﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  61 
  

  

  Straivberri/ 
  bass. 
  — 
  On 
  December 
  1, 
  1895, 
  51 
  strawberry 
  bass 
  {Pomoxis 
  

   sparoides) 
  were 
  received 
  from 
  Quiucy 
  station. 
  These 
  were 
  wintered 
  with 
  

   a 
  loss 
  of 
  only 
  5, 
  and 
  earlj^ 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  ponds. 
  Although 
  no 
  nests 
  or 
  spawning 
  were 
  observed 
  at 
  any 
  

   time, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fry 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  pond. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  

   accidentally 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  net 
  early 
  in 
  June 
  died 
  before 
  they 
  could 
  

   be 
  removed. 
  It 
  seems 
  doubtful 
  if 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  

   handled 
  in 
  midsummer 
  like 
  the 
  rock 
  bass 
  and 
  black 
  bass. 
  

  

  Rock 
  bass. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  output 
  of 
  yearling 
  rock 
  bass, 
  amounting 
  to 
  

   25,248, 
  was 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  The 
  cause 
  

   of 
  this 
  decrease 
  is 
  unknown. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  easy 
  matter 
  to 
  

   carry 
  the 
  fry 
  in 
  troughs 
  for 
  several 
  weeks 
  by 
  feeding 
  on 
  coriza 
  and 
  

   grated 
  crawfish. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  usual 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  

   breeding 
  and 
  rearing 
  the 
  new 
  crop, 
  and 
  judging 
  from 
  indications 
  at 
  

   the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  the 
  output 
  will 
  be 
  very 
  fair. 
  

  

  Tench. 
  — 
  The 
  work 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  a 
  failure, 
  owing 
  partly 
  to 
  the 
  

   accidental 
  introduction 
  of 
  black 
  bass 
  into 
  the 
  pond, 
  and 
  partly 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  ponds 
  containing 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  flooded 
  on 
  May 
  oO. 
  

   After 
  the 
  water 
  subsided 
  it 
  was 
  obsserved 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  

   had 
  escaped. 
  

  

  Goldfish. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  distribution 
  of 
  goldfish 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  was 
  994. 
  

   During 
  the 
  winter 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  decided 
  to 
  discontinue 
  the 
  j)ropa- 
  

   gation 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  brood 
  stock 
  on 
  hand 
  were 
  liberated 
  in 
  

   Hickory 
  Creek. 
  

  

  Rainbow 
  trout. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  fall 
  81,507 
  yearlings 
  were 
  distributed 
  

   from 
  eggs 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  7,426 
  yearlings 
  from 
  eggs 
  shipped 
  

   from 
  California. 
  In 
  July 
  and 
  August 
  two 
  severe 
  epidemics 
  prevailed 
  

   among 
  the 
  16-months 
  red-banded 
  rainbows. 
  When 
  the 
  first 
  one 
  

   appeared 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  feed 
  water 
  being 
  overtaxed 
  

   by 
  passing 
  over 
  21,000 
  rock 
  bass 
  in 
  the 
  hatching-house 
  and 
  32,000 
  

   trout 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  pool, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  August 
  epidemic 
  these 
  

   conditions 
  did 
  not 
  exist. 
  The 
  fish 
  remaining 
  after 
  the 
  second 
  loss 
  

   were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  brood 
  stock, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  year 
  only 
  487 
  survived 
  of 
  the 
  1,450 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  

   season. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  commenced 
  December 
  17 
  and 
  lasted 
  until 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary 
  20, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  014,887 
  eggs 
  were 
  collected; 
  74 
  per 
  cent, 
  

   or 
  456,110, 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  impregnated. 
  Shipments 
  amounting 
  to 
  313,851 
  

   were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  to 
  other 
  hatcheries, 
  12,732 
  of 
  the 
  balance 
  

   died 
  in 
  incubation, 
  and 
  11,130 
  fry 
  were 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  troughs, 
  leaving 
  on 
  

   hand 
  118,388 
  fry. 
  Of 
  this 
  number, 
  30,940 
  were 
  distributed 
  and 
  87,448 
  

   were 
  retained 
  for 
  rearing 
  to 
  the 
  yearling 
  stage. 
  The 
  eggs 
  shipped 
  from 
  

   the 
  station 
  this 
  year 
  were 
  j^acked 
  in 
  sphagnum 
  moss 
  collected 
  in 
  

   Maine, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  so 
  far 
  reported 
  are 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  than 
  in 
  

   any 
  previous 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  early 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  trout 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1895 
  made 
  it 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  old 
  series 
  of 
  trout 
  pools 
  for 
  holding 
  brood 
  stock 
  during 
  

  

  