XCVI REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Kaird Station, California ^G. H. Lambson, Superintendent). 



Early in tlie summer the rack was put in place across the river to 

 stop the ascent of the salmon. It had been observed for several years 

 that many unripe fish were driven from the spawning-pools below the 

 rack, backed down the river, and lost, and to guard against this a 

 retaining-rack was constructed early in July about 100 yards below the 

 pool. This rack is 190 feet long and is built on six piers placed 28 feet 

 apart. The piers were made by bolting timbers together in the form 

 of a triangle, the long angle upstream, and filling in the spaces with 

 stone. There are five traps in the rack which perndt the fish to pass 

 upstream, but will not allow them to return. The weirs, whim, seine 

 reel, boats, and other apparatus were placed in order early in the sum- 

 mer and when the spawning season opened on August 15 everything 

 was in i^eadiness for a good season's work. 



The regular summer fishing commenced AugUist 15, three ripe females 

 being taken on that date, and closed September 17, with a collection 

 of 13,445,900 eggs. Of these 1,407,000 were lost in incubation, and 

 11,340,000 were shipped, 100,000 being sent to Japan, 25,000 to France, 

 25,000 to I^ew Zealand, 35,000 to the Trans-Mississippi and International 

 Exposition at Omaha, and the remainder to the Cabfornia hatcheries at 

 Sisson and Eel River. 



The fall run commenced November 5 and closed December 27. Dur- 

 ing this time 3,122,700 eggs were collected, making a total for the two 

 runs of 16,508,600. Of the eggs retained at the station 3,263,560 were 

 hatched and planted in the ^SfcCloud River, with a loss of only 112,610 

 fry during the sac stage. The take was larger than ever before and it 

 became necessary to erect a number of troughs outside the hatchery to 

 care for the surplus. These troughs were made of green lumber and 

 proved very unsatisfactory, causing the loss of the surplus fry. The 

 baskets were also overcrowded, as it was necessary to place 40,000 in 

 each, and this probably increased the loss during incubation. 



The methods were practically the same as heretofore. The eggs 

 were stripped in a pan moistened with water, the milt being added at 

 the same time and the mass gently stirred with the hand or a feather 

 until thoroughly mixed. About half a cup of water was then added to 

 the mass. This process was repeated with four or five other pans, 

 when they were all poured into <i bucket holding about 50,000 eggs and 

 fresh water added from time to time until they could be taken to the 

 hatchery. The buckets containing eggs are handled very careiully, 

 and on arrival at the hatchery the eggs are measured into baskets 

 with dippers holding an average of l,8i!0 each. After being placed 

 in the baskets they are picked over every other day and all dead and 

 white ones removed until the fifth day, when they are covered and left 

 undisturbed until the embryos are sufficiently developed to permit 

 handling. At an average temperature of 50° they will reach this stage 

 in about fifteen days, but great care should be exercised iu handling 



