288 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 

 THE HUMPBACK SALMON. 



The humpback salmon or "haddo" of the Indians, Oncorhynchus 

 gorbuscha (Walbaum), is a small species, averaging only about 4 or 4^ 

 pounds in weight, although the male may reach as much as 6 pounds. 

 From the sockeye, with which it is most commonly associated, it is 

 readily distinguished by the shape of the body, the much finer scales, 

 and the coarse spots on its tail. In the salt waters of this region it 

 occurs chiefly during August, though appearing generally the latter 

 part of July, and may continue present into the early part of Septem- 

 ber. Its season, therefore, practically corresponds with the last half of 

 the sockeye run, and the two species are often obtained abundantly 

 together in the trap nets, much to the annoyance of the fishermen, as 

 the humpback is in little favor either for canning or other purposes. A 

 peculiarity of the species is the fact that it makes its appearance only 

 in alternate years, those indicated by odd figures, as 1895, when we had 

 the opportunity of examining many specimens. If any are present in 

 off years they are so few as to escape the notice of the fishermen. 



During the years of their occurrence they are exceedingly abundant. 

 They are said to move slowly, in large schools, rolling in the water 

 somewhat after the fashion of the porpoise, with the dorsal fin show- 

 ing at the surface. Dr. Bean says of them in Alaska that they are 

 much addicted to Jumping out of the water, one of the commonest 

 sights in the vicinity of St. Paul, Kadiak, being the breaching of the 

 humpback. In Puget Sound and the Gulf of Georgia this habit was 

 ascribed only to the silver salmon. Although quite a vigorous fish, 

 the humpbacks die quickly when taken in the nets. 



In Puget Sound, where they are regularly fished for, the earliest 

 catches are generally obtained during the first week of August, and 

 fishing is expected to continue until the end of the month. Small 

 numbers ^lave occasionally been taken as early as July 24, and large 

 hauls have been made as late as September 8. The season is probably 

 approximately the same for all parts of the salt waters, except that 

 they would be expected to appear somewhat earlier in the Strait of 

 Juan de Fuca, and occasional small captures by the drift nets have 

 been reported in the lower part of the Fraser Eiver by July 20. 



While the humpbacks enter at least most of the rivers and smaller 

 streams of the region, they are said to avoid certain ones, but the testi- 

 mony in this regard is not conclusive. They apparently do not ascend 

 very far above the sea, although they may reach the headwaters of the 

 shorter rivers, to which class, in fact, belong most of the rivers along 

 this coast. They enter all of the lower tributaries of the Fraser River, 

 from Burnaby Lake at New Westminster to Harrison and Chilliwhack 

 rivers, and i)robably to a short distance farther up. They require but 

 little water for spawning, and even resort for that purpose to the nar- 

 rowest and shallowest creeks, sometimes not over a few feet wide, and 

 a foot and a half deep. In their spawning-places they congregate in 

 such exceeding abundance that they are described as forming at times 



