14 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
The first blueback salmon made their appearance in the bay early 
in June in fairly large numbers, but severe storms occurring during 
the middle of the month caused the water to become thick with vol- 
canic ash; this drove the fish to sea and delayed their movements 
until the following month, when they appeared in Litnik and tribu- 
tary streams in greatly reduced numbers. Despite obstacles of this 
character encountered during the operating season, the work at the 
Afognak station was satisfactory, the output for the year 1915 
amounting to 942,250 fry and 5,444,830 fingerling blueback salmon, 
and 224,000 fry and 119,480 fingerling humpback salmon. Of the 
14,074,000 humpback salmon eggs collected 12,500,000 were trans- 
ferred to the Washington stations for final development. 
The field station established at Eagle Harbor, Kodiak Island, in 
1914 proved a failure and was abandoned, but on account of improved 
conditions affecting the run of salmon in contiguous waters the 
Uganik field station was operated during the year and produced 
2,500,000 eggs. Late in June, 1914, after careful investigations had 
been made, a field station was established at Seal Bay, on the north- 
east coast of Afognak Island, where there is a prospect of making 
large egg collections. 
Improvements at the Afognak station during the year consisted 
in the extension of the tramway to a point on Litnik Lake, where a 
small wharf was constructed to facilitate the landing of launches and 
small boats, and the construction of a battery of 12 rearing ponds 
supplied with water from Ahuyon Creek. 
Owing to a decline in the run of blueback salmon in the waters 
tributary to Yes Bay, Alaska, there was a material decrease in the 
egg collections and a corresponding reduction in the output of fish 
from the Yes Bay hatchery, which was smaller than in any year 
since its establishment. While unfavorable weather conditions and 
low water occurring during the spawning season influenced the move- 
ment of the fish to some extent, it is believed that the failure of the 
usual large schools of fish to reach their accustomed spawning 
grounds during the summer and fall of 1914 was due primarily to 
the operation of more traps, in which a large percentage of the 
salmon entering the bay are captured before the fish can reach the 
headwaters. The spawning season of the blueback salmon extended 
from September 3 to September 30. Fishing operations were con- 
ducted every day by the station crew during this period, and while 
no fish escaped through the racks and few spawned in the river, the 
total yield of eggs numbered only 41,300,000, as compared with 
49,050,000 in 1914, 66,125,000 in 1913, and 72,000,000 in 1912. 
The same conditions prevailed in Ketchikan Creek, where a field 
station had been fitted up at considerable expense for conducting 
humpback salmon operations. After adequate provisions had been 
made to intercept the spawning fish the usual large run of humpback 
salmon failed to appear, and consequently no eggs were secured. 
On September 1 a temporary field station was established at 
Quadra Bay, and 2,600,000 eggs were obtained and transferred to the 
Ketchikan station for development. Large numbers of salmon were 
seen in Quadra Bay, but storms and high water occurring during the 
cperating season, and lack of proper equipment to cope with the 
situation, necessitated the abandonment of the work before all of 
the fish could be overhauled. 
