On 
REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 5 
PuT-IN Bay STATION, OHIO (S. W. DOWNING, SUPERINTENDENT). 
The capacity of the hatchery has been materially increased by the 
construction of an extension 24 feet by 28 feet. This was equipped 
with three single batteries capable of holding 180 jars each, giving 
the station a capacity of 1,500 jars. The new jars, which were of the 
type designed by Mr. Stranahan, and to which reference has been 
made in previous reports, were found to do fully as good work as the 
MeDonald jar, and are much more convenient to operate, as they are of 
the open-top pattern. A sleeping room was fitted up in the space over 
the fry tanks for the use of the fireman, the building was painted, and 
a number of other minor improvements made. 
Early in the fall arrangements were made for the collection of 
white-fish eggs at various points on Lake Erie, and for penning the 
fish at Monroe Piers, Michigan, and Put-in Bay, Ohio. Although the 
spawning season was later than ever before, commencing November 
17, indications at first pointed to a very large take. A series of heavy 
storms occurred shortly after, however, driving the white-fish from the 
spawning-grounds to deep water, and damaging the nets so badly that 
the fishermen were compelled to remove many of them for repair, and 
as the season was far advanced by this time, they were not reset. 
Taken as a whole, the season will probably be recorded as the 
poorest ever known on Lake Erie, so far as fishing operations are 
concerned. The greatest damage done to nets was in the vicinity of 
Kelley Island, Put-in Bay, Port Clinton, and Toledo. The Monroe 
fields, being on the north shore, were protected. The first fish were 
penned at this point on November 10 and the last on December 3. At 
Put-in Bay penning commenced on November 8th and lasted until 
December 5th, 14,759 being penned at the two points, 5,388 of which 
were females. These yielded 148,354,000 eggs, an average of about 
25,000 per fish. The spawning of the fish held in pens continued from 
November 20 to December 31. ; 
In addition to the eggs derived from the fish referred to above, 
spawn-takers stationed at Port Clinton, Kelley Island, North Bass, 
Monroe, and Put-in Bay collected 45,900,000 eggs, bringing the total 
to 194,234,000. The average cost of these per million was $13.95, the 
cost at different points varying from 40 cents to $1.99 per quart. 
The experience of the past two years clearly demonstrates that it 
is much cheaper to collect eggs from fish that have been penned than 
to rely upon collections made by men in the open field, and that the 
outcome is more certain. 
During the fall 21,592,000 white-fish eggs were transferred to the 
Cape Vincent Station, and 6,000,000 were sent to the State Fish Com- 
mission at Erie, Pa. The others were hatched at the station, yielding 
125,100,000 fry, which were planted at suitable points in Lake Erie. 
They were all hatched within a period of 21 days, the first coming out 
on April 7 and the last on April 27. 
