108 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVAL SERVICE 



8 GEORGE V, A. 1918 



A calculation made to get the amount of growth each year gave the following 

 results in inches) : — 



The first of these was a female, and probably all of the others were males. There 

 is a marked difference in the growth in the third year, but it cannot be stated with 

 certainty that the small growth in the last three but particularly in the second one 

 was due to the spawning of these males in the third year. There was no indication 

 of a spawning mark on any of the scales. (This agrees with Menzies' statement for the 

 Atlantic salmon, quoted above). 



The great majority of the Fraser river sockeye remain in the fresh water for one 

 year. The average growth of 614 four-year-old sockeye, hatched out at the same time 

 as these and caught in the summer of 1916, is as follows: — 



Total length. 1st year. 2nd year. 3rd year. 4th year. 



22-3 2-9 8-6 7-7 3*1 



No sockeye belonging to the same year class but remaining two years in the fresh 

 water have yet been obtained as these are usually caught when in the 5th or 6th year, 

 but a comparison may be made with the 5-year fish that were hatched out the preced- 

 ing year. The average of 56 of these is as follows : — 



Total lengtJi. 1st year. 2nd year. 3rd year. 44:h year. Sth year. 

 22-5 2-6 3-2 S-2 6-1 2*4 



I have not seen any sockeye from the Fraser that had remained in fresh water 

 for three years, and as far as I am aware, none have been reported. Dr. Gilbert has 

 reported some from the Nass river, that remained in fresh water for three years, but 

 has given no figure of the scales. Even if the growth rate had been calculated for 

 these Nass river fish, no direct comparison could be made with the Fraser river fish. 



As far as comparison can be made, these pond-reared fish have a growth parallel 

 to that of other sockeye, that remain in the fresh water under normal conditions, but 

 the comparison can be carried only to the end of the second year. There is nothing 

 to indicate that hand feeding in the pond makes any improvement in growth over 

 natural feeding in the streams or lakes. The growth in length in the third year is less 

 than that in the second, and that in the fourth less than that in the third, a decrease 

 in somewhat the same .portion, although not to the same extent, as is found in those 

 living in the sea. 



There is nothing remarkable in the fact that tlie.se fish lived over the fourth winter. 

 Five year specimens are found in all types of sockeye, six years specimens are compar- 

 atively common and seven year specimens have been reported. The outstanding feature 

 of the whole question lies in the fact that these fish have spawned and have mended 

 perfectly and some of the males have lived over a year after the first spawning. 



A large number of sockeye, as well as all other species of Pacific salmon, certainly 

 die soon after spawning, and there is no convincing evidence that any of them long 

 survive the spawning process under normal conditions, but these pond reared sockeye 

 survived and began feeding again, apparently little the worse. They were examined 

 again on April 20 and the nine of them were still alive, of good colour, and apparently 

 in good health. It is true that they did not go through a wearing struggle in getting to 

 spawning beds but that cannot have made all the difference because many of the Pacific 

 salmon, even in some cases the sockeye, spawn in streams that are reached from the 



