PROPAGATIOX AjSTD DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 17 



is the fourth consecutive year that the egg collections have exceeded 

 60,000,000, and it would seem to indicate the permanency of the 

 reestablished run, which was practically destroyed by the volcanic 

 eruption of 1912. In none of these years do the egg collections 

 afford an accurate index to the nimibers of fish entering the lake, as 

 it is the exceptional season when conditions are such as to permit 

 active fishing throughout the spawning season. Thus, many of the 

 fish annually escape to perform the spawning function under nat- 

 ural conditions. During the fiscal year 1920 upward of 79,000,000 

 eggs were taken, after which the racks were removed from the 

 spawning streams. It was estimated that not more than 50 per cent 

 of the spawning salmon entering the lake were used. During the 

 season of 1921 the eg^ collections did not fill the hatchery, as floods 

 during August prevented successful fishing. 



Of the eggs collected 10,000,000 were transferred to other points, 

 5,000,00.0 going to the Yes Bay (Alaska) station, 2,000,000 to 

 Quinault. Wash., and 3,000 ,000 to the State fish hatchery at Bonne- 

 ville, Oreg., in continuance of an effort to restock the Columbia 

 River with the species. The eggs retained at tlie station were in- 

 cubated with a loss of 6| per cent. In view of the excellent run 

 of sockeye salmon that lias entered Letnik Kiver (hiring the past 

 four years, it may not be amiss to ccmsider the opening of Letnik 

 Bay to commercial fishing for the si)ecies after it has been ascer- 

 tained that a suflicient number of fish has entered the lake to insure 

 a satisfactory number of eggs for artificial incubaticm. This would 

 involve the installation of a rack, making it possible to count the 

 salmon passing through. It is believed the same rack would be 

 useful in excluding Dolly Varden trout and silver salmon from the 

 lake should this be considered advisable. The water temperature 

 at the beginning of the spawning period registered 52° F.; at its 

 close, 40°. 



TES BAT (ALASKA) STATION. 

 [C. n. Van Atta, Superintendent.] 



Fish-cultural work at this station was confined to the incubation 

 of the sockeye-salmon eggs transferred from the Afognak station, 

 4,02r),()()() fingerlings resulting from the 5,000,000 eggs received. Dur- 

 ing December 350,000 of the eyed eggs were i)lanted in three local 

 lakes, which have been designated as Cannery Lake, Kound Lake, 

 and Lake No. 2. These bodies of water do not at present support 

 a run of salmon, though they appear to be suited to the pur})ose. 

 A rather casual inspection of the lakes on May 17 disclosed several 

 schools of sockeye-salmon fingerlings from 1 to 1^ inches long. 

 Each school was estimated to contain from 25 to 75 fish. 



In view of the extensive repair work in hand it was not possible 

 to take up fish-cultural operations on the usual scale. The repairs 

 were essential to prevent comj^lete deterioration of valuable prop- 

 erty and were made from the funds usually allotted for propagation, 

 the special appropriation requested by Congress for the purpose 

 having been refused. The main features of the work consisted in 

 the installation of a new water supply and extensive repairs to the 

 hatcherv building, including new foundation piling, new floors, and 

 a complete set of 240 hatching troughs. The water supply required 



