24 KENDALL: NEW ENGLAND SALMONS. 



occurrence in Iceland and southwestern Greenland may perhaps be attributed to the 

 influence of the Gulf Stream or other cUmatic or physical conditions. 



Almost every accessible stream from the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to 

 southern New England was once frequented by salmon, but throughout this extent they 

 have greatly decreased in numbers, which decrease is most marked in New England. 

 There is no historical indication of salmon having ascended any rivers south of the 

 Hudson River except as the result of fish-cultural distribution. Some years following the 

 introduction of young salmon, adult fish have appeared in the Delaware. A record for 

 the Potomac seems to have been exaggerated and of a young fish, and the identity of one 

 in the James River is uncertain. That adult salmon appeared in the Delaware indicates 

 that the river was at least in some way favorable and may have been a salmon river 

 at some early period. 



While there may have been some doubt regarding Henrich Hudson's observation in 

 1609, the fact that in Mitchill's (1815, p. 355-492) time it occasionally appeared in the 

 river and in recent years it gave temporary promise of becoming a salmon river through 

 fish-cultural effort, indicated that it is quite possible that Hudson actually saw 'great 

 stores of salmon in the river' as he passed the Highlands. Dekay (1842, p. 242) stated 

 that 'The Sea Salmon rarely appears on the coast, except as a stragghng visitor. Such 

 an occurrence took place in August, 1840, when a Salmon, weighing eight pounds, 

 entered the Hudson river and ascended it more than one hundred and fifty miles, when 

 it was taken near Troy.' 



Goode (1888, p. 442) says that many stragglers have been taken in the Housatonic 

 and Hudson, but Linsley (1844) does not mention the Housatonic as a salmon river. 

 Authentic history, however, permits the Connecticut River to be regarded as the only 

 real salmon river of southern New England, although it is not beyond the bounds of 

 reason to assume that in the days of abundance of salmon and before the advent of the 

 white man, some of the other, smaller streams may have been more or less frequented by 

 salmon. 



Marine Habitat. 



G. Brown Goode (1884, p. 469) stated that at least half of the salmon's Ufe is spent 

 in the ocean. This period, however, is more or less intermittent, depending upon the 

 number of times a salmon breeds and the time of the year when it enters fresh water 

 for breeding purposes. It has been stated that young salmon remain in the rivers from 

 two to three or four years and rarely five years before descending to the sea, and after 

 their descent as smolts, individuals may remain in the sea similar lengths of time, al- 

 though the majority are short-period fish. 



Where the salmon lives while in the sea is a subject of much discussion, and a question 

 which has not been fuUy answered. Some views regarding the question have been purely 

 speculative with absolutely no evidence to support them. As late as 1905 Charles Hal- 

 lock (1905, p. 236), like some of more scientific reputation who preceded him, suggested 



