﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XCIII 
  

   LAKE 
  PEND 
  D'OREILLE, 
  IDAHO. 
  

  

  The 
  iuvestigatious 
  begun 
  on 
  this 
  lake 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June, 
  

   1896, 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Alexander 
  and 
  Cox 
  were 
  continued 
  until 
  July 
  IG, 
  

   when 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  on 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  necessitated 
  the 
  

   suspension 
  of 
  the 
  inquiries. 
  The 
  visit 
  to 
  this 
  lake 
  had 
  for 
  its 
  object 
  

   the 
  search 
  for 
  survivors 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  of 
  whitefish 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Commis- 
  

   sion 
  in 
  1881), 
  and 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  characters 
  and 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  aiiuatic 
  fauna. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  inquiries 
  were 
  not 
  

   altogether 
  satisfactory, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  shortness 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  devoted 
  to 
  

   them 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  unfavorable 
  conditions 
  then 
  prevailing. 
  The 
  melting 
  

   snows 
  and 
  heavy 
  rains 
  caused 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  to 
  rise 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  

   17 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  normal, 
  and 
  retarded 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  An 
  abundance 
  of 
  small 
  crustaceans 
  and 
  insect 
  larva; 
  suitable 
  for 
  fisli- 
  

   food 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  that 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  well 
  adapted 
  

   to 
  the 
  common 
  whitefish. 
  Although 
  no 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  

   seen, 
  and 
  no 
  reliable 
  evidence 
  was 
  obtained 
  showing 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  in 
  establishing 
  itself, 
  further 
  inquiries 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  settle 
  the 
  matter 
  conclusively. 
  A 
  party 
  could 
  jirofitably 
  devote 
  an 
  

   entire 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  to 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  important 
  lake. 
  

  

  THE 
  REDFISH 
  lakes, 
  IDAHO. 
  

  

  The 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  redtish 
  or 
  blueback 
  salmon 
  

   and 
  the 
  chinook 
  salmon 
  begun 
  in 
  these 
  lakes 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  continued 
  in 
  

   1895 
  were 
  resumed 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Evermann, 
  Meek, 
  

   and 
  Maddren. 
  The 
  observations 
  were 
  confined 
  chiefly 
  to 
  Alturas 
  Lake, 
  

   its 
  inlet 
  and 
  outlet, 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  course 
  of 
  Salmon 
  River, 
  although 
  

   some 
  examinations 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  Pettit 
  and 
  Big 
  Eedfish 
  lakes. 
  The 
  

   work 
  began 
  July 
  10 
  and 
  continued 
  until 
  October 
  5, 
  the 
  observations 
  

   after 
  August 
  15 
  being 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  C. 
  Parks, 
  of 
  Sawtooth, 
  Idaho. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  facts 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  investigations 
  of 
  

   1895 
  were 
  the 
  following: 
  (1) 
  Both 
  the 
  redfish 
  and 
  the 
  chinook 
  salmon 
  

   reach 
  these 
  spawning-grounds 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition, 
  showing 
  no 
  muti- 
  

   lations 
  or 
  sores 
  of 
  any 
  kind; 
  the 
  mutilations 
  appear 
  later, 
  and 
  are 
  due 
  

   to 
  injuries 
  received 
  on 
  the 
  spawning-beds. 
  (2) 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  of 
  these 
  

   two 
  species 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  Salmon 
  Elver 
  for 
  spawning 
  

   purposes 
  die 
  immediately 
  after 
  spawning. 
  (3) 
  The 
  young 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  

   these 
  species 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  spawning-beds 
  for 
  about 
  one 
  

   year. 
  (4) 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  redfish 
  laid 
  in 
  September 
  hatch 
  in 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  March. 
  

  

  The 
  inquiries 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  1896 
  were, 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  a 
  repetition 
  of 
  those 
  

   of 
  1895, 
  and 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  complete 
  verification 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  

   points 
  established 
  that 
  year. 
  The 
  season 
  was 
  unfavorable, 
  however, 
  

   for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  cliinook 
  salmon 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  redfish; 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   of 
  the 
  former 
  and 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  seen. 
  This 
  is 
  doubtless 
  to 
  be 
  

   attributed, 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  to 
  their 
  wanton 
  destruction 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  

   by 
  men 
  and 
  boys. 
  The 
  small 
  redfish 
  were 
  even 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  

  

  