14 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Sacramento Rivers are too thin for o;ood mild curing, few being 

 packed on the Columbia in the fall for fear of injuring the high 

 standard set by the spring-run product. The Yukon River fish are 

 credited with being the fattest of all the king salmon. The spring 

 runs of the Columbia and Sacramento are the choice fish for mild 

 cure in both color and fat, being second only to the Yukon in fat. 

 The Oregon coast streams are said to have long-shaped fish with not 

 much fat. Cook Inlet fish are of low fat content, and Grays Harbor 

 fish, though large, have so little oil that they are no longer mild cured 

 but are sent to the fresh markets. Copper River fish have more oil, 

 and farther north there is plenty of oil in the fish. 



A high oil content is desirable for richness, a thick large fish is 

 preferred, and the redder the flesh the better the sale. Pale-colored 

 salmon are salable as mild cure, but the " white " salmon are of little 

 value when cured, not because of inferior quality but on account of 

 their appearance. 



Although of good color, the lack of oil in the fall run of the Sac- 

 ramento fish prevents a fine quality mild cure, but they have one 

 peculiar advantage. The cured sides are hard and leathery from 

 lack of oil, but they will smoke better than the fat sides in extremely 

 hot weather. Ocean fish and oily, spring-run, river fish can not be 

 smoked during the eastern midsummer heat because the sides begin 

 to spoil and taint in the drying house and smokehouse. 



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