﻿146 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  [2] 
  

  

  there 
  was 
  a 
  falling 
  off' 
  from 
  1884, 
  but 
  a 
  gain 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  1883. 
  

   The 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  three 
  years 
  afford 
  the 
  following 
  comparison 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  were, 
  in 
  general, 
  healthy, 
  there 
  being 
  a 
  remarkable 
  absence 
  

   of 
  external 
  sores, 
  which 
  are 
  sometimes 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  Out 
  of 
  578 
  female 
  

   salmon 
  manipulated, 
  97 
  were 
  afflicted 
  with 
  the 
  ordinary 
  ovarian 
  dis- 
  

   ease, 
  which 
  displays 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  white 
  or 
  otherwise 
  discol- 
  

   ored 
  and 
  plainly 
  defective 
  eggs 
  when 
  extruded 
  from 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  obtained, 
  as 
  fixed 
  by 
  a 
  computation 
  based 
  

   on 
  the 
  number 
  rejected 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  packed 
  for 
  shipment, 
  was 
  

   994,355. 
  The 
  ratio 
  of 
  impregnation, 
  as 
  later 
  computed 
  from 
  the 
  known 
  

   number 
  picked 
  out 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  up 
  to 
  March 
  4 
  (35,304), 
  and 
  more 
  

   especially 
  those 
  picked 
  out 
  after 
  concussion 
  (92,351), 
  was 
  very 
  nearly 
  90 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  unusually 
  low 
  ratio, 
  even 
  for 
  Schoodic 
  salmon. 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  attributed 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  males, 
  which 
  led 
  on 
  several 
  

   occasions 
  to 
  an 
  insufficient 
  milting 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  record 
  shows, 
  for 
  

   iustauce, 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  taken 
  November 
  9, 
  numbering 
  110,907, 
  on 
  which 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  loss 
  of 
  24,553, 
  or 
  22 
  per 
  cent, 
  through 
  lack 
  of 
  impregnation, 
  

   were 
  milted 
  by 
  using 
  the 
  milt 
  repeatedly, 
  straining 
  it 
  off 
  from 
  one 
  lot 
  of 
  

   eggs, 
  much 
  dilated 
  with 
  mucus 
  and 
  water, 
  and 
  applying 
  it 
  in 
  that 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  lot. 
  Experimentally, 
  I 
  have 
  sometimes 
  obtained 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  results 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  great 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  exer- 
  

   cised, 
  and 
  that 
  repeated 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  milt 
  should 
  only 
  be 
  resorted 
  to 
  when 
  

   the 
  live 
  fish 
  fail. 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  was 
  remarkably 
  mild 
  all 
  through 
  October 
  and 
  Novem- 
  

   ber. 
  The 
  record 
  of 
  air 
  temperature 
  shows 
  no 
  figure 
  lower 
  than 
  29° 
  F., 
  

   until 
  November 
  18, 
  when 
  the 
  mercury 
  fell 
  to 
  20°. 
  The 
  lowest 
  water 
  

   temperature 
  observed 
  previous 
  to 
  November 
  17 
  was 
  42i°. 
  This 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  comfort 
  of 
  the 
  force, 
  and 
  enabled 
  us 
  to 
  move 
  all 
  

   the 
  fish 
  after 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  well 
  up 
  the 
  lake 
  

   without 
  the 
  interference 
  of 
  ice, 
  which 
  has 
  some 
  seasons 
  closed 
  in 
  upon 
  

   uk 
  before 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  It 
  is 
  probable, 
  also, 
  that 
  the 
  high 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  hastened 
  the 
  maturity 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  though 
  they 
  

   were 
  in 
  fact 
  more 
  backward 
  than 
  was 
  expected, 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   them 
  being 
  ripe 
  when 
  first 
  caught 
  and 
  many 
  remaining 
  unripe 
  for 
  a 
  

   long 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  inclosures. 
  

  

  The 
  entire 
  crop 
  of 
  eggs 
  was 
  placed 
  for 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  

   hatchery 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  divided 
  as 
  usual 
  between 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  cove 
  

  

  