REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LXXVII 



NoiiTHviLLE Station, Michigax (Frank N. Clark, Superintendent). 



Dnring the summer the station force was occupied in painting the 

 buildings, improving the lawns, and getting the hatching and collect- 

 ing apparatus ready for the fall work. In August the superintendent, 

 accompanied by Mr. H. H. Marks, who was employed to act as field 

 foreman during the absence of Mr. S. W, Downing on the Pacific coast, 

 visited the important fishing centers on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and 

 Superior, to arrange for the collection of lake-trout eggs. As results 

 on Lake Superior the previous year had been poor, arrangements were 

 made for operating there only in the vicinity of Sault Ste. Marie. 



Particular attention was paid to the fishing-grounds on Georgian 

 Bay and the uj^per end of Lake Michigan, including Beaver Island, 

 and spawn-takers were stationed at Pilot Harbor, Cockburn Island, 

 Meldrum Bay, Burnt, Green, and Duck islands. The first eggs were 

 collected on October 13, but the fish were driven out into deep water 

 about this time by a heavy storm, and uuprecedeutedly bad weather 

 prevailed to the close of the fishing season, preventing the fishermen 

 from lifting their nets oftener than once or twice a week (most of the 

 fish being then either spent or dead), and also causing considerable 

 loss on the fishing tugs. The spawn-takers were shifted from field to 

 field, as weather conditions deman(led,-and every effort was made to 

 fill the hatchery before November 3, the commencement of the close 

 season. On October 20 three cases of eggs were received from Lake 

 Superior, but the temperature at the time of shipment was so high that 

 they came through in poor condition. The operations resulted in the 

 delivery of 3,078,000 eggs at Northville, the last shipment arriving 

 November 7. On the first of the mouth the indications were that the 

 trout had just commenced to spawn in large numbers, and if operations 

 could have been continued for ten or twelve days, there is little doubt 

 thiit large collections could have been made, particularly at Beaver 

 Island. 



The eggs were placed in troughs at the station and commenced hatch- 

 ing December 4.' The distribution of the fry was made from January 19 

 to March 14, 2,800,000 being deposited on spawning grounds in lakes 

 Huron and Michigan, and 60,000 furnished for inland lakes in Michigan 

 and Indiana. The remaining 200,000 were put in troughs, to be held 

 until fall. At the close of the year there were estimated to be about 

 130,000 on hand. These were about 3 inches long and were doing well. 



The fingerlings on hand at the beginning of the year (hatched in Jan- 

 uary, 1898) were held through. the summer and planted during August 

 and September without loss in Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. 



The passage of an act, known as the Milliken bill, by the Michigan 

 legislature, authorizing the United States Fish Commission to fish in 

 any of the waters of the State at any season of the year for the purpose 

 of gathering spawn from the fish so caught, with the provision that 

 such work be under the supervision and control of the State game and 



