192 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
BRANDING SALMON. 
Attempts have been made at different points on the Pacific coast to mark salmon, 
and it would be interesting if the facts in all cases were recorded as well as the results. 
It is well known that at several points young salmon have been marked by cutting 
off the fleshy (adipose) fin; but, unfortunately, this seems to be the only method 
offering any facility for marking these fishes, and if all localities adopt the same 
system but little benefit will be derived. 
attention has, on several occasions, been invited to so-called marked fish other 
than those from which the fleshy fin had been removed, and it may be of some inter- 
est to give a brief description of them. In 1897 it was called to a mark on the gill 
cover of a redfish at Uyak. The mark was elliptical in shape, with three-fourths inch 
and one-half inch as the respective major and minor axes; the edge appeared milled, 
and there were some blurred marks around the inner circle, while in the center there 
was a design which might be taken for a crown surmounting a sphere. At San 
Francisco, in the office of the Alaska Packers Association, a similar mark, also on 
the gill cover, is preserved in alcohol. This year, on the Nushagak, a mark of the 
same kind, though less distinct, was seen on the gill cover of a humpback. My first 
impression was that these marks had been made b}" a coin, but this would be imprac- 
ticable unless made on an adult tish. It is my belief now that the mark is that of 
some parasite which had become firmly attached to the gill cover and left its impres- 
sion. This year two redfish were taken on the Nushagak that had the dorsal-tin rays 
entirely removed and the skin was apparently joined smoothly over the back. 
One fish was taken in the same locality with an impression resembling an M or a 
W, If inches square on its side; and another with the same letter, and a scroll drawn 
out from the end. At Koggiung two fish were taken with the M or W marks, and 
one with H W or M II. These marks were midway on the side of the tish, brown 
in color, and apparently the scales were wanting in the wake of the lines, which had 
the appearance of having been traced with an iron. It is doubtful if young tish can 
be marked in this manner, and the suggestion is offered that it is possible that the 
marks may have been produced by the fish tying on a piece of webbing in the bottom 
of the boat, and that the tish piled on top may, under proper conditions, have fur- 
nished sufficient pressure to form the marks. 
OTHER SALMON STREAMS IN BERING SEA. 
The question is frequently asked whether there are any streams in Bering Sea, 
other than those of the Bristol Bay region, which carry salmon that may be utilized 
for commercial purposes. To this no definite reply can be made for the reason that 
other factors enter into the proposition besides the one of an abundance of salmon. 
Accessibility is an important factor; feasibility in making a catch, length of season, 
and climatic conditions are others. It is customary, before building a cannery in a 
new locality, to thoroughly prospect it first. A saltery is often maintained for sev- 
eral seasons and the values of the streams ascertained. It is known that salmon of 
different species run in numbers in the rivers on the American side, as far north as 
the Noatak, which empties into Kotzebue Sound, and it is probable that other rivers 
emptying into the Arctic Ocean also carry salmon. 
