10 PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 
large numbers feeding in the bays and sounds, while during the 
winter months a few have been taken on trawls set for halibut, 
showing that they are living in the lower depths at this time. 
In Cook Inlet the run occurs during May and June and is com- 
posed wholly of red-meated fish; in the rivers of Bristol Bay the run 
comes in May and June, and the same is true of the Togiak, Kusko- 
kwim, and Yukon Rivers, although fish may be seen in the upper 
courses of the Yukon in July, the lateness here being due to the 
immense distance the fish have to cover. 
SOCKEYE, BLUEBACK, OR RED SALMON. 
The sockeye or blueback salmon (0. nerka), which forms the great- 
est part of the canned salmon of the world, when it first comes in 
from the sea is a clear bright blue above in color, silvery below. Soon 
after entering the river for the purpose of spawning the color of the 
head changes to a rich olive, the back and sides to crimson and finally 
to a dark blood red, and the belly to a dirty white. The maximum 
weight is about 12 pounds, and length 3 feet, with the average weight 
about 5 pounds, varying greatly, however, in different localities. 
Observations of Chamberlain® in Alaska show that the average 
weight of a number of sockeyes taken from Yes Bay was 8.294 pounds, 
while the average weight of a number from Tamgas was only 3.934 
pounds. Evermann and Goldsborough? report as a result of the 
weighings of 1,390 red salmon, taken from as many different places 
in Alaska as possible, an average weight for the males of 7.43 pounds; 
for the females, 5.78 pounds; or an average weight for both sexes of 
6.57 pounds. A run of small, or dwarf, males accompanies certain 
of the main runs, these being especially noticeable in the Chignik 
Lagoon, Alaska, run. This species usually enters streams with acces- 
sible lakes in their courses. 
These fish are occasionally found landlocked in certain lakes, 
especially in the State of Washington, and are always much smaller 
in size than the sea-run fish. In Bumping Lake, near North Yakima, 
Wash., they are quite abundant and are mature when about a pound 
in weight. Despite the fact that these fish have a soft mouth, anglers 
consider them very gamey. ‘They take bait, the fly, and the trolling 
spoon. 
A few specimens of the sockeye have been taken as far south as 
the Sacramento River. In Humboldt County, Cal., small runs are 
-gsaid to occur in Mad and Eel Rivers. Only an occasional specimen 
appears in the coastal streams of Oregon. The Columbia is the most 
a Some observations on salmon and trout in Alaska. By F.M. Chamberlain, naturalist, U.S. Fisheries 
steamer Albatross. U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Document no. 627, p. 80. 
b The fishes of Alaska. By B. W. Evermann and E, L. Goldsborough. Bulletin Bureau of Fisheries, 
Vol. XXVI, p. 257. 
