REPORT OF STATE ]}()ARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 79 



The masu, or yezomasu {OncorhyncJm.'^ masou), is very similar to the 

 humpback, the scales a little larger, the caudal without black spots, the 

 back usually immaculate. It is one of the smaller salmon, and is fairly 

 abundant in the streams of Hokkaido, the island formerly known as 

 Yezo. 



Of these species the blue-back or red salmon predominates in Fraser 

 River and in most of the small rivers of Alaska, including all those 

 which flow from lakes. The greatest salmon rivers of the world are 

 the Nushegak and Karluk in Alaska, with the Columbia River, Fraser 

 River, and Sacramento River farther south. The red and the silver 

 salmon predominate in Puget Sound, the quinnat in the Columbia and 

 the Sacramento, and tlie silver salmon in most of the smaller streams 

 along the coast. All the species occur, however, from the Columbia 

 northward; but the blue-black is not found in the Sacramento. Only 

 the (|uinnat and the dog salmon have been noticed south of San Fran- 

 cisco. In Japan keta is by far the most abundant species of salmon. 

 It is known as sake, and largely salted and sold in the markets. Nerka 

 is known only as landlocked in Lake Akan in northern Hokkaido. 

 Milktsrhit>^rh is generally common, and with masou is known as masu, 

 or small salmon, as distinguished from the large salmon, or sake. 

 Tschawytscha and gorhuschd are unknown in Japan. Masou has not 

 been found elsewhere. 



The <]uinnat and l)lue-back salmon, the " noble salmon," habitually 

 " run "' in the sjtring, the others in the fall. The usual order of run- 

 ning in the rivers is as follows: tschawytscha, nerka, milktsr kitsch, 

 (jorhuscha, keta. Those which run first go farthest. In the Yukon the 

 quinnat runs as far as Caribou Crossing and Lake Bennett, 2,250 miles. 

 The red salmon runs to " Forty-Mile," which is nearly 1,800 miles. 

 Both ascend to the head of the Columbia, Fraser, and Nass, Skeena, 

 Stikeen, and Taku rivers. The (piinnat runs practically only in the 

 streams of large size, fed with melting snows; the red salmon only in 

 streams which pass through lakes. It spawns only in small streams at 

 the head of a lake. The other species spawn in almost any fresh 

 water and only close to the sea. 



The economic value of the spring-running salmon is far greater than 

 that of the other species, because they can be captured in numbers 

 when at their best, while the others are usuall}^ taken only after dete- 

 rioration. 



The habits of the salmon in the ocean are not easily studied. Quin- 

 nat and silver salmon of all sizes are taken with the seine at almost 

 any season in Puget Sound and among the islands of Alaska. This 

 would indicate that these species do not go far from the shore. The 

 silver salmon certainly does not. The quinnat pursues the schools of 

 herring. It takes the hook freely in Monterey Bay, both near the shore 



