KARLUK BTVEB BED-SALMON INVESTIGATION 17 



August 19. — On our way up the river we had seen scattering red salmon, but never in any 

 numbers. It was not until we reached the final shoals below the lake that red salmon became a 

 feature. In this short section, of perhaps a quarter mile, there were more reds than humps, and also 

 a good sprinkling of kings. The reds were not moving up into the lake, as far as we could observe, 

 but were acting in all respects like the kings and humps spawning along the river. Many pairs 

 were seen; they were milling around and finning and fighting, for all the world like those seen later 

 along the lake shores. Some males were frayed. They were undoubtedly spawning. 



As regards the number of humpbacks found along the river, it can be said they were abundant 

 in all shallow gravelly stretches with good current. The gravels were not fully occupied; there was 

 easily room for twice the number, but the impression was strong that they were numerous, perhaps 

 sufficiently so. 



Kings were not seen by us between the portage and the last stretch of river before reaching 

 the lake, although it is reported that the deep hole 2 or 3 miles below the lake is a favorite spot 

 for them to lie in and then spawn near at hand. We saw many king salmon in this hole two years 

 ago. This year they were numerous immediately below the lake. They were even spawning in 

 the foot of the lake itself, in the channel at one side of the sand island that lies where the river 

 current begins; but not a single king was seen last year or this beyond that point. The lake shores 

 and tributaries were free from kings. 



Thumb River. The lowest stretch (perhaps one-eighth mile) of this short stream pursues a 

 westerly course and is very wide and shallow, much like the main Karluk River immediately below 

 Karluk Lake. Sand bars and islands at the mouth divide the current this year in three channels, 

 the southwest channel the largest. This section of Thumb River is a favorite spawning ground 

 and was thickly beset with spawning fish. At first sight it seemed to reproduce the conditions 

 of last year. Spawners were everywhere in considerable numbers, and more were entering con- 

 stantly; but inspection showed that here, as in the main river, humpbacks far predominated over 

 the reds. I estimated conservatively 1 red to 5 humps; Lucas, 1 to 20. 



At the upper end of this lower east-west portion of the river it turns abruptly south, and then 

 swings back in a wide curve to the foot of the lake, which has the same axial line as Thumb Bay. 

 The river is less than half a mile long and was beset with humps for its entire length. Where the 

 outlet leaves Thumb Lake, a tributary of some size comes brawling in at a sharp angle, from south 

 or southwest, and is a favorite spawning ground for red salmon. Far more spawn in this stream 

 than in Thumb Lake or in all of its other tributaries. A bar or flat at the mouth of this tributary 

 was deep in dead red salmon last year, whereas this year comparatively few were present. We 

 enumerated 625 dead salmon at this point, including all that could be seen lying in deeper water 

 immediately off the mouth. Lucas and Studdert went up this stream the following day about 

 three-fourths mile to a fall, which blocked further progress. Studdert counted 251 live fish, and 

 is certain he did not miss more than 25. The dead fish along the stream were not counted. No 

 humpbacks were seen among the dead at the mouth of the stream; one live one was seen by me 

 and three by others, in the creek itself. All other salmon seen were reds. 



Returned to shore of Karluk Lake; inspected the beach line to the north of Thumb Creek. 

 For 500 yards the salmon were scattered along the beach, spawning in the gravels. These were 

 all red salmon. We waded among them and examined carefully and could not discover a single 

 humpback. 



August 20. — At the head of Thumb Lake, at mouth of inlet, 75 or 100 red salmon were schooled 

 off the two entrances (a long sand island between) and were entering at intervals during our stay 

 of two hours. In the creek itself very few salmon were seen, either dead or alive, and the dead fish 

 were all old, as though no spawning had been in progress since the early part of the season. Lucas 

 walked up the stream for about miles and came to falls, at the foot of which a small number of 

 reds were gathered, making futile efforts to jump them. None were seen by him above the falls. 

 During the walk he saw few dead fish. This must be considered a relatively unimportant spawning 

 stream, yet it appears to have ideal spawning gravels and a good flow of water. The gravels con- 

 tinued, according to Lucas, for 2 miles or more, and for that distance a few reds were seen alive 

 in the stream and dead along the banks. But above, the character of the stream changed. It 

 became rapid and turbulent, and the bed consisted of rock slabs, with only occasional limited 

 patches of gravel. Along jthis stretch saw no dead fish, and none living, until the falls were 

 reached. 



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