146 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 
sippi River Wild Life and Fish Refuge, from which source the finger- 
lings of warm-water species have heretofore been obtained in large 
numbers. The number of unfilled applications for game species as 
submitted by private individuals and conservation organizations was, 
at the close of the year, as low as at any time within recent years. 
PROPAGATION OF COMMERCIAL SPECIES 
The three hatcheries in New England propagating commercial 
species of the inshore waters were operated with increased intensity 
with the result that there was a noticeable increase in the production 
ef cod, haddock, and flatfish. Pollock were produced in reduced 
quantities and the output of lobster fry was approximately 50 percent 
of the previous year’s record. However, by virtue of new experi- 
mental methods the young lobsters were reared to larger size before 
releasing, as a means of producing greater survival. Over 514 billion 
of the above-mentioned species were distributed as fertilized eggs on 
the spawning grounds. This is a byproduct recovery, since these 
eggs would otherwise be completely wasted in the marketing of 
the fish taken by the commercial fishermen. Propagation of mackerel 
was again resumed at the Woods Hole, Mass., station with an output 
of 11,000,000 fry. An outstanding development was the establish- 
ment by the Maine Department of Sea and Shore Fisheries of a large 
modern lobster-rearing unit on the grounds of the Federal hatchery 
at Boothbay Harbor, ‘Maine. This establishment is operated by the 
State on a cooperative basis with the Bureau. There is assurance 
that this project will be of great significance in the future in con- 
serving and building up the supply of lobsters, the mainstay of the 
inshore fisheries of the State. 
Pacific salmon.—There was a worthwhile increase in the produc- 
tion of chinook salmon. This species is handled in two fields, the 
Columbia River and the Sacramento River, and the distribution was 
materially increased in both areas. This is especially gratifying in 
view of the fact that both runs have been threatened by the construc- 
tion of large dams, and the 1939 figures for hatchery production 
indicate that there will be a satisfactory stock of salmon upon which 
to base future propagation activities which will serve to nullify the 
detrimental influences of dams. Absence of humped-back salmon in 
the records is merely a result of the so-called “off year” for this spe- 
cies. Sockeye salmon are handled in the Puget Sound area and at 
Quinault, Wash. At the latter point the production is deliberately 
curtailed so as to permit the rearing of all of the fry produced to a 
larger size before distribution. The salmon hatcheries also included 
the propagation of steelhead trout, a preeminent game fish, within 
the scope of their work but failed to obtain a production equal to 
that of the previous year. 
Anadromous species, Atlantic coast—The second year of an inten- 
sive program of rehabilitation of the shad has. shown an increase in 
the hatchery production of this species. Over 34 million fry were 
planted, in comparison with 26 million in 1938. No new propagating 
stations were operated and the increase is a direct result of larger 
runs and more intensive hatchery utilization of the potential egg 
supply. The shad stations on the Potomac River and at Edenton, 
N. C., also proagated other indigenous species, including the white 
