GROWTH RATE IX PACIFIC SALMON 27 



whole of the marine life, and another, a race of l^frger fish that goes out to the open 

 ocean and comes back only as spawning time approaches. The Quathiaski and Lasqueti 

 fish were made up largely or entirely of the former, the Fraser river fish largely or 

 entirely of the latter, and those from ISTanaimo included some of each. There seems 

 to be little difference in the first two years' growth in the different year classes; the 

 variation occurs in the growth during the third year. Of the fish brought into 

 Nanaimo, the 1917 fish were larger than the 1916 but smaller than the 1915. The 

 weight-length ratio shows no material difference in the different localities. 



All the humpbacks were of the sea type in the second year. Those from Deep- 

 water bay were evidently different from those from iiear Pender island and those from 

 the Fraser river, but these show no material difference. Those caught in Deepwater 

 bay were similar in type but somewhat larger than those obtained from near Comox 

 in 1916. Evidently they do not go to the Fraser river but rather to some of the 

 rivers or streams of the Vancouver island east coast. 



All of the dog salmon were of the sea type but those from Chemainus, Nanaimo 

 and Qualicum varied much in the percentages of the different year classes. There 

 were very few of the five-year or the two-year class. Chemainus had* less than 10 per 

 cent in the fourth year, Xanaimo nearly 30 per cent, and Qualicum over 62 per cent. 

 Quialicum and Nanaimo fish were similar in rate of growth, but the Chemainus fish 

 are smaller, not only in absolute measurement, but also i-n length-weight ratio. The 

 two former apparently come in from the open ocean around the north end of the 

 island and the latter around the south end. Where comparison was possible, the lOlT 

 fish were larger than the 1916 fish. To judge from the different year classes represented 

 in OTie year's catch, it would appear that the laxger fish of the class spawned in the 

 third year, but when the catches of 1917 and 1916 were compared this was not borne 

 out, this appearance being due to the fact that the fish of the 1913 class were larger 

 throughout than those of the 1912 class, hut if this is the reason, the fish of the 1914 

 class must be still larger. 



