Planting of quinnat salmon and steelhead trout in Maine streams.

The United States Fish Commission is making the experiment of planting
large numbers of non-indigenous salmon in the Penobscot Basin and other
Maine waters with a view to test whether the fishes are adapted to
those streams. The species with which trials have thus far been made
are the quinnat or chinook salmon (_Oncorhynchus tschawytscha_) and
the steelhead trout (_Salmo gairdneri_). It is intended to plant
sufficiently large numbers of yearling fish to fully test the
feasibility of the project; and in the event of success two extremely
valuable species will have been added to the fishery resources of the
Maine streams.

During the years 1896 and 1897 over 2,000,000 young quinnat salmon and
steelheads were deposited by the Commission in the Penobscot River and
adjacent waters, several hundred thousand of which were four to six
months old. The planting of additional fry and yearlings is
contemplated in order to thoroughly demonstrate whether their
introduction is possible.

The quinnat salmon ranges along practically the entire Pacific Coast
of North America north of Mexico, entering all suitable streams. It is
the most valuable member of the salmon family, and is taken in very
large quantities for canning, salting, and fresh consumption. Its
flesh is very rich and of a deep-red color. It is caught in the rivers
with gill nets, seines, pound nets, traps, weirs, wheels, and other
appliances. In Monterey Bay, California, large numbers are taken with