418 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



futile in many sections. Accordingly, the propagation of Atlantic 

 salmon was confined to the Craig Brook, Maine, station, while work 

 with the shad was centered on the Potomac River at the Fort Bel- 

 voir, Va. (formerly Fort Humphreys) station. It was agaiQ possible 

 to secure 1,000,000 Atlantic salmon eggs from Canada, and these 

 were distributed to various State hatcheries in Maine, with the 

 exception of a limited number hatched at the Federal hatchery at 

 Craig Brook. This procedure was followed for greater economy and 

 efficiency in distribution. 



The Fort Bel voir, Va., hatchery bettered last season's production 

 of shad and resumed propagation of yellow perch with a very satis- 

 factory production of over 400 million fry. This work does not con- 

 flict with shad operations but is rather supplementary and involves 

 slight extra cost. Some minor improvements were made to the 

 station buildings and grounds. 



At the Edenton, N. C, station, yellow perch and white perch, as 

 well as shad, were handled. Eight and a quarter million eggs of the 

 former species were obtained. The commercial shad fishery from 

 which the shad eggs are obtained was not particularly successful, and 

 the output of fry amounted to only three and a half million. The 

 station also propagated pond fish. 



The Orangeburg, S. C, station again operated a small shad 

 hatchery on the Edisto River as a cooperative project with the 

 State of South Carolina. 



GAME-FISH PROPAGATION 



Artificial propagation of commercial species is largely a replenish- 

 ment process, supplementing natural production. Tliis is true with 

 the game varieties also but in addition virtual extinction of certain 

 species in certain sections is forestalled by the hatchery activities. 



The Bureau's game fish hatcheries were operated with the con- 

 ception that they were producing the basis of a great national recrea- 

 tion, and the areas devoted to recreation — the national parks and 

 forests — were the subject of special attention. The numerical output 

 of these varieties has been discussed elsewhere. The rising cost of 

 the meats commonly used as fish food has constituted the most 

 serious problem confronting this phase of our work. The require- 

 ments for larger fish necessitate feeding for long periods and rigid 

 economy is essential if the game fish output is to be kept up in size 

 and numbers. Distribution of the fish aft'ords one of the best fields 

 for cost reduction; and by using State facilities, as well as requiring 

 private applicants to handle their allotments, production has been 

 maintained at a high level. The findmgs of the Bureau's biologists 

 engaged in aquicultural investigations have been applied at the 

 hatcheries wherever practicable. The following summaries covering 

 the work of the individual stations will, however, illustrate more fully 

 the nature of the year's work. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN TERRITORY 



At the close of the year all arrangements were being put into efi'ect 

 for the consolidation of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific coast 

 territories to be administered by a regional director located at Seattle, 

 Wash. 



