﻿14 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ARTIFICIAL 
  PROPAGATION. 
  

  

  The 
  Chinook 
  being 
  the 
  principal 
  salmon 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  propagated 
  

   artificially, 
  the 
  following 
  chapter 
  is 
  devoted 
  almost 
  entirely 
  to 
  this 
  

   species. 
  The 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  apparatus 
  and 
  methods 
  has 
  special 
  

   reference 
  to 
  the 
  hatcheries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  on 
  

   the 
  McCloud 
  Eiver 
  and 
  Battle 
  Creek, 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Sacramento, 
  

   although 
  cognizance 
  is 
  also 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  stations 
  in 
  the 
  

   basin 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  River 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  short 
  coast 
  rivers 
  of 
  California 
  

   and 
  Oregon. 
  

  

  In 
  1896 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   was 
  36,237,000, 
  from 
  which 
  about 
  32,000,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  

   planted. 
  The 
  collections 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  silver 
  salmon 
  numbered 
  298,137, 
  

   which 
  yielded 
  298,000 
  fry, 
  and 
  of 
  steelhead 
  eggs 
  604,000, 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  499,690 
  fry. 
  

  

  CAPTURING 
  ADULT 
  SALMON. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  salmon 
  from 
  which 
  eggs 
  are 
  obtained 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  

   propagation 
  are 
  taken 
  chiefly 
  with 
  drag 
  or 
  sweep 
  seines, 
  this 
  being 
  

   the 
  most 
  practical 
  method 
  of 
  collecting 
  them 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  The 
  

   seines 
  at 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  station 
  at 
  Baird, 
  on 
  the 
  

   McCloud 
  River, 
  are 
  from 
  120 
  to 
  170 
  feet 
  long, 
  made 
  of 
  about 
  28-thread 
  

   twine, 
  and 
  are 
  20 
  feet 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  tapering 
  down 
  to 
  about 
  

   6 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  ends; 
  tbey 
  are 
  double-leaded 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  swift 
  

   current 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  4-inch 
  mesh. 
  In 
  the 
  rack 
  placed 
  

   across 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  fish 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  build 
  

   large 
  wooden 
  traps 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  capture 
  salmon, 
  and 
  at 
  times, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  during 
  a 
  rain 
  storm 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  marked 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  of 
  salmon 
  are 
  taken, 
  but 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  only 
  a 
  few, 
  

   wliile 
  there 
  is 
  never 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  spawning 
  fish 
  

   secured 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  trap 
  is 
  quite 
  a 
  valuable 
  auxiliary 
  to 
  the 
  seine, 
  but 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   relied 
  on 
  exclusively. 
  Although 
  it 
  will 
  secure 
  many 
  unripe 
  fish, 
  the 
  

   ripe 
  ones, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  ones 
  that 
  are 
  wanted, 
  finding 
  an 
  obstruction 
  

   in 
  their 
  way, 
  settle 
  back 
  to 
  spawning-grounds 
  below 
  and 
  remain 
  there. 
  

   The 
  trap 
  is 
  simply 
  a 
  square 
  inclosure 
  of 
  vertically 
  placed 
  slats, 
  with 
  

   an 
  entrance 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  pound 
  net. 
  The 
  fish 
  in 
  

   their 
  eager 
  efforts 
  to 
  pass 
  upstream, 
  go 
  through 
  the 
  V-shaped 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  trap, 
  and 
  having 
  once 
  entered, 
  are 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  out. 
  

   Boards 
  are 
  placed 
  over 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  trap 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  

   leaping 
  out. 
  

  

  Large 
  dip 
  nets 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  occasionally 
  at 
  Clackamas 
  station, 
  in 
  

   Oregon, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  standing 
  on 
  the 
  rack 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  dipping 
  below 
  

   it. 
  Toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  this 
  method 
  secures 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   number 
  of 
  ripe 
  fish, 
  but 
  it 
  involves 
  much 
  labor 
  and 
  expense, 
  and 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  spawning 
  fish 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  dip 
  nets 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  been 
  

   captured 
  in 
  the 
  regular 
  course 
  of 
  fishing. 
  There 
  being 
  no 
  satisfac- 
  

   tory 
  seining-grounds 
  at 
  Clackamas, 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  rack 
  

  

  