70 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
4. The relative abundance of fish with stream and with ocean nuclei has been 
considered, and it has been shown that about 22 per cent of the fish taken off the 
mouth of the Columbia River have scales with the stream type of nucleus. Since 
these fish are predominately from the Columbia River, this probably represents 
closely the percentage of fish of this category contained in the entire population. 
5. Evidence is presented which shows that the more rigorous climatic condi- 
tions associated with higher latitudes and greater altitudes tend to increase the 
percentage of fish with stream nuclei — that is to say, more of the young fish 
remain in their home stream for at least one year after hatching. 
6. Variations in size within the various age groups have been studied and a 
growth curve constructed. It has been found that the variations in the size of 
different races successively 'passing up the river on the spawning migration are such 
that data from this source can not be relied upon to show the growth. Similar 
variations among the fish taken in the ocean are, however, consistent, and may 
be depended upon to show the growth of the various age groups. Only this data 
has been used in constructing the growth curve. 
7. The growth is typical of nearly all organisms in that it progresses at a 
maximum rate during the warmer part of the year — from May to September — 
and slows materially, if it does not stop entirely, during the colder months. 
The undesirable features of the fishing for chinook salmon, which is carried on 
in the ocean by trolling and purse seining, are more or less obvious. A large percent- 
age of immature fish are taken, which are far from having attained their maximum 
size and of relatively poor quality. They are feeding heavily, and the presence of 
large quantities of food in the stomach and intestines causes rapid spoiling. In 
many cases these immature fish are unfit for canning. On the other hand, the fish 
found in the river are, with very few exceptions, mature, and have definitely left 
their ocean feeding grounds and begun the long journey to the spawning beds. They 
have ceased feeding, and therefore growing, and the deterioration in the quality of 
flesh known to occur in salmon during their spawning migration will soon begin. 
Since the fish taken in the river have thus reached their maximimi size andan optimum 
condition for commercial use, it seems logical that the commercial catch should be 
restricted to this stage in the life history. 
From a business standpoint, the development of this ocean fishery would seem 
to be most undesirable. The poor quality of the outside fish, when canned, can not 
be questioned, and to continue to pack and market them as Columbia River chinook 
salmon can not fail to react unfavorably on the reputaiion of the Columbia River 
product. Many of the packers now place most of the fish taken outside in the infe- 
rior grades, marketing them as chums, but there is certain to be a constant tendency 
to place inferior fish with the better grades. 
A much more important phase of the development of this outside fishery has 
to do with its effect on the conservation of the salmon run in the Colxmibia River. 
In order to understand this, however, it will be necessary to review briefly the recent 
history of the salmon industry in this district. 
With slight fluctuations, which can not be referred definitely to any cause, the 
pack of chinook salmon on the Columbia River has remained fairly constant for the 
past 15 or 20 years. The opinion is cmrent, however, that the run of salmon was 
