The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-08-18
kr INTUITION
Or intelligence
81. Influences Salmon In Seeking
y Breeding Places Far from
Their Native Eelemens.


! sInon run up the Okanogan river.
~. rms take place at certain seas
=. svsry year These migrations are
- ...nonse TO provision OF nature.
=. sslmon are salt water fish and
i..d - streams emptying into the sea
-.., ths time comes for spawning.
~ follow up to the very head wa
s,s a. the smallest creeks in which
sS.v an navigate before depositing
4. roe 1t would require that man
9 : veil posted on the life of the sal
- a Maeterlink upon the life OF
4. bee to explain why the salmon
rdgu in such mysterious ways. and
~lv one thoroughly versed in ichthy-
~ could corroborate or deny
vAether local Impressions as to how
u way salmon possesses certain
IN and follow out lines of proceed
= from generation to generation
! ~ the beginning to the en- dof life
/ as nets or fables.
VI have heard men say who have
n considerable experience as fisher
/! nn-whether from observation or
hllition It is not known-that while
Ne & run of salmon every year
~ principal run, the big run, is every
NJ years, and this takes place as GER
hin as the flight Of time. Tne year
\ IN appears TO be one OF those four
yoor periods and~salmon have been
hiding up the Okanogan during the
ut fortnight in enormous numbers
IA the catch seems larger this year
lAm In any previous year.
II ~ declared that after reaching the
spot the fisl may consider most suit
lbe for carrying out the object Of such
along voyage from its native element.
snxning takes place and after that
npetion the fish dies. This is claim
6lfcult to verify. for no one has ever
1oen dead salmon in the waters, nor
" evidence Of great mortality
anong the finny tribe in the way Of
&eletons, and 1t would seem impos-
alble TOR fish to die in multitudes
Without leaving some evidence of
heir demise behind. 1t is further
claimed, upon what proof it is not
nown, that the fry are so deeply i'm
oued with tae attractions of their sur
soundings when they open their eyes.
commence exercising the functions OF
helr species and respond to the call
q salt water by returning to the sea
70 grow into full fiedged fish, that
when their time comes to follow in the
wake Of their progenitors and pro-
vlde more fish they go up exactly the
aame streams that were navigated by
snar parent and spawn in the same
Place. That may be fiction, yet quite
Interesting fiction and we have heard
i solemnly asserted often.
In the old days when the Indian
vas the only inhabitant of this valley
me days Of the salmon run was one
period Of the year when the buck got
0ssy, and getting busy is not weak
ness OF the aborigines. OF course ais
acuv1ties were confined to the more
masculine and sporty exercise of TAX
ing tne fish. He used the spear, crude
'faps and snares, but the fish were
70 numerous that the catches were
enormous. The squaw prepared and
aned the fish and thus salmon be-
came large item in the Indians
@iiy Dill-of-fare, and was an i'm
portant addition to the larder to tide
"er the winter. Even up to very re-
'ent years the season of the run has
'Aracted numbers of Indians to the
ALLEY. They have become crowded off
ae swallows by the white man, and
very day in the week becomes a Fri
.ay as to meat diet among many fam
iles IN town and surrounding coun-
~.
AZ mas been stated the run this year
'as been heavy and the catch unusu-
Wy large. The fish run into Osoyoos
AAe anu continue up the Okanogan
'a''i they reach the dam at the in
~Ae OF the northern irrigation sys-
em which heads off further progress
= stream, where. it is alleged, the
20 are taken in vast quantities with
sanes. 1t Is against the law to use
s'ues IN the local waters of this state.
~ evidently 1t is an open sea son for
s'mon IN any way they can be caught
'ssoss the line. A story reaches this
.,'ce TO the effect that last week
v'ne was drawn at the dam on the
',.nosan when it required the use of
!. Nurse on each end Of the net to land
- ca!ch and the number taken was
: sreat that when the wagon was
ssueu ! with what were hauled out Of
= wafer the team could not move the
.ason and it was necessary to get
~ more horses in order to move the
cAd
"e salmon must be endowed with
n intelligence. Notwithstanding
- TACT that the Similkameen river
., as the Okanogan just below Oro-
~. ~ and presents a very attractive
. "way for salmon headed inland
y said that nowadays few fish
"''cn orr and take to the Similka-
= .s'n route but continue up to the lake
'ne okanogan. Now, why is this ?
I, to.mer years. when only the natur-
!. 'a.is on the Similkameen stood as
! oostacle to travel by the water
! @ the run was divided between
- oaanogan and the Similkameen.
seo' we have seen many spearmen
Hsy scanning the rifles on the
in old days watching for