﻿22 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  coiistnieted 
  in 
  the 
  brooks 
  near 
  their 
  outlets, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  captured 
  

   were 
  held 
  iu 
  slat 
  pens 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  above 
  the 
  traps 
  until 
  ripe. 
  At 
  

   Lakota 
  the 
  feeding 
  streams 
  were 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  the 
  trout 
  could 
  only 
  

   enter 
  them 
  during 
  a 
  heavy 
  fall 
  of 
  rain. 
  A 
  pound 
  net 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  

   the 
  ])Oiid 
  near 
  tlie 
  outlet 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  stream, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  so 
  

   shallow 
  that 
  very 
  few 
  fish 
  were 
  caught. 
  At 
  Lake 
  Mitchell 
  the 
  trap 
  

   was 
  washed 
  out 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  freshet, 
  which 
  undoubtedly 
  reduced 
  the 
  

   output 
  of 
  that 
  lake. 
  At 
  Fairbanks 
  Pond 
  and 
  Caspian 
  Lake 
  the 
  trout 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  seines, 
  and 
  good 
  results 
  were 
  also 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   the 
  latter 
  point 
  with 
  dip 
  nets, 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  being 
  first 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  a 
  fine-meshed 
  gill 
  net. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  collecting 
  spawn 
  was 
  

   conducted 
  both 
  by 
  day 
  and 
  by 
  night, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  being 
  guided 
  at 
  

   night 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  jack 
  lights 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  bows 
  of 
  the 
  boats. 
  

   The 
  largest 
  trout 
  captured 
  was 
  26 
  inches 
  long. 
  Those 
  captured 
  at 
  

   Caspian 
  Lake 
  were 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  ones 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  points, 
  and 
  

   averaged 
  from 
  li 
  to 
  2 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  lake 
  they 
  locate 
  their 
  spawning-beds 
  in 
  water 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  feet 
  

   deep, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  working 
  on 
  them 
  in 
  water 
  so 
  

   shallow 
  that 
  their 
  fins 
  and 
  tails 
  are 
  above 
  its 
  surface. 
  Such 
  beds 
  

   become 
  quickly 
  covered 
  with 
  sediment 
  after 
  a 
  storm, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   covered 
  with 
  ice 
  in 
  winter, 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  spawn 
  must 
  be 
  destroyed. 
  

   The 
  lake 
  is 
  also 
  full 
  of 
  suckers 
  and 
  minnows 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  which 
  prey 
  

   upon 
  the 
  spawn 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  seines 
  with 
  the 
  trout. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  eggs 
  taken 
  were 
  transferred 
  on 
  canton-flannel 
  trays 
  packed 
  

   in 
  moss, 
  but 
  later 
  on, 
  for 
  convenience 
  iu 
  handling, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  better 
  results 
  could 
  be 
  obtained, 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  tin 
  lard-pails 
  

   with 
  perforated 
  covers, 
  and 
  these 
  packed 
  in 
  large 
  wooden 
  pails 
  with 
  

   moss 
  all 
  around 
  them. 
  The 
  latter 
  method 
  is 
  inexpensive, 
  and 
  it 
  does 
  

   not 
  injure 
  the 
  eggs, 
  as 
  in 
  traveling 
  over 
  rough 
  roads 
  the 
  pails 
  can 
  be 
  

   held 
  by 
  the 
  messengers, 
  thus 
  breaking 
  the 
  jar 
  of 
  the 
  wagon. 
  It 
  is 
  

   proposed 
  to 
  try 
  still 
  another 
  method 
  next 
  season, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  place 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  wire 
  trays 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  hatched, 
  packing 
  

   them 
  iu 
  light, 
  portable 
  cases 
  with 
  moss. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  eggs 
  collected, 
  25,000 
  were 
  shipped 
  to 
  A. 
  M. 
  Bigelow, 
  liranch- 
  

   ville, 
  N. 
  J., 
  and 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  the 
  stock 
  and 
  an 
  additional 
  assignment 
  

   of 
  20,000 
  received 
  from 
  Northville, 
  Mich., 
  were 
  retained 
  for 
  hatching. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  unsatisfactory 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  supply, 
  only 
  

   13,748 
  fry 
  were 
  available 
  for 
  distribution, 
  5,000 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  shipped 
  

   to 
  Sherburne, 
  Yt., 
  for 
  deposit 
  iu 
  Pico 
  Pond. 
  Thii 
  heavy 
  loss 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   and 
  fry 
  is 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  muddy 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  to 
  its 
  

   very 
  low 
  temperature, 
  which 
  averaged 
  32^° 
  fi-om 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  Novem- 
  

   ber 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  troughs 
  would 
  occasion- 
  

   ally 
  freeze 
  over 
  and 
  ice 
  form 
  on 
  the 
  bottoms 
  and 
  sides. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   during 
  this 
  period 
  developed 
  very 
  slowly, 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  incubation 
  

   varied 
  from 
  170 
  to 
  198 
  days, 
  very 
  few 
  hatching 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  VM) 
  days. 
  

   Both 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  eyed 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  handle 
  them 
  almost 
  daily 
  to 
  free 
  them 
  from 
  

  

  