86 American Fisheries Society 



return to the river, perhaps to seek more favorable spawning 

 grounds. It is necessary, therefore, to prosecute the work vig- 

 orously during the rising stage of the river. 



The larger fish markets furnish table space and equipment to 

 the fishermen for dressing and weighing their fish and purchase 

 them when ready for the market. In localities where this method 

 of sale prevails the fisherman visits his nets, raises and empties 

 them, and on completion of the rounds proceeds to the fish market. 

 Although this method of handling the fish is quite rough, the fish 

 arrive at the market alive, even though they have been removed 

 from the water from one to four hours, the weather being quite 

 cool at this season of the year. Promptly on arrival, our spawn- 

 takers go over the catches, stripping and fertilizing all ripe eggs. 

 This arrangement makes the collection of the eggs quite econom- 

 ical, with minimum annoyance to the fishermen. A gentler way 

 would be to have the spawntakers accompany the fishermen and 

 take the eggs as the fish are removed from the nets, but this would 

 require the services of a prohibitive number of spawntakers. 

 Furthermore, so far as we have been able to determine, no definite 

 injury is done the eggs by handling the fish in this manner. The 

 hatch appears to be quite as good and the fry as strong as when the 

 eggs are obtained from fish immediately after their removal from 

 the water. In localities where fish are prepared for market in 

 the field, it is necessary to collect the eggs at scattering fishermen's 

 headquarters. This is done by accompanying the fishermen to the 

 nets or by instructing them how to take and care for the eggs until 

 they can be gathered up by a member of the Station force. 



The work done at the Station in the propagation of the buffalo- 

 fish has been much appreciated by the active fishermen and 

 market men of the region. They have co-operated fully in facil- 

 itating the egg-collecting and have assisted in every way possible, 

 giving freely of their time and labor for the good of the work. 



In spawning the fish, the pan is rinsed with water and drained, 

 but not dried. The female fish is held in the usual manner over 

 the pan and the eggs are ejected into it by gentle pressure over the 

 ovaries and toward the vent. The milt from the male fish is then 

 stripped into the pan by a similar process. The contents of the 

 pan are gently and thoroughly stirred with the fingers at intervals 



