﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  115 
  

  

  eye 
  salmou 
  resort 
  for 
  spawning- 
  puri)oses, 
  and 
  their 
  relative 
  abundance 
  

   in 
  each. 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  also 
  made 
  for 
  repeating 
  the 
  observations 
  

   begun 
  on 
  Big 
  Payette 
  Lake 
  and 
  the 
  Kedfisli 
  Lakes 
  in 
  189-1, 
  with 
  respect 
  

   to 
  the 
  presence 
  and 
  the 
  spawning 
  and 
  other 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  salmou, 
  by 
  detailed 
  observations 
  carried 
  on 
  continuously 
  

   during 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  occur 
  in 
  those 
  upper 
  

   waters. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  prolonged 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   Columbia 
  lliver, 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  in 
  progress, 
  and 
  the 
  oj)portunity 
  thus 
  

   afforded 
  for 
  the 
  uninterrupted 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  during 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  period, 
  it 
  was 
  expected 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  ol)servations 
  this 
  

   year 
  would 
  have 
  unusual 
  significance. 
  

  

  An 
  additional 
  subject 
  to 
  be 
  attended 
  to 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  above 
  

   in(iuiries 
  was 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  Lake 
  Washington, 
  at 
  Seattle; 
  of 
  

   lakes 
  Pend 
  d'Oreille 
  and 
  Oteur 
  d'Alenc, 
  Idaho, 
  and 
  of 
  Crater 
  and 
  Kla- 
  

   math 
  lakes, 
  Oregon, 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  matters, 
  namely: 
  

   The 
  commercial 
  and 
  game 
  fishes 
  which 
  are 
  native 
  to 
  them, 
  the 
  expe- 
  

   diency 
  of 
  introdu(;ing 
  new 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  survival 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  

   whitefish 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  These 
  investigations 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  direct 
  charge 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Barton 
  

   W. 
  Evermann, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  persons 
  were 
  designated 
  to 
  assist 
  him 
  : 
  

   Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  fishery 
  expert 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross; 
  Prof. 
  S. 
  

   E. 
  Meek; 
  Prof. 
  U. 
  O. 
  Cox, 
  of 
  Mankato, 
  Minn., 
  and 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  G. 
  Maddren. 
  

   The 
  field 
  work 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  actively 
  taken 
  up 
  on 
  July 
  1, 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  inquiries 
  were 
  made 
  before 
  that 
  date: 
  

  

  Lake 
  WashingUm. 
  — 
  Having 
  been 
  detailed 
  from 
  the 
  Albatross 
  in 
  May, 
  

   Mr. 
  Alexander 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Seattle, 
  where 
  he 
  made 
  an 
  investigation 
  

   of 
  Lake 
  Washington, 
  extending 
  from 
  May 
  L'8 
  to 
  June 
  17, 
  189G, 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  deterTuiuing, 
  if 
  possible, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  white- 
  

   fish 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  {Goregomis 
  clupeiformis), 
  the 
  fry 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  planted 
  there 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  several 
  years 
  before. 
  The 
  

   examinations 
  were 
  conducted 
  mainly 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  having 
  

   3^-inch 
  mesh, 
  in 
  all 
  depths 
  from 
  the 
  shallow 
  water 
  around 
  the 
  shores 
  to 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  25 
  fathoms. 
  Drag 
  seines 
  were 
  also 
  employed. 
  The 
  results 
  

   of 
  the 
  numerous 
  trials 
  made 
  were 
  entirely 
  negative, 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  

   species 
  of 
  sucker 
  being 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  gill 
  nets, 
  although 
  <iuitea 
  large 
  

   variety 
  of 
  forms 
  was 
  secured 
  in 
  the 
  seine. 
  Mr. 
  Alexander 
  is 
  led 
  to 
  con- 
  

   clude 
  from 
  his 
  observations 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  testimony 
  of 
  several 
  inhabi- 
  

   tants 
  about 
  the 
  lake 
  that 
  the 
  whitefish 
  did 
  not 
  survive; 
  but 
  whether 
  

   this 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  unfavorabie 
  physical 
  conditions 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  destruction 
  

   of 
  the 
  fry 
  or 
  young 
  by 
  predaceous 
  fishes 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  ascertain. 
  

   The 
  in(piiries 
  will 
  be 
  repeated 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  at 
  which 
  season 
  this 
  species 
  

   spawns 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  coming 
  into 
  shallow 
  water 
  for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  Seattle, 
  Mr. 
  Alexander 
  also 
  made 
  inquiries 
  respecting 
  the 
  

   vessel 
  halibut 
  fishery 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  year, 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  that 
  industry, 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  resorted 
  to, 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  lish 
  found 
  on 
  each, 
  etc. 
  

   He 
  likewise 
  paid 
  some 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  oyster-grounds 
  in 
  the 
  Paget 
  

   Sound 
  region. 
  

  

  