eo 
Oo 
on 
American Fisheries Society. 
one finger in the gill opening and raises the fish to an upright 
position, the vent being above the edge of one side of the pan 
with the abdomen towards the “‘spawn-taker.” The latter, in a 
kneeling posture, grasps the tail with his left hand in order to 
keep the fish from swaying, while with his right hand a knife is 
inserted between the pectoral fins, and with a single vertical 
movement of the arm an incision is made down the entire ab- 
domen of the fish to about one-half an inch to one side of the 
vent. The eggs immediately pour in a mass into the pan below, 
gravity being the only force exerted upon them. They are then 
impregnated in the usual manner. An ordinary pocket knife is 
used for cutting, the end of the blade having a keen edge to 
facilitate the rapidity of the work. It is essential that not over 
an inch of the blade be allowed to penetrate the fish, for fear of 
cutting some of the eggs. This is easily managed by firmly 
grasping the blade an inch or less from ‘the point between the 
thumb and forefinger, which serves well the purpose of a gauge 
while making the cut. 
Practically no blood falls into the pan following a quick, 
sharp incision, thus avoiding the necessity of previously bleed- 
ing the fish. In the methods of incision heretofore tried—most 
of which have been in an experimental way—it seems to have 
been considered necessary to bleed the fish before making the 
cut for eggs. But in practice it is found that but a mere trifle of 
blood flows from a simple incision of the abdominal walls, so 
long as no vital parts are cut or forced. Preliminary bleeding 
appears to be a waste of time and effort without any advan- 
tages. 
The point may be raised against the plan of killing the fish 
in advance of taking the eggs, that considerable loss may be 
occasioned by killing green fish, whereas in the old way the 
fish could be tried and then returned to the water if unripe. In 
practice, however, we find that if ordinary care and skill be 
exercised in sorting the fish at the time of capture, the number 
of green fish cut is reduced to an insignificant minimum. 
The total number of females stripped during the season of 
1903, when the eggs were taken by stripping followed by cut- 
ting, was, in round numbers, 4,200; total number of eggs taken, 
27,343,000 ; eyeing percentage, 79. 
