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30<br />
Mr. Mowat also adds: I take the following from the Weekly A8torian of Oregon,<br />
dated July the 28th, simply to show the success of fish culture on this coast, where<br />
hatcheries have been in operation a sufficient length of time to prove results. The<br />
Rogue River is small, its average pack being about 8,000 cases per season. It is,<br />
therefore, natural to suppose that the output of fry would be more noticeable there<br />
than in the Fraser River which yields from 90,000 to 150,000 cases per year.<br />
"State Fish Commissioner E. P. Thompson has returned from a three weeks'<br />
trip along the Rogue, Coquille, TJmpqua and Sinslow Rivers and Coose Bay. He<br />
tells the Oregonian that all the canners on those waters are making preparations to<br />
operate their canneries to full capacity in anticipation of a good run. The cannery<br />
men and fishermen operating on all the rivers except Rogue want hatcheries.<br />
"Rogue River has a hatchery which has been operated off and on since 1877,<br />
and this artificial propagation is accountable for the threefold increase in the run.<br />
Rogue River is the only stream on the Pacific coast which has been fished con<br />
tinuously for a number of years and can show an increased run. I think we will be<br />
able to furnish each of the streams with 500,000 eggs annually, which will be taken<br />
from the Sacramento River. It will require ten days to ship the eggs from Saora..<br />
mento to either of the rivers, and upon arrival there the fishermen and cannery men<br />
will take care of them, and turn the young fish in the river when the hatching is<br />
completes Sacramento salmon rank next to Columbia River salmon and are superior<br />
to the fall fish of Coose Bay, or Rogue, Ooq uille, Umpqua and Sinslow Rivers. All<br />
want hatcheries, but if we can supply them with eggs right along hatcheries will not<br />
be necessary. It would cost about $2,500 per year to operate a small hatchery<br />
on each stream."— Weekly Astorian, 22nd December, 1888.<br />
E. P. Thompson, one of the Fish Commissioners, of Oregon, speaking of the prospective<br />
scarcity of salmon says: "Such cannot be the case so long as the present success<br />
in hatching them continues. The Clackamas will within a few months turn out<br />
6,000,000 young salmon. At R. D. flume's hatchery, at Ellensburg, on the Rogue<br />
River, there are about 400 salmon in the basin. These will yield enough eggs to<br />
hatch out at least 1,500,000 young salmon. The eggs are placed in the hatching<br />
troughs, at the rate of from 80,000 to 100,000 per day. This hatchery is owned by<br />
Mr. flume, but the State appropriates $2,000 to help him in his good work."<br />
In the report of the Oregon Fish Commission, for 1R88 the following statement<br />
is made :—<br />
"We will give a short history of the fishing industry on Rogue River to show<br />
what artificial propagation will do towards keeping up and even increasing the supply<br />
of fish in a stream."<br />
"In the summer of 1876, Mr. B. D. flume, prospected this river to some extent<br />
for salmon, and in the spring of 1887 located here and built a cannery at Ellensburg,<br />
about one mile above the mouth of the river. He packed during the spring run of<br />
that year 3,500 cases and at this time the supply of fish was abundant in all our<br />
streams.<br />
"During the summer he erected a small hatchery in connection with the cannery<br />
and secured about 100,000 salmon çggs; but, being an amateur in the business, did<br />
not have the best of success in hatching them. However, he succeeded in turning<br />
out about 50,000 young salmon. He has continued with one or two exceptions, to<br />
operate the hatchery each year, putting out annually from 50,000 to 150,000 young<br />
fish and has a fair prospect of putting out 1,500,000 this year. In consequence his<br />
pack has increased from year to year, and for the year 1888 his spring pack amounted<br />
to nearly 12,000 cases. You will plainly see that the increase has been quite large<br />
on this stream during the past ten years, while on all the other streams of the coast<br />
the salmon have decreased largely in numbers during the same period."<br />
"At the last session of the Legislature the appropriation of $2,000 was made for<br />
the enlargement and support of the Rogue River hatchery. The money was spent<br />
economically and well under the supervision of Mr. flume, in constructing another<br />
pond, in connection with the one already there. This was done by digging and<br />
blasting out a cavity 40 by 60 feet and 9 feet deep. After the earth and rock were