Conservation Commission. 2(*7 



PlKEPERCH. 



On May 6, 1912, ,a pikeperch weighing 5 or 6 pounds was 

 taken in a pound net in Chautauqua lake. The number of fish of 

 this species thus far taken in our nets at Bemus Point is insignifi- 

 cant compared with the number of fry planted in the lake. 



In the season of 1912, at the Oneida station, 54,782 pike- 

 perch were caught for the hatchery. The number of females 

 stripped was 2,796, and the number of males 32,99 1 8. This fish 

 usually begins to spawn about April 7th at Constantia; but on 

 April 15, 1912, only 300 of the fish had come into Scriba creek 

 and they were mostly males. The spawning run was about 10 

 days late. 



The female can readily be distinguished in the water by its 

 larger size, and by the fact that several males are always in at- 

 tendance upon each female. In the natural spawning the female 

 rushes up towards the surface but does not come out of the 

 water, and therefore, the process has not been photographed. 

 The males dart around the female with fluttering motions, dis- 

 charging their milt while the female emits her eggs. After a 

 short time the female drops to the bottom followed by the males. 



The method of collecting eggs in the stripping house is as fol- 

 lows: The spawntaker holds the female in his left hand, taking 

 a firm grip around the tail and pressing the head under his 

 elbow. Gloves are worn and they are kept constantly wet. A 

 number of males are first stripped into a large, moist, wooden 

 bowl, and then the eggs are added and thoroughly mingled with 

 the milt, the object being to place the eggs immediately into an 

 ample quantity of milt. One operator continues to strip the 

 males, so that all of the eggs, as they are pressed from the female 

 become surrounded quickly with milt. During the process of 

 stripping the eggs and milt, the tail of the fish is used to stir the 

 mixture of the two elements in the bowl. A bunch of feathers is 

 also used for gently stirring the two products together. Only a 

 gentle pressure is applied to the males and females, as it is not 

 desirable to force out either eggs or milt not fully maturea. 



When a sufficient quantity of eggs has been taken in the bowl, 

 a little water is added, and the eggs are allowed to remain in the 

 milted mixture until they feel hard when taken up by the fingers. 



