1150 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



wei'e at an unusually low stage throughout the entire fall there was a good 

 run of the chinook and huuTpback salnaon. Streams, lakes, and springs in the 

 Mount Rainier National Park were inspected in a search for a suitable trout 

 rearing site. Though alterations wel-e made in the device for the hoisting of the 

 1929 run of fish over the power dam in Baker River at Concrete, Wash., there 

 was no improvement in the results. Of the 1,379 sockeye salmon put over 

 the dam only 960 ascended to Baker Lake, and the total egg collecti(m amounted 

 to 765.000. The comparative insignificance of this work is brought out by the 

 fact that during the fiscal yeat 1924, which immediately preceded the installation 

 of the Baker River Dam, 14,558 sockeyes were caught in Baker Lake and 

 22.000.000 eggs secured from them. 



Birdsvicw (TFa.s/(.) Ktntion. — The exteriors of all station buildings were 

 painted two coats and the interiors of several of the cottages were repainted. 

 Minor repairs and alterations were made to the fish-culturist's cottage and 

 several other buildings. Late in August a temporary wood trap was con- 

 structed in Phinney Creek with the object of collecting humpback and chinook 

 salmon eggs. Throughout the spawning period of the cliinook, humpback, and 

 sockeye salmons the water level in Grandy Creek remained too low for the 

 ascent of fish, but a slight rise occurring after December 10 permitted the 

 entrance of a small run of silver salmon from which eggs to the number of 

 1,218,000 — about half the take of a normal season — were secured. The run 

 of steelhead salmon was also small, and the take of eggs amounted to not 

 more than one-third the average collection. From Phinney Creek 3,325,000 

 humpback salmon eggs and 180.000 chinook eggs were obtained between Sep- 

 tember 7 and October 14, tlie former figure representing the largest season's 

 collection ever made in that stream. In addition to the local egg collections, 

 shipments from otlier fields received and handled comprised 214,816, sockeye ; 

 2,842,000, Chinook; 1,671,320, silver; 1,021,000, humpback; 250,000, chum; and 

 209,000, steelhead salmon eggs. Consignments of eyed eggs forwarded from 

 Birdsview to destinations in the various States, Hawaii, and South America 

 included 285,000 chum salmon; 1,021.000 humpback salmon; 250,000 chum 

 salmon ; 114,000 sockeye salmon ; 225,000 silver salmon ; and 588,000 steelhead- 

 salmon eggs. Feeding operations were conducted to the full capacity of the 

 station in July and August, and again in the spring from April 1 to the 

 close of the year. In an effort to determine whether age or size is the 

 factor governing the return of the fish, 48,000 yearling sockeye salmon were 

 marked and liberated in Skagit River. 



Baker Lake (Wash.) substation. — Only such minor repairs and improve- 

 ments were made as were essential to the maintenance and proper operations 

 of the station. The 522.500 sockeye fingei'lings on hand at the beginning of the 

 fiscal yeat were all liberated by July 27. Of the 765,000 sockeye eggs secured, 

 100,000 were transferred to the Birdsview station. The fingerUngs result- 

 ing from the remainder were liberated in Baker Lake prior to the close of the 

 year. Silver salmon to the number of 5,876 were put ovet the dam. Of these, 

 1.428 ascended to the station where 1,529,000 eggs were taken from them and 

 transferred to Birdsview. A considerable run of landlocked sockeye salmon 

 again entered Baker Lake, but only a few were caught as the trap webbing 

 meshes were too large to intetcept them. 



Duckabu.sh (Wash.) substation. — During August the temporary trap was 

 installed in the Duckabush River for collecting eggs of the early run chum 

 and humpback salmons, and on October 1, when all eggs that could be cared 

 for at the Duckabush and Quilcene stations had been secured, it was re- 

 moved. All station buildings were painted, 40 new troughs and a new head 

 trough installed in the hatchery, and the permanent trap, which had been 

 damaged by flood waters on November 12, 1928, was repaired and lengthened 

 48 feet in order to allow flood waters a greater escapement area. In the 

 Duckabush River the early run of chum salmon was the largest in years, 

 while the run of humpback salmon appeai-ed to be fully as large as two 

 years ago. At the temporary trap in the river, 10,165,000 eggs of the early 

 chum salmon and 812.000 of the humpback salmon were collected between 

 September 5 and 28. On account of shortage in the hatchery water, 4.256,000 

 of the chum eggs had to be cared for at the Quilcene station until late No- 

 vember, when the water supply increased sufliciently to permit of their re- 

 turn to Duckabush for the completion of incubation. There were also 

 collected for the Quilcene station 3,606,000 early chum eggs and 127,000 of 

 the humpback salmon. The maximum numbers of eggs of both species that 

 could be handled in these fields having been collected by October 1, steps were 



