20 REPORT OF MONTANA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



higher than that of the river, and deposit their eggs. When tlie high 

 water recedes the parent fish usually go with it, and thus return to 

 the river. 



The deposited eggs remain and hatch and as the hot weather ap- 

 proaches the sloughs and channels begin to dry up and the fry hatched 

 from the eggs are left in little potholes. Were it not for the efforts 

 of the department in rescuing these fish, they would be a total loss, 

 since most of these potholes go completely dry during the summer. 

 The department rescues the young fishes, seining them out of the 

 little potholes and transferring them to the river and other bodies of 

 water, some ))eing shipped to other portions of the state where they 

 are liberated in streams and lakes suitable to their nature. 



This work in Flathead county is limited and will not supply all the 

 fish necessary for stocking the many streams and lakes of Eastern 

 Montana, therefore, it will be necessary to seek other fields and other 

 means for carrying on this important work. The personnel of this 

 department is too small, and the present tasks too large to hope to 

 give this work the attention it requires for some time, however, each 

 season every effort will be made to rescue the fishes along the F'lat- 

 head river, transferring them to suitable waters, as has been done 

 in the past. 



THK INTHOin (TIO> OV TlIK ( in>()(>K SALUOX 



(On(M»rliyn<'lins Tsolia« jisclia.) 



This species of salmon has been introduced with marked success in 

 Ronan Lake. It has met with instant favor among anglers due to 

 its fighting instinct which resembles that of the rainbow, its size and 

 the flavor of its flesh. Specimens have been obtained which were 

 more than thirty-six inches long. Such specimens when prime would 

 weight twenty-five or thirty pounds, but at the time the specimen 

 mentioned was captured, due to spawning activities, it was in a very 

 poor condition. 



This species, as well as others native to the Pacific coast, do not 

 eat from the time they begin working on the spawning beds until 

 after their spawning is completed, when they die. It has been hoped 

 that they might live after spawning in our fresh water lakes, but 

 examination of the spawned out fish prove that they pass through 

 the same stages of emaciation as do those which run to their spawn- 

 ing grounds direct from the ocean, and with the same results — death 

 usually resulting after the spawning has been completed. In order 

 to keep the waters stocked with this species it is necessary to obtain 

 eggs each season from the Coast. 



One of the singular features attending the introduction of this species 

 into the fresh water lakes of Montana is the fact that they reproduce, 

 eggs having been taken from spawning fish on more than one occasion. 

 It is known that the rcMirodvulion of the species is not sufficient to 

 perpetuati' the species without the repeated liberation of fry hatched 

 from eggs obtained from the Pacific coast. These eggs are expensive 

 and are difficult to obtain, for this reason, together with the fact that 

 they will not thrive in all waters, a general distribution throughout 

 tlic state is not recommended. 



I'KIVATK II AT( IIKKIKS AM> TIIOSK (H'KKATKP IIY (M KS 



'I'aken as a whole privately owufd and operated liatclu-ries, as 

 well as those owned and operated i)y a Club can not be considered 

 a success from every point of view. The output of such liatcheries 

 is not known to this (l('parlmt>nt. It can not be said that they are not 

 possii)ly doing a great and meritorious work, but there are several 

 angles to the question. For the Department to accept such hatcheries 

 and operate them will lead to serious consiHiuences later on. For the 



