SALMON TAGGING IN ALASKA, 1924-1925 
145 
Stikine River south into British Columbia. The cohoes were distributed over this 
same region and also along the western shore of Prince of Wales Island. The pinks 
and chums were taken chiefly along the western shore of Prince of Wales Island, in 
Sumner Strait and Clarence Strait. Very few were taken far from these waters, only 
one pink being reported from the Stikine River and none of either species from 
British Columbia. 
4. The salmon taken at Dixon Entrance (Cape Muzon and Cape Chacon) were 
predominantly of local races and were distributed along the western shore of Prince 
of Wales Island and in Clarence Strait (mainly along the southern half) , Revillagigedo 
Channel, and adjacent waters. Significant numbers of both reds and cohoes came 
from the Nass and Skeena Rivers in Northern British Columbia, but very few of 
any of the other species were taken in Canadian waters. 
5. The fish tagged in the region of Cape Fox, Foggy Bay, and Duke Island 
(Dixon Entrance near the mainland) were chiefly distributed locally along the 
mainland shores, both in Alaska and south into British Columbia. Reds, pinks, and 
chums were taken in the rivers of northern British Columbia, especially in the Nass 
and the Skeena. 
EXPERIMENTS AT PORT MOLLER, 1925 
The purpose of the experiment conducted at Port Moller was to test again 
the theory that salmon taken off the mouths of the Bear and Sandy Rivers are 
of local origin and are not bound for Bristol Bay, as are many of the fish taken in 
the Ikatan-Shumagin Islands district. The tagging experiments of 1922 showed 
clearly that in that year the fish taken in Bering Sea near the Bear and Sandy Rivers 
were local residents. Out of 639 tagged, not a single specimen was taken in Bristol 
Bay. 6 However, some of the cannery men interested in the fishery at this point 
felt that the experiment of 1922 was not sufficiently conclusive, as it was possible 
that 1922 was an unusual year. At their request the experiment was repeated 
during the summer of 1925, and 2,000 tags were attached to salmon taken with 
purse seines near the beach between the Bear and Sandy Rivers. 
The methods followed were practically the same as those in use since 1922. 
slight modification was introduced, however, and the salmon, instead of being 
tagged and liberated directly from the gear in which they were caught, were first 
placed in a live car and towed a short distance farther offshore. This was done to 
avoid interference with purse seines fishing close to shore, and also because it was 
thought that the fish might have a better chance to escape immediate recapture. 
The tagging operations were planned by Dr. C. H. Gilbert, who visited Heren- 
deen Bay late in June with the intention of immediately supervising the work. 
For various reasons this proved to be impossible, and the operations were actually 
carried out by L. G. Wingard, warden. The following numbers of the 1925 series 
of salmon tags were attached: 18001 to 18857 on July 1, 18858 to 19162 on July 4, 
and 19163 to 20000 on July 5. 
The results completely confirmed those of 1922. Out of the 2,000 fish tagged, 
949, or 47.5 per cent, were recaptured and the tags returned to us. Of these only 1 
6 Experiments in Tagging Adult Bed Salmon, Alaska Peninsula Fisheries Reservation, Summer of 1922, by Charles H. Gilbert. 
Bulletin, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Vol. XXXIX, 1923-24 (1924), Document No. 943, pp. 39-50. Washington. 
