54 KENDALL: NEW ENGLAND SALMONS. 



From an examination of the scales of 3,350 salmon ascending the rivers to spawn, 

 Dahl (1910, p. 35) found that 964, or about 28.77 per cent, had remained one winter in 

 the sea; 1,712, or 51.10 per cent, had passed two winters; 628, or 18.74 per cent, three 

 winters; 38 or 1.14 per cent, four winters; 7, or 0.21 per cent, five winters; and only one 

 six winters in the sea. Those which had spent only one winter in the sea were grilse, of 

 course, and therefore had not previously spawned. Of those which had spent two winters 

 in the sea, 53, or 3.19 per cent had previously spawned. Of those which had spent three 

 winters in the sea, 95, or 15.13 per cent had previously spawned, and of those which had 

 spent four winters in the sea 32 or 84.21 per cent had previously spawned. Of the whole 

 number examined 188 had spawned, showing a percentage of 94.45 per cent of maiden 

 fish. Thus, only a very small proportion of the whole number had spawned before and 

 were returning to spawn for a second time. 



Dahl's (1910, p. 36) conclusions are summed up as follows: 'the salmon does not live 

 many years after migration. Most of the fish have spent from one to three winters in the 

 sea. A salmon, whose scales show more than four winters after migration, is an ex- 

 traordinary exception. The large majority of the fish, on which our fisheries depend, 

 consists of fish which have not spawned before and which are entering the river for the 

 first time to spawn. It will be noticed that these maiden fish are not all of one age, but 

 may have spent from one to four winters in the sea before they attained sexual maturity. 



'This clearly shows that the salmon, which in each year are the material for our 

 fisheries, and which are making their way up to the rivers, are not the whole of the fish in 

 existence. They form only a portion of the various year-classes to which they belong, 

 a portion which is on the point of becoming sexually mature, and which, as it were, 

 has broken away from the rest for the purpose of spawning.' 



Calderwood (1907, p. 105-106) says: 'From the evidence at command it appears to be 

 somewhat unusual for a fish to remain till its fourth sea year without spawning, but a 

 few instances are on record. Fish which on recapture are from 30 to 35 lb. show either 

 five or sLx years' growth on the scales after the smolt condition, and have spawned 

 either once or twice. 



Grilse. 



The grilse is generally known as a growth stage of salmon which appears in the rivers 

 after having passed one winter in the sea, when, weighing from two to sLx pounds or 

 more, it possesses certain characteristics that distinguish it from salmon that have 

 passed the grilse stage. The principal external differences are a shorter head, usually 

 slenderer form, color markings, and more easily detachable scales. 



They are remarkably active and agile, leaping to considerable heights. Formerly only 

 the male was supposed to be sexually mature and capable of mating with older fish. 

 But from time to time the capture of mature female grilse was reported. These reports 

 were doubted and even disputed and protracted published arguments, pro and con, 

 ensued. However, it has been well established that although male grilse predominate, 

 many female grilse do spawn. 



