SALMON FISHERIES OF PACIFIC COAST. 9 



In the Puget Sound region, where it is known as the sockeye, 

 this species ascends only the Skagit River in commercial numbers, 

 although a small run appears in the Lake Washington system of 

 lakes and, possibly, in the Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Nooksack 

 Rivers. 



The greatest of all the sockeye streams is the Fraser River, Brit- 

 ish Columbia, and this stream has been famous from, very early 

 days for its enormous runs of this species, a peculiar feature of 

 which is that there is a marked quadrennial periodicity in the run. 

 The maximum run occurs the year following leap year, the minimum 

 on the year following that. The greater part of the catch of the 

 Puget Sound fishermen is made from this run as it is passing through 

 Washington waters on its way to the Fraser. The fish strike in 

 during July and August on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, 

 apparently coming from the open sea to the northwest. They pass 

 the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Rosario, and Georgia, spending con- 

 siderable time in the passage and about the mouth of the river. 

 Small numbers run as early as May and as late as October, but the 

 main body enters about the first week in August, 



The sockeye occurs in most of the coastal streams of British 

 Columbia, and is usually the most abundant species. The prin- 

 cipal streams frequented are the Skeena, Rivers Inlet, Nass, Lowe 

 Inlet, Dean Channel, Namu Harbor, Bella Coola, Smith Inlet, Alert 

 Bay, and Alberni Canal. 



In Alaska, where this fish is generally known as the red salmon, 

 it is abundant and runs in great numbers in all suitable streams, 

 of which, in southeast Alaska, the following are the most important: 

 Boca de Quadra, Naha, Yes Bay, Thorne Bay, Karta Bay, Nowiskay, 

 Peter Johnson, Hessa, Hetta, Hunter Bay, Klawak, Redfish Bay, 

 Stikine, Taku, Chilkoot, Chilkat, Alsek, Seetuck, Ankow, etc. ; in 

 central Alaska, Copper, Knik. Kenai, Sushitna, Afognak, Karluk, 

 Alitak, Chignik; in the Bristol Bay region, the Ugashik, Ugaguk, 

 Xaknek, Kvichak, Nushagak, and Wood. It is also supposed to 

 occur in the Togiak, Kuskokwim, and Yukon Rivers, which debouch 

 into Bering Sea, and probably occurs in the Arctic streams of Alaska. 

 The run in Alaska begins usually in June and extends usually to the 

 middle of August. It begins earlier in Prince William Sound, and 

 sometimes extends into September in southeast Alaska. 



On the Asiatic side the species is known to occur at Bering Island 

 and in all suitable streams south to Japan, where it is found land- 

 locked in Lake Akan, in northern Hokkaido. 



SILVER OR COHO. SALMON. 



The silver or eoho salmon (O. kisutch) is silvery in spring, green- 

 ish on tin 1 upper parts, where there are a few faint black spots. In 



