﻿10 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  before 
  they 
  ascend 
  the 
  Yukon, 
  where 
  the 
  running 
  season 
  is 
  very 
  short 
  

   and 
  may 
  not 
  exceed 
  a 
  mouth 
  or 
  six 
  weeks. 
  The 
  early 
  runs 
  in 
  the 
  

   Columbia 
  River 
  are 
  usually 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  weeks 
  passing 
  from 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  Clifton, 
  about 
  20 
  miles. 
  They 
  first 
  appear 
  at 
  

   The 
  Dalles, 
  200 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  river, 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April, 
  and 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  great 
  quantities 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June, 
  two 
  mouths 
  

   after 
  they 
  aj^peared 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  at 
  the 
  bar. 
  This 
  would 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  they 
  proceed 
  up 
  the 
  Columbia 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  100 
  miles 
  a 
  month. 
  

   In 
  the 
  later 
  runs 
  they 
  ])robably 
  travel 
  faster. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  tbe 
  quinuat 
  salmon 
  varies 
  in 
  different 
  rivers, 
  

   and, 
  considering 
  the 
  entire 
  coast, 
  extends 
  over 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  fully 
  six 
  

   mouths. 
  In 
  July 
  the 
  summer 
  run 
  is 
  spawning 
  at 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  

   the 
  McCloud 
  and 
  Sacramento; 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  farther 
  down 
  

   these 
  rivers. 
  In 
  October 
  the 
  fall 
  run 
  has 
  begun 
  at 
  the 
  McCloud 
  

   and 
  below, 
  and 
  this 
  run 
  continues 
  spawning 
  through 
  November 
  into 
  

   December. 
  In 
  the 
  Columbia 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  begins 
  at 
  the 
  head- 
  

   waters 
  in 
  June; 
  at 
  Clackamas, 
  125 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   it 
  begins 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  continues 
  until 
  November. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  days 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  spawn 
  the 
  salmon 
  hollow 
  out 
  

   elongated 
  cavities 
  with 
  their 
  heads 
  and 
  tails 
  in 
  the 
  gravel 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  current, 
  and 
  here 
  in 
  due 
  time 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   milt 
  are 
  deposited. 
  The 
  eggs 
  drift 
  into 
  the 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  pile 
  of 
  

   stones 
  thrown 
  up 
  below 
  the 
  hollow, 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  remain 
  in 
  

   that 
  protected 
  position 
  during 
  incubation 
  ; 
  here, 
  also, 
  the 
  young 
  remain 
  

   until 
  the 
  umbilical 
  sac 
  is 
  absorbed. 
  The 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  

   destruction 
  by 
  freshets, 
  but 
  are 
  comparatively 
  safe 
  from 
  other 
  injurious 
  

   influences. 
  

  

  The 
  quinnat 
  salmon 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  prolific 
  as 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  salmon, 
  300 
  or 
  

   400 
  eggs 
  to 
  each 
  pound 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  parent 
  fish 
  being 
  about 
  a 
  fair 
  

   average. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  enormous 
  annual 
  destruction 
  of 
  this 
  salmon 
  for 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  i^urposes 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  its 
  propagation 
  became 
  manifest 
  at 
  

   an 
  early 
  jieriod 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  fisheries. 
  Fortunately 
  the 
  

   species 
  is 
  readily 
  susceptible 
  of 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale. 
  

   In 
  1873 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  fish-cultural 
  methods 
  to 
  this 
  species 
  began 
  

   on 
  the 
  McCloud 
  River, 
  California. 
  The 
  propagation 
  work, 
  since 
  grown 
  

   to 
  large 
  proj)ortions, 
  now 
  engages 
  tbe 
  attention 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  coast 
  States 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  general 
  government, 
  and 
  in 
  1890 
  was 
  more 
  extensive 
  

   than 
  ever 
  before. 
  Whenever 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  fry, 
  artificially 
  

   hatched, 
  have 
  been 
  i^laced 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast, 
  whether 
  

   in 
  the 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  or 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   run 
  of 
  full-grown 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  after 
  the 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  a 
  

   salmon 
  to 
  mature 
  (about 
  four 
  years) 
  has 
  elapsed. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  salmon 
  ascend 
  the 
  rivers 
  they 
  are 
  caught 
  by 
  gill 
  nets, 
  pounds, 
  

   weirs, 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  wheels, 
  and 
  other 
  devices, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  

   of 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia 
  and 
  Sacramento 
  are 
  caught 
  with 
  gill 
  

   nets 
  drifting 
  with 
  the 
  current 
  or 
  tide 
  as 
  they 
  head 
  up 
  stream. 
  In 
  the 
  

  

  