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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. f2l interested in the question. Only a few, which, en tering the river late in the season, do not have time to progreaa far inland before compelled to extrnde their spawn, and are thns in condition to return to gait water to recuperate, are exceptions to this general rule. The latter are thus enabled to attain a larger growth before they again enter the river, and it is they who furnish the sixty to ninety-pounders occa sionally caught by tho fishermen. In his journey toward the spawning grounds tho salmon brooks no obstacle. With his head constant ly turned up stream, he presses forward, leaping cas cades and falls, and rushing through rapid, with a btrength and dexterity surpassing that of any other nub. Such falls as thoso of the Willamette, at Oregon City, are, of course, insurmountable, as, also, tho Salmon falls, on Snake river. Tho former has been rendered passable by an iron fish ladder constructed by tho state. Mr. Livingston Stone, tho gen tleman who has been in chargo of tho United States fish commis sion's operations on the Pacific coast for many years, thus gives a history of this period of the salm on's life. His observations were mado at the government fishery on McCload river, in California, but tho facta gathered aro as truo on tho Columbia as there. " From tho moment tho salmon enters tho river, which it is suro to seek onco in ono or two years, its progress is ono of interest It first proceeds at it leisure to tho head of tido water. Hero it stops awhilo and seems to play about between tho fresh and salt water. Whether it shrinks from encountering tho sudden change from salt water to frrib, which is probably the cause of its dallying, or for other cause, it usually spends two weeks or more hovering about tho border lino between sea water and river water. When it has overcome it apparent repugnance to making tho change to fresh water, it make a rapid chargo up tho river for the clear, gravelly streams which its instinct, or sixth sense, Ml it to seek. Now, paradoxical or unreasonable as it may ntn, it stops eating. If it Is caught a abort distance above tho head of tho tide, tho undigested remains of what it ato in tho salt sea water aro sometime found in it stomach, but after that, nothing, absolutely nothing, is ever found inside of tho California ailmoa to show rrvut Mi" that it ha eaten a jwirticlo of food in frcnh water. As a proof of this statement, I may mention that out of many thousand specimens that have Un examined, no food has been found in tho stomach of any. After tho salmon crois over tho lino into tho fresh water above them, they begin a strango and almost inexpll. j cablo journey. In tho case, at least, of tho salmon i that go up tho McCloud river, they lgin a journey which is a long fast and ends only in death. If they j could bo credited with a knowledge of what lie i foro them, none of tho martyrs of Christendom could i claim greater merit than these devoted salmon, that ! march unllinchingly to inevitable death. From tho j time tho salmon leave tho borderland, so to V, of tiilrt trkter. tliov iiurtun their niv. - t - t ward course towards tho sourco of tho river with an Inlleiiblo rtinae ity. Nothing can now chrck their career, except an obstacle positively insurmountable, and nothing what ever can indue them to turn back. They steadily pursue their way through tho deettfr and stiller water of tho lovrr ortion of tho rims. They dash furiously up tho rapid, halting awhilo usually foro they enter them to rrcrut their strength, and continue to rush on and on through tho swiftest, shallowest and roughest waters until they reach suitable places for dejitlng their spawn. Tho earliest runs, that is, those that enter tho rivers first, uiually go farthest up tho stream. Those that ccmo next em to take their place Mow them, and so on down tho river, so that thero is a Series Of Set of Spawning fIhM, fX- tending from tho head of tho river down as far a suitable spawning a,. .,(., m. grounU aro to U founL If tho salmon, on their way up tho river inert with any. thing that frightens them, liko a brldg", for lnUnc they usually stop and cautiously examine it until thy aro satisfied that IL17 can risk tho venture, and then all tether, a if by a given signal, they wako a swift rush past it When they corn to a fall they show more rwwanc than IloUrt UruV famous vpl. der, for they try Innumerable time to jump it, and never give it up until they have found it to U a hp le ca and are completely worn out with tho ti?t. lion. " I sail fcthingtaa tarn the.4 Urk; when tbor. oughly frighten! and tricked, however, they art liko stamj-4"! cattle aU can Uj driven dwn tho riv. r p'j IL ' .
