30 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 



THE QUINNAT SALMON. 



Extracts from "Report on Investigations in the Sacramento River, 1896-1901," by Cloudsley 

 Riitter, Naturalist, V . S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross. 



Value of Artificial Propagation. — Something of the value of artificial 

 propagation can be learned from an experiment tried at Clackamas 

 hatchery, Oregon. In March, 1896, 5,000 salmon fry 2.5 inches long 

 were marked by cutting off the adipose fin. The eggs from which the 

 fry were hatched were spawned at Baird hatchery in September, 1895. 

 Mr. Hubbard, superintendent of Clackamas hatchery, who tried the 

 experiment, reported that 375 of the marked fishes were taken in 1898. 

 The smallest weighed 10 pounds, the largest 57 pounds, and the average 

 was 27.7 pounds. Besides these, 5 were taken in the Sacramento River 

 in 1898. A few more were taken both in the Columbia and in the Sac- 

 ramento in 1899, and also in 1900. The 1900 specimens, however, may 

 have been of those marked in the Sacramento in 1898. From these 

 5,000 fry 2.5 inches long, costing less than a dollar to produce, fish 

 weighing over 5 tons were taken. That means for every female fish 

 stripped at the hatchery the fishermen should catch about 5 tons three 

 years later. About 400 of the 5,000 marked fishes were reported taken. 

 We have no means of knowing how many came back to fresh water and 

 escaped the nets, or how many were caught but not noticed. 



Length of Life of Fall Salmon after Reaching Spawning-Groundf'. — 

 September 30, 1900, numbered metallic tags were attached to three male 

 salmon, which were then released in the pool between the racks at 

 Battle Creek fishery; 1 of these was found dead October 5th, having 

 survived five days. October 22d, 36 others were tagged and released in 

 the pool; 27 of these were seen at various times, some of them quite 

 frequently, up to November 1st, and 5 of them were found dead within 

 that time, the maximum time being ten days. On October 25th, 36 

 were tagged and released in the creek below the racks; 8 of these were 

 found dead on the racks up to November 10th, a period of 16 days. 

 Four were tagged and released in the mouth of the creek, about two 

 miles below the fishery, on November 4th. One of these was seen on 

 the 5th and again on the 8th, when it was almost dead, a period of four 

 days. November 9th, 39 were tagged and released in the river below 

 the mouth of Battle Creek; 3 were seen at the fishery on the 16th, 7 

 days afterwards. Altogether 12 tagged fishes were seen after dying, and 

 the average time that they lived after tagging was 11 days. The longest 

 time was 16 days; some had probably been in the creek a few days 

 when tagged, although the freshest were selected. Two weeks is a very 

 fair estimate of the length of life after reaching the spawning-grounds. 

 Branded specimen No. 91, a female, lived but 8 days after reaching the 

 spawning-grounds. 



