The Humpback Salmon 



account to return to the Clackamas than to go up the Cowlitz 

 or the Des Chutes. 



Commercially speaking the Pacific salmon are unquestionably 

 the most valuable fish in the world. 



The market value of the entire salmon catch on our west coast, 

 including Alaska, exceeds $13,000,000 annually, and this vast 

 amount is represented chiefly by the 2 species, the chinook and 

 blueback, the catch of the 3 other species being in comparison 

 insignificant. 



No other fish is so extensively canned or is held in such high 

 esteem. 



a. Gillrakers 20 to 25, comparatively short and few. 



b. Scales very small, more than 200 in a longitudinal series; caudal 



spots large, oblong; gorbuscha, 149 



bb. scales medium, 138 to 155 in longitudinal series; pyloric coeca 

 about 150. 



c. Anal rays 13 or 14 ; black spots small or obsolete ; bran- 



chiostegals 13 or 14; keta, 150 



cc. Anal rays about 16; back and upper fins with round black 



spots ; branchipstegals 15 to 19 ; tschawytscha, 1 5 1 



bbb. Scales comparatively large, 125 to 135 in longitudinal series, 



pyloric coeca 50 to 80 ; kisutch, 1 54 



aa. Gillrakers comparatively long and numerous, 30 to 40 in number; 

 scales large; lateral line about 130; back in adult usually 

 unspotted; clear blue in spring, red in fall; young more or 

 less spotted ; nerka, 155 



Humpback Salmon 



Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum) 



The humpback salmon reaches a weight of 3 to 6 pounds 



149 



