﻿I 
  

  

  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  51 
  

  

  jar, 
  counted, 
  and 
  examined 
  under 
  tlie 
  microscope, 
  when 
  it 
  Avas 
  found 
  

   that 
  85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  impregnated, 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  th(} 
  embryo 
  

   showing" 
  ])laiiily. 
  Tlie 
  water 
  temi)erature 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  was 
  63°, 
  and 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  developed 
  rapidly, 
  hatcliing 
  on 
  the 
  llith, 
  four 
  days 
  after 
  being- 
  

   taken. 
  A 
  dram 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  counted 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  meas- 
  

   ure 
  100,096 
  to 
  the 
  tluid 
  quart. 
  The 
  ovaries 
  of 
  one 
  female, 
  weighing 
  

   1| 
  pounds, 
  were 
  removed 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  4,011 
  nearly 
  mature 
  

   eggs, 
  or 
  2,671 
  to 
  a 
  i^ound 
  of 
  fish. 
  Eggs 
  <'ollerted 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  at 
  

   the 
  Put-in 
  Bay 
  dock 
  and 
  at 
  North 
  Bass 
  Island 
  were 
  impregnated 
  as 
  

   described 
  above. 
  Apparently 
  these 
  were 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  ones 
  

   taken, 
  but 
  fungus 
  set 
  in 
  within 
  twenty-four 
  hours 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  died, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  they 
  had 
  received 
  careful 
  handling. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  bass 
  eggs 
  are 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  storms, 
  it 
  was 
  determined 
  to 
  experiment 
  with 
  artificial 
  nests, 
  the 
  

   object 
  being 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  practicable 
  

   after 
  the 
  fish 
  deposited 
  them. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  nests 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  Port- 
  

   land 
  cement 
  and 
  sand, 
  14 
  inches 
  across 
  the 
  face, 
  one-half 
  inch 
  thick, 
  

   and 
  slightly 
  dislied 
  in 
  the 
  center. 
  While 
  the 
  cement 
  was 
  still 
  pla>stic 
  

   small-sized 
  gravel 
  was 
  imbedded 
  therein 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  resemble 
  the 
  

   natural 
  nests. 
  About 
  half 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  

   gravel 
  and 
  rock 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  them 
  

   on 
  mud 
  and 
  sand 
  bottom, 
  being 
  slightly 
  sunk 
  below 
  the 
  natural 
  surface 
  

   and 
  covered 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  deep 
  with 
  selected 
  gravel 
  of 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  

   chestnuts. 
  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  7th 
  many 
  bass 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  

   the 
  natural 
  nests, 
  but 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  artificial 
  nests 
  was 
  occupied. 
  In 
  

   manj' 
  instances 
  the 
  bass 
  first 
  selected 
  the 
  artificial 
  ones, 
  but 
  after 
  fan- 
  

   ning 
  them 
  oft" 
  Avith 
  their 
  tails, 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  habit, 
  they 
  deposited 
  

   the 
  spawn 
  on 
  larger 
  gravel 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  this 
  

   was 
  noticed 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  gravel 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  hens' 
  eggs 
  

   and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  angular 
  in 
  shape. 
  This 
  remedied 
  the 
  difficulty, 
  and 
  

   although 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  already 
  selected 
  their 
  beds, 
  thirteen 
  estab 
  

   lished 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  artificial 
  nests. 
  Four 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  

   lake 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  hatchery 
  after 
  the 
  black-bass 
  season 
  closed 
  Avere 
  

   afterwards 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  occupied 
  by 
  rock 
  bass. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  tem]>erature 
  prevailing 
  the 
  experiments 
  were 
  unsuc- 
  

   cessfnl. 
  On 
  May 
  10 
  the 
  Avater 
  temperature 
  rose 
  from 
  64° 
  to 
  69°, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  12th 
  it 
  Avas 
  found 
  that 
  every 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  

   both 
  natural 
  and 
  artificial, 
  contained 
  fungussed 
  eggs. 
  The 
  artilicial 
  

   nests 
  containing 
  eggs 
  were 
  at 
  once 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  fry 
  tanks 
  at 
  the 
  

   station, 
  running 
  water 
  turned 
  on, 
  and 
  the 
  temjjerature 
  was 
  loAvered 
  

   gradually 
  to 
  G5'^ 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  ice. 
  This 
  stopped 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  and 
  a 
  

   few 
  hundred 
  fry 
  Avere 
  hatched; 
  thej^ 
  Avere 
  A'ery 
  Aveak, 
  hoAvever, 
  and 
  

   survived 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  days. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  very 
  successful 
  work 
  can 
  

   be 
  done 
  with 
  artilicial 
  nests 
  in 
  future, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  recommended 
  that 
  

   arrangements 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  tliis 
  object 
  in 
  AacAv. 
  

  

  