Evening star., 1936-04-05
MilliOn.DOuar
Fish Story
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

az the proper time, Dut no Sucn SNORT.
coming can be attributed to the salmon.
the most valuable of commercial food
fishes. By an unerring and mysterious
instinct the salmon, after years Of sea-
faring. not only knows when to go home
but how to get there.
The life cycle of the salmon begins
with the spawning in the upper reaches
OF some fresh water stream. Evolved
into active life, 1t swims around for
time, ranging from a few months to
year, and then runs away to sea. It
swims down the small stream where 1t
was spawned, joins a larger one, and
then plunges into a mighty river. Fol-
lowing its course ever seaward, the young
salmon, at length. encounters salt water
and finds itself in the open stretches Of
the ocean. There 1t remains several
years. swimming no one precisely knows
how far. When its proper season arrives
1t starts home, and no matter how many
leagues must be traversed, the adult
salmon, weighing by this time perhaps
20 to 80 pounds, finds its way to the
mouth Of the great river whence it issued.
Up that river 1t swimS. turns into the
tributaries down which it came as a
parr, and eventually comes to rest in the
very cove at the headwaters where it,
years ago. first was spawned. There it
spawns its own young and, feeling its
duty done to the world, turns its face
to the bank and dies.
In the course Of the return to the
spawning place the salmon must often
climb cataractS and waterfalls. Some
remarkable leaps have been recorded.
Sometimes the salmon makes clean
leap through the air and sometimes ac-
tually swims in the falling water against
its impact. The instinct to return to its
birthplace is so irresistible that the most
astonishing obstacles are overcome.
The obstacles, however, are natural
obstacles. A new situation has arisen in
the Columbia River which has altered
matters materially. 1t arises from the
construction of dams constructed for
irrigation and water power. The run Of
Chinook salmon in the Columbia River
Is the most famous in the world. 1t sup-
plies a canning industry which pro-
duces millions of dollars in wealth an.
nually and feeds large numbers Of per.
sons
The first insurmountable obstacle
which the returning salmon meets on
starting its thousand-mile journey up
the Columbia River is the 72-foot bar.
rier of the Bonneville Dam, one Of the
projects undertaken by the present ad-
Most natural waterfalls
are tumbled torrents which give the in.
domitable salmon some chance, but the
fall over an artificial dam makes
straight curtain Of water which cannot
be negotiated by the strongest fish. 1t is
obvious that unless something is done
to assist the salmon over such obstacles
they could not return to the spawning
grounds to produce a fresh generation.
The race would die out, entailing a tree
mendous loss.
In order that the Chinook salmon may
not find the door of his home locked
against him, the Bureau of Fisheries,
in collaboration with the dam engineers,
has worked out some highly ingenious
systems for getting the fish over the
dams. Stairways and elevators have
been devised. The emergency agencies
of the New Deal have engaged in several
activities which have been dubbed boon.
doggling and have been criticized as
merely ways of squandering money. Here
is a case, however in which an industry
which returns $l0,000000 year will be
saved from extinction.
Salmon prefer fast water and will
swim against stiff currents by preference,
so, at the foot of the Bonneville Dam.
collecting systems have been built dis
charging a flow of water at the rate Of
l 900 cubic feet a second. The salmon
swimming against this find themselves
within an enclosure. Looking always up
ward, seeking obstacles to overcome, they
find a short waterfall and up this they
go. They are actually ascending the first
step in a fish stairway. A series Of
these steps, each one pool higher than
the one below, Is in number brings the
home-returning salmon to the top Of
the dam. where it swims free in open
water and proceeds normally upstream. -
Fish do not read very well. and 1t is
realized that many will miss the en-.
trance gates to the stairway. For their
benefit an elevator has been provided.
While the fish stairway requires no tend.
ing, the elevator has to be operated.
The elevator entrance discharges q
stream Of water against which the sal.
mon swim and find themselves In an
enclosure 20 by 80 feet. When an ele-
vator appears to be about full the gate
is closed Actually the elevator does not
itself move. 1t is a hollow. concrete
column. and. when the gate is closed 1t
fills with water from the bottom. The
level is raised all the way to the top Of
the dam, where the salmon are shooed
out into the upper lake. There are two
elevators. When one is up the other Is
down, taking on more passengers.
A difficulty to be met has been caused
by the creation Of large lakes through
the backing up Of the river waters by the
erection of dams. Returning salmon.
seeking the gravelly shadows where they
were spawned, would find them no longer
in existence. They would be deep-cov-
cred by the far-reaching artificial lakes.
Also. far up the Columbia River is the
Grand Coulee Dam. This will present q
barrier 500 feet high, and it is not cofl-
sidered practical to build fish stairways
and elevators to height so great.
Frank T. Bell, United States commission.
er of fisheries, believes, however. that
the situation can be met. He proposes
that fish traps be built below the Grand
Coulee and in other places where there
are likely to be found eWcted salmon.
They may be transplanted to likely
places, resembling their natural homes.
where It is hoped they will adapt them'
selves to new surroundings. Also, arti.
fetal Matching of eggs will be resorted
to, the f1ngerlings being deposited below
the dams.