Identification of Major British Columbia and Alaska Runs of Even-Year and Odd-Year Pink Salmon from Scale Characters

Abstract

The present study indicates to what extent the various even- and odd-year pink salmon runs originating in British Columbia and Alaska may be identified from two scale characteristics. Discriminant function analysis indicates that for both the even- and odd-year runs in most instances only small proportions of each of the runs could be correctly identified to their specific place of origin. The only exceptions were the Fraser River and Aleutians runs where more than half were correctly classified to their place of origin. However, quite large proportions of most of the major even- and odd-year runs from the British Columbia and Alaska regions could be correctly classified to their region of origin.An analysis, using a simple regression line method, of fish grouped into two regions rather than by run indicates that quite large proportions of fish from both even- and odd-year runs from the British Columbia and Alaska regions could be correctly classified to their region of origin. It would appear that the simpler analysis was equally as good as the discriminant function analysis of the individual runs for classifying fish to their region of origin on the basis of only two scale characters.