70 DAVID STATUÌ JORDAN. 



flesh it is inferior to all the other salmon. Por canning it is entirely 

 worthless, the flesh being pale and becoming soft and pulpy when boiled. 

 As a salted fish its rank is higher and many hundred thousands of pounds 

 are sold each year in Japan. 



The question is sometimes raised, why cannot salmon be put in tin 

 cans with profit in Japan as well as in the United States ? Why do the 

 Japanese rivers produce inferior salmon '.' Simply because they are 

 occupied by an inferior species. The Sake is found also in Puget Sound, 

 Canada and Alaska, but it is everywhere rejected by the Salmon-canners 

 and used only as salted by the Indians. 



It is a matter of great economic importance for the government ot 

 Japan to substitute a better salmon for the Sake. The most valuable of 

 all salmon, largest in size, finest in flesh, and most prolific is the 

 American Quinnat or King Salmon Oncorhynchus tschawytscha. This 

 species is easily transplanted, reaches an average weight of 22 pounds, 

 and for every purpose is superior to any other salmon. I urge the 

 planting of this species in the Kitakami and the Ishikari Rivers as a 

 matter of vital importance to the fishery interests of Japan. 



The Sake may be known from other Japanese salmon by its larger 

 size, its mottled color, its broad tail, and especially by the medium size 

 of its scales, there being 160 to 170 in a lengthwise series from head to 

 tail. The fishes called Oncorhynchus haberi by Dr. Hilgendorf belong to 

 Oncorhynchus keta. We have the Sake from Ishikari River, from 

 Aomori and Hakodate. 



2. The Yezomasu or Hokkaido Salmon ; Oncorhynchus yessoensis 



Hilgendorf. 



All the smaller salmon as well as the large trout are called in Japan 

 Masu, and neither fishermen nor literary men seem to make any distinc- 

 tion among the three or four species confused under that name. 



The present species is known at once from all the others in Japan 

 by its very small scales, there being about 195 in the lateral line. The 

 only other salmon-like fish having scales so small are the fresh water 



