American I'islurics Society. 41 



60 to 85 per ctMil. thru put llu- lr.\ l>ack on ihe spawnin^^ 1)C(1 in 

 good condition, can nature compete with this? Most emphatic- 

 ally not. 



Now, take the other side of the (|ncstion: We will let the 

 fish alone to spawn naturally. We all know that the whitefish do 

 not make their hcds on the l)ottoni, the same a*s do many of our 

 inland lake fish. They rise rapidly in the water, letting go their 

 eggs at the same time. Tlie male fish is supposed to rise the 

 same time the female does and fertilize the eggs. In my opinion 

 not 10 per cent, of the eggs come in contact with the milt, n\\ in 

 other words, get fertilized. 



Now these eggs sink to the ])otlom where they remain 120 to 

 175 davs before anv hatch. 1 )in-ing this time they are exposed to 

 all their enemies, which are too numerous to mention, to say noth- 

 ing about the constant moving and sliifting and washing from the 

 reefs to sand or mud bottom, to be buried up and lost. 



Taking into consideration both methods of propagation, 

 which is most likely to increase our supply of commercial fish? 

 1 sav most surely artificial propagation and the open season. 



Suppose the closed season is going to be the means of re- 

 storing the supply of commercial fish in our Great Lakes, why not 

 apply the same remedy to all the w-aters in the country? We 

 have a closed season on brook, rainbow and brown trout and 

 gravling eight months of each year. Is this sufficient to keep up 

 the supplv? Xo. If it were hot for the hundreds of thousands 

 that the Commission hatch and plant in the streams every year, 

 in a few years there would be no need of a closed season, or an 

 ojien season, for there wouldn't be enough fish left to bother with. 

 And it is mv opinion that the closed season for whitefish and lake 

 trout, without the help of artificial planting, will result the same 

 as with brook trout. 



(From A. C. P.abbitt, ( )verseer State Fish Hatchery, Sault Ste. 

 Marie. Mich.) 



Mr. F. P.. Dickerson. 

 Fish Commissioner. 

 Detroit, Mich. 



Dear Sir: — In response to a request for "fish lines," T enclose 

 a collection that has been accumulating for .some time 



It is (|uite interesting to pry iiuo nature's methods and note 

 her supreme efforts at reproductif)n in nearly all forms of sub- 

 marine fauna; surpassing anything of the kind on the terrestial 



