deposition, about 1,100 eggs per square meter 

 were estimated to be present in spawningbeds 

 at the termination of spawning. This suggested 

 that egg loss during spawning approached 

 50 percent, 



A second population estimate was made in 

 March 1962 just before iry emergence. At this 

 time separate estimates were made for the 

 study area by sampling 75 points and for the 

 stream as a whole by sampling 254 points. 

 About 1 percent of 16,000 pggs, larvae, and 

 preemergent fry in samples collected from 

 within the study area in March 1962 were 

 identified as chum or coho salmon. 



All sampling was done with a hydraulic egg 

 and larval sampler. Circular areas of 0.2 

 square meter were sampled at points selected 

 at random within the study area with the aid 

 of random number tables. Because the mesh 

 openings in the collection net were 2 mm. in 

 diameter, few fragments less than 2 mm. 

 maximum dimension were collected. For a 

 more complete description of the equipment 

 and techniques used to collect eggs and larvae 

 and to calculate their abundance, the reader 

 is referred to McNeil (1962a). 



For each sample, dead specimens were 

 classified in the following groupings: 



1. Dead eggs 



a. Whole 



b. Fragments 



2. Dead larvae 



After the 1961 brood year fry had emerged 

 in spring 1962, density of residual dead eggs 

 and larvae was estimated in the study area. 

 Estimates were made during early July, mid- 

 August, and late October, 1962, and in mid- 

 March 1963. The mid-August sampling was 

 completed just before the chum salmon spawned 

 and the late October and mid-March sampling 

 was completed after small numbers of chum, 

 pink, and coho salmon spawned (about 30 

 female chum, 4 female pink, and an unknown 

 but small number of coho). 



Although spawning was exceptionally light 

 in 1962, there was evidence that 1962 brood 



year eggs introduced some error to later 

 estimates of density of the 1961 brood year 

 residual spawn. Chum salmon spawned mostly 

 in late August 1962 when water temperatures 

 were high (11° to 13° C.) and stream water- 

 flows were low (less than 80 c.f.s.). Their 

 potential egg deposition based on an assumed 

 fecundity of 2,700 eggs per female (see Rounse- 

 fell, 1957) was about 20 eggs per square meter 

 in 1962. There was evidence of early high 

 mortality of chum salmon eggs accompanied 

 by an initially rapid rate of decomposition, 

 and this may have introduced error to esti- 

 mates of density of residual dead 1961 brood 

 year eggs made in October 1962 and March 

 1963. Pink and coho salmon eggs, deposited 

 in autumn 1962, were easily separated from 



1961 brood year eggs collected in the October 



1962 samples. However, 1962 brood year eggs 

 of these species may have decomposed and 

 introduced error to estimates of abundance 

 of 1961 brood year eggs made in March 1963. 



All egg fragments larger than 2 mm. re- 

 tained in the collection net were counted, but 

 it could not be definitely established that each 

 fragment counted represented the remains of 

 a single egg. This problem became more acute 

 as the season progressed, and population 

 estimates from samples collected in August 

 and October 1962 and March 1963 may have 

 been biased upward because of it. In July 

 samples, small oblong pieces of yolk classified 

 as larval remains because they resembled 

 the shape of a yolk sac may also have been 

 misclassified. The remaining parts of a larva 

 were no longer present and may have decom- 

 posed. 



Stream Discharge and Temperature 



The height and temperature of the stream 

 water were recorded continuously, A water 

 level recorder was located 700 feet upstream 

 from the upper boundary of the study area, 

 and a water temperature recorder 1,200 feet 

 downstream from the lower boundary. No 

 tributary creeks enter Sashin Creek between 

 the two recorders, A Price current meter, 

 which was calibrated by the U,S. Geological 

 Survey, was used to gather water velocity data 

 needed to establish a gage height-discharge 

 relationship (rating curve) for Sashin Creek. 



