﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  113 
  

  

  Althougli 
  the 
  mullet 
  may 
  be 
  less 
  abundant 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  than 
  when 
  fishing 
  first 
  began, 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  sufficiently 
  

   I)lentiful 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  meet 
  the 
  current 
  demands, 
  and 
  the 
  dealers 
  are 
  

   frequently 
  obliged 
  to 
  place 
  a 
  limit 
  on 
  the 
  catch. 
  While 
  these 
  conditions 
  

   continue, 
  the 
  fishery 
  will 
  regulate 
  itself, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  imiirovenient 
  in 
  

   means 
  of 
  preserving 
  and 
  of 
  transporting 
  fish 
  from 
  this 
  region, 
  a 
  larger 
  

   market 
  will 
  undoubtedly 
  soon 
  l>e 
  opened 
  np, 
  and 
  some 
  restrictive 
  meas- 
  

   ures 
  are 
  required 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  

   No 
  decrease 
  is 
  reported 
  among 
  the 
  other 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  Turtles, 
  

   however, 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  abundant 
  than 
  formerly, 
  owing 
  to 
  overfishing, 
  

   and 
  there 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  a 
  large 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  those 
  

   caftght. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  fair 
  size 
  and 
  good 
  quality, 
  but 
  have 
  received 
  

   little 
  attention. 
  Their 
  more 
  general 
  utilization 
  and 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   artificial 
  beds, 
  doubtless 
  soon 
  to 
  be 
  undertaken, 
  will 
  l)e 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   principal 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry. 
  

  

  INVESTIGATIONS 
  OF 
  INTERIOR 
  WATERS. 
  

   COLUMBIA 
  RIVER 
  BASIN. 
  

  

  The 
  inquiries 
  respecting 
  the 
  salmon 
  and 
  other 
  fishes 
  iu 
  the 
  Columbia 
  

   Eiver 
  basin, 
  begun 
  in 
  lSO-5, 
  have 
  been 
  continued 
  systematically 
  during 
  

   each 
  succeeding 
  year, 
  with 
  interesting 
  results. 
  The 
  investigations 
  of 
  

   1894 
  showed 
  that 
  both 
  the 
  redfisb 
  or 
  blueback 
  salmon 
  and 
  the 
  chinook 
  

   salmon 
  have 
  important 
  spawning- 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  of 
  Big 
  Pay- 
  

   ette 
  Lake 
  and 
  the 
  Redfish 
  lakes 
  of 
  Idaho, 
  and 
  these 
  waters 
  were 
  

   selected 
  as 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  operations 
  for 
  1S*J5, 
  a 
  party 
  being 
  sent 
  to 
  each. 
  

   The 
  work 
  was 
  directed 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Barton 
  W. 
  Evermann. 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  IM. 
  

   Williams, 
  of 
  Stanford 
  TTniversity, 
  was 
  assigned 
  to 
  Big 
  Payette 
  Lake, 
  

   where 
  he 
  remained 
  from 
  July 
  19 
  until 
  September 
  25. 
  Eedfish 
  lakes 
  

   were 
  covered 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Evermann, 
  Prof. 
  Setli 
  E. 
  Meek, 
  of 
  the 
  Arkansas 
  

   Industrial 
  University; 
  Dr. 
  Oliver 
  P. 
  Jenkins 
  and 
  Mr. 
  N. 
  B. 
  Scofield, 
  of 
  

   Stanford 
  University, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Barnum, 
  of 
  t'he 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  

   whose 
  observations 
  extended 
  from 
  July 
  17 
  to 
  September 
  21. 
  

  

  Two 
  forms 
  of 
  redfish 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  inlets 
  to 
  these 
  

   lakes. 
  They 
  ditfer, 
  however, 
  only 
  as 
  to 
  size, 
  the 
  smaller 
  weighing 
  

   about 
  half 
  a 
  pound 
  each 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  from 
  Si 
  to 
  (> 
  pounds, 
  and 
  are 
  

   considered 
  to 
  represent 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  species. 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  varieties, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  chinook 
  salmon, 
  were 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  careful 
  daily 
  observa- 
  

   tions, 
  gill 
  nets 
  of 
  different-size 
  mesh 
  being 
  em])loyed, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  intercept 
  

   their 
  movements 
  iu 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  inlets 
  and 
  outlets 
  and 
  furnish 
  the 
  

   opportunity 
  for 
  keeping 
  a 
  close 
  watch 
  upon 
  their 
  habits. 
  The 
  results 
  

   obtained 
  were 
  of 
  great 
  value, 
  leading 
  to 
  definite 
  conclusions 
  on 
  several 
  

   points 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  these 
  species, 
  which 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  

   clearly 
  understood. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  may 
  be 
  briefly 
  stated 
  

   as 
  follows: 
  Both 
  forms 
  of 
  redfish 
  had 
  reached 
  the 
  lakes 
  prior 
  to 
  July 
  

   20, 
  when 
  the 
  nets 
  were 
  first 
  used. 
  The 
  larger 
  form 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  

   anadromous, 
  but 
  the 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  smaller 
  one 
  <!omes 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  

   sea 
  is 
  not 
  complete. 
  The 
  mutilations, 
  sores, 
  fraying 
  out 
  of 
  fins, 
  etc., 
  

   F. 
  u. 
  96 
  8 
  

  

  