SH 163 .M7 Copy 1 U. S. COMMISSION OF FISH AND FISHERIES, GEORGE M. BOWERS, Commissioner. AN INQUIRY INTO THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING USEFUL MARINE ANIMALS INTO THE WATERS OF GREAT SALT LAKE. II. F. MOORE Extracted from V, S. Fish CommissioD Report for 1899. Pages 229 to 250, Plate 7. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1899. \' \ AN INQUIRY INTO THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCmG USEFUL MARINE ANIMALS INTO THE WATERS OF GREAT SALT LAKE. Bt H. F. MOORE. 229 AN INQUIRY INTO THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING USEFUL MARINE ANIMALS INTO THE WATERS OF GREAT SALT LAKE. By H. F. Moore. From time to time persons interested in the development of the resources of Utah have discussed the possibility of introducing into Great Salt Lake fishes and other animals of economic value which normally have their habitats in the salt and brackish waters of the sea and its estuaries. The matter has been called to the attention of the United States Fish Commission at frequent intervals, and some years ago a provisional promise to investigate the lake was made, but until 1898 the opportunity to make the inquiry did not present itself. It occurred to the writer, while engaged in experiments in growing oysters in claires, that it might be possible to find places near the mouths of the rivers flowing into Great Salt Lake where the influx of fresh water would mitigate the brininess of the lake sufficiently to make the general conditions favorable for the introduction of that valuable mollusk. It was recognized, of course, that the area which, even under the best conditions, would be found to possess the requisite physical characteristics could not be very extensive, and that there was little hope of introducing marine fishes, for Great Salt Lake holds saltwater of a density which could not be endured by ordinary marine organisms. Where fresh water flows into the lake from the rivers there is formed a narrow zone of a density approaching that of the sea, lying between the fresh water on the one hand and the salt on the other. This zone occurs only near the mouths of streams, and its limits are so circum- scribed as to allow but small latitude for the wanderings of fish and other marine organisms possessing active powers of locomotion, and they would be restricted therefore in the exercise of one of their most important functions, and would be in constant danger of wandering into the surrounding water where the conditions would be fatal. The oyster, on the other hand, is a sessile organism, and, if its immediate surroundings be favorable, a restricted area does not prohibit oyster culture of a certain character, except in so much as it correspondingly restricts the number of oysters which it is possible to raise. Influenced by these considerations, inquiry was made of persons interested in the matter and resident in the vicinity of the lake, and the replies indicated that there were certain places near the mouths of the rivers where one might expect to find the fresh and salt waters 231 232 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. blending in a manner which would satisfy the requirements so far as the density was concerned. Preliminary experiments had shown that diatoms, which constitute the chief food of the oyster, would grow in Salt Lake water when it was reduced in density within the limits in which the oyster would thrive, and it was believed that they would be actually found in the lake under the same density conditions. This assumption was afterwards verified by the investigation. Sufficient warrant was then apparent for an investigation which, if it had no other results, would at least set at rest any future agitation and uncertainty concerning the matter. The scope of the inquiry was enlarged to embrace the question of the feasibility of introducing not only the oyster, but also crabs and fishes, although probably nobody in the Commission had any expectation of favorable results from either, and perhaps with the exception of the writer none had much hope of a favorable report concerning the oyster. From its configuration, and from the information which it was pos- sible to acquire by correspondence. Bear Eiver Bay was selected as the first and principal point for investigation, although, after the unfavor- able result of the examination there, inquiry was directed to all other places which offered any promise of success. About three weeks were consumed in the inquiry. In order to make the results intelligible considerable attention is given in the report to a resume of the hydrographic, physical, and chemical features of the lake and its drainage systems, as it is upon these, rather than upon the purely biological conditions, that the unfavorable character of the conclusions is based. GREAT SALT LAKE DRAINAGE BASIN. The drainage basin of Great Salt Lake comprises about 54,000 square miles, principally in northern and northwestern Utah, but including also a small part of southwestern Wyoming and southeastern Idaho. Practically all of the water discharged by streams into the lake is derived from the eastern part of its drainage basin, where the high peaks of th^ Wasatch and Uinta ranges interrupt and cool the moisture- laden winds and cause them to deposit their aqueous contents in the form of snow and rain. During the winter great stores of snow accumulate in the mountains to be released during the spring months, and in some of the higher and more sheltered ravines snow banks per- sist throughout the year. Owing to the late melting of the snows in the mountains the rivers discharge their maximum amount of water late in spring and the cumulative effect is to bring the lake to its maximum elevation late in June. There are three principal drainage systems — the Bear, the Weber, and the Jordan — all of which enter the lake on the east side. In addi- tion, there are a number of small streams and creeks, which, in the main, are more heavily charged than the rivers with saline materials. Most of them flow from the Oquirrh and Promontory ranges. On the EXAMINATION OF WATERS OF GREAT SALT LAKE. 233 western side of the lake there are no high luouii tains, and as there is nothing therefore to abstract the moisture from the winds there is practically no drainage into the lake from the westward. The laud on the west side is, in general, a desert with scattered short mountain rauges of small altitude and the isolated, partly buried buttes and peaks commonly called " lost mountains." BEAR RIVER. Bear River rises in the northern part of Utah in a number of small streams which spring from the east slope of the Wasatch Mountains and the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. The course of the stream is at first northerly, several times crossing and recrossing the boundary line between Utah and Wyoming and receiving on its way many small streams from mountain ravines. At Border Station the Bear Kiver finally leaves Wyoming, and enteriug Idaho is deflected to the northwest as far as Soda Si)rings, where it circles the end of the Bear River Mountains and takes a southerly course. Bear Lake, about 22 miles long by 7 miles wide, lies across the boundary line between Idaho and Utah, being contained in about equal parts in each State. North of the lake is an extensive marsh, sej)arated from it by a long, low ridge of sand thrown up by the waves to a height of from 2 to 5 feet above the water level, and pierced in two places by narrow passages, through which the water flows from the lake into the marsh, or from the marsh into the lake, depending u])on the relative level of each. Bear River flows tlirougli the northern and eastern part of the marsh, flooding it in times of high water and draining it during dry seasons, and from the conditions stated it follows that the lake to some extent acts as a reservoir, receiving some of the surplus water during flood and relinquishing it again when the river falls. Three million whitefish fry were planted in this lake by the United States Fish Commission in March, 1896, but no evidence has been received that this attempt to introduce the species was successful. South of Soda Springs the Bear River flows through the fertile Gen- tile and Cache valleys, the principal tributaries in this region being the Cub River and the several branches of the Logan River on the east and the Malade River on the west bank. In its lower reaches, below Corinne and the mouth of the Malade River, the river meanders through a low jjlain used in part for grazing, the width of the stream here measuring between 00 and 75 yards. In the northern part of section 31, townshii) 9 north, range 3 west, it first breaks from its well-defined channel and a large part of its water escapes in two overflows, which spread out into a, broad, shallow lake, extending over a large section of what is indicated on the maps as dry land and known to the duck hunters as Bear River Bay. A few miles lower in its course the river again breaks out in a series of overflows, one of which discharges northward through a shallow 234 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. lagoon locally called "Section Tom's Bay," and the others flowing southward into South Bay, an equally shallow lake of fresh water lying in the bottom which was covered by the lake during the period of high water between 1865 and 1890. Below the point of efflux of these sev- eral "overflows," the main channel of the river, as it existed at the time of the Stansbury survey and the low-water stage of that period, has become almost filled up and reduced to the status of a muddy slough. The course of this channel can still be traced in -part by the stumps of the willows which formerly fringed the banks but were killed by the encroaching salt water of the lake and afterwards cut ofi" by the ice that formed on the fresh water above and drifted about under the influence of the wind. It is evident that during the late period of high water, when the encroachment of the lake upon the land caused the river to discharge farther eastward than is shown upon the map, the silt and sediment brought down by the current were deposited in the old bed and when the lake again subsided the river was forced to seek new channels with the resultant changes in the topography noted above. Below the upper overflows the country to the northward of the river bank is marshy and overgrown with tules (a species of Schyus), the gathering-place of vast flocks of waterfowl, and below the lower overflows the south side of the river is of the same character. The land map on file at the court-house in Brigham City shows surveyed sections on the north side of the river which are in reality under water (the " Bear Eiver Bay " mentioned above), even at the present low stage of water, while on the south side the recession of the water has exposed a large area of alkali flats and miry clay which was recently part of the lake bed. The flow of water in Bear Kiver is subject to great seasonal variation, as is shown in the following table recording tlie discharge as measured at Oolinston, Utah, in 1897, according to Professor Fortier : Date. Jan. 1-. Jan. 5. Jan. 10. Jan. 15. .Jan. 20. Jan. 25. Jan. 30. Feb. 5. Feb. 10. Peb. 15. Feb. 20. Feb. 25 Feb. 28 Mar. 5 . Mar. 10 Mar. 15 Mar. 20 Mar. 25 Mar. 30 Apr. 5 . Apr. 10 Apr. 15 Cubic I feet per, second. 480 I u25 590 590 275 375 375 375 590 375 375 375 375 375 375 375 375 375 570 570 990 090 Date. Cubic feet per I second Apr. 20. Apr. 25. Apr. 30. May 5. . May 111. May 15. May 20. May 25. May 30. June 5 . June 10 Juno 15 Juno 20 June 25 June 30 Julys.. July 10. Julv 15. July 20. July 25 . JulyiiO. Aug. 5 . 900 415 602 6tl5 165 665 295 005 295 540 500 805 990 035 570 445 930 590 375 375 142 100 I Cubic feet per I second. Aug. 10 Aug. 15 Aug. 20 Aug. 25 Aug. 30 Sept. 5. Sept. 10 Sept. 15 Sept. 20 Sept. 25 .Sept. 30 Oct. 5 . . Oct. 10 . Oct. 15 . Oct. 20 . Oct. 25 . Oct. 30 . Dec. 5.. Dec. 10. Dec. 15. Dec. 20. 100 100 025 990 955 100 185 230 185 185 275 230 590 872 872 930 095 275 375 590 695 EXAMINATION OF WATERS OF GREAT 8 ALT LAKE. 235 The water of Bear Eiver at the head of the upper overflow is turbid, and ordinarily a large portion of the mud would be precipitated in the shallow lagoons which retard the currents near the river's mouth, a part of it being again taken up and carried into the lake during the spring and summer high water. Curiously, however, these lagoons are not permitted to serve as settling reservoirs during the spring and fall, owing to immense flocks of waterfowl which keep the muddy bottom continually stirred up. During a large part of the year, therefore, the river is discharging a heavy volume of sediment into Bear Eiver Bay, which in its upper end, on this account, has become very shallow, with a bottom composed in the main of soft, deep, sticky mud. In a few places the bottom is firm enough to support oysters on the surface, but in most places a person wading will sink to the knees. The water in the lagoons near the mouth of the river is quite fresh. An analysis by F. W. Clarke of the water, at Evanston, Wyo., show^ed the following probable constituents in grams per liter : Calcium car- bonate, .1080; magnesium carbonate, .0438; sodium sulphate, .0155; sodium chloride, .0081; silica, .0070. The quantities are so small that the saliuometer is not appreciably affected even at the mouth of the river, where it must be supposed that the proportions of the several substances, or some of them, are greater, owing to the leaching out of the salt lands near the lake. It was to this locality that some of the I)reliminary correspondence pointed as a favorable place for the intro- duction of the oyster, but the observations just noted make it evident that these waters are entirely without the pale of consideration in this connection. It is probable, however, that the cat-fish might be intro- duced here with considerable hope of success and a fish supply of some commercial importance to the surrounding country might be thus obtained. JORDAN RIVER. Utah Lake, which is the reservoir from which the Jordan derives its main supply, lies in Utah Valley about 40 miles south of Great Salt Lake. It is about 20 miles long with a maximum width of about 8 miles, its dimensions being subject to considerable seasonal and non- periodic variations. It derives its main water supply from streams entering the east side of the lake from the Wasatch Mountains. The largest of these is Provo River, which rises in canyons on the west side of the Uinta Mountains and, breaking through the Wasatch Eauge, empties into the lake near its middle, in the vicinity of Provo City. Four or five other streams enter it from the east and south, but they are very small, except during April, May, and June. Fed as it is by a fluctuating supply, the lake level undergoes great oscillations, in its turn affecting the discharge of the Jordan, through which all of the surplus water is carried. The Jordan leaves Utah Lake at its northern end and soon after passes through a gap in the Traverse Mountains at a point where the 236 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. discharge from a former greater Utah Lake has cut a deep channel, now characterized by rapids. !North of the "I:^ arrows" the Jordan receives a number of small tributaries from the canyons of the Wasatch, but a large part of the water of these streams is utilized for irrigation purposes in Salt Lake Yalley and furnishes the water supply of Salt Lake City. In its lower part the river runs through an alkali plain. It flows in a well-defined channel until it reaches a point west of Woods Cross, where the channel forks, the western fork almost imme- diately breaking uj) into a series of tortuous channels in a marsh. The eastern branch maintains its integrity to a greater extent, but the whole country below the forks forms a marshy delta, cut up by sloughs and lagoons, with a bottom of soft mud supporting a growth of sedges and tules. In many of the lagoons a dense growth of watercress forms a mattress rising sometimes as much as 2 feet above the water level. The only really firm ground in the delta is formed by a sandy tract, extending perhaps a mile parallel to the east channel, and destitute of vegetation. This is stated to be the filled channel of the river before the late high-water level in the lake. As at Bear River, the water in the lagoons is practically fresh, a sample taken in the east channel of the river where it enters the lake having a density of 1.0008. The following is the probable composition of the solid matter in solution in the water at the source of the river in Utah Lake, as deduced from the analyses made by F. W. Clarke, in 1883, the figures representing grams to the liter of water: Calcium carbonate, .0038 ; magnesium carbonate, .0641 ; sodium carbonate, .0204 ; calcium sulphate, .1849; sodium chloride, .0204; silica, .0100. It will be noticed that this water differs from that in Bear River in the much smaller content of calcium carbonate, in the presence of a large pro- portional amount of calcium sulphate and some sodium carbonate, and in the absence of sodium sulphate. This represents the main supply of the Jordan, but the composition is to some extent modified by the influx of the several creeks entering the river betow Utah Lake, and by the mineral matter leached out of the alkali lands. Its salinity, however, is so low that there is no possibility whatever of introducing marine species, such as crabs, in the lagoons of the delta, and there is no necessity, therefore, to consider the probable i)hysiological effects of the several mineral constituents upon fishes and other aquatic life. Unfortunately the Jordan River has not been systematically gauged, and its annual oscillation can not be shown, as in the case of Bear and Weber rivers. It undergoes the same variation, however, discharging most water in July and least in early spring. At its maximum it carries much less than the Bear, and at its minimum it has about three- fourths of the flow of that river, its annual oscillation being, therefore, less than in the case of either of the other rivers considered in this report, owing to the fact that its flow is regulated by the reservoir function of Utah Lake. The lake off the mouth of the Jordan River may therefore be considered to have a smaller annual fluctuation in EXAMINATION OF WATERS OP GREAT SALT LAKE. 237 density, so far as the influx of fresh water is concerned, than it has in corres])onding relation to either the liear or the Weber; that is, leaving out of consideration the effects of the wind in directing the flow of the strongly saline water of the lake, there is less liability of a fatal varia- tion due to the influx of fresh water from the river. If, we will saj', oysters were ijut down during the low- water stage of the river; near the outer limit marking the location of the maximum density in which they will live, it is not certain that the water during the flood season would become freshened below the minimum density in which they thrive. But taking into consideration the fact that the outer limits of the zone of favorable density move landward during the prevalence of north winds, owing to the encroachments of the briny water of the lake, it is evident that in so locating our plant as to prevent the one catastrophe we would invite another. As compared with the Bear River the waters at the mouth of the Jordan are clear and the mud of the lake bottom is harder and not so deep. This is doubtless owing in part to the deposit of a larger i>ro- portion of the suspended matter in the sluggish water of the lagoons and sloughs, where it is not stirred up by the waterfowl, as on the Bear River. In many places the bottom on the alluvial fan is quite hard, and covered with a vegetable felting or carpet composed largely of diatoms. This is especially the case in the shoaler, fresher water, to which places, however, the saline waters find frequent access. The zone of mixed water Is here broader than at the mouth of the Bear or Weber. WEBER RIVER. The Weber River rises in the high ridges of the Avestern part of the Uinta Mountains, between the sources of the Bear River on the north and the Provo River on the south. It receives a number of tributaries on both banks, but none of considerable importance except the Ogden River, which joins it at Ogden. Below Ogden the Weber runs through low laud, and eventually breaks into two branches, one of which flows to the north, the other to the south. The northern branch divides and subdivides, part of it being lost in the swampy flats and part flowing into a shallow bay (not shown on the map), which is connected with the lake north of Mud Island. This bay, which was formed during the recent subsidence of the lake, is about 2 miles long and ^ mile wide, with an average depth of about 4 inches. The southern branch enters the lake 4 or 5 miles west of Hooper, opposite Fremont Island. The channel remains undi- vided to its mouth, and it carries ]>ractically the whole discharge of the river except during the spring floods. In October, 1898, the north channel was almost dry. The Weber River is subject to greater and more sudden fluctuations than either the Bear or Jordan, l Howard StoHJbury inl849. Cop' C E DuUoii in 1879 ATI A Olliir Public and Pi-ivati by C Mostyn- Owen. CE Ma)- IS 1891. EXAMINATION OF WATERS OF GREAT SALT LAKE. 241 Promontory and Oquirrh mountains, and Carrin<oint of view this fact has no value when we are confronted by the absolutely xirohibitive physical conditions which the present examination disclosed. There is much greater probability of attaining valuable results by introducing cat-fish into the fresh sloughs near the mouths of the rivers than by attempting the introduction of marine species into the lake. LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 002 854 083 8