﻿16 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  as 
  75,000,000 
  salmon 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  collectea, 
  a 
  quantity 
  representing 
  

   nearly 
  21,000 
  quarts, 
  or 
  650 
  bushels. 
  

  

  A 
  remarkable 
  fact 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  salmons 
  — 
  of 
  which 
  

   there 
  are 
  five 
  species 
  — 
  is 
  that 
  without 
  exception 
  all 
  fish 
  which 
  enter 
  

   any 
  stream 
  on 
  the 
  entire 
  coast, 
  from 
  the 
  Golden 
  Gate 
  to 
  the 
  Arctic 
  

   Ocean, 
  die 
  after 
  once 
  spawning, 
  none 
  surviving 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  

   This 
  wise 
  provision 
  of 
  nature 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  overstocking 
  of 
  streams 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  foolish 
  by 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  scene; 
  he 
  

   not 
  only 
  catches 
  the 
  salmon 
  in 
  the 
  coast 
  waters 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  courses 
  

   of 
  the 
  rivers 
  with 
  gill 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  and 
  pound 
  nets, 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  

   waters 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  appliances 
  supplemented 
  by 
  the 
  fish 
  wheels, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  with 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  contrivances, 
  but 
  in 
  certain 
  

   sections 
  even 
  carries 
  his 
  foolhardy 
  greed 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  barricading 
  

   the 
  streams 
  so 
  that 
  no 
  fish 
  can 
  reach 
  the 
  waters 
  where 
  their 
  eggs 
  must 
  

   be 
  deposited. 
  

  

  Natural 
  reproduction, 
  thus 
  so 
  seriously 
  curtailed, 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   keep 
  up 
  the 
  supply 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  where 
  fishing 
  is 
  most 
  

   active, 
  for 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  escape 
  fertilization, 
  many 
  more 
  are 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  the 
  swarms 
  of 
  predaceous 
  fishes 
  that 
  havuit 
  the 
  spawning 
  beds, 
  and 
  

   man}^ 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  various 
  other 
  wa3"s 
  during 
  the 
  long 
  hatching 
  period; 
  

   while 
  the 
  helpless 
  fry 
  and 
  alevin 
  fall 
  a 
  ready 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  fishes 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  waters 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  salmon 
  have 
  to 
  run 
  the 
  long 
  gaunt- 
  

   let 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  only 
  to 
  meet 
  new 
  foes 
  in 
  the 
  estuaries, 
  on 
  the 
  coast, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  sea. 
  

  

  It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  no 
  wonder 
  that 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  

   scale 
  is 
  imperative!}" 
  demanded 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  salmon 
  streams, 
  and 
  is 
  

   actively 
  urged 
  and 
  highly 
  commended 
  by 
  fishermen, 
  canners, 
  business 
  

   men, 
  and 
  the 
  public 
  at 
  large. 
  The 
  beneficial 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   the 
  government, 
  supplemented 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  coast 
  states, 
  has 
  

   been 
  unmistakable 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  and 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  doubted 
  in 
  general; 
  

   but 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  often 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  distinguish 
  definitely 
  the 
  increase 
  due 
  

   to 
  natural 
  from 
  that 
  due 
  to 
  artificial 
  propagation; 
  recently, 
  however, 
  

   some 
  striking 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  benefits 
  arising 
  from 
  the 
  hatchery 
  oper- 
  

   ations 
  has 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  experimental 
  marking 
  of 
  3'oung 
  salmon 
  

   before 
  liberation. 
  Thus, 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  5,000 
  fiugerlings 
  incubated 
  at 
  the 
  

   Clackamas 
  (Oregon) 
  station 
  in 
  1896 
  were 
  released 
  after 
  being 
  marked 
  

   in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  recognized 
  if 
  again 
  caught. 
  In 
  1898 
  

   375 
  of 
  these 
  marked 
  fish, 
  averaging 
  27 
  pounds, 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  

   Columbia 
  and 
  5 
  in 
  the 
  Sacramento, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  following 
  seasons 
  

   f)robably 
  70 
  more 
  were 
  taken, 
  the 
  aggregate 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  

   known 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  recaptured 
  being 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  10,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  outcome 
  of 
  this 
  experiment 
  is 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  sig'nificance. 
  It 
  

   means 
  that 
  for 
  every 
  thousand 
  fingerling 
  salmon 
  hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  

   by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  on 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  2,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  adult 
  fish 
  

   were 
  caught 
  for 
  market 
  two, 
  three, 
  and 
  four 
  years 
  later. 
  Let 
  us 
  

  

  