578 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
NOTES ON OPERATIONS 
COMMERCIAL SPECIES 
Pacific salmon.—The Leavenworth (Wash.) station and its auxil- 
iaries are being developed for the expressed purpose of establishing 
the run of salmon from the upper Columbia River in tributary streams. 
The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam placed an insurmountable 
barrier to the runs of fish up the Columbia River to the uppermost 
spawning grounds. Since the Leavenworth unit was not sufficiently 
completed before the 1939 fall run to handle the adult salmon, the 
fish of this run were planted in waters that emptied into the Columbia 
River below the dam. The lower holding pond on Icicle Creek was 
completed in time to be stocked with chinook and blueback salmon 
from the spring run of 1940. These fish will be retained until the 
eges mature and can be taken. The Bureau cooperated with the 
Washington Game Department by rearing rainbow-trout fingerlings 
which were received from the Big White Salmon station. The 
State supplied the labor necessary for their care, and the Bureau 
furnished the feed. The construction work at the Leavenworth 
station is approximately 50 percent complete. The hatchery build- 
ing, which is equipped with 288 troughs, is complete. Work was 
started at the substations at Entiat’and Winthrop, Wash. Congres- 
sional authority has not been secured and work was not begun on 
the proposed substation at Okanagan Falls, on the Okanagan River, 
B. C., where attention should be concentrated on the propagation of 
blueback salmon. 
Owing to the abnormally low run of salmon, the Quinault (Wash.) 
station collected approximately 12 percent fewer eggs than last year. 
In 1933 the station initiated an experimental attempt to establish 
sockeye salmon runs in Falls Creek by planting large-size fingerling 
fish. At present quite extensive runs are established, and it is possible 
to obtain practically all the sockeye eggs required on or near the 
hatchery grounds. Not only does this result in an important saving, 
but the eggs are decidedly superior to those transported from distant 
points. Rather surprising results were obtained from a group of 
approximately 2,000 marked steelhead trout liberated in Falls Creek 
in November 1938 and March 1939. When liberated, these fish 
averaged about one-half pound in weight. During the spring of 1940, 
42 of these trout were recovered in the traps. They were in fine 
condition and weighed approximately 4 pounds each. These trout 
were held for ripening in the dirt brood-stock pond without loss, and 
after they were spawned they were returned to Falls Creek. It has 
been exceedingly rare for steelhead trout to be taken in a trap in Falls 
Creek prior to this year. The entire output of chinook, silver, and 
sockeye salmon, steelhead, and rainbow trout were distributed in the 
State of Washington. The boathouse was moved to a new location. 
The collection of chinook-salmon eggs at the Little White Salmon 
station this year was approximately 20 percent less than last year. 
Due to the lack of space, 300,000 eyed eggs were planted in the Little 
White Salmon River. No rearing pools have been constructed, so 
the output of fish was planted in the advanced-fry stage. The 
salmon flesh secured in spawning operations was frozen and placed 
in storage for future use as fish food by other stations. The new 
hatchery building under construction at the close of the fiscal year 
