june 1963 boating issue - Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Muskellunge Culture Featured at
Fish Commission's Open House
^lON CITY fish cultural station, Erie County, was the site
" the Fish Commission's Open House. Foreground shows
^Pe of trap net used to capture muskellunge.
Employes of the Fish Culture and Law Enforcement
divisions, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, held a special
°Pen house program at the Union City Hatchery, Erie
f°Unty, on Sunday, April 21, 1963.
Although all state fish culture stations are open daily
to
the public, the selected program gave more than 200
v s
' itors an opportunity to see some of the specialized
te
chniques involved in muskellunge culture. The main
eve
nt of the program featured egg-taking from a large
fe
male musky and the even more complicated process
of
obtaining milt from a male muskellunge.
A demonstration of electro-fishing in a hatchery race-
|?y provided added overall interest to the program.
n
addition, live exhibits of fishes common to the area
We
re on display. Various types of nets, tools and
er
|Uipment necessary to fish culture were shown and
^plained to visitors by Fish Commission personnel.
Northwest Regional Fish Warden Supervisor S.
^rlyle Sheldon, gave a running commentary of the
^rnonstrations and explained the various phases of the
Program of the dav to visitors. Wallace Dean, Fish
Commission member, outlined the Commission's muskellunge
program including its history, growth and
' n iportance to the fishermen of Pennsylvania. Also
leaking to visitors and viewing events of the open
house were Joseph M. Critchfield, vice president, Penns
ylvania Fish Commission, and Albert M. Day, Execute
Director.
VISITORS crowd around demonstration center where egg
taking from a large muskellunge was featured.
J UNE—1963
Bass Season Opens June 15,1963
Pennsylvania's bass fishing season on inland
waters will open at 1 :01 a.m., Eastern Daylight
Time, Saturday, June 15. At that time fishing for
all species of fish in the Commonwealth will be
legal. This year the season for walleye, chain
pickerel, northern pike and muskellunge on inland
waters opened on May 11, and together with bass,
will remain open until March 14, 1964.
District fish wardens said that fishing waters
throughout the Commonwealth are reported to
be in excellent condition and should provide good
fishing in most areas, barring sudden storms.
Regulations governing the inland water fishing
include: bass (largemouth and smallmouth), minimum
size—9 inches, daily limit—6 (combined
species) ; pickerel and walleye, minimum size—15
inches, daily limit—6 (each species) ; muskellunge,
minimum size—30 inches, daily limit—2 ; northern
pike, minimum size—20 inches, daily limit—6.
There is no season or size limit on pan fish, including
sunfish (all species including bluegills),
yellow perch, crappies, rock bass, catfish, suckers
and eels. Possession limit on these is 50 of each
or 50 combined.
Fishermen are warned that the open season on
frogs does not begin until July 2.
CLOSE-UP of egg-taking procedure by hatchery technicians.
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