38 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



BAIBD (CALIF.) STATION. 



During- the month of April, 1922, racks were installed in the Mc- 

 Cloud River with the object of securing for incubation eggs of the 

 spring run of chinook salmon. Throughout the spring and summer 

 there seemed to be no well-defined run of salmon, but a few fish 

 reached the barrier every day during the season. Spawn-taking 

 operations extended from September 8 to September 29, by which 

 time 1,521,000 eggs of good quality had been laid down in the hatch- 

 ing troughs. This number compares favorably with the work of the 

 past few years. 



Because of the depth of water and the uneven nature of the bottom 

 of the pool in which the fish were held pending the development of 

 their eggs, it was not an easy matter to capture them for spawn 

 taking. They refused to enter the traps, and gill nets were ineltec- 

 tive. Seining after dark proved to be the best method, though a 

 considerable number evaded any method of capture that could be 

 devised, and these were finally permitted to pass the racks to spawn- 

 ing sites of their own selection. 



Even for that arid section of the State the season was an unusually 

 dry one, and water for the hatchery through the gravity supply ditch 

 Avas not available. To avoid the expense of pumping water from the 

 river an improvised battery of troughs was set up on the grounds 

 and supplied with water from a small spring. By careful manage- 

 ment this small amount sufficed until the eggs had about completed 

 hatching, by which time it became necessary to move the stock into 

 the hatchery and start the pumps. From October Q until the last 

 of the fish had been distributed, in March, the pumps were kept in 

 continuous operation, the necessary amount of water not being 

 available from any other source. 



At the close of the spawning season of the spring run of salmon 

 the racks were removed from tlie river, as appearances did not in- 

 dicate that the fall run would be of sufficient importance to warrant 

 the cost of egg collections. Furthermore, after the customary fall 

 rains set in it is only with the greatest difficulty that racks can be 

 maintained in the McCloud River, and should the expected rains 

 fail, as proved to be the case, the available water supply is sufficient 

 only for the eggs already on hand. The racks were again installed 

 during April, 1923, for the interception of the spring run of the 

 succeeding season. 



A close watch was kept on the dam in the Sacramento River near 

 Redding, to note the effectiveness of the openings in the " splash 

 boards " in permitting the passage of fish. The station superintend- 

 ent has expressed the opinion that these openings probably serve 

 their purpose as adequately as could the conventional fishwa}'. He 

 states that such fish as find the openings pass readily over the dam, 

 but that a large number fail entirely to find them, and are thus 

 prevented from reaching suitable spawning places. 



During the year reports reached the superintendent to the effect 

 that adult salmon in numbers were entering the irrigation ditches. 

 Such reports could not be substantiated, however, and the several 

 visits made to the points complained of indicated that the screens 

 were intact and properly installed. 



