78 ALASKA FISHEEIES AND FUK INDUSTRIES, 1911. 



The season is unusually long at Hetta, eggs being taken here later 

 than at any other station in Alaska. During the summer and fall of 

 1911, as the season was dry and only a few fish passed into the lake, 

 the take was small, and numbered but 2,000,000 eggs. Indications 

 point strongly to the conclusion that overfishing of waters contiguous 

 to the mouth of Hetta stream had more to do with the failure to fill 

 the hatcheiy than low water. Naturally the latter condition caused 

 the fish to loiter longer outside the mouth of the stream than they 

 would had the water been higher. 



The hatchery is a gable-roof single-story building of rough lumber 

 50 feet long and 38 feet wide. At each end is a small shed-like 

 addition containing the heating devices, namely, steel oil drums con- 

 verted into stoves. Two other buildings for the use of the employees 

 are near by. The hatchery is equipped with 24 troughs of two 

 widths and lengths containing a total of 192 baskets with a capacity 

 of about 11,000,000 red-salmon eggs. The water supply is conducted 

 through a 4-inch wooden pipe about 200 feet long from a small 

 spring-fed creek. 



For several years past somewhat old-fashioned methods of opera- 

 tion have prevailed, but beginning with tliis year a change was 

 inaugurated whereby improvements, including taking by incision, 

 will be adopted. Also the inaccurate and undesirable plan of basing 

 the count of eggs upon the supposed average of 3,500 for each female 

 stripped will be discontinued in favor of actual measurement by 

 dipper. 



In planting the fry have been allowed for the most part to pass into 

 a small pond adjacent to the hatchery and thence into the lake. 

 Hereafter more of the fry will be planted about other parts of the 

 lake at suitable points. It is reported that a gill net set off the mouth 

 of the small stream near the hatchery where most of the fry were 

 released caught over 3,000 trout in one season. 



Several years ago the plan was tried of feeding fiy on "do-oveis" 

 from a cannery in the region, but with indifl'erent success. 



The force consists ordinarily of two men, one of whom is engaged 

 practically throughout the year, while one or two others are required 

 for several months. 



QUADRA. 



At the Quadra Lake hatchery egg-taking commenced August 10 

 and continued until September 16, 1910, during which time 11,200,000 

 red-sahiion eggs were placed in the baskets. Through the hatching 

 season ending February 16, 1911, there was a loss of 850,000 eggs, or 

 7i per cent. Hatching usually begins about 100 days after the eggs 

 are taken. 



