﻿14 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  thousand 
  ripe 
  fish. 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   collected 
  were 
  of 
  poor 
  quality, 
  owing, 
  it 
  is 
  supposed, 
  to 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  

   which 
  caused 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  too 
  long 
  after 
  their 
  eggs 
  

   matured. 
  The 
  eggs 
  improved 
  in 
  quality 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  advanced, 
  the 
  

   operations 
  resulting 
  in 
  a 
  total 
  yield 
  of 
  66,125,000, 
  a 
  shortage 
  of 
  

   5,875,000 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  take 
  of 
  last 
  year. 
  Many 
  improve- 
  

   ments 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  buildings 
  and 
  apparatus 
  during 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  installation 
  and 
  operation 
  of 
  160 
  

   additional 
  hatching 
  troughs. 
  

  

  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  war- 
  

   rants 
  continuous 
  and 
  systematic 
  investigation 
  and 
  makes 
  imperative 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  exertions 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  to 
  propagate 
  

   the 
  various 
  salmons 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  extensive 
  scale 
  and 
  to 
  distribute 
  the 
  

   young 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  which 
  will 
  insure 
  the 
  largest 
  results. 
  The 
  

   superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Cahfornia 
  stations 
  reports 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  salmon 
  hberated 
  in 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  River 
  

   perish 
  on 
  the 
  lowlands, 
  because 
  of 
  irrigating 
  ditches 
  and 
  overflows 
  

   or 
  easements 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  subject 
  has 
  been 
  forcefully 
  treated 
  

   in 
  various 
  reports 
  from 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  representatives 
  and 
  demands 
  

   the 
  serious 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  authorities. 
  Another 
  feature 
  of 
  

   the 
  salmon 
  situation 
  in 
  Cahfornia 
  which 
  may 
  necessitate 
  a 
  complete 
  

   change 
  in 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  planting 
  is 
  the 
  enormous 
  destruction 
  caused 
  

   by 
  trout 
  and 
  other 
  predaceous 
  fishes 
  while 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  on 
  their 
  

   way 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  Better 
  conditions 
  obtain 
  in 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Oregon 
  and 
  Washington. 
  

   The 
  irrigation 
  of 
  arid 
  lands 
  is 
  not 
  practiced 
  so 
  extensively 
  as 
  in 
  

   Cahfornia, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  hatcheries 
  are 
  located 
  nearer 
  tidewater, 
  

   thereby 
  lessening 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  young 
  salmon 
  by 
  attacks 
  of 
  predaceous 
  

   fishes 
  during 
  passage 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  Extensive 
  field 
  operations 
  were 
  

   conducted 
  in 
  Oregon 
  and 
  Washington 
  during 
  1913, 
  and 
  plans 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  for 
  still 
  greater 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  

   fiscal 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  Columbia 
  basin, 
  investigations 
  are 
  now 
  being 
  

   made, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  estabhshing 
  a 
  station 
  at 
  Swan 
  Falls, 
  Idaho, 
  

   for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  run 
  of 
  chinook 
  salmon. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  this 
  year 
  at 
  the 
  Quilcene 
  and 
  Duckabush 
  stations, 
  which 
  

   were 
  operated 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  in 
  1912, 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  estab- 
  

   lishment 
  of 
  inexpensive 
  egg-collecting 
  camps 
  on 
  streams 
  tributaiy 
  

   to 
  Hood 
  Canal 
  will 
  result 
  in 
  good 
  returns 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  dog 
  salmon. 
  

   An 
  additional 
  station 
  on 
  the 
  Sauk 
  River, 
  at 
  Darrington, 
  Wash., 
  plans 
  

   for 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  being 
  drawn, 
  will 
  add 
  materially 
  to 
  the 
  output 
  

   of 
  salmon 
  from 
  the 
  Washington 
  stations. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  accepted 
  beUef 
  that 
  the 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  can 
  be 
  more 
  

   effectively 
  aided 
  and 
  maintained 
  through 
  the 
  hberation 
  of 
  fingerling 
  

   fish, 
  arrangements 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  facilities 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  coast 
  stations, 
  including 
  those 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

  

  