march, 1968 - Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

w i
m *
SAFETY fliSJ
T
HEM
EHJOV 111 YOURSELF'
lUUMStLr 1 ^
POSTER CONTEST WINNER Dave Westfall of Guys Mills
and Elmer Wherry, committee chairman and publicity chairman
for the contest, which is sponsored annually by the northwest
division of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.
Second place in the division went to Randy Gilson of New Casde.
The contest is sponsored to promote outdoor safety.
BUSY SEASON continued from page 15
CARING FOR WALLEYE eggs on the incubating battery. Approximately
20,000,000 walleye eggs are taken each spring with
an overall hatch of about 80 percent. The eggs will hatch in
approximately three weeks, when the water temperature is in
the high 40's or low 50's. During this period constant care is
needed to avoid silting, clumping and to siphon off the infertile
eggs to avoid fungus.
an extremely fertile body of water with a very high plankton
production.
After a week of incubation dead eggs start to appear and
float to the top where they are siphoned off. Careful
measurements are made of the eggs left in the jar just before
hatching and then these are compared with original
volumes to determine percentage of hatch. This usually
runs from between 70 and 90 percent under normal conditions.
Incubation period varies with water temperature. Aver­
Retires
James W. Starner,
heavy construction foreman
in the Pennsylvania
Fish Commission's Engineering
Division, has
retired after 26 years
service.
Starner began work in 1941 at Huntsdale
for the commission as a stone mason. Throughout
his years with the commission he worked
at times as a carpenter as well.
The father of four children and grandfather
of five he says he plans to spend the
coming summer in California as well as some
time in Florida during the winter mondis.
age is twenty-one days with "eye up" occurring in ten to
fifteen days. Usually water temperature is in the low 40's
when incubation begins and gradually rises to the low 50's.
Once hatching begins, it usually takes three days with
the majority of eggs hatching on the second day. Screens
are removed from the jars as soon as eggs begin to hatch
and fry are allowed to go out into a supply trough and
then into holding tanks. When first hatched the fry are
thin, nearly transparent, about three eighths of an inch
long with little or no yolk sac. They swim up and feed
almost immediately.
Since the number of eggs taken would result in a much
larger number of fry than could be maintained at this
facility many of the eyed eggs are sent to other hatcheries.
Immediately after hatching, a large percentage of the fry
are stocked or transported to other hatcheries.
The eyed eggs and fry are transported by air and truck
in 12 inch by 12 inch plastic bags with one quart of water
for every quart of eggs. Oxygen is provided when the bags
are inflated and sealed. Fry are shipped the same way
using two quarts of water for every 25,000.
Fry which are held start feeding on zooplankton almost
immediately and are soon transferred from holding tanks
to previously prepared rearing ponds which have been
fertilized and started with daphnia.
As the daphnia are eaten a new supply is stocked from
specially prepared daphnia rearing units and from Pymatuning
Lake. Daphnia must be kept in constant supply or
the fry will turn to cannibalism. Two day old fry have been
observed in a chain effect head to tail when a proper food
supply was not available.
Fry are held in rearing ponds approximately five weeks
until early June or until water temperature reaches 70
degrees. By then they'll be between two and three inches
long and are ready to be stocked.
26 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER