SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 3c 



away. Eggs were very plentiful between the crevices of the stones. On the 24th of 

 August we found Alexander's Creek full of Humpbacks in all stages of emaciation and 

 decay. Iu Alitak Bay, September 9, the fish were nearly all dead in the creeks, and 

 Snug Harbor contained many dying Humpback Salmon floating seaward tail first. 

 Messrs. Booth and Stone found Afognak Biver well filled with spawning Humpbacks 

 August 30. The two tributaries of Afognak Birer also contained them in great 

 numbers. Mr. Booth found the fish most abundant in the neighborhood of holes exca- 

 vated in the egg-sized gravel of the bottom, intermingled with stones of 3 or 4 pounds 

 in weight. 



After the great run in the Karluk, already referred to, the fish came down dead 

 or in a dying condition for a whole month and the beaches were strewn with dead sal- 

 mon. The distortion of the Humpback during the breeding season is remarkable and 

 the injury to its fins, and other exposed portions of the body, is excessive. The last 

 stages of this species are repulsive to look upon, but before the extensive emaciation 

 and sloughing away of the skin has taken place the colors of the breeding-fish are 

 rather pleasing, the lower parts becoming milky white, coutrasting beautifully with the 

 darker color of the sides and back. This white color sometimes extends upward 

 towards the middle line with interruptions. 



The Red Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). 



(Plate in, tigs. 6 and 7.) 



This is the blue-back of the lower Columbia Biver, the Satvqui or ISuMegh of 

 Frazer's Biver, and the Krasnaya Byba (or redfish) of the Bussians. It does not seem 

 to exist south of the Columbia River. Northward it is found as far as the Yukon, and 

 occurs also in Japan and Kamchatka. 



Although next to the smallest of the Pacific salmons this is now the most impor- 

 tant species for canning and salting, and its flesh is so red as to win for it a reputation 

 not warranted by its edible qualities. It approaches the shores early in the spring 

 and enters only snow-fed streams. The Bed Salmon is not caught, like the King Sal- 

 mon and Silver Salmon, by trolling in the bays. When it comes into the mouths of 

 the streams, to ascend for the purpose of spawning, the fishing begins. 



The size of the Bed Salmon varies with the locality and season. Some runs contain 

 much larger fish than others. At Karluk the fish will average nearly 4 pounds apiece 

 without the head, fins, tail, and viscera. The whole fish will weigh 7 or 8 pounds. Indi- 

 viduals of 15 pounds are occasionally seen, but they are uncommon. 



Like the King Salmon, the Bed Salmon travels long distances up the rivers, push- 

 ing on to their sources ; unlike the King Salmon, however, the Bed Salmon is chiefly a 

 lake spawner, the former fish preferring the headwaters of the principal rivers to their 

 small tributaries. 



Ked Salmon arrive at St. Paul, Kadiak, according to Mr. Washburn, agent of the 

 Alaska Commercial Company, in June, and there is only one annual run. This gentle- 

 man also informed me that there is a little run of small Bed Salmon in Little Afognak 

 Biver as early as April 1, but the principal run comes in June or July. In a river just 

 10 miles distant from the Little Afognak the first run does not arrive until about May 

 20. At Karluk, in 1889, and around Kadiak generally, the species arrived late, and 

 the catch up to the end of July was small everywhere. Turner records the 1st of May 

 H. Mis. 211 3 



