206 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



colour has become associated with poor grades of fish, in many cases 

 without reason, and the dog salmon, even in its prime, is not very 

 rich in colour. The fact that badly deteriorated fish have been canned 

 and sold has given a basis for a real prejudice, which has been kept 

 alive by certain canners, who still put up fish unfit for human con- 

 sumption. On that account there is little chance for even prime dog 

 salmon to take its proper place in general favour, except in certain 

 cases where reliable dealers have been able to get it introduced. 



Dog salmon do not go far from the salt water to spawn, and 

 consequently, by the time they enter the mouth of the river or stream, 

 the roe or milt is well developed, with a corresponding deterioration 

 of the other tissues of the body. At this time, however, the flesh is 

 too poor to be suitable for consumption. Before they start up stream 

 these salmon collect in large numbers in the salt water near the mouth 

 of the river, up which they expect to ascend, so that they provide an 

 easy mark for the seine fishermen. On that account there is strong 

 temptation for the canners to unduly prolong the season, especially 

 in a year when there is a big demand for salmon. The immediate 

 gain so obtained is far more than offset by the harm that is done to 

 the trade in general, and to the locality where the fish are caught, 

 while at the same time the chances for the future are imperilled be- 

 cause the excessive drain on the stock of fish will tend to bring about a 

 reduced supply, as it has done in different localities in the case of other 

 species. 



Little is known concerning the history of the dog salmon, except 

 what may be learned from the scales. The spawn is deposited in 

 small streams and rivers not far from the sea and all the young fry 

 (as far as our examination has gone) pass down very soon to the sea, 

 where they remain near the mouths of streams for some time. They 

 have been seen in the sea before the yolk was all absorbed. In 1914, 

 the first fry were seen near the station on March 4, in 1915, March 7, 

 in 1916, April 8 and in 1917, April 11. Only in 1914 were any seen 

 with the yolk partly unabsorbed. In 1916 and 1917, the water of 

 the streams was much colder than in the two preceding years and 

 remained cold for a longer period, hence the delay in hatching out 

 and in the appearance in the sea. A note has been published on the 

 fry at this stage. ^ The schools of fry remain in shallow water until 

 the end of June or early in July, after which they are not seen in such 

 numbers, but some of them remain in comparatively shallow water- 

 throughout the summer arid fall. By the end of August they are 



^ Oncorhynchus keta Walbaum, in Ichthyological notes, Trans. Roy. Can. 

 Inst., 1916, p. 111-113. 



