numbers. During egg-laying time sock- 
eyes can be seen by the million in certain 
rivers of the coast, crowding and leaping, 
on their way back to the place where 
they were born. 
The sockeye is smaller than the chi- 
nook. Even the largest sockeye does not 
grow longer than three feet or heavier 
than about twelve pounds. Usually it 
is about two feet long and weighs from 
three to seven or eight pounds. Its back 
is a clear bright unspeckled blue, and 
its sides are silver. 
The silver salmon is not so important 
for food, mostly because its flesh is not 
such a bright and pleasing color as the 
sockeye or the chinook. There’s another 
reason too why fishermen don’t depend 
much on this fish for trade. It’s a smart 
fish, and so when the fishermen spread 
nets for it at the mouths of streams, the 
silver salmon just don’t go into those 
nets. 
14 
