196 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



not necessarily indicate that they would appear in the rivers and 

 streams on the eastern slope of Vancouver island. No 2-year females 

 were found. 



Reference has been made to the "blueback" stage of the echo. 

 Since the Nanaimo cannery took in fish from early in July until the 

 coho run was entirely over, the transition from the "blueback" to 

 the mature coho could be followed readily. At the beginning of rapid 

 growth in the third year, the coho, which then weighs 13^ to 2 3/^ 

 pounds, although some of them are much larger than this, has the 

 characteristic blue which it retains until well on in the summer. The 

 skin is very soft so that the scales are shed very readily, the flesh is 

 soft and dry. Particularly when the fish is gorged with schizopods 

 or other crustaceans, it spoils very soon after being caught. By the 

 end of June or the middle of July many of them have nearly reached 

 the limit of their growth and are now first grade fish. Hence, by 

 catching the fish in April there is destruction of capital, without 

 getting a good product that in three or four months would bring in a 

 profit of from 100 to 300 per cent. During July and sometimes to the 

 end of August, the blueness remains and the scales are still readily 

 shed. The flesh is firm and as a canned product is in great demand. 

 The change from this condition takes place rather rapidly when it 

 starts. As spawning time approaches, the milt or roe develops rapidly 

 at the expense of the other tissues of the body. The flesh becomes 

 poorer in quality, coarser in texture, lacking in color. The blueness 

 disappears, the scales become firmly set as the flesh thickens around 

 them and they become disintegrated at the margin. By the time the 

 hook becomes pronounced in the snout of the male, and the skin is 

 more or less blotched with dark red, the flesh is no longer suitable for 

 consumption. Of those that came into the Nanaimo cannery, very 

 few coho, as distinguished from bluebacks, came in during July; 

 towards the end of August they made quite a significant proportion 

 of the whole catch ; through September the percentage rapidly became 

 greater and after the 1st of October scarcely any bluebacks 

 appeared. 



All the coho examined were of the stream type, having stayed in 

 the fresh water until some time early in the second year. In this they 

 agree with those caught in the strait of Georgia in the previous year. 

 The three exceptions reported from Neah bay were dog salmon, not 

 cohos. Of the 1972 3-year fish examined, 999 or 50-7 per cent were 

 males and 973 or 49-3 per cent were females. The numbers there- 

 fore are practically equal. In fact in the first 1,000 examined, the 

 males and females were exactly equal in number. 



