DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

68
From these eggs we had very good success and hatched out 25,000,000 young
pickerel, which were planted in the following places:
Point Edward, Lake Huron 2,000,000
River St. Olair. ...
l,000,ooO
Lake St. Clair . . ..... 2,000,uO()
Peach Island
i,ooo,ooo
Fighting Island. 1,000,000
Stoney Island .. 1,000,000
Bois Blanc Island 1,000,000
Pigeon Bay, Lake Erie . ... . .... 1,000,000
Coichester, hike Erie. . .. . .. ... 1,000,000
Kingsville, Lake brie 1,000,000
Leamington, Lake Erie 1,000,000
Pelee Island, Lake Erie.. 1,000,000
Bar Point, Lake Erie. . 1,000,000
In River at Hatchery 10,000,000
Total 25,000,000
I might state that at the different fishing stations where I have been, the fishermen
are unanimously satisfied that this hatchery has been a principal cause for the
greatly inCr(as(d supFlles (f pickerel which are now being caught. This yellow
pickerel, is a sh that was rareJy caught a few years ago in the places where we are
now planting them, but they are now caught of very fair size, and are getting quite
plentiful, and also more valuable as the demand in the market for them is increasing.
Two years ago, a wind.miII for pumping water, was put up under instructions
of the Department, near Leagcair's in Lake Huron. The supply of fresh water thus
obtained has proved a great help in the preservation and safe.keeping of the parent
pickerel during the spawning season. This wind-mill and pump having proved so
successful, I would ask from the Department instructions to place another on Wees'
ground, as I feel satisfied the results would repay the small expenditure it would
cost.
Collecting Whitefish Ova.
The number of whitefish eggs collected this fall was a great deal larger than of
any former year, but from unlooked for causes the quantity of sound eggs will be
less than usual. The reason of this must be attributed to peculiar causes :-
With the earlier run of whitefich, from the effects of the continued warm
weather last fall, some disease set in among them, which caused a great number of
those which had been caught to die in the pens and also made a great quantity of
the ova to turn bad, when as many as 15,000,000 had to be thrown away. Notwithstanding
this bad luck, there will be a very fair supply of eggs in the hatchery.
The following table will show the numbers that were placed in the incubators; and
the places where they were got :—
Bois Blano Island. 12,000,000
Stoney Island 12,000,000
Fighting Island... .. 16,04)0,000
Total .. 40,000000
Increased catch of white-fish in 1888.
The catch of whitefish this fall in, and throughout, this section, has been something
enormous. The "run" began a good deal earlier than usual and the weather
iontinued very mild, and warm throughout the whole fishing season. The fishermen