PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1924 387 



met with somewhat improved conditions, and 3,100,000 eggs, taken 

 November 24 and February 13, were obtained, the collection being 

 considerably smaller than last year's. While the run of steelhead sal- 

 mon was in progress during the spring the water stages were again 

 normal, and about the average collection of eggs was secured. A pecu- 

 liar feature of the run was that female steelheads outnumbered the 

 males in the ratio of 6 to 1, and owing to this fact certain lots of eggs 

 carried a low percentage of fertility. Spawn-taking operations ex- 

 tended from March 6 to May 16. 



Briiinon ( Wash.) substation. — Because of changed conditions along 

 the Dusewallops River as a result of extensive lumbering activities 

 and the erection of dams no fish-cultural work at Brinnon has been 

 possible for a number of years aside from the collection and eying of 

 eggs of the chum salmon. Such work is conducted in Walcott Slough, 

 which also affords an excellent environment for the young salmon. 

 The work at this point during the past year consisted in the collection 

 and partial incubation of 10,980,000 eggs. These were all transferred 

 to the Quilcene and Duckabush substations to be hatched, and the 

 resulting fry were returned for liberation in the slough. The collec- 

 tion — made between November 23 and January 10 — exceeded that 

 of the previous year by upward of 3,000,000, the improved results 

 probably being due to the discontinuance of commercial fishing in 

 Hood Canal. 



Duckdbuslh ( WfLsh.) substation. — In connection with its work of road 

 construction, the highway department of the State of Washington 

 found it expedient during the spring of 1923 to alter the course of the 

 Duckabush River near its mouth, and a new channel was excavated 

 to divert the entire flow of the river, thus rendering useless the site 

 the bureau has occupied for many years for the capture of chum and 

 humpback salmon. A trap was therefore constructed in the new 

 channel, and on August 28 cnum-salmon propagation was undertaken. 

 Eggs to the number of 5,736,000 were secured from the early run fish 

 in the trap, the last lot being taken on September 20, on which date 

 the collections were terminated by the destruction of the trap through 

 a slight rise in the river, the banks and bed of the new channel being 

 too soft and unsettled to withstand even the comparatively light 

 flood that occurred. Eggs from a second run of this species, which 

 enters the Duckabush several months later than the first one, usually 

 are taken at the permanent barrier maintained on the station grounds, 

 but while this run was in progress the river was at such a low stage 

 that the fish were unable to ascend it. 



A disappointing feature connected with the work at the new 

 channel of the river was the failure to secure eggs from a consider- 

 able number of humpback salmon, a run of which was coincident 

 with that of the chum salmon. Between September 1 and Sep- 

 tember 20, 950,000 eggs of this species were secured, and had the 

 trap remained intact a few days longer it is believed that a much 

 larger yield might have been realized. The first silver-salmon eggs 

 of the season were taken November 17, and from that date to Feb- 

 ruary 2 small lots came in at irregular intervals. Owing to the 

 abnormally low water stages prevailing to the end of the season, only 

 a few fish were able to ascend as far as the trap. Practically all of 

 the 704,000 eggs secured were taken from fish seined from the deeper 

 holes and eddies in the river. Silver-salmon eggs from Birdsview 



