10 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



schools of fish, which pass back and forth from one to the otlier. 

 No conclusive evidence was obtained, however, that any consider- 

 able proportion of the commercial run frequents either the local 

 spawning grounds tributary to these bays or other local spawning 

 grounds on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula. 



A most important feature of the Ikatan, Morzhovoi, and Shu- 

 magin tagging experiments consisted in the considerable number of 

 marked salmon that passed into Bering Sea and were recaptured 

 in the Port Moller district and on the various fishing grounds of 

 Bristol Bay, including those off the mouths of the Ugashik, Egegik, 

 Naknek, Kvichak, and Nushagak Rivers. These amply demonstrate 

 a movement throughout the season from the North Pacific into 

 Bering Sea, and indicate that a considerable contingent of the red 

 salmon that form the great run on the northern shores of the 

 Alaska Peninsula have their feeding grounds in the North Pacific 

 and enter Bering Sea only when on their final spawning migration. 

 It is felt that this is one of the most important contributions ever 

 made to our knowledge of the oceanic migrations of fishes. 



The investigation of the salmon run in the Karluk River was con- 

 tinued. The count of red salmon entering the stream was much 

 below that of 1921, and an investigation of the spawning ground 

 made by Doctor Gilbert and Mr. Rich showed a corresponding 

 scarcity of spawning fish. 



SALMON OF PACIFIC COAST STATES. 



Progress has been made in the investigation of the life histories 

 of the salmon of the Pacific coast. Very satisfactory results were 

 obtained during the year from one of the extensive salmon-marking 

 experiments in progress on the Columbia River. During the spring 

 of 1920 the bureau and the Oregon Fish Commission, in cooperation, 

 marked 100,000 young sockeye salmon {Oncorhynchus nerka) at the 

 Herman Creek hatchery of the Oregon commission. These fish 

 were reared from eggs brought from the Yes Bay hatchery of the 

 bureau in 1918 and had been hatched at the Bonneville hatchery of 

 the Oregon commission and reared at the Herman Creek hatchery. 

 The marking was under the supervision of Willis H. Rich, of the 

 bureau, and consisted in the removal of the adipose and both of the 

 ventral fins. 



A considerable number of these fish, grown to maturity, were re- 

 covered this year in the Columbia River, and scales and data from 

 approximately 1,200 were obtained by H. B. Holmes, temporary 

 assistant. Mr. Holmes was greatly aided in this work by the Oregon 

 Fish Commission, which offered a reward of $1 for the return of the 

 scars from each fish accompanied by the necessary data and scales. 



These returns are far the most satisfactory that have ever been 

 obtained from the marking experiments that have been conducted 

 on the Columbia River during the past six years. It is especially 

 interesting that the results obtained this year are quite comparable 

 with those obtained in 1918 from a similar experiment begun in 

 1916, and the estimated per cent of the total number of returned fish 

 is very similar. The results this year further support those obtained 

 in 1918 in that the adult fish were distinctly different from the 

 typical Columbia River fish of the same species, locally known as 



