The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-11-25
Little Stories Of Travel
By JOSEPH HUGHES

In my last letter closed by nentlon-
ing the fish industry and promised to
give an account of the information
gained at the A. Y. p. exposition from
the men in charge of the hatcheries.
The people are well aware of the
notoriety of the Columbia river in the
production of salmon. They are so
numerous that they can be seen in
schools of thousands. Oregon, alone,
receives upwards of $500, 900 in salmon
annually. The quality of the Columbia
river salmon is superior to any caught
elsewhere. Thus they are in great de-
mand throughout the markets of the
world.
There are five distinct types of sal
mon found in the waters of Oregon,
but the Columbia River Royal Chinook
Salmon has grown to be the great fav-
orite in every household.
The State, through its department Of
Fisheries, maintains and operates ten
hatcheries, from which nearly 70, 900, 900
young salmon are liberated each year
This work is all carried on by artificial
methods. The streams on which the
hatcheries are located are racked, so as
to stop the passage of the parent fish
up stream to the spawning grounds.
They are held behind these racks until
they reach the spawning state, when
the eggs from the females are secured,
and after being fortified by the milt
from the male fish, they are put in
wire baskets, placed in troughs of run
ming water in the hatch house and kept
there until they are Matched, which re-
quires from 45 to 100 days, depending
entirely on the temperature of the
water.
Nature supplies food supply for the
young salmon to sustain it until able to
hunt for its own food. This provision
is in the shape of sack attached to
the stomach and it usually takes the
young fish 80 to as days to absorb it.
At most of the hatcheries, rearing
ponds have been established, in which
the young fry, after absorbing the food
sack, are placed and fed with ground
liver, fresh fish and mush, until they
grow to fingerlings, when they are lib
Grated and allowed to shift for them
selves.
1t was my pleasure to witness the
above description of the development
of the young salmon. Nothing appeal
ed to me more in the whole exposition
than the cycle development from an
egg to lingering salmon. Therein
was revealed the whole process of life,
not only of fish life but of human life.
Close observers and scientists tell us
that the life of salmon is only four
years. When liberated they go to sea
and at the end of four years, when
their life is run, they return to fresh
water to spawn and die. 1t has also
been fully demonstrated that the adult
salmon always returns to his parent
stream. This conclusion has been reach
ed by marking the young fish turaed
out by the hatcheries, and the catching
of the same fish, so marked, four years
later.
My advice to my young school friends
would be to give some attention to this
most interesting subject. Utah needs
today scientific men to conduct hatch
cries and protect the fish industry Of
the state. 1t means millions of dollars
for the commonwealth of Utah and
thousands for men who go into the
business. This is saying nothing of the
pleasure experienced in fishing and of
the strange interest one has in watch
ing the little ones grow.
will devote my next letter to my
three days visit at the Fair grounds of
the A. Y. P. exposition.