SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



and eight months, as shown by the dark line on 

 the base of the scale. The total age of the fish 

 was six years and three months when caught. 



Figure 4 scale is taken from an eighteen-pound 

 fish taken on the Terra Nova River in New Found- 

 land. It went to sea in one and one-half years, 

 probably in August, and returned and spawned 

 one year later at the age of two and one-half 

 years. It was five years and seven months old 

 when it was caught. 



In most salmon rivers I have fished I have 

 noticed two kinds of salmon: the one round and 

 deep with the head small for the size of the body; 

 the other shaped more like a mackerel, much 

 longer for his depth and a proportionately larger 

 head. The second type salmon is never as large 

 as the other, especially the females; the male fish 

 of this long shape sometimes reach twenty-five 

 pounds, but rarely larger. By observing the 

 scales on both types of fish I have noticed that 

 the mackerel-shaped fish returned to the river 

 early, generally the first or second year, whereas 

 the round-shaped fish stayed in the sea longer 

 and got more complete growth. The months of 

 starvation and hardship no doubt stunt the fish, 

 and leave a permanent physiological effect on 



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