﻿24 
  REPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  trap. 
  Operations 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  extended 
  from 
  April 
  16 
  to 
  May 
  16 
  

   and 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  176,305 
  eggs, 
  which 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  

   the 
  trap 
  attendant 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  ripened, 
  and 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  in 
  fruit 
  jars 
  by 
  express 
  to 
  the 
  St. 
  Johnsbury 
  station. 
  From 
  

   the 
  experience 
  gained 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  this 
  will 
  prove 
  a 
  valuable 
  source 
  

   for 
  egg 
  collections 
  of 
  that 
  species. 
  It 
  was 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   fry 
  were 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   coast, 
  resembling 
  more 
  closely 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  fry 
  of 
  the 
  domesticated 
  

   rainbow 
  trout. 
  The 
  propagation 
  of 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  from 
  eggs 
  

   derived 
  from 
  tributaries 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  inaugurated 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1912, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  resumed 
  the 
  past 
  season, 
  as 
  the 
  waters 
  during 
  

   the 
  spawning 
  period 
  were 
  too 
  high 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  successful 
  seining 
  

   operations. 
  Work 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  at 
  the 
  Duluth 
  station 
  was 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  hatchmg 
  of 
  50,000 
  eggs 
  transferred 
  from 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  coast, 
  the 
  resulting 
  fry 
  being 
  liberated 
  in 
  June 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  

   where 
  this 
  excellent 
  species 
  has 
  established 
  itseK. 
  

  

  In 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  acclimatization 
  of 
  the 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  in 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  region, 
  reference 
  to 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  previous 
  

   reports, 
  the 
  following 
  information 
  from 
  a 
  Wisconsin 
  correspondent 
  is 
  

   of 
  interest 
  : 
  

  

  About 
  1906 
  several 
  pouud-net 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Sheboygan 
  and 
  Port 
  

   Washington, 
  Wis., 
  caught 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  300 
  steelhead 
  trout, 
  averaging 
  about 
  1 
  pound 
  in 
  

   weight, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  Within 
  the 
  next 
  few 
  years 
  these 
  

   fish 
  increased 
  in 
  numbers 
  and 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  they 
  form 
  an 
  important 
  

   item 
  in 
  the 
  shipments 
  of 
  all 
  pound-net 
  fishermen 
  on 
  Lake 
  Michigan. 
  In 
  1912 
  figures 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  fishermen 
  between 
  Port 
  Washington 
  and 
  Sheboygan 
  showed 
  the 
  catch 
  

   for 
  that 
  year 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  7,000 
  and 
  8,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  for 
  

   1913 
  promises 
  to 
  be 
  heavier. 
  The 
  largest 
  specimens 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  weighed 
  22 
  

   pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  7 
  pounds. 
  Compared 
  with 
  the 
  lake 
  trout 
  the 
  steel- 
  

   heads 
  have 
  less 
  entrails, 
  are 
  more 
  game, 
  and 
  are 
  found 
  nearer 
  the 
  shore. 
  Many 
  have 
  

   been 
  caught 
  going 
  upstream. 
  About 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  those 
  caught 
  are 
  spawners, 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  being 
  so 
  weak 
  at 
  spawning 
  time 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  caught, 
  giving 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  

   they 
  die 
  after 
  spawning. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  pound 
  nets 
  and 
  trap 
  nets, 
  in 
  

   from 
  1 
  to 
  12 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  good 
  "leaders" 
  as 
  lake 
  trout, 
  and 
  will 
  

   often 
  gill 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  nets, 
  or 
  jump 
  high 
  into 
  the 
  air 
  in 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  escape. 
  The 
  

   meat 
  of 
  the 
  steelhead 
  resembles 
  very 
  much 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  salmon, 
  except 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  red. 
  The 
  market 
  price 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  lake 
  trout. 
  Its 
  food 
  

   consists 
  of 
  lake 
  chubs 
  and 
  lake 
  herring, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  such 
  an 
  abundant 
  supply 
  as 
  

   to 
  be 
  no 
  hindrance 
  to 
  the 
  future 
  increase 
  of 
  these 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  experience 
  with 
  the 
  Scotch 
  sea 
  trout 
  at 
  the 
  Craig 
  Brook, 
  Me., 
  

   station 
  has 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  extended 
  

   efforts 
  to 
  propagate 
  and 
  disseminate 
  it. 
  There 
  are 
  now 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  

   that 
  station 
  16 
  lots 
  of 
  these 
  fish, 
  ranging 
  from 
  fry 
  to 
  specimens 
  6 
  

   years 
  old, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  originated 
  from 
  one 
  lot 
  of 
  eggs 
  shipped 
  from 
  

   England 
  in 
  1891 
  . 
  They 
  have 
  succeeded 
  excellently 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   of 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  immune 
  to 
  attacks 
  

   of 
  the 
  troublesome 
  thyroid 
  disease. 
  

  

  