Arizona republican., 1921-01-11

Natures feeble efforts vs. Produc- tive Fish Hatcheries. As the guest of a hand picked aggregation of enthusi- astic Oregonian boosters, Governor Ben w Olcott of Salem. Union Pacif- ic Passenger Agent William McMur- ray, Consulting Engineer Samuel C. Lancaster, and State Game Warden Carl Shoemaker, I was introduced to a road of scenic wonders and marVelous engineering skill - The Columbian highway. We were en route to Ore gon's state fish hatchery at Bonne- vile, village named in honor of an old French voyageur whose adven- lures and travels were featured by Washington Irving. The state hatch cry is located at the foot of Cascade falls, on Columbia river, surrounded by virgin forests of pine. Majestic cliffs look down into adjacent can yons whose floors are carpeted with beds of wild flowers and margined by lace ferns. Tanners creek, limpfd and cold, comes rushing and bounding down from the glaciers of Mt. Hood. The waters are first called upon 10 operate an old water wheel, furnish l. ing necessary power locally, then di- verted through many tanks and pools in the hatchery.
 1 Outdoor tanks, blasted from solid rock, are utilized as receptacles for vast schools of fish held for spawning
 purposes. Tank number one contains rainbow trout. Is to 24 inches long, weighing from two to 10 pounds. They are correctly named, with their iri- descent shadings flashing in the sun light Striped above with blue and | purple, silver and golden hue below
 profusely spotted with black on body
 and fins, an orange and red lateral band, with all markings suppled and blended, the rainbow colors are all tr 1 evidence. At feeding hour this placid tank of contented fish is changed to a
 whirlpool of hungry trout, battling foi an extra portion of salmon eggs or patty of ground meat.
 Few people realize that scientific handling of spawn has developed into a careful and prolific fish mother Eggs stripped from fish, properly milt- ed or fertiliZed, have in some instances proven 95 per cent productive. SpawT
 deposited in sand and gravel, milted covered and cared for by Dame Nature are computed by naturalists as re producing less than six per cent
 Artificial matching of fish from cap
 tured spawn have proven an unbound
 ed success when correctly handled
 Every convenience has been provided
 for protecting propagated fish agains
 the dangers to young fish life. Un
 even temperature of water found II
 streams is carefully regulated il hatcheries The menace of cannibal
 istic sealed enemies are entirely elim mated. Care and feeding of fry an' l fingerlings. until they are able to hus tie for themselves in open water, is
 prime factor of success. Tanks an pools are so arranged that an ever : changing current of fresh water i passing through.
 At the time of our visit. the vat contained over thirty million salmol eggs in embryo. Tanks were file
 with spawn which requires a sixty da l matching period, before miniature ifs F become a wiggling mass, energeticall n moving in the moxes. They are the designated "Alevins." Directly behin 2 their gills Is attached a bag, yolk sa : or umbilical cord containing suffieier z nutriment to maintain life for sever; . days. Before the reserve is consumes - they assume fish shape and commend
 outside feeding. developing first int
 fry, soon graduating into the class v fingerlings. They are then liberate
 for self rustling in fresh water lalz'
 or streams.
 1 Spawn when stripped must be yer , carefully handled to avoid concussio = or jar of receptacles. Non fertile egg N ADdlNAAlS5 tO AtiC tOPt 4i10o1 b0 EAAANN E , from tanks daily. An eye test fC = fertility is given after 25 days. Eye ' eggs may then be packed in wet mo: Y and shipped in boxes containing ti' e trays. Small aluminium tags hay e been attached to the dorsal fin A. many fingerlings when liberated. IT was later found, they immediate
 leave fresh for salt water, remainir e at sea a period of four years. returnir a. to their native fresh water home n spawn, sicken and die. Many tons n frozen salmon were ranked like corC
 wood in the cold storage rooms. to