The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-06
FIRST PAPER

OF Washington and the Pacific Northwest
for during isS. more research WORK was
done and more results were published
contributing mass OF information 20 the
scant supply OF knowledge relating 20 the
natural history of this region. than in any
other single previous year TINS mass OF
information Is scattered through many
publications. much of IL is still In process
Of preparation. and the work done covers
many fields. Ii would be almost impos-
sihie to give an adequate review OF all
this work In a single brief article ard IL
has therefore been decided TO prepare
series of articles devoted TO the different
branches of the work. and to be published
in the Sunday Observation-Disclosures.
This first article is devoted 10 part Of
the magnificent work done by the United
states Fish Commission. Through the
courtesy of Prot. Barton Warren Ever
mann of that commission. l have received
number OF notes and some advance
proof sheets of the forthcoming report for
lsss That report will he a most valuable
book for people interested In the natural
history of the Pacific coast. From the
notes and proof sheets the following is
compiled
During July. August and September Mr..
Clondsley Rutter was engaged in making
an examination OF the coastal streams of
Washington. the principal object being 10
determine their character as salmon
streams and to study the movements of
young salmon in these streams. The in
yestigalions We're begun in the eicinity OF
Chehalis and up the Coast 10 Ozette
lake. Crescent lake was also Wis
tied and many fine specimens were
cured OF the now famous trout found
there. More Will be told OF these new
trout in a subsequent article.
In August Prof. Evermann visited Bak-
er lake. at the head waters of the Skagi
river. for the purpose OF determining the
ACCESSIBILITY of establishing there fish
cultural station. Baker lake Is situated
about forty miles northeast of Hamil. on
and at the foot Of Mount Baker. 1t
was found that large numbers of SOCK
eye. or blueback salmon have their
spawning beds In this lake. Last year the
state of Washington operated a hatch
cry there with great success. More than
e.ooooso eggs of the sockeye were Matched
and the fry planted in the lake. The con-
diti0ns were found SO promising that a
favorable report was made and the United
States Fish Commission expects to estab-
lish a hatchery there in tine for opera
tons in 1888.
The following. taken from the proofs Of
what will be the 1927 report of the United
States Fish Commission. should be pre-
served by everyone interested In the land
they call home IL expfodes several well
worn theories about Lake Washington
containing depths OF water never sounded
and gives scientific data about the great
lake never before published. Mr.. Alex
ander Is the Mr.. A. Il. Alexander, we'll
known here the fishery expert Of the
fish commission steamer Alhatross. The
assistant was Mr.. Ulysses o. Cox pro-
fessor of biology in the state normal
school al Mankato. MINI:
Puget sound.
In connection with the work of he joint
commission appointed TO investigate the
fisheries Of the contiguous waters Of the
United States and Canada, certain In
vestigations were made by Messrs. Alex
ander and Cox concerning the movements
Of the sockeye or blueback salmon in
Puget sound and it's tributary streams.
The information obtained has been fur
nished TO the joint commission ana has
been used in it's report. The movements
OF the sockeye in the north end of the
Sound were studied. particularly among
the San Juan islands, chiefly To determine
whether many OF that species run into
streams flowing into the Sound from the
state of Washington. The principal rivers
examined were the Nooksack Skagit
Sullaguamish and Snohomish. The time
was too short to permit au exhaustive
enough was done TO show that most OF
the rivers flowing into Puget sound from
the east are salmon streams Of consider
able Importance. This is particularly true
Of the Skagit. The soclSeye runs into this
river In large numbers and there are inn
portant spawning beds OF this species In
Its headwaters The state 81 Washington
has recently established, and is ROW sue
ceSsfuiiy operating hatchery for this
Rak pr TAI TO nf he =
tributaries Of the Skagit.
The height of the run OF sockeye sal
mon In 1895 at the San Juan islands was
from August - to =. The run was re-
garied as unusually large TN view ~ the
fact that this was an off year. Nothing
definite was learned regarding the occur
renee ~ the s0ckeye IN any streams ex
eept the SkaEit. nor whether 1t Is found
In any OF the upper tributaries OF the
skagit except the Baker. The Baker
river has lake ia its upper course which
can BE reached by the sockcye.
So far IS yet known. this species
spawns only in such streams as have lakes
1T their headwaters, and the spanning
beds are found only in the strea ms triba-
tary 20 the lakes or In the lakes them
selves Several streams tributary 10 the
northern part ~ Puget sound contain
lakes In their headwaters, and IL would
prove interesting and valuable work to
determine accurately the distribution Of
the sockeyes Ia this region.
All the other species Of Vest coast sal
mon are found here IN large numbers. The
chinook first appear. then the silver sal
mon and steelhead. and still later the
humphack and dog salmons. The Nook
sack is the principal river frequsnfed by
these species The silver, humpback and
dog sslmous are said 10 ascend both forks
Of this river.
The actual or even relative abundance
% the different kinds Of salmon and their
distribution in the rivers Of Western
Washington Is not well understood and
scarcely anything i known regarding
them after they enter the rivers.
Lake wmshiartop.
In February. isss. the United states
nsh commission planted 51s 80 FRY Of The
common whitefsh tccregonns cigpci-
isrmisI In Lake Washington az Seattle.
In June. isss. MIR. a. h. AfexandeF visited
this lake and Began series Of obserFa-
ticns for ihe purpose % determining the
results q this planting % fish After n
few obzeTy tons ne was called sway 20
either work but returned and again took
up tire inquiry November ,. continuing
Il to January ~ following