
  station, 
  which 
  belongs 
  

   to 
  the 
  State 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  

   it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  advisable, 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  Detroit 
  River, 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  hatching 
  operations 
  at 
  

   Detroit. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  proposed 
  to 
  take 
  steps 
  to 
  locate 
  a 
  desirable 
  

   site 
  for 
  an 
  auxiliary 
  hatching 
  station 
  in 
  the 
  Saginaw 
  Bay 
  district. 
  

  

  