PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 193 4 361 



Scale samples from the commercial catch at Bellinsham, Wash., 

 were collected, and marked fish were secured in cooperation with the 

 British Columbia investigators during the past fishing season. 



Statistics of the sockeye salmon fishery were collected and tabu- 

 lated during the first half of the year. In July J. A. Craig, who was 

 in charge of this problem, was transferred to the Columbia River 

 investigation and Dr. G. A. Rounsefell was placed in charge. Dr. 

 Rounsefell, in collaboration with G. B. Kelez, was engaged in pre- 

 jDaring a preliminary report on the statistics of the salmon fisheries 

 of Piiget Sound during the last half of the year. 



WASHINGTON COHO SALMON INVESTIGATION 



In January 1934 a new investigation on the coho salmon of Puget 

 Sound and tne coastal district of Washington was started under the 

 direction of George B. Kelez. The purpose of this investigation 

 was the determination of the life history and state of abundance of 

 this species, which not only contributes materially to the commercial 

 fisheries of this region, but also forms a large part of the catches 

 of the recreational salt-water fishing. 



A survey was made of the location and extent of the fisheries for 

 this species and the location and size of the streams in which they 

 spawn. During the early spring, sampling was carried on for year- 

 ling fingerlings resident in the streams, and the presence of fry 

 hatched during the year was noted. Collections of scales from adult 

 fish were made at Bellingham, Wash., at regular intervals during 

 the months of June to September (through the cooperation of the 

 Puget Sound sockeye investigation). Collections of scales from both 

 immature and mature fish in sport-fishing catches and from adult 

 fish in the commercial catches landed in Seattle from Cape Flattery 

 and Puget Sound were also made. Through the cooperation of 

 several fishing resort owners, records were obtained as to the abun- 

 dance of various sizes of cohos in inside waters during the past 

 season. 



A series of marking experiments was undertaken to secure infor- 

 mation on life history, homing instinct, and migrations of the spe- 

 cies: the fingerlings being supplied through the courtesy of the 

 Washington State Department of Fisheries. Twenty-six thousand 

 fry hatched at the Samish station in February were marked during 

 May by the removal of the adipose and dorsal fins and liberated in 

 Friday Creek, a tributary to the Samish River. At the same time 

 10,000 fry from the Skykomish station (which is located on an inde- 

 pendent stream system) were moved to the Samish station and 

 marked immediately by the removal of the adipose and left ventral 

 fins. These fish were also liberated in Friday Creek in an attempt 

 to determine the effect of transplanting the fry on their choice of the 

 stream in which they will spawn. A portion of the Samish fry, 

 from which those marked in May were taken, were held in the 

 Samish ponds until November, and an additional lot of 26,000 were 

 marked at that time by the removal of the dorsal and left ventral 

 fins. The comparative returns from the two Samish experiments 

 are expected to demonstrate whether or not the additional period of 



31690—36 6 



