The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-05-09
FISHERIES REPORT
Continued from page 81

next morning by Frank A. Pepiot wh'
lived at home a couple Of miles AVA
and knew nothing about what ha'
happened until the next morning whei
he arrived at tine station. 1t was no
long after Mr.. Pepiots arrival hefor'
Mr.. RoadarInel got around for tn
days work, and together they tpepio'
and RoadarmeD finished up the wori
Of getting the dead fish out OF th'
troughs in all there being some ave o.
SIX bucketfulls that contained az tn
very least fifty or sixty thousand Try
an OF which were dumped into sait
creek short distance above its mouth
a couple Of days after this, several
thousand live fry were drawn of from
the troughs and liberated, and every
day or 50 thereafter during Mr.. Web
sters stay, others were liberated, mos
ef them being put into the main river
above the mouth OF this creek, al
though one buekettull was turned a.
rectly into the creek and another
bucketfull into the pool or eddy at the
mouth of the creek; that the troughs
from which these fry were taken were
not cleaned up before taking the fry
out and consequently contained a
great many dead fry that had died
from one cause or another since they
were last gone over and that these
dead ones were siphoned out Of the
troughs into the buckets with the live
ones and all turned out together into
the stream: q careful estimate placing
the number OF dead as being one hum
dred to every bucketful of fry. That
the first DAY or two after Mr.. Webster's
arrival no fishing was done, but after
this time ne and Mr.. Talbert .iished of
and on every day or 50 while he was
there, with what result is apparently
only known to themselves; they fished
nearly altogether in pool or eddy at
the mouth of the supply creek. and
from Mr.. TaIberts report, a copy OF
which Is herein embodied. 1t will be
noticed that the fish taken were all
caught in this pool. That said pool is
a regular catch basin for everything
that comes down the creek and an
ideal hole for fish, where Superintend-
ent Talbert always went TO fish when
ever he wanted supply Of trout; for
1t was at all times swarming with
trout and white fish (suckers) thai
had been baited up ami fed all winter
long on the dead eggs and dead fry
that were thrown into the creek from
the hatchery troughs. until week OF
80 before Mr.. webster's arrival, wher
this custom was stopped, for the ap-
parent purpose Of getting the fish good
and hungry by the time ne (web-
ster) got there, for the practice was
taken up and continued right along
again Just as soon as he had gotter
the desired specimens and returned
home.
The voracious white fish reported
about. has a very small and extended
mouth about ~ an inch in diameter
with no teeth whatever and feeds en-
tirely on the bottom Of the stream
amongst the rocks, and appears to be
Of the sucker family and could not
even IL it was so disposed, catch a
spry young salmon fry, no matter
what the conditions.
As for the Dolly Warden trout, we all
know that it would swallow anything
in the shape Of food that IT could get
hold Of, dead or alive; 1t is a lazy
sluggish fish and, in my estimation,
never exerts Itself very much for live
food. 1t is in fact scavenger and
subsists nearly entirely on food that
it picks up. We have found such
trout with fish inside Of their stomachs
that they had swallowed almost as
large as themselves, but we have MOTH
ing to SHOW as to whether the fish
died from a natural cause and was
picked UP by the Dolly Warden, or
whether It was alive and caught or
whether it had been crippled and was
caught; but, 1t seems more probable
that It was a dead fish that had been
picked up and swallowed at its con-
venience.
] am submitting herewith copies Of
Superintendent Talbert's report on this
matter and of the entire correspond
ence between this office relative mere
to. Also copies of sworn statements
made by Mr.. G. r. Peek and Mr. Frank
A. Pepiot, two of the hatchery en-
ployees, who arc honorable and re-
liable citizens and who were at work
at the station during the time in
question, ana who have lived in that
neighborhood from their childhood
DAYS and have flsned the Mckenzie