Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-06

About the same time appears the
DOG" salmon, fish with a very
ferocious appearance, though actually
it does not seem to be any more bel
ligerent than it's brothers. AS its name
implies, IL has a face that suggests an
angry dog. Large teeth protrude from
either side of its mouth.
Though today the salmon is proba-
bly, the most important food fish in
dustrially, its life history is still large
" a mystery. 1t is known that the
salmon returns to spawn at the place
where it was laid as an egg. That
with most of the species, this occurs in
4-year cycles has been satisfactorily
established. No man has yet found
where the salmon stays in the inter-
vening time.
A Change In Color.
! Leaving the salt water for the fresh,
the salmon quickly changes in color
from silver to blood red. At the same
time the fish gradually loses the firm
ness of its flesh. A slow but steady
deterioration sets in. Once the time
has come the fish run IN with a big
tide, and are carried far up the rivers.
To reach the desired grounds in shall
low quiet understandings hun
dred miles from the seattle salmon
performs almost unbelievable feats.
Small waterfalls they will jump, great
ones they manage to surmount py
swimming. Choosing a point where the
water fall is heaviest, the fish drop
downstream a dozen yards to take
run at the fall, just as man speeds
up his motor car to take hill. with
running leap" it conquers the de-
clivity in a way unbelievable unless
one has witnessed such sight.
The sands in the shadows of the riv-
ers, streams, lagoons and lakes where
the salmon spawn is a strange sisht
at this time Countless small fish, such
as char, club and trout, gather and
swarm, eager to devour the eggs.
Bravely on guard stands the father
salmon. He fights with great ardor'
moving backwards and forwards close
to his mate and driving away the at
tackcrs. Despite the effort OF the
males, millions of eggs are yearly eat
on bv the smaller fish. Each female
salmon spawns about 5000 eggs.
Once the eggs are laid and fertilized'
tbe salmon parents move very little,
exerting the fins only enough to MAIN
tain their positions. Tens of thousands
gather in such spots, remaining Hstless
while rapidly they deteriorate. Ihe
parents die in thousands at time ana
from the bodies the young from the
newly hatched eggs are said TO OBTAIN
nourishment This Is the bellet OF the
Indians, who claim that the parental
bodies contain the exact nourlshmeht
needed for the fry. 1t is point greatly
debatable. Salmon hatcheries, Ill
which eggs were brought to maturity
and the small fry turned loose, nave
nroved a failure, few of the fry so rails
ed ever returning. This is quoted Dy
the Indians as a proof that the fry IN
such hatcheries do not get food from
the bodies as intended by Nature.
"PoIIywoss" At One Stage
Spawning occupies about ten days.
In twelve weeks the salmon eggs
hatchl into "pollywogs,' which grow
rapidly, attaining a length OF elght
inches in ten weeks, whereupon they
go out into the open sea and disappear
from the sight and knowledge OF man.
until four years later, when they re-
turn as full grown fish.
That the salmon. returns to spawn III
its fourth year does not, OF COURSE
mean that spawning occurs only at III
tervals of four years. There are hsh
for every year. At the same tiile
for some reason not understood every
fourth year the swarm which comes u
snawn is greatly in excess OF thaI Vi
the previous three. Among fishermen
and cannery men these different oc-
caslons are named big and lean
wears. The various rivers nave the''
own big" years, which DO not com
eide. Thus certain year on the
Fraser might be big" while it would
be a lean" year on some river IN
Alaska.
The salmon are taken in petrol
driven or sailing boats, though no-
for launches are rapidly increasing IN
number. When fishing with drift nets
in the open sea the boats are to"eu
out by a steamer in a long line, about
two. hours before sundown, so that
they reach the grounds in time TO
drop the nets before the sun dlsap-
! pears. When fishing with drltt nets
in the rivers, the men work with the
tides, both day and night. This gives
them from an hour to an hour ana d
half of fishing in every SIX. After
fishing in open water the fleet arrives
off the canncry little after SUNRISE
and unloads upon great receiving
"scows," where tally men count the
fish Save in the case of spring sal
,dnp the fishermen are paid so much