CHIGNIK TO RESURRECTION BAY SALMON STATISTICS 
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in Bristol Bay, p. 63, Part I) shows, in the case of Chignik, a complete lack of the 
definite periodicity of fluctuations that is such a conspicuous feature in the other 
districts. At Chignik the fluctuations about the trend are much less violent (the 
greatest is 41 per cent), and the maxima and minima come at very irregular intervals. 
It would be difficult to explain this condition were it not for the fortunate fact that 
recently secured data show that the Chignik red-salmon runs do not consist so predom- 
inantly of fish of a single age group. Harlan B. Holmes, assistant aquatic biologist, is 
now engaged in an intensive study of these fish 
and has found relatively high percentages of 4, 
5, and 6 year fish in the commercial catches. 
While the study is too incomplete to warrant 
definite conclusions, the indications are that, 
while the 5-year fish usually predominate, they 
form, on the average, only abou 1 50 per cent of the 
total run. Approximately 20 per cent are 4-year 
fish, and 30 per cent are 6-year fish. Such a con- 
dition would inevitably bring about a lack of the 
definite periodicity that is characteristic of runs 
in which a single age group is strongly predom- 
inant, and it would also tend to smooth out the 
fluctuations so that they would not be so ex- 
treme. It seems very probable that this is the 
explanation of the peculiar character of the de- 
viations from the trend shown in Figure 3. 
10 
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The catches of the other species of salmon, 
especially pinks, chums, and cohos, are not 
derived so largely from the Chignik runs but 
include fish derived from smaller streams en- 
tering Aniakchak, Kujulik, and Hook Bays. 
These districts were not regularly fished pre- 
viously to 1917, and the effect of this develop- 
ment is clearly apparent in the records of the 
catches of these three species. The catches of 
all the cheaper grades of salmon were irregu- 
lar previous to about 1910 or 1912, so that 
attempts at analyses have been limited to the 
subsequent years. The data are shown graph- 
ically in Figure 4. 
The pink salmon show the characteristic 2-year cycle with large runs on the 
even years and small runs on the odd. The trend of the catches in the even years 
(moving average by threes) shows a steady rise which, however, is affected greatly 
by the very large catches of 1924 and 1926. In order to show more clearly, and to 
some extent graphically, the nature of the changes in the catch of pinks, Table 2 is 
presented which shows for each year the extent to which fish from each locality entered 
into the total catch. It is apparent from this that the heavy catches of 1924 and 
14958—31 2 
Figure 4. — Catch of kings, chums, cohos, and pinks 
at Chignik 
