PEOPAGATION AND DISTKIBUTIOISr OF FOOD FISHES, 1925 463 



Quilcene (Wash.) substation. — Fish-cultiiral operations in this field were in 

 progress practically throughout the year. Collections of chum, silver, and 

 steelhead-salmon eggs were made, while ej^ed eggs of the humpback, chinook, and 

 silver salmons received from other hatcheries were handled. The efforts put 

 forth to collect eggs from the early run of chum salmon met with sUght success. 

 Owing to the prevailing low water in both the Big and Little Quilcene Rivers 

 very few fish entered these streams, and the total number of eggs collected was 

 only 585,000, notwithstanding the fact that both traps were fislied at frequent 

 intervals and both rivers were seined daily below the racks as long as there was 

 any hope of securing returns. During the late run of this species, beginning 

 about November 15, water conditions were so much improved that nearly 

 3,000,000 eggs were obtained. At this time some of the station employees were 

 making frequent trips to Walcotts Slough to assist in the work there and to 

 transfer to the home station such eggs as could not be cared for at Duckabush. 

 As a consequence of the operations at all points and during both runs of salmon 

 4,010,000 eggs were secured, from which 3,741,150 fry in the advanced stage 

 were developed and released in local tributaries of Puget Sound. 



From a shipment of 5,500,000 eyed humpback-salmon eggs taken in Alaska 

 waters by the State of Washington and turned over to this station for incubation, 

 5,368,500 fry were produced. Of these, 2,968,000 were released in the advanced 

 stage in the Big Quilcene River; the remainder were returned to the State to be 

 used in connection with a feeding experiment to be conducted in a pond located 

 in a salt-water lagoon not far from the Quilcene hatchery. 



Between October 27 and February 6 the station collected 2,120,000 silver- 

 salmon eggs. These were incubated with 2,000,000 eyed eggs of that species 

 furnished from the Gold Bar hatchery of the Washington fisheries department, 

 and the resulting fry, in the sac-absorbed stage, were liberated locally. Transfers 

 of eggs from other fields included'one shipment of 500,000 of the chinook salmon 

 furnished tjv the Little White Salmon hatchery with the view of attempting to 

 establish a run of that species in Quilcene waters. During the steelhead spawning 

 season (extending from March 17 to May 11) 375,000 eggs were collected, some 

 being taken from brood fish held for a time in the station ponds to ripen. The 

 resulting fry were on hand at the close of the fiscal year. 



Sultan (Wash.) substation. — Elwell Creek, upon which this substation depends 

 for its egg collections, was visited during the fall by a large run of chinook and 

 silver salmon, enough fish of each species to yield several million eggs being in 

 evidence. Unfortunately the station was poorly equipped to take advantage of 

 the opportunity. The trap in use was old and parti}' ineffective, and dependence 

 had to be placed on hooking and dip nets for the capture of the fish. Working 

 under such conditions, 806,000 chinook-salmon eggs were taken; but in October, 

 shortly after the run of silver salmon began, the trap was entirely demolished as 

 a result of a considerable rise in the water level of the creek, putting an end to 

 the work. The collection of silver-salmon eggs amounted to 690,000. Approx- 

 imately 85,000 fry and fingerling steelhead salmon, the product of the previous 

 fiscal year, were liberated in local waters during July. Owing to inability to 

 conduct fishing operations, no eggs of that species were collected during the 

 spring of 1925. 



QuiNAULT (Wash.) Station 

 [Philo B. Hawley, Superintendent] 



The construction of a rearing-pond system at this station, undertaken during 

 the previous fiscal year, was completed in May, 1925. The series comprises 

 six concrete ponds of the long, narrow type, with sloping sides, each inclosure 

 being 75 feet long and 6 feet wide and with an average depth of 30 inches. The 

 addition of this system provides the station with a capacity for rearing 300,000 

 sockeye-salmon fingerlings. 



As has been explained previously, the sockeye-salmon run into the lower 

 Quinault River extends from about April 1 to the end of August, making it 

 impossible to include in a single annual report a complete census covering an 

 an entire season's run. The daily count maintained during the spring and sum- 

 mer of 1924 indicated the passage of 136,774 salmon, this number being approx- 

 imately 27,000 less than the count of the previous year and about 100,000 less 

 than that in 1922. In the spring of 1925 counting was begun on March 19, 

 and by the end of the fiscal year the record indicated that the number of salmon 

 passing was materially smaller than in any corresponding period since the weir 

 was established. 



