ATLANTIC SALMON 



31 



the conclusions of Phelps and Belding (3) 

 in 1930 as to the ultimate destination of 

 the Miramichi drift-net salmon. 



The results of the tagging experiments 

 illustrate the general effect of the Port-aux- 

 Basques drift-net fishery on the salmon of 

 nearly all sections of the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence and the local effect of the Miramichi 

 drift-net fishery on the salmon of the east 

 coast of New Brunswick and the Bay of 

 Chaleur. Likewise the early arrival, the 

 few local recaptures and the wide distribu- 

 tion of the Port-aux-Basques salmon sug- 

 gest but do not prove that these salmon are 

 entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the 

 ocean. 



Summary 



1. There is a ten-year cycle of abundance 

 in the Atlantic salmon of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, which attains its peak on the 

 years ending in five and its low point on the 

 years ending in zero. This cyclic phenom- 

 enon tends to mask evidence of a possible 

 decline in the commercial fishery. 



2. The salmon of the various parts of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence differ in such charac- 

 teristics as (1) the proportion of three-year 

 sea-life maiden salmon, (2) the percentage 

 of previously spawned salmon, (3) the du- 

 ration of river life, and (4) the length of 

 two-year sea-life maiden salmon. The ag- 

 gregate of these characteristics may provide 

 a means of differentiating the salmon of 

 various localities. 



3. Exclusive of grilse there are two runs 

 of salmon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: (1) 

 the run of large three-year sea-life salmon 

 and (2) the run of small two-year sea-life 

 salmon. The peak of the large salmon run 

 occurs about two weeks earlier than that of 

 the small salmon. The large salmon are 

 found in appreciable numbers only in the 

 Bay of Chaleur, on the Gaspe Peninsula, 

 on the western section of the north shore of 



the Gulf of St. La^vrence and on the Cape 

 Breton coast. 



4. In 1937 the movements of salmon in 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence were studied by 

 tagging salmon taken in shore-nets and 

 drift-nets. For the first time, salmon were 

 tagged successfully after capture in gill- 

 nets. 



5. The average percentage of recaptured 

 salmon tagged at eight stations in various 

 parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was 19.4 

 per cent. The percentage of recaptures in- 

 creased as the range of distribution de- 

 creased, the highest returns, 38 per cent, 

 being obtained from tagging in Gaspe Bay 

 and the lowest returns, 13.3 per cent, from 

 tagging in Cabot Strait. 



6. The salmon tagged at Port-aux- 

 Basques on the north side of Cabot Strait 

 showed a widespread distribution to all 

 parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence except 

 the eastern section of the north shore be- 

 tween Natashquan and the Strait of Belle 

 Isle. About three-fifths of the recaptured 

 tagged salmon were taken in Canada and 

 two-fifths in Newfoundland. 



7. There appears to be a definite west- 

 ward movement of salmon from Cabot 

 Strait to the western shores of the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence. 



8. The recaptured salmon tagged at the 

 Miramichi drift-net fishery on the western 

 shore of New Brunswick were equally dis- 

 tributed between the Bay of Chaleur and 

 the east coast of New Brunswick. 



References Cited 



1. Huntsman, A. G. 1931. The Maritime Salmon 



of Canada. Bull. Biol. Bd. Can., XXI. 



2. Phelps, E. B., and Belding, D. L. 1931. A 



Statistical Study of the Records of Salmon 

 Fishing in the Restigouche River. Privately 

 printed. 



3. Phelps, E. B., and Belding, D. L. 1930. An 



Investigation of Certain Conditions Affecting 

 the Salmon Fisheries of the Bay of Chaleur 

 and Adjacent Waters. Privately printed. 



