SALMON AND SALMON STREAMS OF ALASKA. 171 



in such numbers as the interests of canning require, and it is too small 

 for advantageous sale in cold storage. The Dolly Varden is wholly 

 wanting in the Upper Yukon region. 



The Great Lake trout or Mackinaw trout (Cristivomer namaycush) 

 is common in the Yukon region, which has a fauna very much like that 

 of Lake Superior. It abounds in the lakes, takes a hook readily and 

 reaches a weight of 50 pounds or more. A certain number of these are 

 shipped fresh to mining centers, as White Horse and Dawson. 



The Streams of Alaska. 



The rivers of Alaska, considered in relation to the salmon industry, 

 may be divided into three classes. King salmon streams, red salmon 

 streams and humpback salmon streams. The streams of the first class 

 from a quarter of a mile to a hundred miles wide at the mouth, have 

 a long course and are fed by melting ice or snow, and the course 

 for the most part is not through glacial lakes. In these rivers the 

 king salmon or Quinnat salmon run in the spring, as in the Sacramento 

 or Columbia. With them run also a certain number of red salmon, 

 and in the river mouths humpback, dog and silver salmon. The 

 run of the king salmon is however the chief characteristic. The 

 species in Alaska is less valuable than in the Columbia, because owing 

 to the shorter run the fishes are nearer the spawning season and a large 

 percentage have white meat even in June, a larger percentage than the 

 Columbia shows even in August. For various reasons, rough bottom, 

 fewift current, high tides, etc., most of these streams are not easily 

 fished. In the Stikine River, for example, traps are swept away by the 

 currents, seines are tangled up, a deep gill net will meet an under 

 current of salt water under the fresh water, and is thus upset. The 

 only effective fishing gear is therefore a very shallow gill net floating 

 in the fresh water at the surface. Rivers of the first class are the 

 following: Yukon, Kuskoquim, Shushitna, Copper, Alsek, Taku, Speel, 

 Whiting, Stikine and Unuk Rivers. The streams about Bristol Bay 

 should not be placed in this class, as they flow through lakes and are 

 essentially red salmon streams, in spite of their large size. 



The streams of the second class or red salmon streams are those of 

 large or small size which flow through lakes- or have lakes tributary to 

 them. In all these the red salmon runs freely, spawning always in the 

 gravelly bed of the stream at the head of some lake. The four 

 greatest of red salmon streams are the Fraser River, Karluk River, 

 Nushegak River and Kvichak River, all large streams flowing through 

 lakes. In proportion to the amount of water, probably no stream in 

 the world normally carries more salmon than the Karluk River. 



The streams of the third class, or humpback salmon streams, 

 comprise the remaining streams of Alaska. These may be large swift 



