686 tr. s. BUREAU of fisheries 



SPECIES OF SALMON 



All five species of salmon are to be found along the Siberian coast, 

 and the schools appear to run about the same as they do on the 

 American side. Although we have very little authentic data relating 

 to their movements, these are doubtless similar to the runs on the 

 Alaska coast, where climatic and other conditions are very similar. 

 Nearly all streams from the Arctic Ocean to North China seem to have 

 runs of one or more species. The steelhead does not appear to be an 

 inhabitant of the Asian coast. 



The fishing carried cyi by the Russians has usually been along the 

 rivers of the mainland, principally in the Amur and on Sakhalin 

 Island. 



From very early times Japanese fishermen have frequented the 

 Siberian coast and Sakhalin Island (the southern portion of which 

 they at one time owned, exchanging it to Russia for the Kurile 

 Islands in 1875 and again acquiring it in 1905, as a result of the 

 Russian- Japanese war), being drawn here mainly by the rich stores of 

 salmon which could be secured easily and quickly, and were so neces- 

 sary to eke out the vast quantity needed to supply such a fish-eating 

 nation as Japan. 



FISHING DISTRICTS 



The Priamur fishing district is subdivided into several districts as 

 follows : 



Nikolaei'sk district. — This district comprises the whole lower part 

 of the Amur River from the vUlage Zimmermanovka down to the 

 mouth of the river, about 300 miles; the River Amgun, 200 miles; 

 the Amur estuary, about 150 mUes on the mainland and about 130 

 mUes on the coast of Sakhalin Island, and about 865 miles of the coast 

 line on the southwestern shore of the Okhotsk Sea. In 1913 there 

 were 139 fishing stations operated in this district, and this number 

 had been materially increased since. Humpbacks and chums were 

 the principal species of salmon taken. 



Sakhalin district. — The Sakhalin district includes the entire coast 

 line of Sakhalin Island with the exception of that facing the Amur 

 estuary, which belongs to the Nikolaevsk district. It is the smallest 

 district, and at present is of little importance. In 1913 there were 

 14 stations on the island and they produced chum and humpback 

 salmon. 



Okhotsk-Kamchatka district. — The Okhotsk section covers the 

 coast line of the northern part of the Okhotsk Sea from Port Ayan 

 to Penjin Promontory, about 1,620 mUes. Chum, humpback, coho, 

 and red salmon, and Dolly Varden trout are found here. The West 

 Kamchatka section includes the coast line from the Sopotshnaya 

 River down to the southern Ozernof shore fishing stations, a distance 

 of about 335 miles. The Ozernaya River is, so far as known, the 

 only river in this section that the red salmon visit in any quantities. 

 In 1913 there were 152 fishing stations in this section, most of which 

 were leased to Japanese. The number has since been increased. 

 All five species of salmon and the Dolly Varden troufe are found here. 

 The East Kamchatka section covers the coast line of eastern Kam- 

 chatka and Anadir Peninsulas, about 1,843 miles. The majority 

 of the fishing stations are concentrated around Karaginsky (Count 

 Litka) Bay, in the straits from the Malo-Voyam River to Kitchigin 



