Table 2. — Average values in blood chemistry of adult pink .tahiion at three stages of maturity from three areas of Alaska in 1963 



(Numbers In parentheses are numbers o( samples analyzed! 



" Plasma. 



1 Whole blood. 



" Female pmk saltnon from Olsen Bay not included in combined values. 



ALBUMIN AND GLOBULIN 



Albumin antJ globulin are discussed together 

 because both are blood proteins. Comparisons 

 are made between males and females (table 2) 

 in the three spawning stages (figs. 2 and 3). 



0.0 



1.0 



ALBUMIN IMILLtGRAMS PERCENT) 



2.0 



MIGRATING M 



PRESPAWNING M 



PRESPAWNING F 



SPAWNING M 



SPAWNING F 



J 1 I L. 



0.0 



0.5 



GLOBULIN (MILLIGRAMS PERCENT) 



Figure 3. — Globulin of blood of adult pink salmon in 

 three stages of maturity. (F, females; M, males.) 



Figure 2. — Albumin of blood of adult pink salmon in 

 three stages of maturity. (F, females; M, males.) 



Although the range in values was large, the 

 average concentrations of components in males 

 showed little change from the migrating 

 through the prespawning and spawning stages. 

 The albumin-globulin ratio was greater than 

 1:1 — the ratio considered normal for mammals 



and most fishes (Shell, 1961). The albumin 

 values for prespawning females were about 

 half of those for prespawning males, whereas 

 the globulin values for prespawning females 

 averaged higher than tho.se for males (table 

 2). The albumin-globulin ratio was 0.7:1 for 

 prespawning females. The globulin was great- 

 ly reduced in spawning females, and the albu- 

 min-globulin ratio (1.5:1) was more nearly 



198 



U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



