REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH’ AND FISHERIES. 23 
but roiled the water and drove the fish from the spawning-grounds, so 
that the season was well advanced before many eges were obtained. 
By the close of April 341,000,000 had been taken at the Put-in Bay 
station. Of these, 10,000,000 were sent to the Missouri commission 
and 32,000,000 to the Michigan commission; the balance were hatched, 
producing 160,087,000 fry. Cooperating with the Vermont commission, 
160,375,000 pike-perch eggs were collected on the Missisquoi River 
during April. These were hatched and the fry were planted in May, 
making a total of 240,887,000 fry planted by the Commission. 
At the close of the pike-perch season the propagation of sturgeon 
was taken up on Lake Champlain, and more than a million eggs were 
collected. Owing to a sudden change in the temperature and other 
unavoidable causes only 20,000 fry were hatched and planted, but the 
experience gained will undoubtedly enable the Commission to conduct 
on a larger seaie in future the propagation of this important fish, which 
is fast disappearing from the waters of this country. 
In October the U. 8. Fish Commission steamer Grampus was 
engaged in collecting brood cod for Woods Hole station, and secured 
2,933, ranging from 6 to 20 pounds in weight, which were placed in 
pounds and held until ripe. A considerable number died from nat- 
ural causes, but more than 2,000 were tagged and liberated, and at the 
close of the year 46 had been reported as captured along the coast, 
many of them at long distances from the station. 
The collecting stations at Kittery Point and Plymouth were opened 
in November. The weather for the first two months was very favor- 
able for the work, but the catch of fish was unprecedentedly poor, and 
after the Ist of January, when fish became abundant, the weather 
was so rough that for days fishing was impracticable and the collec- 
tions were therefore small. The brood fish at Woods Hole yielded 
140,754,000 eggs, and these, with the eggs obtained at the two field 
stations, made an aggregate of 311,000,000. They were hatched at 
the Gloucester and Woods Hole stations, and the fry, numbering 
202,871,000, were planted on the spawning-grounds along the coast 
from Kittery to Block Island. 
At the close of the cod work at Woods Hole the propagation of 
flat-fish (winter flounder) was taken up, and as a result of the season’s 
operations over 44,000,000 fry were liberated south of Cape Cod. 
Early in the spring arrangements were perfected for securing the 
ege-bearing lobsters captured by fishermen along the coast from Maine 
to Connecticut. The schooner Grampus, assisted by a steam snack, 
made frequent trips along the Maine coast, visiting not only the large 
dealers at the important fishing centers, but also those on the outly- 
ing islands. Agents were stationed at Kittery, Marblehead, Boston, 
Plymouth, Block Island, and other points, but although the catch of 
lobsters was greater in Maine than in the previous year, the work was 
less satisfactory than then. At Woods Hole only 15,262,000 eggs 
were secured, and at Gloucester 51,213,000, a total of 69,475,000, which 
