XI. SALMON CULTURE. 
The artificial culture of salmon on the Pacific coast has developed 
into a large and constantly expanding industry. The United States 
Bureau of Fisheries operates a number of large and well-equipped 
hatcheries, while the State governments of California, Oregon, and 
_Washington, the Dominion of Canada, and the Province of British 
Columbia, and certain private companies have built and maintain 
a large number of hatcheries, some of these being among the largest 
in the world. 
OBTAINING THE SPAWNING FISH. 
The eggs used for artificial propagation are obtained from salmon 
taken on their way upstream to the natural spawning grounds. In 
order to arrest the ascent of the fish a rack is usually built across 
the stream. Where this is not feasible a trap is sometimes con- 
structed for the purpose of catching the fish. Sometimes the racks 
have slat traps attached in which some fish are caught. 
A number of methods have been employed for taking the fish as 
they are grouped below the rack and seeking for an opening, but the 
most practicable has been found to be by means of drag or haul 
seines swept across the area just below the rack. When the pocket 
or bunt is brought close to shore the workmen pick out the ripe fish 
and turn the others back to remain until they reach this stage. The 
ripe fish are placed in pens or live boxes made for this purpose, the 
males and females being kept separate. These live boxes are usually 
on the under side of a floating platform, and are accessible through 
hinged covers set in the plank flooring. Projecting beyond this 
platform is usually another, upon which the actual work of stripping 
the fis and caring for the pans is performed. 
At a few places where the fish are caught before they have reached 
the ripe stage, notably Karluk, the fish are placed in a pound or 
corral and held until they become ripe. This method is resorted 
to only in case of necessity. 
The surest sign of ripeness in a female is the separation of the eggs 
in the ovaries, but the experienced spawn taker can, from the general 
appearance of the fish, usually tell whether she is ripe or not, according 
to Bower.* 
¢ Fish culture in Alaska. By Ward T. Bower. Alaska fisheriesand fur industries, 1911. United States 
Bureau of Fisheries, document no. 766, p. 70. 205 
