PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 21 



The output consisted of 950,000 fry and 3,448,000 fingerlings of 

 the sockeye salmon, including 1.500,000 fingerlings carried over from 

 the preceding 3^ear, 1,398.000 silver salmon, and 24,800 chinook finger- 

 lings. with 1,000,000 sockeyes remaining on hand at the close of the 

 fiscal year. 



From time to time there has been some criticism regarding the 

 bureau's work at Quinault, particularly on the part of the Quinault 

 Indians. The substation is located on the Quinault Indian Reserva- 

 tion, and salmon fishing is the principal means of support for the 

 Indians. Following the passage of regulations that had the effect 

 of restricting salmon fishing to some extent in the Quinault River, a 

 petition was submitted to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, ex- 

 pressing the belief of the petitioners that the work of the hatchery 

 had been detrimental rather than beneficial to the fishery of the 

 river. The statement a])peared to be founded on prejudice rather 

 than on fact. The results of artificial propagation at other points 

 do not bear out the contention, and in Quinault waters the fish taken 

 for artificial propagation represent but a small part of the fish reach- 

 ing the spawning grounds, probably not more than 10 ])er cent in any 

 season. Furthermore, for several years considerable numbers of 

 sockeye-salmon eggs transferred from the Alaska stations have been 

 incubated in the Quinault hatcheiT and the resulting fingerlings 

 planted in Quinault Lake or its tributaries. 



Notwithstanding these facts, it was decided to try an experiment, 

 which it was hoped would furnish reasonably reliable data on tlie 

 results of artificial propagation as compared with natural reproduc- 

 tion. The plan suggesting itself was to take an accurate census 

 of the sockeye salmon entering Quinault River and Quinault Lake 

 for a period of yeai-s and by checking the returns from each year 

 involved to secure at the proper time the desired figures for com- 

 parison. During the first two years of this period no artificial 

 propagation of tlie sockeye salmon was to be conducted, and all fish 

 of that species entering the lake were to be permitted to seek their 

 natural spawning grounds for natural reproduction, this period to 

 be followed by two years of artificial propagation. 



Conditions in Quinault Lake and Quinault River are particularly 

 favorable for the conduct of an experiment of this character. A 

 fairly accurate record of the number of fish taken by the Indians 

 as a commercial venture each season is available, and it remained 

 only to obtain a count of the fish escaping the fishing operations in 

 the river as they entered the lake on their way to the spawning 

 grounds. To accomplish this a row of piling was driven across the 

 outlet of the lake, approximately 700 feet at the site selected. Four- 

 inch mesh cotton webbing was attached to the piling in such a 

 manner as to ])revent the fisli from entering the lake except by way 

 of a 10-foot entrance provided in the weir at the point of deepest 

 water. This entrance was so arranged that the fish were forced to 

 pass near the surface of the water over a strip of white canvas, mak- 

 ing them plainly visible to the attendant located in a small building 

 on the j>iling above, l^rovison was also made for closing the en- 

 trance at times when the observer was not present. The first count 

 was made on April 14. when three sockeyes passed over the counting 

 entrance, and was continued to .June 10. The results of the census 

 are indicated in the following table: 



