60 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



necessary to resort to seining to secure their eggs. At first this was 

 done once a day and later twice a day as long as it was necessary. 

 Of the eggs collected 48,000 were hatched, but most of them were 

 affected during the embryo stage and developed white spots on the sac. 

 The death-rate became heavier daily, and it was deemed advisable to 

 plant the remainder at once. Accordingly 9,380 were deposited in 

 streams in the vicinity of the station. 



On the 0th of February 145,000 brook- trout eggs were received from 

 Mr. L. B. Handy, of Massachusetts, but they were in very bad condi- 

 tion on arrival, many having hatched in transit, and proved a total 

 loss. On account of the poor success attained with brook trout at 

 this station it has been determined to abandon that work entirely, 

 and the adult fish on hand have been turned over to Mr. B. F. O'Bryant, 

 count}^ fish commissioner, for stocking streams in this countj^ 



The spawning season of the rainbow trout extended from October 

 25 to January 27, and resulted in the collection of 110,800 eggs from 

 the 3-year-old fish and 30, 000 from the 2-year-olds. In addition to these, 

 238,000 were received f rom Wytheville and 34,600 from Neosho. The 

 eggs taken at tlie station yielded 53,570 fry, those from Wytheville 

 216,137, and from Neosho, 25,912, giving a total of 296,137. At the 

 close of the season there were 130,560 on hand. They were held in 

 troughs in the hatchery until April, when most of them were trans- 

 ferred to the small ponds. 



During the fall 15 black bass were purchased and placed in ponds at 

 the station; 9 of them died during the winter; the other 6, 3 of which 

 were females, accepted the artificial nests that had been prepared in 

 pond 31, and about May 20 deposited their eggs, which produced about 

 25,000 fry. These are on hand at the close of the year. As soon as 

 the schools began to break up the parent fish were removed from the 

 pond, as this was better than to remove the fry. 



Natural enemies, such as predatory birds, muskrats, frogs, etc. , are 

 very abundant. Those killed during the year comprised 115 snakes, 

 25 muskrats, 4 Indian hens, 3 wild ducks, 30 kingfishers, 1 osprey, 2 

 minks. Snakes and frogs are regarded as the most destructive. One 

 of the snakes had 24 young fish in its stomach. 



Put-in Bay Station, Ohio (J. J. Stranahan, Superintendent). 



During the summer a new storehouse, 20 by 30 feet and 14 feet high, 

 was built at an expense of 1331. The steamer Shearwater^ which had 

 been in use for a number of years, was thoroughly repaired, so that 

 it is now in serviceable condition and will last for several years. The 

 10-inch suction pipe running into the lake to the westward of the sta- 

 tion, which had been carried away by ice in 1899, was replaced by the 

 station force at an expense of less than $100. The lowest bid received 

 for the performance of this work by contract was 1750. 



The white-fish season opened unfavorably and was peculiar in 

 certain important particulars; the temperature of the water during 



