Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 531 



Table XII. Average Total Lengthsf of Sea-run and Freshwater Brook Trout of 

 the Moser River in Five Seasons, May 18— August 4.* In Parentheses, Number of 



Fish Examined 



Seasons 3rd 4th. 5th 6tli 7th 



Sea-run trout (mm) 213 262 290 354 420 



Sea-run trout (in.) 83/8 105/16 11 7/16 14 169/16 



(94) (103) (307) (7) (0 



Freshwater trout (mm) 164 189 237 296 



Freshwater trout (in.) 6 79/16 9 5/6 11 3/16 



(50 (123) (46) (2) 



f Standard lengths converted to total lengths by the addition of 6°/o, a conversion factor determined from 



the Prince Edward Island Salters listed (p. 525). 

 * After Wilder, yS: 191, tab. 11. 



and of many of 3—3.5 pounds in Newman's Sound on the eastern coast (34: 4) are 

 more nearly representative of the largest Salters that are commonly taken in New- 

 foundland waters, where the great majority are nearer one pound. 



Salters "up to 7 and 10 pounds" are often taken along the Atlantic coast of Labra- 

 dor {48: 68), but some of these "outsize" fish may have been Arctic charr (p. 521). 

 At any rate, it seems that the Labrador Salters do not average any larger than the Nova 

 Scotian fish, for those caught along the southern section of Labrador "usually run 

 from one pound to four pounds in weight. "^^ Those reported as being taken near 

 Nain (about 56°3o'N) weigh up to only about two pounds {^2: 130), while Arctic 

 charr there weigh up to 8 — 10 pounds or more. Even the largest sea-run fontinalis that 

 have ever been weighed anywhere, or reliably reported, have fallen far short of the 

 largest of the freshwater fontinalis from various Maine and Canadian waters (p. 529). 



Rate of Growth. In the Mashpee River, on the south shore of Cape Cod, the Salters 

 average about 7.4 inches (188 mm) TL in their second season, about 8.8 inches 

 (223 mm) in their third season, about 9.9 inches (249 mm) in their fourth season, 

 and about 12.3 inches (312 mm) in their fifth (9: tab. i). The average lengths at cor- 

 responding ages for Salters of the Moser River, Nova Scotia, are about the same as these, 

 as appears from Table xii, based on Wilder's observations {j8: 191, tab. 11); and a 

 yearly increment of 1.4 inches, reported for the fish that sojourned the longest in the 

 sea off the coast of eastern Maine, is of this same order of magnitude. Table xii tends 

 to support the general view that the Salters grow somewhat faster than the freshwater 

 fontinalis in the same stream. 



Survival Rate. Information about the rate of survival for sea-going fontinalis in 

 different localities shows that only 127 (10.4 "/o) of the 1,220 Salters marked in the 

 Moser River system were retaken in the traps there on their return from the sea, with 

 the percentage greater for those larger than 220 mm (31— 35"/o) than for smolts of 

 180-205 mm (8.5 "/o); and it seems that the yearly mortality for sea-run fontinalis 

 is about the same on the coast of eastern Maine, where few survive for more than three 



2t. Information from Newfoundland Ranger S. M. Christian. 



34' 



