Report of the State Game JVarden 



The closing of the biennium of 1923 and 1924 shows the rounding 

 out and completion of a considerable part of the program undertaken 

 in 1921. It has been the declared policy of our department to build 

 a number of small hatcheries throughout the State, believing that the 

 reduced cost of distribution would compensate for the additional cost 

 of operation. The Great Falls station is now complete with care- 

 taker's residence, auxiliary pumping plant and rearing ponds. Lewis- 

 town, Red Lodge and Big Timber stations are also complete and oper- 

 ating very successfully. The Ovando station has a complete pond 

 system and has the water piped to the hatchery which has cleared 

 the water of all plant growth and one man operates this station easily 

 A system of feeding ponds has been built at Missoula which equips 

 this station for serving all of western and southwestern Montana in a 

 most satisfactory manner. One of the most notable changes for 

 the better is at Anaconda. This hatchery is one of our largest. It has 

 been newly painted and fully repaired. Heretofore the water at this 

 station has been too cold for average development of eggs and growth 

 of fish, 44° being the regular temperature. During the fall of 1924 

 we found a warm spring which was piped into the supply pipe at this 

 station and the mean temperature of this spring being 57°, it is now 

 easy to maintain the temperature at the hatchery troughs at any de- 

 sired point between 44° and 52° which makes for a saving of more 

 than two weeks time in the hatching of the eggs and promotes a much 

 mors ranid growth of the young fish. Warm water is favorable to 

 plant growth and consequent development of laravae and the resulting 

 bugs and worms to support fish life. The Hamilton hatchery which 

 was turned over to the Department by Marcus Daly in 1922 has been 

 opcated successfully this year. This is an 80 trough plant, the largest 

 in the State. The Somers hatchery has been repainted and is in ex- 

 cellent shape. Pipe has been laid at Lake Ronan to replace the open 

 flume which has heretofore supplied the water at this station. 



The Flint Creek spawning station has been rebuilt by removing the 

 old pole traps and installing concrete walls. The old walls were badly 

 rotted and were washing out the banks of Flint Creek. This wonder- 

 ful station which produced twenty-five million game fish eggs in 1924 

 is now in shape for maximum efficiency in 1925. At Ashley Lake, in 

 Flathead County, modern traps have been installed in four of the 

 streams entering this lake and a house has been built over the eyeing 

 station. It is expected that four million pure native eggs will be 

 secured at this station in 1925. Plans have been perfected to work 

 Lake Francis for Rainbow and Cliff Lake for Natives in 1925. 



I was able to make an exchange with the State of Oregon, which 

 will keep our native eggs in Montana and secure tor us such steelhead 

 or sea-run Rainbow as we want. The Oregon Commission is willing to 

 take Grayling and Loch Lfven instead of our Native Black Spotted 

 eggs in exchange. An exchange has been effected with the U. S. Bureau 

 of Fisheries whereby we give the Bureau three million Grayling eggs 

 for three million Lock Leven eggs. Two million of the Loch Leven 

 eggs will be traded to Oregon for Rainbow and one million are being 

 hatched at the Great Falls station to be liberated in the Missouri River. 

 It is being shown that the Missouri River between Logan and Great 

 Falls is becoming a rival of the Madison as a Loch Leven and Rain- 

 bow stream. 



