Pr.OPAGAlION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1923. 33 



describe this river and its principal tributaries of 20 years ago as 

 streams of moderate breadth flanked by heavy timber growth. At 

 the present time this territory is subjected to ever-recurring floods, 

 and the devastated area resulting from the shifting of channels varies 

 in width from one-fourth to one-half a mile, and is noticeable 

 througliout the entire distance of 12 miles to the main forks. 



CLACKAMAS (OREG.) STATION AND SUBSTATIONS. 



[Ilnni C. MiTCHKLi,, Superintendent.] 



Tile " pack '' of canned salmon from the Columbia River during 

 the calendar year 1922 was one of the lightest in the history of 

 the industry, and the supply of salmon eggs for artificial propaga- 

 tion fell oft" proportionately at all of the Columbia Kiver hatcheries, 

 both Federal and State, with the single exception of the State hatch- 

 ery at Kalama, Wash. On the other hand, the number of salmon 

 reaching the spawning areas in the vicinity of the bureau's stations 

 was much larger than might have been expected in view of prevailing 

 conditions. 



The intensive fishing to which the Columbia River was subjectect 

 during the j^ears 1915 to 1920, inclusive, and the comparatively large' 

 numbers of fish taken commercially in those years may have been 

 factors in reducing the runs of the past two seasons. However that 

 may be, there was a marked improvement in the commercial catcii 

 of chinook salmon at the beginning of the 1923 fishing season, and the 

 greater measure of protection afforded immature fish in the ocean and 

 river by the recent removal of purse seines therefrom may be expecled 

 to ultimately benefit the fishery. 



^Vith the Clackamas station as headquarters, fish-cultural opeia- 

 I ions were conducted during the fiscal year 1923 at 12 widely sepa- 

 rated points in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Seven of those 

 field stations are permanent, being in active operation throughout 

 the year, wliile the others are merely eying stations or egg-collecting 

 auxiliaries. 



The aggregate egg, collections of the group amounted to 35,371,000. 

 as against 63,658,000 the previous year. Of this number 26 755,000 

 Avere chinook salmon; the remainder comprised such species as silver, 

 chum, sockeye, and steelhead salmon, and the black-spotted tr; ut. 

 Besides the eggs collected in the various fields, 5.000,000 chinook- 

 salmon eggs were transferred from the State hatchery at Kalama. 

 Wash., and smaller consignments of brook, rainbow, and lake-trout 

 eggs were received at Clackamas from other stations of the bureau. 



The combined output of the Oregon group of stations in eggs, fry, 

 and fingerling fish amounted to 30 540,800, this number including 

 the fingei-ling fish carried over from the previous year. The output 

 included three shipments of fish eggs to foreign governments, one of 

 200.000 chinook-salmon eggs being sent to the Netherlands and two 

 of steelhead eggs going to Germany and Argentina. At the close 

 of the year ap[)roxiniately 1,500,000 eggs, fry, and fingerling fish 

 were still on hand. 



The use of immature salmon eggs as food for fry and fingerling 

 fish was continued throughout the year on an extensive scale, the 

 station ^superintendent having found from past experience that this 



