PROPAGATION OF SALMON ON THE PACIFIC COAST. 
233 
111 the Yukon 100 pouml salmon are said to be not rare, and the writer met on 
Kadiak Island a iirofessional salmon lisherman who said he had seeii a Yukon salmon 
that weighed 125 pounds. Tlie smallest qninnat salmon that the writer has ever seen 
weighed pounds, and was a female with perfectly developed ova, which were taken 
and afterwards hatched into healthy young salmon fry. 
The salmon that are taken at Baird station, on McCloud River, in California, vary 
widely in size in different years. Leaving out the grilse, or iiartly matured males, the 
average weight of the salmon manipulated at this station the last few years is estimated 
at about 13 pounds each. On the other hand, in 1878, the average weight ot the 
spawners taken in August, after the eggs had been expressed from them, was only 
8:^ pounds. 
Below will be found the weight of 82 salmon spawned and weighed after spawning, 
on the 29th of August, 1878: 
Number. 
Weight 
in 
poumls. 
Number. 
Weight 
in 
pounds. 
Number. 
Weight 
in 
pounds. 
Number. 
Weight 
in 
pounds. 
1 
10 
99 
17 
43 
5 
64 
5 
9. 
g 
23 
7 
44 
5 
6 
10 
24 
7 
66 
8 
d 
9 
25 
8 
46 
7 
67 
5 
14 
26 
15 
47 
8 
68 
fi 
0 
27 
9 
48 
69 
7 
12 
28 
8 
49 
70 
5 
K 
29 
7 
50 
7 
71 
7 
u 
8 
30 
11 
51 
6 
72 
6 
10 
7 
31 
14 
52 
8 
73 
7 
11 
8 
32 
14 
53 
9 
74 
7 
12 
15 
33 
7 
54 
6 
75 
7 
13 
7 
34 
17 
55 
6 
76 
7 
14 
8 
35 
13 
56 
5 
77 
6 
15 
(5 
36 
8 
57 
8 
78 
11 
1(5 
8 
37 
7 
58 
7 
79 
5 
1 17 
7 
38 
9 
59 
7 
80 
j 18 
7 
39 
14 
60 
7 
81 
8 
19 
7 
40 
5 
61 
10 
82 
5 
20 .... 
8 
41 
7 
62 
6 
' 21 
7 
42 
17 
63 
8 
In the Sacramento and the Columbia the appearance of the salmon is very regular, 
the numbers, however, showing a very marked dependence on the number of young 
fry hatched at the breeding stations the corresponding years. 
There has never been to the writer’s knowledge a serious failure of the salmon in 
any year to make their appearance in the Columbia, and only one instance of failure 
in the Sacramento, viz, in 18G6, which was doubtless caused by the debris (slickeus) 
turned into the river by the operations of the hydraulic miners. 
In ascending the rivers the males usually precede, followed closely by the females. 
This continues through the season, in consequence of which, at the end of the season at 
a breeding station, there are usually females left over after the run of males has ended. 
The rate of progress of these salmon up the rivers varies at different seasons of the 
year. In ascending the Columbia, they are usually from one to three weeks passing 
from the mouth of the river to Clifton, about 20 miles. Tliey hrst appear at The Dalles 
in the middle of April, about two mouths after their first appearance at the mouth of 
the Columbia. They appear in great quantities at The Dalles about the middle of 
June, or two mouths after they appear in large numbers at the bar. The falls of The 
Dalles are 200 miles up the river, which would indicate that their rate of progression 
to that point is about 100 miles a month. 
