About twenty months ago some six hundred thousand eyed eggs of the finest 

 and best fish known to the waters of the Pacific ocean, viz., the Quinnat or 

 Chinook salmon, were obtained by the Montana Game and Fish Commission, 

 through the instrumentality of Hon. W. M. Bickford, member of this Commission, 

 and were hatched at the State fish hatchery near Somers, and thereafter planted 

 in a number of the lakes of Flathead County. This is the first effort to propagate 

 this species of fish in Flathead waters and the result has been very gratifying, and 

 such as to encourage the further propagation of this splendid salt water fish in 

 our fresh water lakes. 



Anglers have been catching the King salmon in several of these lakes, notably 

 in Flathead, Ronan, Rogers, Foy and Bitter Root Lakes, in goodly numbers, and 

 of remarkable size considering the short time since they were planted, their 

 weight ranging from two to four pounds. It is a game fish and affords rare 

 sport. This fish in its native waters has attained a weight of one hundred pounds, 

 but averaging as caught in the Columbia River about twenty pounds. We may 

 reasonably look for this fish to attain a large size in our fresh waters and it 

 may yet prove the commercial fish desired for the wants of the people of Montana. 



Elk in Sun River Game Preserve 



Whether it will propagate itself here remains to be ascertained; but if so it will 

 prove a valuable asset. If but one-third of the fish planted in our waters survive, 

 1. e., two hundred thousand, we should now have at least five hundred thousand 

 pounds of this fish, worth at least twenty cents per pound, and the salt water fish 

 of tliis specie sells in our markets at thirty cents per pound. 



A number of our local anglers have caught several of these fish and pro- 

 nounce them of fine quality and flavor. 



The several varieties of our fish that have been introduced and planted in our 

 waters have taken kindly thereto and found a congenial home therein, especially 

 the Eastern Brook, and Rainbow trout, as well as the small mouth Black Bass and 

 Grayling; and now we have the King salmon. We have hopes that the large White 

 Fish will materialize as they have been planted in large numbers, but this is not 

 a game fish and can onlv be taken with nets and seines. 



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