8 TJ. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



run, and Smith River has a spring run alone. Rogue River in 

 Oregon has both a spring and a fall run, and the Umpqua and several 

 other coast streams of Oregon have small early runs. 



The Columbia River has three runs, the first entering during 

 January, February, and March, and spawning mainly in the Clack- 

 amas and neighboring streams. The second, which is the best run, 

 enters during May, June, and part of July, spawning mainly in the 

 headwaters. The third run occurs during late July, August, Sep- 

 tember, and part of October, and spawns in the tributaries of the 

 lower Columbia. 



In Puget Sound chinook salmon are found throughout the year, 

 although it is only during the spawning season that they are very 

 abundant. In the Fraser River, a tributary of the Sound, the run 

 occurs from March to August. 



In the Skeena River, British Columbia, the run occurs from May 

 to July, the same being approximately true of the Nass also. 



In southeast Alaska they are found aU months of the year. From 

 March to the middle of June they are abundant and feeding in the 

 numerous straits and sounds; in May and June the spawning fish 

 enter the Unuk, Stikine, Taku, Chilkat, Alsek, and Copper Rivers 

 in large numbers, and in a few smaller streams in lesser abundance. 

 In August, September, and October they are again to be found in 

 large numbers feeding in the bays and sounds, while during the 

 winter months a few have been taken on trawls set for halibut, 

 showing that they are living in the lower depths at this time. 



In Cook Inlet the run occurs during May and June and is com- 

 posed wholly of red-meated fish; in the rivers of Bristol Bay the run 

 comes in June and July, principally in the first-named month, and 

 the same is true of the Togiak, Kuskokwim, and Yukon Rivers, the 

 late appearance of the fish in the upper courses of the Yukon being 

 due to the immense distance the fish have to cover. 



SOCKEYE, BLUEBACK, OR RED SALMON. 



The red or blueback salmon (0. nerka), which forms the greatest 

 part of the canned salmon of the world, when it first comes in 

 from the sea is a clear bright blue above in color, silvery below. Soon 

 after entering the river for the purpose of spawning the color of the 

 head changes to a rich olive, the back and sides to crimson, and finally 

 to a dark blood red, and the belly to a dirty white. The maximum 

 weight is about 12 pounds, and length 3 feet, with the average weight 

 about 5 pounds, varying greatly, however, in different localities. 

 Observations of Chamberlain " in Alaska show that the average 

 weioht of a number of sockeyes taken from Yes Bay was 8.294 pounds, 

 while the average weight of a number from Tamgas was only 3.934 

 pounds. Evermann and Goldsborough ^ report as a result of the 

 weighings of 1,390 red salmon, taken from as many different places 

 in Alaska as possible, an average weight for the males of 7.43 pounds; 

 for the females, 5.78 pounds; or an average weight for both sexes of 

 6.57 pounds. A run of small, or dwarf, males accompanies certain 

 of the main runs, being especially noticeable in the Chignik Lagoon 



a Some Observations on Salmon and Trout in Alaska. By F.M.Chamborlain, naturalist, U.S. Fisheries 

 Steamer Alhatross. U. .S. Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 627, p. 80. Washington, 1907. 



fcThe Fi.shes of -Masks. By B. W. Evennann and E. L. Goldsborough. Bulletin, U. S. Bureau of 

 Fisheries, 1906, Vol. XXVI, p. 257. Washington, 1907. 



