XCVI 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



and clay from November 7 until the middle of December, at which time 

 there were still a few fish left in the creek. Only the ripe females and 

 such males as were necessary to accomplish fertilization were transferred 

 from the seines to the crates, the green fish being returned to the creek. 

 No record was kept of the ripe males used, as they were always in 

 excess of the demand. The females were thrown on the banks to die 

 after the eggs had been expressed from them, but the males »were 

 returned to the live-boxes and manipulated each day until exhausted. 

 Such of the dead fish as were fit for food were given to those applying 

 for them, and over 600 wagons received fish during the season, some 

 of them coming from points 100 miles away. 



The first eggs were secured October 22, the collections to the close 

 of the season being 48,527,500. The smallest take in one day was 

 85,000, the largest 2,220,000; the average was 1,250,000 per day. The 

 total number of fish spawned was 8,764. The total loss of eggs in the 

 hatchery was 3,305,000. The salmon handled weighed from 2£ to 40 

 pounds, but the average weight was about 22 pounds. 



The following table shows the daily catch of ripe females, eggs col- 

 lected, daily loss in the hatchery, and temperature of water : 



