﻿26 
  REPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  years' 
  operations 
  had 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  that 
  the 
  spawning 
  of 
  the 
  buffalofish 
  would 
  begin 
  at 
  a 
  water 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  about 
  60 
  degrees, 
  which 
  had 
  occurred 
  during 
  those 
  

   years 
  about 
  April 
  25. 
  This 
  year, 
  however, 
  the 
  first 
  spawn 
  was 
  taken 
  

   on 
  April 
  18, 
  in 
  a 
  water 
  temperature 
  of 
  52 
  degrees, 
  and 
  some 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   taken 
  each 
  day 
  afterward 
  up 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  April 
  26, 
  when 
  the 
  

   water 
  temperature 
  reached 
  59 
  degrees. 
  The 
  great 
  irregularity 
  in 
  the 
  

   development 
  of 
  the 
  brood 
  fish 
  — 
  some 
  days 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  hard 
  

   and 
  on 
  others 
  all 
  spent^made 
  it 
  impracticable 
  to 
  send 
  out 
  spawn- 
  

   takers 
  with 
  the 
  seine 
  boats, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  was 
  to 
  

   meet 
  incoming 
  boats 
  and 
  look 
  over 
  the 
  catch. 
  The 
  23 
  fish 
  spawned 
  

   yielded 
  5,046,000 
  eggs, 
  only 
  80,000 
  of 
  which 
  hatched. 
  All 
  lots 
  of 
  

   eggs 
  that 
  were 
  an 
  entire 
  loss 
  died 
  within 
  48 
  hours 
  after 
  being 
  taken, 
  

   large 
  air 
  bubbles 
  collecting 
  on 
  them 
  and 
  causing 
  them 
  to 
  float 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  jars. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  North 
  McGregor 
  station 
  six 
  ripe 
  fish 
  yielded 
  500,000 
  eggs. 
  

   These 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  a 
  floating 
  box 
  in 
  a 
  water 
  temperature 
  of 
  60 
  degrees, 
  

   in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  enough 
  additional 
  eggs 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  to 
  warrant 
  

   their 
  transfer 
  to 
  the 
  Manchester 
  station. 
  The 
  lot 
  looked 
  well 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  seventh 
  day, 
  but 
  eventually 
  the 
  eggs 
  became 
  coated 
  with 
  sedi- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  all 
  were 
  lost. 
  

  

  The 
  experience 
  thus 
  far 
  gained 
  seems 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  the 
  necessity 
  

   of 
  warmer 
  water 
  than 
  that 
  available 
  at 
  either 
  Manchester 
  or 
  its 
  

   substations, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  apparent 
  way 
  of 
  overcoming 
  the 
  difficulty 
  

   would 
  be 
  the 
  installation 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  stations 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  pumping 
  

   plant, 
  with 
  settUng 
  tank 
  and 
  filter, 
  which, 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  expense 
  

   involved, 
  seems 
  hardly 
  justifiable. 
  

  

  Evidence 
  of 
  the 
  good 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  efforts 
  in 
  the 
  artificial 
  

   propagation 
  and 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  lobster 
  fishermen 
  along 
  the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  last 
  year 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  

   successful 
  and 
  remunerative 
  season. 
  Numerous 
  reports 
  have 
  been 
  

   received 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  lobsters 
  are 
  becoming 
  more 
  plentiful, 
  

   and 
  that 
  the 
  increase 
  is 
  quite 
  general 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  The 
  Maine 
  

   fishermen 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  dealers 
  in 
  that 
  State 
  are 
  unstinted 
  in 
  their 
  

   praise 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  wo.rk 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  

  

  Arrangements 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  transfer 
  several 
  carloads 
  of 
  five 
  

   lobsters 
  from 
  the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  for 
  deposit 
  at 
  points 
  in 
  Puget 
  Sound, 
  

   about 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Islands. 
  These 
  transfers 
  will 
  be 
  continued 
  

   annually 
  until 
  the 
  feasibiUty 
  of 
  estabUshing 
  this 
  valuable 
  crustacean 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  has 
  been 
  demonstrated. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  lake 
  sturgeon, 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  annual 
  report 
  as 
  

   being 
  retained 
  in 
  a 
  pen 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Rainy 
  River, 
  at 
  Lo 
  Claire 
  

   Point, 
  Mmn., 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  gainmg 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   habits 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  escaped 
  from 
  the 
  inclosure 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   exceptionally 
  high 
  water 
  early 
  in 
  October. 
  Efforts 
  to 
  overcome 
  the 
  

  

  