96 Tivcnty-ninth Annual Meeting 



planted in large numbers under favorable conditions, as in the- 

 Detroit river, ^vhich distributes them over large areas. Now, we 

 do know that many of the best spawning beds of the whitefish 

 have been destroyed and may not now be the best place to deposit 

 the fry, if they ever were. For example. Thunder Bay, in Lake 

 Huron, was formerly a natural spawning ground for whitefish, 

 but it is not so now, probably on account of the sawdust and 

 refuse spread over the bay from the Thunder Bay river. The 

 main cpiestion is, do we get the results that we should from the 

 number of fry planted? 



Mr. Bryant : You deposit elsewhere than in the river? 



Mr. Clark : Yes; certainly. For instance, take it at Alpena, 

 we hatch between thirty and forty million that are distributed by 

 boat from Alpena up and down the shore; perhaps fifty to sev- 

 enty-five miles each way. (3f course they are not scattered 

 broadcast. The sum and substance of the thing is right here, 

 Mr. President: We are working to some extent in the dark. I 

 mean in the present years. We know to-day, ]\Ir. President, that 

 if we have 10,000,000 whitefish eggs we can tell just how many 

 whitefish fry we are going to have one year with another, just 

 how many fry. and I claim that that part of the fish-culture work 

 has reached its limit. 1 claim that we have reached the highest 

 practical limit in that direction. Now we want the scientists or 

 somebody to step in and tell where the young fish should be 

 planted to insure the best results. 



Mr. Geo. T. Mathewson : I don't know anything about 

 whitefish culture, but down in Connecticut we place the fish in 

 ponds and hold them there. We are getting good results by tak- 

 ing our shad fry and putting them in our shad ponds and holding 

 them there until October. 



The President: I will inquire of Mr. Clark what he has to 

 say on this subject. 



Mr. Clark: Mr. President, that brings out the cjuestion of 

 rearing fish for distribution. It is all right, I tell you, when it is 

 practical. I would like to see it done, but how^ are we going tO' 

 do i*^ with the whitefish without an enormous expense? With the 



