utterly devoid of fish life because of falls in their outlets, accommo- 

 dation is immediately available for large numbers of fry, feeding is 

 not necessary, and there appears to be no mortality worth mention. 

 The strongest argument against the use of these lakes is that some of 

 the fish may refuse to leave and consequently prey on the fry sub- 

 sequently planted. This is assuming that the same lakes are used 

 year after year, which, of course, is optional, but even if some do re- 

 main and subsequent plantings are made, one has the callous satis- 

 faction of knowing that sockeyes are being fed to sock eyes and not 

 to trout, chubs, squawfish, and sculpins, as has been done heretofore. 

 The stocking of these lakes, which are more or less remote and 

 difficult to get at, was done in the following manner : A trail was 

 made and the eggs, on the point of hatching, were carried to the lake 

 in a specially made back-pack holding 50,000. The eggs were then 

 placed in hatching trays, one layer deep, and two trays thus loaded, 

 with an empty one on top for a cover, were securely fastened to- 

 gether. This stack was then placed in a small spring tributary with 

 rocks underneath the corners to keep it off the bottom and more on 

 top to keep it down, and left there until the fry were free-swimming. 

 Every week or two these were inspected, and at the proper time the 

 fry were released. 



Discussion. 



De. B. E. Pbince, Ottawa, Canada : It may be interesting to those of 

 you who do not know the Pacific rivers very well to learn that 20 to 30 

 years ago the Fraser produced the sockeye or red salmon in probably 

 greater abundance than any other known river. These salmon proceeded 

 to the upper waters of the Fraser, 500 miles upstream. Other schools 

 proceeded to nearer spawning grounds, within 50 or 60 or 100 miles ; thus 

 there was a succession of schools of sockeyes from June until October, 

 even sometimes into November. As the result of a very serious condition, 

 the upper spawning grounds of the Fraser were cut off for some years, and 

 the earlier runs were practically destroyed. This was the primary cause 

 of the decline of the stream. It is generally recognized that the sockeye 

 salmon spawn in streams tributary to a lake which itself empties into the 

 main river. The Fraser River illustrates the life history of the sockeye 

 to a remarkable degree. It really is not a very large river; but it has 

 immense spawning areas. Now, the question arises as to whether the size 

 to which the sockeye attains before it begins to descend Is due to this 

 distance from the sea and to the fact that the food is inadequate for such 

 immense numbers of fish in the upper waters. 



Mb. G. C. Leach, Washington, D. C. : One of the important sockeye 

 salmon stations of the Bureau of Fisheries is at Yes Bay, Alaska, produc- 

 ing in a good season from 60,000,000 to 70,000,000 eggs. It is located at 

 the head of Lake McDonald which is about five miles in length and con- 

 nected with the ocean by a small stream about 3 miles long. The young 



94 



