FISH-CULTURAL PRACTICES IN THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 733 



the upstream end being hauled by steam engine and the lower or down- 

 stream rope by a whim operated by horsepower. 



When a haul is to be made the seine is carried by boat upstream about 50 

 yards from the landing before it is paid out from the shore. The downstream 

 rope is paid out automatically as the boat moves and is passed through a snatch 

 block to keep the current from closing the ends of the seine until opposite the 

 landing place, when both ends are drawn in at the same time. As soon as the 

 seine has been laid out above the pool the engine is started, drawing the seine 

 downstream toward the landing. When the last of the seine is in the water the 

 whim is started and the lower end is also hauled down and in. A landing having 

 been made, the ends of the seine are secured to pieces of rope fastened to pins 

 driven into the ground. Hooks on loose ends of these ropes are slipped behind 

 the corks of the seine. A trestle is placed under the rope to hold the cork line 

 high above the water and thus prevent the salmon from leaping over it. The 

 lead line is pulled upon the bank and thrown ovei iron pins to keep it from 

 slipping back into the deep water. 



The ends having thus been fastened, all the men are free to handle the fish, 

 which must be quickly removed to prevent injury from crowding, this being 

 especially true of the summer run when the water is warm. The men stand in 

 the water and lift the fish from the net one by one until all have been looked 

 over, handling them with the aid of heavy woolen gloves, and grasping them 

 by the tail with the left hand while the right is placed just behind the pectoral 

 fins. A gentle pressure of the fingers at this point forces out a few eggs if the 

 fish is ripe; if not ripe it is thrown over the seine into the river. When a ripe 

 female is found it is carried to the pens beneath the spawning platform a few 

 yards distant, care being taken to hold it vent side up to prevent loss of eggs. 

 The males are handled in a similar manner, the ripe ones being placed in pens 

 near the females. 



The seining crew are likewise the spawntakers, and after two hauls in the 

 morning they strip the fish caught the day before. The ripe salmon of each day's 

 catch are thus held over as a precaution against any possible immaturity of 

 the eggs. 



On the spawning platform is a frame 6 or 8 inches wide, with sides con- 

 verging toward the bottom and open at one end, into which a spawning pan 

 can be slipped. The pan is rectangular in shape, about 6 inches wide and 14 

 inches long, with slanting sides and flaring ends. This shape is preferable to the 

 round pan because of facility in washing the eggs, it being possible to dip a 

 thin stream of water into the pan the entire length of one side. The frame 

 holds the pan secure and at the same time its slanting sides assist in guiding 

 the eggs into the pan. 



After washing, the eggs are placed in 6-gallon spawn buckets which have 

 previously been filled with water. These buckets are made of galvanized iron, 

 with a wire-cloth strainer inserted near the rim to permit the escape of surplus 



