﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXXXV 
  

  

  The 
  Northville 
  Station. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  season 
  167,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken, 
  

   of 
  which 
  number 
  5,000 
  were 
  shipped 
  and 
  30,000 
  were 
  hatched, 
  while 
  

   the 
  remainder 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  hatching-boxes. 
  Of 
  the 
  30,000 
  hatched 
  a 
  

   large 
  percentage 
  died 
  within 
  six 
  weeks, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  care 
  and 
  

   attention, 
  while 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  5,000 
  survived. 
  These 
  small 
  returns 
  in- 
  

   dicate 
  tbat 
  this 
  species 
  of 
  trout 
  does 
  not 
  successfully 
  become 
  acclima- 
  

   tized 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  station, 
  although 
  special 
  efforts 
  have 
  been 
  

   made 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  this 
  result. 
  A 
  total 
  of 
  3,304 
  

   yearling 
  and 
  two-year-old 
  fish 
  were 
  distributed 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  car 
  No. 
  2 
  

   and 
  special 
  messengers 
  for 
  stocking 
  streams 
  and 
  lakes 
  in 
  Indiana, 
  Mich- 
  

   igan, 
  and 
  Ohio. 
  

  

  The 
  Cold 
  Spring 
  E 
  arbor 
  Station. 
  — 
  During 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  20,000 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  were 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  Northville 
  Station. 
  These 
  

   hatched 
  very 
  well, 
  and 
  14,500 
  fry 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  streams 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  

   mostly 
  on 
  Long 
  Island. 
  

  

  The 
  Wytheville 
  Station. 
  — 
  From 
  this 
  station 
  there 
  were 
  forwarded 
  to 
  

   applicants 
  30,000 
  eggs, 
  while 
  166,000 
  were 
  retained 
  to 
  be 
  reared. 
  The 
  

   distribution 
  from 
  Wytheville 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  Shen- 
  

   andoah, 
  in 
  Augusta 
  County, 
  Virginia, 
  to 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Potomac 
  in 
  

   Washington 
  County, 
  Maryland, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  spring-fed, 
  cold, 
  

   water 
  ponds 
  in 
  Maryland, 
  Southwestern 
  Virginia, 
  and 
  Tennessee.* 
  

  

  i. 
  The 
  Atlantic 
  or 
  Penobscot 
  Salmon 
  (Salmo 
  salar). 
  

  

  The 
  Bucksport 
  Station. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  G. 
  Atkins 
  remained 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  

   this 
  station, 
  the 
  operations 
  being 
  conducted 
  as 
  formerly 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  the 
  Maine, 
  and 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  Fish 
  Commissions. 
  The 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  salmon 
  were 
  purchased, 
  as 
  heretofore, 
  from 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  River 
  fish- 
  

   ermen, 
  beginning 
  on 
  Junel 
  and 
  ending 
  on 
  June 
  20. 
  In 
  all, 
  091 
  were 
  

  

  'Writing 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  July 
  28, 
  1885, 
  Colonel 
  Marshall 
  McDonald 
  says 
  : 
  

   " 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  seine 
  drawn 
  yesterday 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  ponds 
  containing 
  California 
  trout 
  

   (breeders). 
  I 
  found 
  them 
  in 
  splendid 
  condition, 
  but 
  not 
  averaging 
  as 
  large 
  for 
  their 
  

   age 
  as 
  they 
  will 
  hereafter, 
  as 
  our 
  original 
  stock 
  was 
  badly 
  handled 
  at 
  the 
  start, 
  and 
  

   stunted. 
  Many 
  of 
  them 
  will, 
  however, 
  average 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  2^ 
  pounds, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  

   whole, 
  barring 
  accidents, 
  we 
  ought 
  to 
  get 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  150,000 
  to 
  200,000 
  eggs 
  next 
  

   season. 
  We 
  have 
  lost 
  but 
  one 
  breeding 
  fish 
  this 
  season, 
  and 
  that 
  I 
  believe 
  was 
  choked. 
  

   Last 
  year 
  during 
  the 
  hot 
  weather 
  we 
  lost 
  about 
  1,100 
  two-year-old 
  fish 
  ; 
  then 
  the 
  

   wooden 
  tanks 
  or 
  ponds 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  kept 
  were 
  entirely 
  above 
  ground. 
  

   Since 
  then 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  them 
  banked 
  around 
  with 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  

   ponds 
  filled 
  in 
  with 
  clay, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  bowlders. 
  The 
  present 
  fine 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  

   I 
  attribute 
  to 
  these 
  changes. 
  The 
  new 
  ponds 
  on 
  the 
  hillside 
  below 
  the 
  hatchery 
  all 
  

   have 
  earth 
  bottoms, 
  and 
  the 
  advantage 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  remarkable 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  

   in 
  them; 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  yeai'lings 
  are 
  now 
  8 
  inches 
  to 
  9 
  inches 
  long. 
  This 
  spring's 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  (the 
  fish 
  are 
  now 
  about 
  four 
  months 
  old) 
  will 
  range 
  from 
  3£ 
  to 
  4-A- 
  inches 
  long. 
  

  

  "I 
  regret 
  very 
  much 
  to 
  have 
  to 
  report 
  that 
  the 
  losses 
  in 
  the 
  California 
  trout 
  after 
  

   they 
  began 
  feeding 
  were 
  very 
  great, 
  and 
  we 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  over 
  30,000 
  for 
  distribution. 
  

   This 
  mortality 
  Mr. 
  Seagle 
  attributes 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fry 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  

   hatching-troughs 
  long 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  begun 
  feeding. 
  1 
  think 
  he 
  is 
  probably 
  right; 
  

   at 
  any 
  rate, 
  this 
  cause 
  of 
  loss 
  will 
  no 
  longer 
  exist, 
  as 
  we 
  shall 
  hereafter 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   place 
  the 
  fry 
  on 
  earth-bottom 
  ponds 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  begin 
  feeding." 
  

  

  