﻿122 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  certain 
  extent, 
  a 
  precipitation 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  hatch, 
  which 
  would 
  overtax 
  

   the 
  storage 
  and 
  shipping 
  facilities. 
  

  

  The 
  lake-trout 
  work 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  times 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  preceding- 
  

   year. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  received 
  was 
  1,475,000; 
  from 
  which 
  number, 
  

   1,031,000 
  were 
  shipped 
  and 
  115,500 
  fish 
  hatched 
  ; 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  75,500 
  

   were 
  distributed 
  and 
  40,000 
  retained 
  at 
  the 
  station. 
  

  

  Heretofore 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  lake-trout 
  eggs 
  was 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  big 
  reef 
  

   of 
  central 
  Lake 
  Huron, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  fishing 
  was 
  very 
  light 
  on 
  these 
  grounds 
  

   the 
  past 
  season, 
  new 
  territory 
  was 
  worked 
  with 
  much 
  better 
  success 
  

   than 
  formerly. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  fisheries 
  

   operated 
  from 
  Thompson, 
  Mich., 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Michi- 
  

   gan. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  lakes 
  for 
  securing 
  the 
  spawn 
  

   of 
  this 
  species. 
  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  begins 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  October 
  

   and 
  continues 
  nearly 
  a 
  month. 
  The 
  other 
  source 
  of 
  supply 
  was 
  the 
  

   island 
  shoals 
  of 
  Thunder 
  Bay 
  and 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  runs 
  occur 
  very 
  early 
  

   here, 
  beginning 
  about 
  September 
  25 
  and 
  ending 
  about 
  October 
  10. 
  

   The 
  Thompson 
  eggs 
  were 
  received 
  at 
  Northville 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  forwarded 
  in 
  cool 
  weather 
  by 
  regular 
  line 
  of 
  steamers 
  to 
  Saint 
  Ig- 
  

   nace, 
  thence 
  transferred 
  to 
  regular 
  lines 
  for 
  Detroit, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  

   met 
  by 
  messenger. 
  The 
  Thunder 
  Bay 
  eggs 
  arrived 
  at 
  Northville 
  in 
  fair 
  

   condition, 
  though 
  not 
  so 
  good 
  as 
  those 
  from 
  Lake 
  Michigan, 
  the 
  weather 
  

   at 
  this 
  time 
  being 
  some 
  warmer. 
  The 
  water 
  was 
  also 
  warm 
  and 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  advanced 
  rapidly, 
  those 
  retained 
  at 
  the 
  Northville 
  Station 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  December. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  brook-trout 
  eggs 
  taken 
  at 
  North 
  ville 
  was 
  225,000, 
  but 
  

   these 
  were 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  quality, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  percentage 
  died 
  

   soon 
  after 
  being 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  boxes. 
  One 
  hundred 
  and 
  sev- 
  

   enty 
  thousand 
  eggs 
  were 
  shipped, 
  of 
  which 
  25,000 
  were 
  exchanged 
  for 
  

   an 
  equal 
  number 
  from 
  the 
  Paris 
  Station 
  of 
  the 
  Michigan 
  commission. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  retained 
  at 
  Northville 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  introducing 
  new 
  stock 
  and 
  crossing 
  with 
  the 
  old, 
  the 
  vigor 
  

   and 
  vitality 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  become 
  impaired 
  through 
  a 
  long 
  term 
  of 
  in- 
  

   terbreeding. 
  

  

  Additional 
  new 
  stock, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  wild 
  trout, 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  

   Xorthville 
  ponds 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June. 
  These 
  fish, 
  305 
  in 
  number, 
  

   chiefly 
  yearlings 
  and 
  two-year-olds, 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  Deer 
  Creek 
  and 
  

   Boyne 
  Kiver, 
  Charlevoix 
  County, 
  Michigan. 
  

  

  The 
  rainbow-trout 
  work 
  was 
  much 
  less 
  satisfactory 
  than 
  that 
  with 
  

   the 
  brook 
  trout; 
  167,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken, 
  from 
  which 
  number, 
  5,000 
  

   were 
  shipped 
  and 
  30,000 
  fry 
  hatched, 
  while 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   died 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  boxes. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  continued 
  partial 
  failure 
  in 
  the 
  returns 
  from 
  this 
  

   species, 
  I 
  would 
  recommend 
  that 
  the 
  stock 
  on 
  hand 
  be 
  distributed, 
  and 
  

   their 
  propagation 
  at 
  the 
  Northville 
  Station 
  be 
  discontinued. 
  At 
  present 
  

   about 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  and 
  pond 
  facilities 
  is 
  devoted 
  to 
  

   rainbow 
  trout, 
  the 
  returns 
  from 
  which 
  are 
  meager 
  and 
  unsatisfactory. 
  

  

  