THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 43 



the following data concerning the various important game 

 fishes. 



On the Pacific Coast are found five species of salmon 

 belonging to the genus Oncorhynchus, namely, the Chinook 

 or quinnat salmon, the Eed or Blue-back salmon, the 

 Humpback salmon, the Silver salmon, and the Dog salmon. 

 The Pacific salmon differ very slightly from the Atlantic 

 salmon, the former possessing a larger number of rays in 

 the anal fin, and more branchiostegals, gillrakers, and py- 

 loric coeca. 



The Quinnat Salmon: 



The scientific name is Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, be- 

 ing commonly called by several other names, including 

 chinook salmon, king salmon, Columbia salmon, Sacramen- 

 to salmon, tyee salmon, and saw-qui. This is by far the 

 most important of all the salmons, being not only superior 

 as to food qualities, but attains a greater size, has a wider 

 distribution, and thus has greater commercial value than 

 all others. In size there is no other salmon in all the world 

 to compare with it. In the Yukon River of Alaska it 

 reaches a weight of well over 100 pounds, and in the Colum- 

 bia River it sometimes attains a growth of 80 pounds. To 

 the southward, it gets smaller; however, in the Sacramento 

 river specimens of 50 to 60 pounds have been taken. The 

 average weight is about half the figures cited above. It 

 ranges from Monterey Bay to the Yukon, as far as experts 

 have been able to determine. 



The Blueback Salmon: 



The blueback salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is called 

 in different parts of its range as blueback, redfish, red sal- 

 mon, Eraser River salmon, and sock eye or saw-qui. This 

 fish is next to the smallest of all the salmons, the maximum 

 weight being about fifteen pounds, the average 5 pounds. 



