8 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



ascent of the fry by thousands into a recently constructed irrigating 

 ditch, where they are left on the land to die. The only remedy that 

 can be suggested is to plant the fry in the lower reaches of the rivers 

 or establish a large hatchery at tide water, the latter method involv- 

 ing less expense. Unless some action is taken the number of salmon 

 in these rivers will decline rapidly. 



Taken as a whole, the work of the Oregon stations was satisfactory, 

 although high water during the spawning of the chinook salmon 

 shortened the season and reduced the collections to slightly below 

 those of the previous year. 



At the Washington stations, where attention is devoted chiefly to 

 the sockeye, humpback, and silver salmons and the steelhead trout, 

 the work was augmented by the opening of two new field stations. 

 In Alaska, where the sockeye salmon is propagated, the yield of the 

 two hatcheries was, highly satisfactory, especially the Afognak sta- 

 tion, operated for the first time this year. 



The lake-trout, whitefish, and pike-perch work of the Great Lakes 

 stations, while not equal to that of some seasons, gave better results 

 than had been anticipated in view of the obstacles encountered. Potent 

 factors in the shortage at the Michigan stations were the unusually 

 early spawning season, followed by unfavorable weather, and the 

 necessity of complying with recently enacted state legislation, which 

 stipulates that the operations of the Bureau must be supervised by the 

 state fish and game warden's department and that all eggs must be 

 taken and fertilized by fishermen licensed by that department, thus 

 placing the work in the hands of inexperienced men. Compliance 

 with the provisions of this law curtailed the output of North ville and 

 its substations fully one-fourth. The law also prohibited pike-perch 

 collections on the St. Clair River, one of the Bureau's most productive 

 fields in past years. 



At the Duluth station the weather and other conditions were favor- 

 able, permitting increased lake-trout work, but whitefish and pike- 

 perch operations on Lake Erie were materially interfered with by 

 storms, although the poor collections of the latter species were offset 

 to a great extent by the superior quality of the eggs secured. 



The lobster output from the three marine stations was about equal 

 to that of 1909. The impounded stock at the Boothbay Harbor sta- 

 tion was stripped in April, and though the lobsters were in vigorous 

 health the average yield of eggs was smaller than usual, due, it is 

 believed, to their greater activity in the pound during the mild winter 

 and the consequent shedding of many eggs. The construction of two 

 substantial lobster pounds during the year places this station on a 

 greatly improved basis. At the Gloucester and Woods Hole stations, 

 which are not equipped with pounds, the lobsters collected during 

 the fall are cared for in live cars through the winter. 



