92 KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



the commercial fishing vessels for the purpose of salvaging such eggs 

 as may be obtained from the commercial catch. This form of by- 

 product recovery is a relatively inexpensive contribution to the main- 

 tenance of the important New England shore fisheries. However, 

 increases in output were recorded for other varieties, particularly 

 game fish. 



Owing to the large total, the relative percentage of game fish 

 produced at the Federal hatcheries will be lower than heretofore, 

 but the actual number is in excess of the output of last year. This is 

 reflected in an increase in the distribution of larger fish or fingerlings 

 from 133,600,000 to 157,000,000.- There was no deviation in the list of 

 various species propagated. As heretofore, trout eggs were allotted 

 to the States wherever there was a surplus beyond the requirements 

 of the Bureau's hatcheries. 



PROPAGATION OF COMMERCIAL SPECIES 



Marine species^ Atlantic coast. — There has been cited previously 

 the record-breaking production of cod, haddock, pollock, and 

 flounder, derived from the three hatcheries located at Boothbay Har- 

 bor, Maine; Gloucester, Mass.; and Woods Hole, Mass. Four and 

 one-half billion eggs were planted on the spawning grounds, the bal- 

 ance being transported to the hatcheries to be incubated and dis- 

 tributed as fry. The Woods Hole, Mass., station handled a limited 

 number of mackerel in addition to the species mentioned above. 



PacifiG salmon. — Hatchery operations with the salmon of the 

 Pacific coast were somewhat more successful than during 1935. A 

 most gratifying increase was achieved in the production of chinook 

 salmon, due to the excellent egg collections in the Columbia River 

 territoiy. Also, the distribution of 17i/o million sockeye salmon 

 brought the output of this species up to normal. A few more silver 

 salmon were handled; but there was a regression in the production 

 of the chum salmon, which, however, is the least valuable of the five 

 species. 



Anadromous species, Atlantic coast. — An output of 12 million shad 

 fry was substantially the same as the output of the previous year. 

 Distribution of a million and one-half Atlantic salmon was a notable 

 increase for this valuable species, which is making a gradual come- 

 back in the State of Maine. Yellow perch fry were produced in large 

 numbers at the Potomac River hatchery, though fewer than those 

 produced the previous year. Effort was made to hatch shad at a new 

 pond-fish hatchery at Harrison Lake, Va., but conditions were unfa- 

 vorable. Shad cultural operations in South Carolina, in cooperation 

 with the State, failed to reach the usual magnitude, owing to 

 extremely adverse weather conditions. 



CoTn/mercial species, interior waters. — This type of fish culture is 

 prosecuted on a relatively limited scale at the present time. Slightly 

 over 5 million whitefish fry were planted and less than a million lake 

 trout and a limited number of lake herring were distributed. It has 

 become extremely difficult for the Cape Vincent, N. Y., station to 

 obtain a supply of eggs of these species and the Duluth, Minn., sta- 

 tion is only able to obtain scattering quantities during the regular 

 fishing season. The two Michigan hatcheries, closed during 1934, 

 have remained inactive. At the Put in Bay, Ohio, station, work is 



