20 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



territory requiring better surpervision, may be more thoroughly guarded and protected, 

 as otherwise the best efforts of the Commissioners will fail of what is demanded of them. 



Last June the largest hatching station in the State, situated on Caledonia creek, 

 in Monroe county, experienced what can only be called a visitation of Providence. 

 Spring creek, as it is locally known, has its source in a number of large springs in 

 Livingston county, which form a mill pond not controlled by the State. The extreme 

 heat and drouth which visited that region in early summer caused the springs to dry 

 up in a degree ; the pond filled slowly, and the rank water vegetation created a water 

 mold or fungus which, when the pond was opened, came down the creek working 

 destruction to the fish-life in its path. All the young fish, and most of the stock fish, 

 at the hatchery below, were killed, as the poisoned water reached them. Every effort 

 was made to counteract the evil, but without avail. Except for a temporary embar- 

 rassment at the hatchery, and, perhaps, a decrease the coming year in the number of 

 young fish that will be furnished from the station for planting in other waters, the loss 

 was a blessing in disguise. From the fact that the different species of stock fish have 

 been crossed and recrossed in years past hybridism was the rule, and pure bred fish 

 the exception in the stock ponds. The loss has been made good in part with young, 

 vigorous, pure bred fish, and all the stock ponds will soon contain their full quota of 

 breeding fish of pure lineage, better adapted for producing fry and yearlings for planting 

 than fish with a taint of hybridism. 



At the Caledonia Station we have commenced to make a collection of the fishes of 

 the State, native and introduced, and will preserve them in jars, showing their natural 

 coloring, for the purpose of inspection and identification. 



The matter of food for our commercial fishes is something that demands most 

 earnest consideration. We know little or nothing about the food upon which some of 

 our fishes subsist, except, perhaps, in a general way ; but we do know that without an 

 abundance of proper fish food we cannot hope to propagate food fishes successfully. 

 Doubtless there are waters lacking only this indispensable factor to make them fish 

 producing, and, so far as practicable, we wish food planting to go hand in hand with 

 fish planting. Before this can be done systematically and intelligently, a scientific 

 inquiry should be inaugurated to obtain definite knowledge concerning the fauna of 

 our large lakes and streams. We know all about the food of trout, knew about it 

 before we hatched trout ; but we know very little, positively, about the food of white 

 fish in its younger stages, and it is a subject that will bear investigation most thor- 

 oughly when we consider the monetary and food value of our commercial fisheries to 

 the State. 



The language of the various sections of the Game Law relating to the use of nets 

 in different waters is loosely worded. In one section the size of mesh is described by 



