PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1931 657 



lings produced during the year were liberated in these rivers and in Walcotts 

 Slough with the exception of 19,700 steelhead fry and fingerlings, which remained 

 on hand at the close of the j-ear. 



Quilcene (Wash.) siibsiaiion.—Jmvaediately after July 1 all traps and equipment 

 were put in condition for the season's fish-cultural operations. Minor repairs 

 were made to ponds and buildings, and a small office and storeroom building was 

 constructed and painted. During the winter the local power company extended 

 its line from the town of Quilcene out to the vicinity of the station, and on March 

 14 the station electric-lighting system was connected with the company's line. 

 A 3-horsepower electric motor was installed in the fish-food house for operating 

 the food grinder. 



At the beginning of the fiscal year there were 77,250 brook-trout fingerlings 

 and 216,100 steelhead fry and fingerlings on hand. Some of these were dis- 

 tributed in October in Mount Rainier National Park waters; 2,000 of the brook 

 trout were reserved for rearing to the adult stage; and the remaining stock of 

 both species, after completing the Mount Rainier distribution, was liberated in 

 local waters and delivered to the county game commissions of Jefferson and 

 Clallam Counties, Wash. Collections of silver and steelhead salmon exceeded 

 last year's collections of these species. The early run of chum salmon in the Big 

 Quilcene and Little Quilcene Rivers was considerably below normal. Egg 

 collections of the late-run chum salmon, obtained from the Little Quilcene River, 

 Walcotts Slough, and Jackson Creek, exceeded those of last year. As a result 

 of the season's collecting operations 9,147,000 eggs of the chum salmon, 1,193,000 

 of the silver salmon, and 608,000 of the steelhead salmon were obtained. In 

 addition, 843,472 silver-salmon eggs were received from the Quinault (Wash.) 

 station and 751,000 of the chinook salmon were shipped in from the Little White 

 Salmon (Wash.) station, for the continuation of the efforts in progress for in- 

 creasing the run of this species in the Big Quilcene and DocewaUips Rivers; 

 200,000 black-spotted trout eggs were transferred from the Yellowstone Park, 

 and 50,000 brook-trout eggs were derived from the State of Washington. All of 

 these acquisitions were handled along with the local collections. The fry and 

 fingerlings produced from the chum salmon, silver salmon, and chinook salmon 

 eggs were liberated in local waters. The fingerlings resulting from the black- 

 spotted trout eggs were distributed in Mount Rainier National Park. At the 

 close of the year 44,724 brook-trout fingerlings and 389,750 steelhead fry and 

 fingerlings remained on hand. The maximum feeding capacity of the station 

 was utilized during the spring moiiths. 



Walcotts Slough (Wash.) substation. — The trap in Walcotts Slough is maintained 

 and operated jointly by the Duckabush and Quilcene stations. The only species 

 of salmon that enters and spawns in this slough is the late-run chum salmon. 

 As the trap is on leased ground, no improvements are made other than those 

 essential for the proper conduct of the work. Minor repairs were made to the 

 trap in advance of the spawning season. The first fish appeared in the trap on 

 November 20. Between November 24 and January 19 a total of 12,593,000 

 eggs were taken by the personnel of these two stations, of which number 7,108,000 

 were transferred to the Quilcene hatchery and 5,485,000 were shipped to Ducka- 

 bush. All fry resulting from the collections were returned to their native waters 

 on the completion of the yolk sac period. 



Sultan (Wash.) substation. — The interior of the foreman's cottage was re- 

 painted, and other necessary minor repairs were made to buildings. During the 

 late summer all fish-cultural equipment was painted and made ready for active 

 service. 



The 76,100 steelhead fry and fingerlings on hand when the year opened were 

 reared until August 11 and then liberated in waters adjacent to the station. 

 During the year 179,700 eggs of the chinook salmon, 879,500 of the silver salmon, 

 and 321,600 of the steelhead were collected, the total exceeding that of the 

 previous year by about 40 per cent. The fry and fingei'lings resulting from the 

 two first-named species were liberated in Elwell Creek, as were also the sac- 

 absorbed fry resulting from a lot of 1,392,000 humpback salmon eggs developed 

 at the station for the State of Washington. At the close of the year there were 

 on hana 281,100 steelhead salmon fingerlings Nos. 1 and l}i, resulting from the 

 egg collections of the species referred to above. 



Lake Crescent (Wash.) State trout hatchery. — In 1927, when the work of at- 

 tempting to establish a run of sockeye salmon into Lake Crescent through the 

 Lyre River from Puget Sound was undertaken, the fingerlings resulting from 

 approximately one million eggs of that species developed in the Lake Crescent 



96058—32 5 



