CHAPTER I 



THE LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF THE 

 SALMON 



Salmon come into fresh-water rivers only to 

 spawn. When they first arrive from the sea the 

 melt and roe are only partly developed, and it 

 takes from three to six months in our rivers to 

 grow these up to the point where they are ready 

 to function. During this period the fish is be- 

 lieved to eat nothing, and the stomach shrinks in 

 size and loses all digestive power. The salmon 

 draws his energy during this long fast from the 

 fat stored between the flakes of the flesh and just 

 •under the skin. He loses weight constantly dur- 

 ing the time he is in fresh water. A fish weighing 

 thirty-five pounds in June will not weigh over 

 twenty to twenty-five pounds when he is ready to 

 spawn — ^perhaps even less. 



Spawning takes place in our Eastern fresh-water 

 rivers and streams usually in October and early 

 November. The eggs wash into the crevices 

 between the stones, and are mostly covered up 

 with gravel and small stones by the action of the 



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