The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-07-18
LOCAL FISH HATCHERY
MEANS MUCH TO COUNTY
Over Million and a Half Trout Fry
Soon TO BE Released in Chelan
County Streams and Lakes

A visit to the local fish hatchery
this week by an Echo representative
disclosed the fact that there are now
approximately a million and half
trout fry on hand that will soon be
ready for release in Chelan county
streams.
Mr. Prouty, the superintendent, has
been a very busy man the past spring.
Early in the year he made his annual
trip to Twin Lakes in the vicinity Of
Lake Wenatchee, where he too; out q
million cutthroat trout eggs. These
are now commencing to hatch out and
in the course of another week all
signs of the egg will have disap-
peared.
Several hundred thousand fry will
be turned loose in Chelan county
streams next week and inside of thir-
ty days the remainder will be ready
for distribution. Thru arrangements
made with the state game commits
sioner all trout hatched in the local
hatchery will go back into the
streams of this county. OF the mil
lion and a half fry that are now on
hand, five hundred thousand are
steelheads, sometimes known as rain
bows. These and the cutthroats are
considered the best varieties for our
streams. Both fish grow to consid-
cradle size, spawning in two years,
and in less than year from the time
they are planted are ready for the
fisherman.
Eastern brook trout which were
planted in nearby streams a few
wears ago have done we'll and it is
the intention to increase this variety
from time to time says Mr.. Prouty.
Snow lakes and Twin Lakes have
been reserved for spawning grounds
and have been closed to fishing in
definitely.
The hatchery is very interesting
place these days for one who is con-
cerned in the propagation of trout
and would like to follow them thru
their various stages of development
Mr.. Prouty can be found around the
hatchery most of the time and is at
all times willing to show the visitor
around. He is most capable hatch
cry man, takes great interest in his
work and is an untiring worker.
A movement is now on foot among
the sportsmen of the county to buy
out the states interest in the local
hatchery and make it a county insti-
tuition. In the past it has been OPP
Grated under the direction of the state
and county officials with the result
that hundreds of thousands of eggs
were annually shipped to other
parts of the state. If the county Of
ficials take over the states interest
it will mean that all of the fry
Matched out here will go back into
Chelan county streams and lakes. AL
ready the local hatchery is handling
far more trout spawn than any other
institution of its kind in the state
and when a few Improvements are
made the annual output will be even
still greater than it is at present.
Chelan county is rapidly becoming
mecca for sportsmen, and with the
completion of highways now under
construction, which will draw thou
sands of tourists every summer, and
the fact that our streams are the best
fishing grounds in the state will be
one of our most valuable assets.
Fishing has not been of the best so
far this season owing to high waters,
but it is getting better, and in an
other two weeks good catches can be
made in any of the nearby streams.