FISHERY INDUSTRIES. 25 
on Heckman Lake about 8 miles from Loring, Alaska. The egg- 
taking season in 1914 extended from August 22 to November 30, 
during which period 22,500,000 red-salmon eggs were secured. The 
number of young fish liberated therefrom in 1915 was 20,820,000, the 
loss thus being 1,680,000, or 7.4 per cent. The fry from the hatchery 
were transferred to nursery ponds where they were fed, following 
which they were liberated in the Naha Stream system, of which Heck- 
man Lake forms a part. A few fry were planted in some of the 
small streams tributary to the lake; it was thought that they would 
acquire sufficient growth in such protected waters to enable them to 
care for themselves better before becoming subject to the attacks of 
birds and larger fishes in the more open waters of the lake. This 
would be a good plan to follow at other salmon hatcheries in Alaska 
where there are not ample facilities for rearing to the fingerling size 
before planting. 
In 1915 the egg-collecting season continued from August 21 to No- 
vember 20, during which time the take of red-salmon eggs was 
26,520,000. The average number of eggs per female spawned is 
reported as 2,605. The earliest take of eggs began to hatch on 
November 9. From the records of the hatchery it has been deter- 
mined that the period of eyeing in an average water temperature of 
49° ¥. is 31 days, and with an average temperature of 46° F. is 41 
days. With an average temperature of 46° F. the period of hatching 
is 82 days. 
From August 22 to November 22, 1915, 600,000 humpback-salmon 
eggs were taken experimentally. In connection with the taking of 
humpback eggs at this hatchery the following is extracted from a 
communication of December 10, 1915, from the Alaska Packers 
Association : 
It may be of interest to know that at our Fortmann hatchery, located on Heckman 
Lake, there are practically no humpbacks. In 1913 about 5,000 humpback eggs were 
taken from fish collected on Jordan Lake (next below Heckman Lake) and the fry 
resulting therefrom liberated from the hatchery. This year 119 salmon of this species 
were caught off the hatchery fishing grounds. It would appear that these results add 
to the theory derived from the study of the ages of salmon by scale markings, that 
humpback salmon are 2 years old at the time of spawning. 
The foregoing opinion of the Alaska Packers Association is cor- 
roborative of investigations elsewhere, which seem to establish quite 
conclusively that the humpback salmon is a 2-year-old fish when it 
returns from the sea. 
The eggs are not taken at this station by the method of incision, 
nor are the fish killed before they are stripped. This results in a loss 
of some eggs, for by the more modern practice of incision it is pos- 
sible to obtain practically all ripe eggs. An examination of some of 
the salmon at Fortmann hatchery in 1915 showed that in various 
