416 XJ. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



NOTES ON OPERATIONS 



COMMERCIAL SPECIES 



Pacific salmons. — While there was a moderate increase in the pro- 

 duction of the less important species of Pacific salmon, the silver and 

 chum, the output of chinook and sockeyes dropped. The distribution 

 of the latter in particular was but a small fraction of the normal pro- 

 duction of preceding years. This was due to cessation of operations 

 in Alaska where sockeye eggs have been obtainable in large numbers. 

 In addition, the run of sockeyes at the Quinault, Wash., station was 

 negligible. This station is the main field of activity with this species 

 outside of Alaska. 



In the Columbia River territory operations proceeded in approxi- 

 mately normal scope, but a Ught run of fish in the Big and little White 

 Salmon Rivers curtailed the output of chinook salmon. Effort was 

 made to augment the water supply at the main station (Clackamas, 

 Oreg.) by digging a well without success. Some new rearing tanks 

 were constructed. At the Butte Falls, Oreg., substation serving 

 the Rogue River territory, chinook egg collections were good but the 

 operations with steelhead trout were unsatisfactory due to the 

 immaturity of the eggs when the fish entered the traps. 



The Salmon, Idaho, substation was operated on a part-time basis, 

 chiefly for the handling of rainbow trout eggs. 



Total egg collections at the Birdsview, Wash., station were below 

 last year's take. A number of improvements, including completion 

 of a dwelling, work upon Grandy Creek and the water-supply system, 

 traps, etc., as well as minor jobs, were effected by relief labor. Sock- 

 eye salmon marldng experiments were continued. 



The Baker Lake substation was operated during the summer and 

 fall months only and propagated only trout. A rock-slide arising from 

 flood conditions blocked the water supply and Civilian Conservation 

 Corps labor was obtained to remove it. The Mount Rainier, Wash., 

 substation furnished about 600,000 trout for park waters. Effort 

 is being made to develop egg-collecting fields in several lakes in the 

 national park. 



The most noteworthy item at the Quinault, Wash., station was the 

 greatly reduced run of sockeye salmon. However, sufficient eggs of 

 various species were obtained to utilize to capacity the rearing 

 facilities of the station. 



The Duckabush and Quilcene, Wash., substations as usual concen- 

 trated on the handUng of chum salmon. Repeated damage to racks 

 and traps by high water affected operations, but in spite of tliis a large 

 collection of late-run chum salmon eggs was obtained. 



In the California field the collection of chinook salmon eggs was 

 concentrated at the Mill Creek substation. Of the 4,000,000 taken, 

 1,500,000 were transferred to the Baird station for incubation. 



GREAT LAKES SPECIES 



Comparable to last year, propagation of commercial species of the 

 Great Lakes was confined to the Duluth, Minn., Put in Bay, Ohio, 

 and Cape Vincent, N. Y., stations. The former succeeded in collect- 

 ing a moderate number of lake trout and whitefish eggs during the 

 regular open season. The quality of them was rather poor, due to 

 lateness of the collecting season. A considerable number of game- 



