REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 37 



Widespread interest in the carp among landouTiers is evidenced by 

 the large number of applications submitted from all parts of the 

 country for carp for stocking private ponds. In view of the unsuita- 

 bility of the carp for many waters and the prejudice against it that 

 exists partly because of the mistakes made in the original plantings, 

 the Bureau refers all applications to the fishery authorities of the 

 respective States and defers to then* recommendation in acting on 

 applications. Without the State's indorsement the requests for 

 carp are denied. 



PROPAGATION OF RIVER FISHES OF ATLANTIC SEABOARD. 



Fairly successful results attended the work of the shad hatcheries 

 on the Potomac River and Albemarle Sound, the fry planted number- 

 ing 68,558,550, as compared with 39,168,800 in 1918. Most of this 

 output is to be credited to the Bryans Point hatchery, but the Edenton 

 hatchery had a noteworthy increase over all recent years. 



The striped-bass hatchery maintained on the Roanoke River as 

 an auxiliary of the Edenton station experienced drawbacks owing to 

 flood water. During the very short spawning season (Apr. 29 to 

 May 11) 17,942,000 eggs were collected; the fry hatched therefrom, 

 numbering 13,540,000, were deposited locally. 



In the artificial propagation of the Atlantic salmon, designed pri- 

 marily to perpetuate the run of that species in the Penobscot River, 

 870 adult fish were collected in spring and held in pens, and from the 

 700 survivors at the spawning time 2,613,400 eggs were obtained, 

 the brood fish then being released. The eggs were hatched in 165 

 days at a mean temperature of 38° F., and the young, numbering 

 2,390,000, were deposited at suitable points in the Penobscot, Dennys, 

 Pleasant, and Narragaugus Rivers. 



At the Bryans Point hatchery the usual excellent results were 

 secured in the propagation of yellow perch. Adult fish that had been 

 caught for market were obtained from fishermen and held in live cars 

 until their eggs were deposited. The fry from this source, all planted 

 in the Potomac and tributaries, numbered 153,679,500. 



PACIFIC SALMON OPERATIONS. 



Throughout the Pacific States and Alaska the Bureau's salmon- 

 cultural operations in the season 1918-19 were hampered by war ac- 

 tivities and by the high cost of materials and the high cost and scarcity 

 of labor. No improvements or repairs at the stations other than those 

 of a minor and pressing character were attempted, and those were 

 done mostly by the regular station force. The untoward conditions 

 were aggravated by the impossibility of maintaining a complete 

 personnel in the statutory positions; at times in certain fields more 

 than 50 per cent of the regular positions were unfilled. A further 

 drawback was the influenza epidemic. 



Satisfactory operations were conducted at the two Alaska stations, 

 the collection of eggs of the sockeye salmon at the Afognak hatchery 

 being the largest since the eruption of Mount Katmai in 1912, when 

 all the sockeye salmon inhal)iting lakes and streams in the ash belt 

 were destroyed. The take of eggs in these waters has been gradually 

 increasing since 1914, when 7,380,000 were obtained, rising to 54,681,- 



