REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



XLV 



or more, a loss eusues. To obviate this loss eggs are now counted 

 wliile the trays are iu the hatching-troughs, and are never removed 

 until about ready to hatch, when they are transferred to clean trays 

 and i)laced in troughs with false bottoms. Each trough is allowed 15 

 gallons of water per minute, and the percentage of fry lost after hatch- 

 ing is much smaller than ever before. The use of salt in the troughs 

 during the early stages has also been abandoned to a great extent, 

 only 14 bushels being used during the past year. As a substitute for 

 salt 6 quarts of fine clay are placed in each trough thi-ee times a week. 

 After cleaning the ponds about 2 bushels of clay are thrown in. Clay 

 is also used with great success before the fish hatch. 

 At the end of the year the stock on hand was as follows: 



Craig Brook Station, Maine (C. G. Atkins, Superintendent). 



The work during the past year has been devoted principally to col- 

 lecting and rearing Atlantic salmon at the main station and landlocked 

 salmon at the substation on Grand Lake Stream. The Atlantic salmon 

 work was conducted conjointly with the State of Maine, and consisted 

 in the purchase of adult salmon in May and June, which were held in 

 confinement in the fiesh-water inclosure at Dead Brook until they 

 spawned in October, when they were liberated. 



At the beginning of the year the stock on hand was as follows: 



In addition to the fish at Craig Brook there were 118,000 landlocked 

 salmon at Grand Lake Stream, which were being held for distribution 

 in the fall. These were reared in out-of door troughs, and were fed on 

 chopped flesh of various kinds — beef liver, hogs' plucks, flesh of con- 

 demned horses, etc. The distribution was made during the summer 

 and fall, the first plants being made in August and the last in January. 



At the beginning of the year there were three broods of Atlantic 

 salmon on hand. The first consisted of 400 adults, collected in May 

 and June, 1898, and held at Dead Brook. The second lot of 233 were 

 hatched in 1894, irom eggs collected from migratory fish which had 



