The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-24
FISHERMEN REAP REWARD.
INCREASE IN SALMON PACK DUE TO
BAKER LAKE HATCHERY.
WisAen 81 State Culture shown ~
En0rnous Aan Of sockeyes In
Lower souad-Canaerynen be-
lfeve Fish supply Prohlea solveA

Special Dispatch 20 the Poet-fnteiiigsncer.
ANACORTES. Nov. 1.-1ne three sal
mon canneries In this city have closed
down for the season. The Fidaigo and An
acories canneries closed about three weeks
ago. while the Rosario continued opera
tons until last week. The pack has been
the heaviest In the history Of these insiitu-
tons and amounts 10 about one-fourth OF
the total pack of the entire Sound region.
The F1dalgo Island company put UP 20 400
cases. the Anacortes company ss.iao cases
and the Rosario Straits Company 81. 80
cases. The market value of this pack
viii run close TO a million dollars.
The enormous run of sockeye salmon. as
well as come of the pecuiiarities of the
run OF this variety, are considered by
fishermen to be largely due TO the work
done a. the Baker hatchery. which L. on a
tributary Of the Skagit river. This hatch
cry was built by the state during the adj
ministration OF Gov. McGraw. and was the
first hatchery to be erected tn the Puget
sound bastR. The salmon spawned there
during the first year OF the operation OF
the hatchery were due to return last sum-
mer, and the heavy runs are indicative
that they did return.
The Baker lake hatchery has passed from
state to Federal control, and Is being en-
.arged and its sphere of usefulness ex-
eight million young salmon Were turned
out annually. This year, under the control
of the Federal government, more than H.
600 eggs had been Matched up 10 three
weeks ago, and the station was still col
iecting them. More sockeyes were seen In
the lake this season than ever before since
tn hatchery was established.
The superintendent says tina. the govern
ment intends next year to practically tear
down the present buildings and construct
larger and more substantial ones. The
present buildings are of split Cedar. as Is
almost everything else In use al the hatch
cry They were built a. time when Baker
lake was almost inaccessible ana when a
trip there was accompanied by both hard
ships ard dangers. Even now the lake Is
reached only over A rough trail.
One of the expenditures by the Federal
government win be for the Improvement OF
the existing trail. or Its widening into a
wagon road. This improvement would per-
NIT of small sawmil being taken TO the
lake for cutting lumber for the hatchery
buildings.
State Fish Commissioner Little has ad-
dressed a letter to the Anacortes CONNER
c,ai Club saying that he viii next season
build hatchery with state funds on one
OF the streams emp,ying into the Skagit
river. He says that he would have built It
during the past season but for the fact that
be had so many similar stations under con-
struction At ether points IN the state and
considering that the state already had the
Federal hatchery. he thought the state
hatchery for this stream could go over for
one year.
Commissioner Little has not stated on
which Of the branches of the Skagit river
the proposed hatchery will be located. but
there are several branches that sockeye
salmon seek to deposit their spawn other
than the Baker. During past seasons the
Skagit hatchery has been devoted mainly
10 sockeyes. bat In future other varieties
will come in for a greater share of atten-
ton.
The feeling among cannerymen is that
the ha3cf1eries solve the problem OF main
tanning the supply of fish. II Is urged that
the state should not only build hatcheries
on every available stream In the Puget
sound basin. but should Join with British
Columbia In maintaining the supply In the
Fraser river. for the salmon bound from
the ocean TO the Fraser river must first
pass through American waters. where
among the chanre.s OF the San Juan ISL
ands they are taken In great numbers.