The Capiat Spofitsmjin and Hatupst. 



No. 9. 



MONTRKAL, SEPTEMBER, 1S82. 





WILLIAM COUPER, Editor. 



CALIFORNIAN SALMON AND OUR 

 SALMON RIVERS. 



The introduction of foreign Salmonidae 

 into Canadian waters inhabited by Salmo salar, 

 is, in our opinion, unnatural. There is no 

 necessity for introducing Californian Salmon 

 into our northern rivers; /S. salar has too 

 many enemies already without adding to them. 

 We know sufficient of the Natural History of 

 the latter fish to say that it will never agree 

 with another species inhabiting the same river 

 — the weaker must succumb to the stronger — 

 the Californian fish where it is planted with 

 success, will ultimately cause salar to abandon 

 our rivers. The men who are anxious to 

 carry out these changes, would possibly prefer 

 the Californian to the European form of 

 salmon, but we think it would be more satis- 

 factory to retain the latter ; our sportsmen 

 understand its habits, knowing it to be the 

 most gamy fish that enters our rivers. A 

 charge is made against an overseer for casting 

 young Californian Salmon into ice holes on 

 the St. John, (N.B.) river in the month of 

 March. We think the man did perfectly right 

 in getting rid of them in this way. It is a 

 waste of money to endeavour to restock a 

 river with salmon when the tributaries are 

 interfered with. The woodlands surrounding 

 the mountain springs should be allowed to 

 remain in their primitive state. We care not 

 how magnificent a river may appear to the 

 eye of man, salmon, as a rule, will not enter 

 it when its immediate woodlands and flowing 

 mountain springe are destroyed. All the best 

 salmon rivers in this Dominion are generally 

 wide, swift-running, with falls and pools a 

 few miles from the se5, but let us follow any 

 of them for some distance inland, and they 

 will be seen to diverge into a number oi' 



small tributaries, arising from cold mountain 



.springs, many feet abo I level. 'J 



we gay, if salmon are to be increaai a fo( 

 these springs mnsl be retained in their old 



state. How is it thai 

 disoriptdons of the inland sour, 

 rivers in the Province of Qn- 'ply 



because officers of the Fisheries Departs 

 never took the trouble to explore them, and it 

 is only at this late day when many of 

 rivers have passed from their control that 

 they begin to think there is something in tin- 

 upper waters in connection with conl 

 existance of salmon; — that in fact the in 

 streams are becoming caloric, and salmon 

 will not remain there — therefore no matter 

 how beautiful the river and it- jkjoIs may 

 appear, so long as the head sources of a river 

 is unfit for the hatching of salmon ova and tin- 

 propagation of young fish, it will be useless 

 to endeavour to restock it, the parent fish will 

 leave it forever. 



There is not sufficient trouble taken to 

 obtain a knowledge of our rivers — we mean 

 the upper portions — the natural hatch 

 It is always gratifying to one interested in a 

 river, to sec numbers of fish passing op, but 

 it would be greater satisfaction to ascertain 

 how far they go inland ; the temperature off 

 the water, and the locality selected by them 

 for their future progeny. A short time 

 Mr. Gilmour, wishing to obtain this informa- 

 tion regarding the Godbout, sent intelligent 

 men many miles up to explore the land. 

 They returned with a satisfactory report ; 1 

 ing through a rugged region, with many Is 

 and rivulets falling into the main river. The 

 lakes contain plenty of tish food peculia 

 inland waters; in fact, abundance for salmon 

 during their stay in the inland waters off the 

 Godbout sources. Through the care off nat i\ aa 

 for Mr. Gilmour's woodlands alone the river. 



