KARLTJK RIVER BED-SALMON INVESTIGATION 



69 



As having a possible bearing on this subject, we may recall that 1922 was one 

 of the big cycle years for the pink or humpback salmon. The run of that year was 

 extensive, and spawning occurred not only along the river but on virtually all the 

 important red-salmon beds of the lake system, where they outnumbered the red 

 salmon at least 5 to 1. The progeny of the 1922 pink run comprised the banner 

 run of that species to the Karluk River in 1924, when they were vastly more numerous, 

 even, than in 1922. Obviously, then, the conditions for the successful spawning of 

 pinks in 1922 were extraordinarily favorable and the yield disproportionally large, 

 yet their eggs were laid down in the same gravels with the red salmon and at the same 

 time. It becomes a most interesting question whether conditions favorable to one 

 species under such circumstances would be equally favorable to the other. If a 

 red-salmon run of normal proportions should, after all, develop in the Karluk in 

 1927, that would go far toward answering this question in the affirmative. Such an 

 answer would lead us to entertain grave apprehensions for the Karluk red-salmon 

 run in 1929, for the pink salmon spawning of 1924, in spite of its almost unparalleled 

 intensity, was a complete failure. No pink run whatever resulted in 1926. If a 

 similar fate befell the 1924 red-salmon eggs, we shall have an extremely limited finger- 

 ling migration in 1927 and a failure of the run of 1929. We have as yet, however, no 

 observational basis for anticipating in these two species corresponding success or 

 failure in any given year, even when they share the same spawning beds. 



0. 9. GOVERNMENT PBINTINQ OFFICE : 192T 



