162 Tzventy-ninth Anmial Meeting 



Mr. Clark: I have caught the Pacific sahnon in the Mc- 

 Cloud River, as large as 24 pounds, using a red flannel rag as 

 bait. 



The President: I have a friend who has caught the salmon 

 in one of the rivers in the State of Wasliing-ton with a fly. I 

 can't say whether they were going up to spawn or not. I want 

 to inquire — it was spoken of here as being the nature of the 

 fish, as though it was the nature when they spawned to die — if 

 that was so wouldn't they all be the same size or same age ? Do 

 the fresh water conditions enter into the question of its food 

 supply? You hear of all sizes of salmon being caught. Theor- 

 izing upon it without any practical knowledge it would seem as 

 though some other cause than nature entered into it. 



Mr. Ravenel: Why is there any more reason that salmon 

 should be of the same size at the same age than man? You can 

 take any number of trout fry, six months old, fed exactlv the 

 same number of times, and find some twice as large as others. 



Mr. Bryant : How small do you find them when they have 

 spawned? 



Mr. Hubbard: We often find very small males; the females 

 are generally larger; I don't know of any females with spawn 

 in them that would weigh under six to eight pounds. 



Mr. Bryant: Do the males die as well? 



Mr. Hubbard: Yes. Three years ago we marked 5,000 

 salmon Ijy cutting ofif the adipose fin, and in a little less than 

 three years some of them were caught returning to the spawn- 

 ing grounds; the next year a few more were caught, and this 

 year I understand they caught a few more of these marked sal- 

 mon, so they do not all return the same year. 



Mr. Bryant: Then they never spawn but once? 



Mr. Morse: I would like to ask for information if both 

 sexes die after performing the functions? 



Mr. Hubbard: Yes, sir. 



Mr. Thompson: I would like to have Mr. Hubbard state 

 something in regard to the number of marked fish that returned 

 each year, and also about the time of returning each year. 



