SALMON. 



423 



Sal m on (Salmo Salar). 



was formerly exceedingly abundant in all the rivers 

 of the Atlantic slope north of the Potomac, but has 

 been killed out by over-tish'mg and other causes, nnd 

 is now practically unknown throughout that region. 

 In early colonial days sannon were found in profu- 

 sion in the ('oimrc.liu.ul River, but by the injudicious 

 devices of man they have been completely extermi- 

 nated. A dam built in 1798 about M) miles above 

 the mouth of the river was the apparent cause of the 

 extermination. The fish were unable to pass this 

 obstacle and reach their spawning ground, and after 

 a few years' despairing efforts abandoned the stream. 

 The same has been the case with oilier rivers, and 

 the salmon fisheries of the Atlantic coast are ex- 

 tinct. In 18").) the catch of Maine was valued at 

 nearly $21, '.Mil, tint of Massachusetts at $i.OOU, 

 while not a fish is recorded as caught in any other 

 Atlantic State. Measures are at present being taken 

 to restock the rivers of those Stall's, though with 

 what success reiiiiins for the future to decide. In 

 British America the citch is larger. New lirun-- 

 wick's annual catch U estimated at a value of $800,- 

 000. As many as 4 I, ()!);) lisii have Iwi-n caught iu 

 one season at the m uith of tin- St. John Hiver. The 

 in i-t of the salmon of this region are sent fresh to 

 the United States. At the entrmee to the Mira- 

 miclu 4(M,0!)J p >un Is are annually put up for ex- 

 port. The yield here has greatly increased throu<;h 

 protection to the fish during the spawning season. 

 Salmon formerly abounded in Lake Ontario. In 

 IKiSo two men took 2:M fish in 4 hours by spearing. 

 Since then there has been a rapid decrease through 

 the effects of factory waste thrown into the rivers. 

 Salmon were formerly very abund int iu the rivers 

 of the British Islands but have been killed out of 

 the Thames and other streams by sewage. The 

 greatest yield now is from Ireland. 



The most valuable salmon fisheries now existing 

 are those of the Pacific coast region of North 

 America, where salmon were formerly so extraordi- 

 narily abundant that the rivers occasionally became 

 choked with the multitudes of ascending lisii. Man's 

 injudicious industry has succeeded in greatly reduc- 

 ing the numbers of migrating s;ihnon, though the 

 fisheries are still of great importance and the annual 

 catch of high value. The Pacific fish comprise 

 several species of the genus Oiirnrliyncim, of which 

 the largest and most valuable is O. trlmici/trJia, the 

 quinnat or king salmon, as it has been well named. 

 This species is the lamest of the family, avcragiim 

 in weight on the Columbia 22 Ibs., on the Sacra- 

 mento 16 Ibs., but occasionally attaining a weight 

 of from 00 to 90 Ibg. It is found along" the const 

 from Lower California to Kamtchatka, but most 

 abundantly in the Columbia, where it is commonly 

 known as the Chinook salmon. 



The quinnat is a beautiful fish, its body being 

 silvery in hue, the back, with the dorsal and caudal 

 fins, being marked with round black spots. In the 

 fall it becomes black or dirty red in color. As a 

 food fish it is of unsurpassed excellence, its flesh 

 closely resembling that of 8. salnr in flavor. It does 



not feed in fresh water and dies after spawning, ex- 

 cept perhaps in some of the shorter rivers. At the 

 upper waters of the Columbia and other long streams 

 the bodies of the fish appear bruised, the fins muti- 

 laled, the eyes injured, patches of while fungus on 

 the body, while numerous parasites sap their 

 strength. It is probable that all die immediately 

 after spawning. 



.Fifty years ago this fish was hardly known ; now 

 it is eaten all over the world, being carried in cans 

 and otherwise to all ports. The embryo fish are 

 being transported to the principal northern countries 

 of Europe, to Australia, nnd New Zealand, with 

 the hope of adding this species to the food fishes of 

 those regions. In ils native habitat the annual 

 catch is enormous. The Columbia River alone, 

 during the six years ending in 1880, yielded nearly 

 200,000,000 Ibs., with no serious diminution of stock. 

 Yet lhal river is being fished with so little thought 

 of the future that if the rate of destruction is con- 

 tinned ils fisheries must become valueless before many 

 years. Among Ihe murderous devices adopted is 

 that of the fish wheel, which throws the fish ashore in 

 shoals, and permits scarcely an individual to escape. 

 It is only the August and September run which now 

 keeps up the supply. This is not molested, hut the 

 spring inn is almost totally destroyed. It is doubt- 

 ful if ibis amount of protection is sufficient, and 

 other means nerd to be adopted to prevent the ex- 

 haustion of the fish. An efficient salmon hatchery 

 is important for this purpose, nnd active efforts to 

 restock the. river in this way are now being made. 

 In 1 W MO nmre than 1,51 0,000 lishwere canned, being 

 the largest number taken to that time. The Sacra- 

 mento also yields abundantly, while the smaller 

 rivers along the const add to the grand total, the 

 economic \alue of tha quinnnt fisheries exceeding 

 that of all others combined on the Pacific coast. 

 The total product of the salmon fisheries of the 

 United States in 1880 is given at 52,000.000 Ibs., of 

 which Oregon yielded 30,500,000 Ibs. To this may 

 be added the catch of British Columbia, estimated 

 in 1881 at 7,448,000 Ibs., of a gross value of 894,- 

 000. The value of the United States c anned sal- 

 mon is given at $.3,255.365, this covering 31,453,000 

 pound cans. Since 1880 over-fishing has rendered 

 the salmon industry much less profitable. (For 

 some further particulars, see OREGON.) 



In addition to their human enemies it may be 

 stated that the salmon are destroyed in great num- 

 bers by foes of their own kind. In the rivers chubs, 

 suckers, and other small fish devour the eggs and 

 young, while in the ocean the mature fish find a 

 dangerous enemy in the seals, which destroy them 

 in multitudes. 



There fire several other species of Oncorhyncits, in- 

 cluding O. fata, the dog salmon, which averages 

 10 to 12 Ibs. in weight ; O. gorbuscha, the hump- 

 backed salmon, a small species ; 0. kisatch, the silver 

 salmon, averaging 7 to 10 Ibs. ; O. nerka, the blue- 

 backed salmon, averaging about 8 Ibs. These all 

 range along the coast from California to Kamt- 



