TWENTY-EIGHTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 39 



than in any other area of equal proportion in the state, considering 

 the rainfall that usually prevails in this section. The main Eel River 

 was very low all through the winter and spring and very few steelhead 

 ascended as far as Dos Rios, and as this is at the junction of the South 

 Eel and the middle fork of the Eel, the water in each branch was lower 

 than the points below, so that very few fish entered either the South 

 Eel or the Middle Eel and none reached the egg-collecting station as no 

 water passed Cape Horn Dam during the period the fish were ascending 

 the river. 



FORT SEWARD HATCHERY. 



This station has been successfully operated during the last two sea- 

 sons. The fry produced have been fine, vigorous specimens of fish, 

 showing good care and skillful handling of eggs and fry at this sta- 

 tion, which is a difficult station to operate, owing to the uncertainty of 

 the water during periods of drouglit. No great improvements have 

 been made during the last two years, but we recommend that the 

 following improvements be made this coming fall as soon as the trout 

 fry are (listril)uted : Sixty new standard troughs to be installed in place 

 of the old shallow troughs that have been in use a great many years 

 (the sixty old troughs were shipped from Price Creek Hatchery which 

 was abandoned in 1916 and installed in the Fort Seward Hatchery 

 after they had given service at Price Creek Hatcherv^ for a period of 

 fifteen or sixteen years). These troughs are now so decayed and spongy 

 that they are no longer safe for the rearing of fish. New underpinning 

 for the troughs ; new distributing tank ; waste flume ; repairs for the old 

 foundation of the hatchery: new settling tank; new head box in Powers 

 Creek pipe line; and a new floor in the hatchery aisle are all 

 repairs necessary to be made this coming fall before the salmon eggs 

 are ready for shipment to this station. As this hatchery must supply 

 the trout fry for the region covering northern ^Mendocino County, 

 Humboldt County, and western Trinity County, it is very essential that 

 this station be kept in the best possible condition so an adequate number 

 of fry can be hatched to .supply the ever growing demand for fish in 

 this section. This hatchery, like all others in California, during the 

 season of 1924 did not turn out as many fish as in former seasons, 

 owing to the drought which prevailed. The total number of fry dis- 

 tributed from this station during the two seasons just past is as follows : 



In 1922— Salmon 1,997,4:30 



Rainbow ti-out 294,280 



Steelhead 42.1.000 



Black Spotted 140.090 



Large Lake 71, (W) 



Cutthroat -- DO.niX* 



1,036,750 



In 1923— Salmon 2,177,120 



Rainbow trout 6(37,5(50 



Steelhead 1,040,000 



Large Lake — 98,260 



Cutthroat 156,260 



2,862,080 



