PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1923. 29 



"were discontinued though spawning fish were still plentiful. Eggs 

 received from Brinnon numbered 5,501,000, and late in December 

 80,000 eggs of the late run of chum salmon were taken at the trap on 

 the station grounds. 



While the run of silver salmon in Duckabush River appeared from 

 all observations to be greater than that of an average season, the 

 number of eggs secured would seem to indicate the contrar3\ This 

 is explained by the unfavorable water stages, which interfered with 

 the work to such an extent that only 97 female fish were taken. This 

 stock yielded 260.000 eggs. An additional lot of 780,000 eggs of 

 this species, an overflow from the Birdsview station, was also in- 

 cubated. During the spring months 255,000 steelhead eggs were 

 obtained from fish entering the traps. 



QUILCENE (WASH.) SUBSTATION. 



The egg collections from fields in the vicinit}^ of the Quilcene 

 station during the year amounted to 9,475,000, the species including 

 chum and silver salmon and the steelhead. In addition to this stock, 

 eggs to the number of 4,107,290 were acquired by transfer from other 

 fields, 1,657,290 of them being humpback-salmon eggs taken in 

 Alaska waters by employees of the State of Washington. All eggs 

 handled were successfully incubated, and the aggregate output 

 totaled ,11,451,200 advanced fry and fingerling fish divided as to 

 species as folloAvs : Chum salmon. 8.729.580 ; humpback salmon, 1,483.- 

 790; silver salmon, 752,275; steelhead. 545,555. In addition to the 

 distributions made, 1,310,950 fingerling fish remained on hand at the 

 close of the j^ear. 



SULTAN (WASH.) SLTBSTATION. 



As at the Birdsview station, low-water stages at spawning time 

 seriously interfered with egg collections during the early fall. Thus 

 only 79,000 chinook-salmon eggs could be obtained, these being taken 

 between October 25 and November 4. As at Birdsview, also, the 

 streams reached their normal level before the peak of the silver-sal- 

 mon spawning season had passed, and under these improved con- 

 ditions 4,065,000 eggs were taken, the collections being made between 

 October 25 and »January 13. This stock exceeded last year's col- 

 lection bj^ more than 1,700,000. Because of lack of hatchery space 

 650.000 of the eggs were sent to the Quilcene station for incubation. 

 An average collection of steelhead eggs was made during the spring, 

 the spawning season extending from April 8 to June 4. 



QUINAULT (WASH.) STATION. 

 [Philo B. Hawley, Suiiei-intendent.] 



In accordance with plans previously outlined for this station, 

 sockeve-salmon propagation, the principal item of the fish-cultural 

 work, was omitted during the fiscal year 1923 except for the dis- 

 tribution of 944,000 fingerlings of that species which had been carried 

 over from the previous year. The distributions also included 78,000 

 steelhead fingerlings, the product of the preceding j^ear's egg col- 



