PEOPAGATIOlsr AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1924 385 



BAKER LAKE (WASH.) STATION AND SUBSTATIONS 



[Joseph Kemmericu, Superintendent] 



Fish-cultural operations were conducted at six points in the State 

 of Washington, and at five of these the work was in progress through- 

 out the year. As heretofore, the Brinnon substation was operated 

 merely as an egg-collecting and eying auxiliary of the permanent 

 hatcheries in the State. The work of the group was addressed to all 

 species of the Pacific salmon, including the steelhead. 



While adverse climatic conditions were encountered in certain 

 fields during the spawning season, thereby curtailing the results that 

 might otherwise have been expected, the returns in general were 

 quite satisfactory. The aggregate egg collections for the year 

 amounted to 50,545,000, while the losses of eggs and young fish up 

 to the completion of the distribution period were merely nominal, 

 and all stock handled was liberated in excellent condition. Included 

 in the output are a number of fingerling fish carried over from the 

 previous year's egg collections as well as the product resulting from 

 1,000,000 eggs of the chinook salmon received from the State hatch- 

 ery at Kalama, Wash. 



Baker Lake ( Wa^li.) station. — This station, picturesquely located 

 on the shore of Baker Lake at the foot of the perpetually snow- 

 capped mountain of the same name, has in recent years built up an 

 unviable record for efficiency in artificial propagation of salmon. 

 From the early days of Pacific salmon culture the importance of the 

 Baker Lake field has been recognized from the fact that it is the only 

 spawning area of the sockeye salmon in the United States proper. 

 This species has been propagated here for many years, and though 

 in certain respects the returns were not altogether satisfactory dur- 

 ing the early days of the work it has been developed in recent 

 years to a point of eflB.ciency which, so far as practical results are 

 concerned, is not excelled by that of any similar establishment. 



Between July 1 and August 13, 5,408 adult sockeye salmon were 

 taken in the trap maintained at the outlet of Baker Lake for inter- 

 cepting the run of spawning fish. With a very good run of sockeyes 

 in Puget Sound, suitable water stages in the Skagit and Baker Rivers, 

 and generally favorable climatic conditions a large take of brood fish 

 was anticipated, and under the conditions no satisfactory explana- 

 tion for the comparatively small number reaching the trap can be 

 found. The fish captured were retained in the inclosure with the 

 usual degree of success, and at spawning time (September 26 to 

 December 5) the females, constituting 49 per cent of the catch, 

 yielded 8,125,000 eggs. Of these 200,000 were shipped, when eyed, 

 to the Government of Chile. Only nominal losses were sustained in 

 the incubation of the remainder, and the resulting fry were carried 

 to the feeding stage in stacked trays, which system is now in general 

 use at most of the Pacific coast and Alaska stations of the bureau. 



The run of silver salmon in the Baker Lake field was the largest re- 

 corded in the past 10 years. In the belief that these fish are among the 

 more serious enemies of the highly prized sockeye salmon, it has 

 been the bureau's policy to exclude them from the spawning areas 

 of Baker Lake so far as possible. With this in view, all eggs of the 

 species taken there have been transferred to the Birdsview substa- 



