PROTECTING MIGRATING PACIFIC SALMON. 



By John N. Cobb 



Director, College of Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle 



The remarkable development of irrigation and power 

 projects, especially in the country west of the Mississippi River, 

 has brought to the fore a number of perplexing problems in con- 

 nection with our fish life, and unless these can be satisfactorily 

 solved our economic and game fisheries are threatened with ex- 

 tinction or heavy loss. This is especially true of the Pacific Coast, 

 as in nearly all of the rivers debouching into the Pacific Ocean 

 occur annual runs of anadromous fish, comprising the five species 

 of salmon, also steelhead trout, smelts, sturgeon, lampreys, and 

 others. In this connection the writer has thought that the mem- 

 bers of the American Fisheries Society might be interested in 

 what we have done in the State of Washington to safeguard the 

 runs in the Yakima River, one of our typical streams. 



DIJSCRIPTION OF THE YAKIMA RIVER. 



This river rises in the Cascade Range, near the Snoqualmie 

 Pass, flows in a southeasterly direction in Kittitas, Yakima, and 

 Benton counties and empties into the Columbia River about 10 

 miles above the mouth of the Snake River. The approximate 

 length of the river is 180 miles, and it has a drainage area of 

 5,970 square miles. It has a number of important tributaries, in- 

 cluding Naches, Cle Elum, Kachess, and Teanaway rivers and 

 many large creeks. The river water is remarkably clear and 

 cold. The river is subject to frequent freshets during the rainy 

 season, and as a result of the melting snow in the mountains 

 there is a good flow of water even during the dry season in the 

 lower reaches. 



V; HABITS OF THE MIGRATING FISH. 



In order to understand the magnitude of the task it is neces- 

 sary to describe briefly the migrations of the salmon, which com- 

 prise the vastly greater part of the migrants. 



It is the custom of the salmon, when it reaches the adult 

 stage, which period varies with the species, and also within a 

 limited range in the case of certain species, to leave the salt 

 water and head for the certain stream in which it was born, or 



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