100 



THE MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION OF SALMON 



same condition of temperature which is not 

 true for the Margaree. I think it is apt to 

 vary with the physical conditions. 



Distribution of Spawned Salmon 

 OR Kelts 



Dr. Belding. The Dominion Government 

 has been tagging kelts for many years. 

 Their movements should be considered 

 separately from those of the maiden salmon 

 coming on the coast. 



Dr. Huntsman. I do not agree that 

 there are essential differences. Conclusions 

 have been drawn from the kelts as to what 

 the others are doing. 



Dr. Belding. Dr. Prefontaine and I be- 

 lieve that the presence of kelt in the Bay of 

 Chaleur at different seasons indicated that 

 at least some kelt do not leave this body of 

 water. 



Dr. Huntsman. Those put out in the 

 northwest Miramichi estuary do not seem 

 to particularly leave that estuary even to 

 go down to the main river. The Resti- 

 gouche recaptures indicate that where they 

 are captured later depends upon where 

 they are liberated, whether they have a dis- 

 tribution distinctly seawards or farther up. 



Dr. Belding. Were they recaptured in 

 the same year or after a winter in the sea? 



Dr. Huntsman. Mostly after two winters. 



Factors Affecting the Movement 

 OF Salmon 



Dr. Huntsman. We believe that we can- 

 not be very sure of interpretations of 

 salmon movements unless we get as definite 

 information as possible of the forces affect- 

 ing the movements. 



I agree with Dr. Ward that it is desira- 

 ble to find out the action of the environ- 

 ment on the fish. I am inclined to believe 

 that we might more or less take for granted 

 the nature of the salmon and ask what it 

 will do. This seems desirable in order to 

 understand the behavior of the fish in any 

 particular environment. For fish of any 

 particular river we should have a thorough 

 knowledge of the local environment to 

 which they will be exposed and of the 

 effects of the environment upon the fish. 



Mr. Menzies is familiar with facts which 

 seem definitely to indicate what determines 

 some of the movements of the salmon. 

 Drift of the water does not necessarily de- 

 termine what the salmon will do but where 

 it will be. 



temperature 



Temperature is a factor which operates 

 very widely and in extremely varied 

 fashion and I think that probably it is 

 pretty well appreciated. I find some rela- 

 tion between the time of capture and the 

 temperature of the sea. For the Margaree 

 in the spring when large amounts of ice are 

 brought against the coast, nearly all the 

 fisheries are delayed — lobster, cod and the 

 salmon fisheries — so that it seems as if it is 

 a definite factor determining when the fish 

 will be taken. 



Mr. Menzies. It is a little difficult to 

 ascertain the effect of temperature if the 

 salmon can be taken every day in the year. 



Dr. Huntsman. It is difficult to ascer- 

 tain the critical temperature on the Mar- 

 garee coast, since there is stratification of 

 the water. In the Bay of Fundy, particu- 

 larly in Minas Channel, it is comparatively 

 easy, as the water in that channel does not 

 differ in temperature more than a small 

 part of a degree from top to bottom. 



Mr. Menzies. In the Tay and Spey you 

 get salmon coming in from the sea every day. 



Dr. Belding. Temperatures in January 

 off the shores of Great Britain correspond 

 with those in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 

 May and June. 



Mr. Menzies. They will go up the river 

 at 34° F., possibly 33° or 34° and freely at 

 34° and 35° F. 



Dr. Ward. That shows the difference on 

 the two sides of the ocean. We do not get 

 that temperature range in the rivers on the 

 west coast; we do get temperatures that 

 run dangerously high. 



Dr. Belding. Mr. Calderwood in an arti- 

 cle written some years ago showed that the 

 relative temperature of the river as com- 

 pared with temperature of the sea had 

 nothing to do with the run of the salmon 

 into the river. 



