94 IT. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



la this district 1,184 lake trout were destroyed, averaging 10 pounds each, or 

 a total' of 11,840 pounds. 



Becharof Lake. — H. B. Looff, with a crew of two men for Becharof Lake, 

 proceeded from Seattle, on March 28 by regular transportation steamer to 

 Kanatak, arriving April 10. 



Supplies and equipment were assembled at Kanatak, and the party started for 

 Becharof Lake. Heavy snow impeded progress, but the lake was reached on 

 April 12 and headquarters were established in the halfway camp of the Standard 

 Oil Co. The following day fishing with gill nets was begun, although the weather 

 was cold and it was snowing. Fishing continued with discouraging results, owing 

 to the extreme cold and heavy snowfall practically every day up to early May. 

 The weather then changed and floods occurred and little fishing was possible. 

 By May 12 the creeks began to subside and clear, when the nets were again set out 

 and fishing gradually improved. 



All the streams along the eastern shore were visited several times throughout the 

 season, and toward the end of June good catches were made. Gill nets placed 

 across the mouths of streams were very effective, but more fish were taken with 

 hand lines. This field was well covered, and it is the opinion of Mr. Looff, who 

 has worked in this district for the past five years, that the trout are becoming 

 scarcer each year and consequently more difficult to secure. At no time were the 

 numbers found equal to previous years. 



During the season Mr. Looff made two trips overland to the upper tributaries 

 of the Ugashik Lakes, where fair catches were made. On July 8, when the first 

 visit was made, but few trout were in the streams and only 185 Dolly Vardens 

 were taken. On a trip made on August 14 fishing was much better, and in four 

 hours of hand-line fishing 1,150 Dolly Vardens were taken, averaging 2 pounds 

 each. Valuable information regarding the spawning habits of the trout was 

 secured on this late visit, and it is felt that late operations should be carried on in 

 all sections with the possible exception of Naknek. 



The catch for the season, including the trout taken at Ugashik, was 25,035 

 Dolly Varden trout, averaging 1 pound each. Mr. Looff reported greater num- 

 bers of salmon fry coming from the gravel this season than in any previous year, 

 and all Dolly Vardens caught near the spawning grounds had stomachs full of 

 fry. The stomach of one medium-sized Dolly Varden contained, by actual count, 

 636 salmon fry. 



Ugashik. — Aside from the investigation of the upper watershed of the Ugashik, 

 activities were chiefly centered on the main stream and in preparations for the 

 construction of a counting weir on the upper Ugashik River, which will be 

 operated during the coming season. In connection with this weir it is hoped to 

 accomplish considerable good by intercepting the outgoing migration of trout 

 and getting a check at least on those entering with the salmon. 



Wood River. — The Wood River crew left April 18 on the Columbia River 

 Packers Association ship Chillicothe and arrived at anchorage outside the creek 

 cannery on May 18. The ice descending the river caused the Chillicothe to break 

 her moorings, but she was towed out of the ice and anchored off Ekok, where she 

 remained during the height of the storm and returned to anchorage above Clark 

 Point on May 25. On the following day the Wood River crew was transferred to 

 Snag Point on one of the small patrol launches. Supplies and equipment were 

 assembled, and the party left for the lake on May 28. Ice was still passing down 

 river, and when the party arrived the lake was found to be completely blocked. 



Work about the lake outlet was carried on with poor results until June 14, when 

 a slight improvement was noticeable and the lake opened up so the operators 

 could transfer camp to its head. Owing to failure to secure several local resi- 

 dents who had been engaged the previous year, it became necessary to bring most 

 of the crew down for Sunday patrol in the upper bay, which curtailed the trout 

 work to that extent. Operations were discontinued on July 29 in order to secure 

 transportation on the Chillicothe, which left for the States August 4. 



During the season 4,384 Dolly Varden trout were taken, averaging 2 pounds 

 each, a total of 8,768 pounds. Few good catches were recorded, and trout were 

 not noticed schooling in any numbers throughout the season. Also, as the season 

 advanced the trout disappeared almost entirely in the lower lake region. Pos- 

 sibly they ascended to the upper lakes, but this could not be ascertained owing 

 to the short season. It is very noticeable that the trout are diminishing in size 

 each season and that the average weight has dropped from 5 to 2 pounds since 

 this work was begun. 



