Figure 8. — Pink salmon in Rodman Creelv, Baranof Island, Alaska, on August 10, 

 1941. Observations revealed that bald eagles were feeding on salmon which was 

 largely, if not entirely, carrion. (Photograph by R. H. Imler. ) 



say regarding the relation of the 

 bald eagle to salmon. 



The fish [salmon] taken are mainly 

 those that have exhausted themselves in 

 spawning, but unspawued fish are often 

 taken when they are in shallow water on 

 riffles or rising at the surface of quiet 

 shallow pools. Eagles also make use of 

 fish which are left on the banks by bears 

 and wolves. * * * i have counted 150 

 Eagles from one point, and there were 

 others nearby, though out of sight. 



Allan Brooks (1922, p. 556) made 

 a somewhat different appraisal in 

 neighboring British Colnmbia when 

 he commented : 



My first acquaintance with the species 

 was in the lower Eraser Valley where, 

 although it was a very scarce breeder, 

 large numbers were resident throughout 

 the year, but increasing in the fall when 

 the run of the various salmon was at its 

 height. Here they confined themselves 

 mainly to a fish diet as this was avail- 

 able throughout the year. Salmon were 



largely taken before they had spawned 

 and there were always large numbers of 

 eagles watching the wide shallow estuary 

 of the Chilliwack or Veddar River where 

 it empties into Sumas Lake. Here the 

 salmon, except such species as ascended 

 in June and July when the water was 

 deep, had a very hard time, very large 

 fish were eaten alive as they attempted 

 to cross the shallow bars, a strong fish 

 would often flounder clear of the Eagle's 

 claws a dozen times before it succumbed. 



With such diverse conclusions be- 

 ing reached regarding the relation 

 of tlie bald eagle to salmon, one must 

 assume that local conditions play an 

 important part in deciding the 

 eagle's role. Certainly the relative 

 abundance of eagles from ])liice to 

 place is important, and a broader, 

 more comprehensive perspective of 

 the problem is called for. In this 

 connection, the words of John H. 

 Cobb (1931) formerly Dean of the 



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