﻿8 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  PISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  These 
  salmons 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  group 
  of 
  fishes 
  entering 
  the 
  

   rivers 
  of 
  North 
  America. 
  The 
  steelhead 
  {Salmo 
  gairdneri), 
  technically 
  

   a 
  trout, 
  but 
  popularly 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  salmon, 
  also 
  inhabits 
  the 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  and 
  adds 
  to 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  tribe. 
  

  

  In 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  average 
  annual 
  catch 
  of 
  salmon 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   States 
  and 
  Alaska 
  has 
  been 
  about 
  100,000,000 
  pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  first 
  

   value 
  of 
  about 
  $2,800,000 
  ; 
  as 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  market, 
  in 
  a 
  fresh, 
  salted, 
  

   or 
  canned 
  condition, 
  the 
  value 
  is 
  about 
  $5,700,000. 
  The 
  yearly 
  catch 
  of 
  

   about 
  25,000,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmon 
  in 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  having 
  a 
  value? 
  

   when 
  j)repared, 
  of 
  $2,500,000, 
  raises 
  the 
  approximate 
  annual 
  value 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  salmons 
  to 
  $8,200,000. 
  

  

  THE 
  QUINNAT 
  SALMON. 
  

  

  The 
  quinnat 
  salmon 
  {Oncorhynchus 
  tschmvytscha) 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  other 
  common 
  names 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range; 
  among 
  

   them 
  are 
  chinook 
  salmon, 
  king 
  salmon, 
  Columbia 
  salmon, 
  Sacramento 
  

   salmon, 
  tyee 
  salmon, 
  and 
  saw-qui. 
  The 
  quinnat 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   of 
  the 
  salmons. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  superior 
  in 
  food 
  qualities, 
  but 
  attains 
  a 
  

   vastly 
  larger 
  size, 
  has 
  a 
  wider 
  geographical 
  range, 
  and 
  has 
  greater 
  

   commercial 
  value 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  others. 
  When 
  fresh 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  it 
  

   is 
  a 
  very 
  handsome, 
  resplendent, 
  well-formed 
  fish, 
  greatly 
  resembling 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  salmon 
  {iSalmo 
  salar), 
  although 
  its 
  form 
  is 
  less 
  symmet- 
  

   rical 
  and 
  its 
  outlines 
  less 
  graceful. 
  The 
  flesh 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  uniform 
  rich 
  red 
  

   color, 
  becoming 
  paler 
  or 
  streaked 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  the 
  sj^awning 
  

   season. 
  The 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  for 
  canning 
  purposes 
  is 
  largely 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  persistence 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  meat 
  after 
  cooking. 
  

  

  In 
  size 
  no 
  other 
  salmon 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  compares 
  with 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Yukon 
  Eiver, 
  Alaska, 
  it 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  over 
  100 
  pounds, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  there 
  are 
  well-authenticated 
  cases 
  of 
  its 
  weighing 
  

   more 
  than 
  80 
  pounds. 
  Farther 
  south 
  it 
  runs 
  smaller, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  

   Sacramento 
  individuals 
  weighing 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  pounds 
  are 
  not 
  rare; 
  22 
  

   pounds 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  average 
  weight 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver, 
  and 
  IG 
  pounds 
  

   in 
  the 
  Sacramento. 
  

  

  The 
  known 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  quinnat 
  salmon 
  is 
  practically 
  from 
  Monterey 
  

   Bay 
  (latitude 
  36 
  J) 
  to 
  Yukou 
  Eiver, 
  although 
  individuals 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  

   in 
  Norton 
  Sound, 
  somewhat 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Yukon, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  down 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  California 
  as 
  Ventura 
  Eiver. 
  Since 
  it 
  thrives 
  well 
  in 
  very 
  cold 
  

   water 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  its 
  range 
  extends 
  to 
  and 
  possibly 
  within 
  the 
  

   Arctic 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  Whde 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  quinnat 
  salmon 
  probably 
  do 
  not 
  wander 
  very 
  far 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  they 
  have 
  left, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  usually 
  

   return 
  to 
  spawn 
  in 
  those 
  rivers 
  iu 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  hatched. 
  They 
  

   prefer 
  the 
  larger 
  rivers, 
  like 
  the 
  Sacramento, 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  the 
  Nusha- 
  

   gak, 
  and 
  the 
  Yukon. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  persistent 
  in 
  ascending 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   to 
  spawn; 
  the 
  first 
  fish 
  take 
  u]) 
  the 
  first 
  available 
  spawning-sites 
  and 
  

   force 
  the 
  newcomers 
  farther 
  up 
  stream, 
  until 
  finally 
  the 
  highest 
  points 
  

   are 
  reached. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  crowding 
  up 
  the 
  rivulets 
  which 
  form 
  

  

  