IIG NORTHERN FISHES 



KING SALMON (Chinook Salmon) 

 Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum) 



The king salmon is a large fish weighing about 20 pounds, although 

 weights up to 100 pounds are known. This fish has a dusky back and 

 silver sides, and the back and tail are covered with small black spots. 

 The dorsal fin has 11 rays; the anal fin usually has 16. 



It is native to the northern Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea to 

 Japan and Southern California, and ascends coastal streams to spawn. 

 Numerous attempts, dating back many years, have been made to intro- 

 duce this species into Minnesota. In 1876 and for several succeeding 

 years many plants of fry and fingerhngs were distributed in the lakes 

 of Rice, Blue Earth, Washington, Ramsey, Hennepin, Meeker, Wright, 

 Faribault, and several other counties, and in the Cannon, Blue Earth, 

 St. Croix, and Red rivers. There are records in the Annual Report of 

 the Minnesota Fish Commissioners for 1878 of an occasional catch of 

 some of the fish that had been planted about two years before. They 

 had then reached a length of 10 to 13 inches. These reports came mostly 

 from Rice County. Chinook salmon that had died in Sunfish Lake, 

 Dakota County, had acquired a length of 16 1/2 inches and a weight of 

 2 pounds, 2 ounces. In 1881 many yearlings and several hundred thou- 

 sand fry were planted even more widely, reaching as far south as lakes 

 in Nobles County, and a generous supply was planted in the Upper 

 Mississippi River at Brainerd. Many jxars later the United States 

 Fish Commission made plants in Lake Superior, but with httle apparent 

 success. 



Only one instance has been reported of this fish's ever having reached 

 mature size in the smaller lakes. This specimen, 20 inches long, was 

 taken in Lake Minnie Bell, Meeker County, Minnesota, in June 1919. 

 Fingerlings had been planted in this lake in June 1916. An occasional 

 fish has been reported from Lake Superior, but most of these fishes 

 proved to be large steelheads. At least one authentic catch is recorded, 

 that of a 12-pounder taken by Eben Falconer off Susie Island in late 

 November 1921 and forwarded to Governor Preus of Minnesota, in 

 whose office it was examined by Surber. Mr. R. G. Gale reported catch- 

 ing several salmon off the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior in nets 

 set for lake trout, in 1934-35. 



