LXX REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OP FISH AND FISHERIES. 



In July there were 11,562 brook-trout fry aud 73,099 raiubow-trout 

 fry ou baud. These were held through the summer iu troughs iu the 

 hatchery aud iu rearing-pouds ]S"os. 1 to G, aud iu September the dis- 

 tribution was made partly by meaus of car No. 1 aud partly by the 

 employees of the station, the output of rainbow trout amounting to 

 45,550 and of brook trout 6,000. 



During October and November 1,000 adult fish were collected for 

 brood stock from streams iu the vicinity of Erwin and delivered at the 

 station in good condition. The men employed for this work were paid 

 10 cents for each fish collected, and the hauling amounted to $30.75. 



As most of the fish collected the previous year and held at the station 

 had died during the summer, arrangements were made to purchase 

 brook-trout eggs from private hatcheries in New England, three con- 

 signments, aggregating 253,109, being received from that source in 

 January. The first and third shipments arrived safely, but the second 

 lot were in bad condition, the temperature iu the case when opened 

 registering 56°. 



The trout at the station commenced spawning October 19, and con- 

 tinued until November 19, yielding 106,500 eggs. The ponds in which 

 they were confined had been provided with temporary raceways, but 

 they failed to ascend them, and it became necessary to capture the 

 greater number with seines. 94,706 of the eggs died and only 11,734 

 fry were liatched. The eggs from Massachusetts yielded 243,901 fry. 

 The losses during the winter ou fry hatched from eggs collected at the 

 station were very heavy, aud by March 1 only 1,000 remained. Of 

 those purchased, 221,760 were on band on that date. 



In January two consignments of raiubow-trout eggs, aggregating 

 75,000, were received from Wytheville. These commenced hatching 

 January 30, and yielded 72,208 fry, 68,040 of which survived to March 1. 

 This number also covers 900 fry hatched from a small lot of eggs 

 derived from rainbow-trout reared at this station. 



On March 23 the work of transferring the fry of both brook aud 

 rainbow trout from the hatching-troughs to the six ponds northeast of 

 the hatchery was commenced, aud as soon as the new ponds below the 

 hatchery were completed they were also used for this purpose, the fish 

 being first assorted and counted aud about 5,000 placed to each pond. 

 The death-rate after the fry were transferred to the ponds continued 

 high — the loss in April of the brook trout amounting to 14,293, and of 

 the rainbows 3,078. In May the mortality of the brook trout amounted 

 to 4,096, aud of the rainbows 848. In June 9,534 brook trout died, and 

 961 rainbows, leaving on hand at the close of the year 48,545 raiubow- 

 trout fry aud 76,588 brook-trout fry. 



Several experiments were tried iu June to ascertain, if possible, the 

 cause of the excessive mortality in the new i^onds. A fence 3 feet 

 high, of domestic cloth, was placed around oue where the mortality 

 was heavy; boards were put ou edge arouhd the banks of another to 

 prevent the young fish from sleeping in the shallow water; bulkheads 



