﻿BEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  45 
  

  

  A 
  condition 
  which 
  curtailed 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  sabnon 
  in 
  streams 
  on 
  

   Afognak 
  Island, 
  Alaska, 
  in 
  1912-13 
  was 
  again 
  in 
  evidence 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1913-14; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  volcanic 
  ash 
  covering 
  the 
  island 
  as 
  a 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  eruption 
  of 
  Mount 
  Katmai 
  on 
  June 
  6, 
  1912, 
  proved 
  a 
  

   material 
  obstacle 
  to 
  fish-cultural 
  operations. 
  The 
  ash 
  was 
  washed 
  

   from 
  the 
  mountain 
  sides 
  into 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  creeks 
  with 
  every 
  rain, 
  

   forming 
  effectual 
  barriers 
  at 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  

   against 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  salmon 
  from 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  spawning 
  of 
  the 
  

   red 
  salmon 
  commenced 
  late 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  continued 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   October, 
  but 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  Litnik 
  Lake 
  and 
  tributaries 
  was 
  small, 
  

   and 
  comparatively 
  few 
  ripe 
  fish 
  were 
  secured. 
  The 
  fry 
  resulting 
  

   from 
  this 
  work 
  numbered 
  7,761,700. 
  

  

  It 
  had 
  been 
  planned 
  to 
  collect 
  redfish 
  eggs 
  at 
  ]\Ialena 
  Lake, 
  but 
  

   an 
  investigation 
  developed 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  creek 
  

   forming 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  was 
  so 
  filled 
  with 
  ash 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  

   could 
  not 
  enter. 
  Commercial 
  fishermen 
  from 
  Malena 
  reported 
  that 
  

   salmon 
  ascended 
  the 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  straits, 
  but 
  being 
  unable 
  to 
  reach 
  

   their 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  ocean. 
  The 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  an 
  unusually 
  large 
  run 
  of 
  humpback 
  salmon 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   the 
  station 
  in 
  October 
  and 
  November 
  permitted 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  

   13,900,000 
  eggs 
  and, 
  incidentally, 
  a 
  few 
  silver-salmon 
  eggs. 
  The 
  

   output 
  of 
  fry 
  of 
  all 
  species 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  numbered 
  19,846,104, 
  an 
  

   appreciable 
  increase 
  over 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  investigations 
  at 
  Eagle 
  Harbor 
  and 
  I 
  ganik 
  Lake, 
  on 
  Kodiak 
  

   Island, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  of 
  1913, 
  developed 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  sufficient 
  run 
  of 
  salmon 
  at 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  points 
  to 
  

   warrant 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  field 
  collecting 
  station, 
  taking 
  into 
  

   consideration 
  their 
  inaccessible 
  location 
  and 
  great 
  distance 
  from 
  

   Afognak. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  planned 
  to 
  conduct 
  investigations 
  at 
  

   several 
  points 
  nearer 
  the 
  main 
  station, 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  more 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  and 
  less 
  expensive 
  fields 
  can 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Yes 
  Bay, 
  Alaska, 
  hatchery 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  red 
  

   salmon 
  m 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  1913 
  was 
  smaller 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  

   the 
  output 
  of 
  fry 
  was 
  correspondingly 
  reduced. 
  Continuous 
  rains 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  caused 
  unusually 
  high 
  water 
  in 
  

   the 
  streams 
  tributary 
  to 
  Yes 
  Bay, 
  making 
  it 
  exceedingly 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  capture 
  spawning 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  deep, 
  swift 
  w 
  aters 
  on 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   beds; 
  but 
  by 
  close 
  and 
  persistent 
  application 
  49,050,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   secured, 
  and 
  94 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  these 
  w^ere 
  hatched. 
  Of 
  the 
  resulting 
  

   fry, 
  18,656,000 
  were 
  distributed 
  after 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  the 
  yolk 
  

   sac, 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  were 
  held 
  and 
  fed 
  until 
  they 
  had 
  reached 
  

   a 
  length 
  of 
  1| 
  to 
  2 
  inches. 
  Humpback-salmon 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  5,280,000 
  were 
  collected 
  near 
  Ketchikan 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  the 
  Yes 
  Bay 
  station 
  for 
  development, 
  important 
  improve- 
  

   ments 
  efl^ected 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  included 
  the 
  instal- 
  

   lation 
  of 
  an 
  electric 
  lighting 
  plant 
  and 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  three 
  

   salmon-rearing 
  ponds, 
  each 
  12 
  by 
  60 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  year's 
  operations 
  at 
  the 
  Washington 
  stations 
  w-ere 
  very 
  suc- 
  

   cessful, 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  all 
  species 
  numbering 
  48,892,246 
  fish 
  and 
  eggs. 
  

   The 
  collection 
  of 
  blueback-salmon 
  eggs 
  was 
  considerably 
  curtailed 
  

   by 
  the 
  escape 
  early 
  m 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  brood 
  fish 
  

   which 
  were 
  being 
  held 
  m 
  Baker 
  River 
  to 
  ripen, 
  and 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  

   the 
  work 
  with 
  dog 
  salmon 
  and 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  was 
  not 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  

   had 
  been 
  anticipated. 
  These 
  shortages, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  young 
  

  

  9497°— 
  15 
  4 
  

  

  