ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1920 137 
of cohos is found in company with the “silvers” along the left limit 
of the river. It appears, therefore, that there is a prevailing use of 
the left shore by those fish which are bound for the upper reaches 
of the river. This may have connection with the fact that the ma- 
jority of the tributaries of the lower river enter on the right bank. 
The run of chums is not of uniform character and quality through- 
out the season. Fishermen recognize a succession of phases in the 
run, characterized by fish which on the average are recognizably 
different. In general, it is stated that the run of chums which accom- 
pany the king salmon are of relatively small size and poor quality, 
commonly known as dog salmon. Following these is a run of bright 
fish of good quality but inferior size, known as “silvers,” while the 
last chums to run, late in August and early in September, are the 
finest of all, the “silvers” par excellence, a bright rich form dis- 
tinctly of larger size. This last run of “silvers” ordinarily is of 
short duration, but is frequently of great intensity, and furnishes the 
most highly prized fish of the season. 
As it was necessary to make a canvass of the entire river before 
the fishing season had come to a close, the writers were unable to 
observe the alleged succession of forms of the chum salmon at any 
locality. Distinct differences in the character and quality of the 
fish appeared at the various camps visited, but these differences 
were apparently dependent either on the proximity of the camp to 
important tributaries into which spawning chum salmon would pass, 
or, more especially, on the location of the camp with reference to 
the river itself, whether on the right bank or the left. In general 
when following up the right (north) bank of the river the quality 
of the fish became poorer as one approached the mouths of the 
tributaries. The impression was strong that the fish destined for 
these tributaries were farther advanced than those with which they 
were associated on the same side of the river bound for more dis- 
tant spawning grounds. A further more detailed study of the char- 
acteristics of the chums at different times and in different localities 
and the distribution of the various strains to their respective spawn- 
ing areas would offer results of importance equally from the bio- 
logical and from the strictly practical point of view. During the 
season of 1919 the bright chums, or “silvers,” were said to be almost 
wholly wanting. If these were the fish bound for the more distant 
spawning beds, then the upper sections of the river must have re- 
mained largely unseeded in 1919 and incapable of producing their 
quota of a subsequent season’s supply. In 1920 the run of chums 
was peculiar, in that it lasted longer than is usual in good years, 
but was of less intensity, and the August run of “silvers” failed to 
attain its usual proportions. In subsequent years the late run of 
“silvers” should be carefully noted. If there is evidence of a pro- 
gressive decline, steps should be taken to protect this most important 
part of the run. To accomplish this result information should be 
obtained concerning the spawning beds which are resorted to by this 
large and valuable race of chums. 
The chums travel up the river at a rate approximately equal to that 
of the king salmon. In 1920, as has been shown, they were schooling 
on the tide-flats off the mouth of the river nearly a week before they 
began to ascend the stream in any numbers on June 22. Adopting 
the latter date as the beginning of the run, it appears that they 
