PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1922. 33 



Daily count of sockeye salmon entering Quinault {Wash.) Lake during the fiscal 

 year 1922, shouing number of fish marked iy gill nets eacli day — Continued. 



An interesting point developed in connection with the count, and 

 one suggesting the desirability of a change in the existing regula- 

 tions governing fishing in the Quinault River, is the very large num- 

 ber of fish shoAving gill-net marks. The numbers thus marked, rep- 

 resenting approximately 9' per cent of the total count, are indicated 

 in the table. The abrasions were of such a nature that it seemed 

 certain that fully 50 per cent of the fish could not survive to the 

 spawning period. In fact, every day during the latter part of the 

 run considerable numbers of dead fish were removed from the upper 

 side of the weir and many others were observed along the shore* 

 of the lake. These dead fish led to some criticism of the counting 

 work, certain uninformed persons believing that the fish received 

 their injuries at the weir. From the information at hand it appears 

 that the trouble arose from the practice of setting gill nets of too 

 large mesh in the mouth of the river, where the fish previously en- 

 meshed are drawn through the nets by the strong current on the ebb 

 tide and the motion of the sea on the bar. It is alleged that many 

 of the fish thus injured fall prey to seals, while others, evading the 

 nets on the second entry to the river, reach the lake in the condition 

 described. With the view of obviating the resulting heavy wastage 

 it was proposed to dispose of these gill-net marked fish through the 

 Indian Service, but so many objections were raised against the 

 project by Indians and fish buj^ers of the region that the plan was 

 abandoned. 



It is conceded by most observers that the run of sockeye salmon 

 during the season equaled the large run of 1915. All of the Indians 

 engaged in fishing made excellent catches and received large mone- 

 tary returns. During the peak of the run Indians using dip nets 



