284 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



are found among the July run, but the majority of the (juinnat salmon running now 

 are white or pale pink. Fish wanting in color are not canned, as cooking will draw 

 the balance of the coloring from them. On examining a number of these fish a few 

 days ago, I found some of them with a slight tinge of pink around the bone and that the 

 majority of them would spawn within a month. The ova, like the fish, also varied 

 in color ; but the lighter they were, the larger and nearer to maturity. The same par- 

 ticularities as to color occur in eggs taken from the fish on the spawning-grounds. 



The lighter or off-colored fish are said to be found at all times, but 

 their proi^ortionate uumber may vary more or less at different seasons. 

 Thus, for instance, on the Fraser River the white- meated fish are reported 

 generally to form only a small percentage of the spring catch, though 

 their number may increase toward the end of the spring run. Begin- 

 ning in August or by September 1, however, the number becomes very 

 large, and before the season closes may reach as high as 60 to 90 per cent. 

 In Puget Sound and the more southern rivers, on the contrary, it is 

 claimed that the percentage remains more nearly uniform throughout 

 the fishing season, although the average color may turn a little lighter 

 as the season advances, and that the percentage of the white-meated 

 fish is not so large as at the north. That so marked a difference as 

 is described should be manifested in a region of such limited extent 

 is striking if true^ but it is not at all improbable that the statements 

 are somewhat at fault. There is no doubt, however, that a very large 

 number of the light-colored fish are taken. Epicures claim that their 

 meat is as rich and as well flavored as though it possessed the deeper 

 color, but by people generally the salmon are graded according to color, 

 whether fresh, canned, or salted, and a prejudice exists against any 

 which have not the prescribed shade. There is, therefore, scarcely 

 any sale for the paler fish. When placed upon the market fresh they 

 command a very inferior price, while canned or salted they rarely find 

 a purchaser. It is hojied that this prejudice will soon be overcome, 

 permitting what is now essentially a waste product to be utilized in 

 accordance with its true value. 



Leaving the question of color out of consideration, the quinnat are 

 said to be always in good condition when taken in the salt water, the 

 winter catch being the best. During their movements up the river 

 they are also in prime condition in the spring, but as the summer 

 advances, especially by August, they show considerable deterioration, 

 which increases as the spawning season approaches, untiL finally they 

 practically cease to have any market value. 



The quinnat taken in this region are most highly valued for the fresh 

 market. There is, in comparison with the extent of population, a rela- 

 tively large local sale, and in the spring a considerable export trade to 

 the Eastern cities of the United States. The latter begins at an early 

 date and continues on rather an extensive scale until about the 1st of 

 June, by which time generally the season for the Atlantic salmon has 

 fairly opened and the demand comes practically to an end. It may, 

 however, still be shipped for a time in small quantities to inland points 



