The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-11-22

trout Devosr Salmon Fsy from the Fish
HAteheries.
Roland -OnfFroy, promoter aud fin,
general manager of the, Pacific .Ameri.
can Fisheries Company, and now nresi.
dent Of the "NortL American Fisher
les' company, rs quoted by the Fair.
haven Herald as saying that sit will
lie only matter of six or seven years
until our great fishing industry comes
20 al end, unless provision is made for
nursing tile salmon turned out from
the hatcheries while they attain a SUM.
Gent size, agility and strength to escane
the ravenous trout.n
"Mr. Onffroy has made q careful
study of this subject and he discussed
It at length. The most convincing aud
foNIble proof that the fry turned into
the streams from the hatcheries never
reach the sea, is seen in the fact that
there was no run of sockeyes this year
10 the Skagit, although four years ago
several million were Matched at Baker
lake and In accordance with the habits
OF the species should have returned
during tile past season to spawn. At
the very outside not more than 10 DER
cent OF those artificially propagated
ever reach salt water, and Fish Com.
missioner Little estimates that not
more than half of one per cent of the
natural spawn get down to the sea.
1.-The small salmon are devOured by
the trout which have increased SO
enormously in in our streams during
the past few years. They are to be
found not i'm the lower waters of the
river. but they. congregate in large
schools in the vicinity Of the salmon
spawning grounds and of the hatcher
les, merely waiting To prey upon aud
devOur the little salmon as they are
propagated. A good wholesome trout.
OH an average, will destroy perhaps l5O
salmon each day.
"WlIl "A. LOwinSn, the AnacOrtes
canneryman, caught one in the Skagit
river above Hamilton not long ago,
and in its stomach he counted 2O8
which had been devoured that day
AT this rate 1t may be seen that there
is not much show for 100000 90.
600, 900 or 3O,OO0,0 600 fry, turned out
from the hatchery before they are able
to protect themselves, to reach the
ocean. Ii, for instance, there are but
100000 in the Fraser river, whereas
there are in reality perhaps millions,
and each of these trout destroys 100 fry
i'll day, the number of salmon lost Is
10000, 900.
'"To obviate this wholesale destruction
it is proposed to establish nurseries, in
connection with the hatclleries, where
the fry may be kept until they become
six or seven inches long when they are
amply able to, care for themselves
They will grow to this size in six or
seven months and at the end of the
period may be turned at large without
being in danger of destruction. 1t is
maintained that most of the fish
Matched can be nursed successfully and
that practically all which reach the
salt water remain alive and return at
the end of the four years.
GAS illustrative of the possibilities,
during the season of 1899, when the
salmon product of Puget Sound
reached u value of $1,000, 600 and
brought into the state greater returns
than our lumber mills there were but
IL ,O00, 900 fish caught ia these waters.
Tie estimate for the season of 1900
places the number at 5,000,000. Upon
the other hand, these in charge Of the
government hatchery ut Baker lake,
alone, claimed to have turned out last
year 1S,0O0,000 fry. If Il majority Of
these were permitted to reach the sea,
and then at the end of four years re-
turn, it is difficult to compute to what
extent the supply may grow with the
assistance of the many state hatcheries.
"The methods of catching salmon are
not responsible for this threatened d.
imnutiOn of the supply. The lowest
average of the number of eggs IN any
specie of the fish is rot less than. be
tween 200 and 300 for the hulnpback,
while many place the estimate even for
humpbacks as high as from 1000 to 1000.
The average number in sOckeye
spawn is given at from 1000 to 5000.
1t. is thus shown that enough fish may
be caught from one trap, even making
a liberal allowance for loss and destruc-
ton, no. only to perpetuate, with the
spawn secured therefr0ni, but even to
enhance the supply"
CHARACTERISTICS Stomach and Liver Tab
lets cure biliOushess. constipation aud
headache. They are easy to take and