346 u - s - BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



eyed eggs taken from this lot one consignment of 43,000 was sent to Hawaii. 

 Owing to inability to forward the shipment when the eggs were at the most 

 suitable stage of development, it was feared that the loss would be heavy. 

 However, the eggs were reported as arriving at destination in good condition 

 and with a loss of only 200 in transit. 



Duckabush (Wash.) substation. — As the formation of the Duckabush River 

 near its mouth is not suitable for the erection of a permanent trap, a temporary 

 trap was built just above the Olympic highway bridge instead of under it, 

 as was the case last year. The first of the early-run chum salmon appeared 

 late in August, and from September 5 to October 1 eggs were taken almost 

 daily, the total amounting to 9,000,000. As soon as the early run was over the 

 temporary trap was removed and stored because of the danger from floods. 

 No late-run chum salmon ascended the river as far as the location of the 

 permanent trap, but eggs from that run were obtained at Walcotts Slough, 

 near Brinnon, Wash., where employees of the Duckabush and Quilcene sub- 

 stations cooperated in collecting eggs. However, there was no room for any 

 eggs from that source in the Duckabush hatchery, which was already rilled 

 to capacity with spawn from the early run, hence the entire collection was 

 incubated at Quilcene. The usual run of silver salmon ascended the river 

 during the fall and winter, but as the permanent trap was completely suit- 

 merged on several occasions nearly all the fish passed upstream to spawn. 

 The local collections, extending from November 17 to February 24, amounted 

 to 320.000 eggs taken from 105 female fish. Tbese, with the 750,000 eyed eggs 

 of the same species received from one of the Washington State hatcheries, 

 were incubated, and the resulting fry and fingerling fish were liberated in the 

 Duckabush River. The first humpback salmon of the season appeared at the 

 temporary trap late in August, and between September 2 and October 1, 550,000 

 eggs were taken from the 332 female fish secured. On account of the low 

 water stage in the river at this time, many humpback salmon spawned in the 

 salt water near its mouth. 



In continuation of past efforts to establish a run of chinook salmon in the 

 Duckabush River, 328,000 fingerlings, the product of a shipment of 336,000 eyed 

 eggs of that species, were liberated in the river during the spring of 1926. As 

 was the case during the run of silver salmon, the greater part of the steelhead 

 salmon ascending the river during the spring passed over the permanent trap 

 during high water stages. A few fish were taken, but most of them were too 

 immature to be retained in pens, and only 19 were in spawning condition. 

 From this stock 81,700 eggs were taken during the period from March 24 

 to May 1. , 



Quilcene (Wash.) substation: — In advance of the fall spawning season, a 

 new and permanent trap, built exceptionally strong to withstand flood waters, 

 was constructed in the Big Quilcene River on the site formerly occupied by the 

 old trap. In anticipation of the early run of chum salmon, traps also were 

 installed near the mouths of the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene Rivers. 

 Owing to the prevailing low water stage in these streams, egg collections were 

 considerably below normal. The first of the early-run fish appeared at the 

 temporary traps late in August; the first ripe eggs were taken on September 6, 

 and from that date to October 6 spawning operations were conducted almost 

 daily, 1,180,000 eggs being taken at the Big Quilcene trap and 365,000 at the 

 other location. Almost all eggs of this species from the late run were taken at 

 the Walcotts Slough trap near Brinnon, Wash., where collecting operations 

 were in progress from December 1 to January 13, and 5.635,000 eggs obtained. 

 Early in November 336,000 eyed chinook-salmon eggs were received from the 

 Little White Salmon hatchery. These were incubated and the resulting fry 

 deposited in the Big Quilcene River in furtherance of an attempt to establish 

 a run of the species in this region. Owing to the prevalence of low water in 

 the Big Quilcene River during the greater part of the silver-salmon spawning 

 season, the collection of eggs of that species was considerably below the total 

 of last year. Between December 1 and February 8, 790.000 eggs were taken, and 

 early in February 750,000 additional eggs, in the eyed state, were received from 

 the State of Washington. The low water level prevented the collection of any 

 humpback-salmon eggs, but on November 20, 2.000,000 eyed eggs of that species 

 were received from the Washington fisheries authorities with the understanding 

 that the resulting fry, in the sac stage, would be returned to be reared in a 

 salt-water pond owned by the State in the vicinity of Quilcene. 



