Book .A^ A ^ 1^0 5 m I If n^ ry DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR BUREAU OF FISHERIES GEORGE M. BOWERS, Commi«sioner THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905 Bureau of Fisheries Document No, 603 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1906 1 1 / ^7^ THE COMMERCIAL nSHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905 By John N, Cobb Assistant Agent at the Salmon Fisheries of Alaska Bureau of Fisheries Document No, 603 OCT 20 1906 D. Of D. )^' K^ ^^ CONTENTS. Page. Introduction 5 Importance of the Alaskan fisheries 5 The fishing grounds 7 The cod fishery 9 History 9 Fishing banks 10 Fishing stations 12 Vessel fisheries 13 Statistics 14 The halibut fishery 15 History 15 Fishing grounds 16 Methods of the fishery .'." 17 Preparation of the catch 18 The herring fishery 20 History 20 Fishing grounds 21 Statistics 21 The salmon industry 23 Canneries 23 Salteries 24 Freezing salmon 25 Hatcheries 25 Fertilizer plants 28 Aquatic furs 29 Miscellaneous aquatic animals 33 General statistics for 1905 38 Other fisher>^ resources of Alaska 43 Fisheries carried on in Alaskan waters and credited to places outside of the district . . 45 3 THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905, By John N. Cobb, Assistant Agent at the Salmon Fisheries of Alaska. INTRODUCTION. The salmon and seal fisheries of Alaska constitute such conspicuous features of the fishing industry in that region that published reports have to a great extent neglected the other aquatic resources, and no complete compilation of statistics has ever been made. The Tenth (1880) and Eleventh (1890) censuses covered the ground partially, but the census agents had to deal with all phases of Alaskan endeavor and their reports upon the commercial fisheries were consequently not so complete as could be desired. The salmon fishery was treated by them in considerable detail, and has been canvassed and reported upon very fully by the Bureau of Fisheries.'^ The seal fishery has been the subject of investigation and legislation recorded in many volumes published by the Treasury Department, and more recently in the reports of the Department of Commerce and Labor. No special can- vass of the other fisheries, however, has heretofore been made, the information published at varying periods by the Bureau of Fisheries being such as could be gathered by its agents at San Francisco in con- nection with their canvass of the Pacific coast states. The data presented in the following pages for the year 1905 are the result of the writer's personal canvass of a portion of the region and the collection of reports from various fishing firms and officials of the government in Alaska. A history and recapitulation of results of the various fisheries is also given. IMPORTANCE OF THE ALASKAN FISHERIES. Long before the acquisition of Alaska was even dreamt of by our statesmen its wealth in fishery products was known, by hearsay at least, to the hard}^ mariners of the Pacific coast, as well as to the a The salmon and salmon fisheries of Alaska. Report of the operations of the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross for the year ending June 30, 1898, by Jefferson F. Moser. Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission 1898, vol. xviii, 1899, p. 1-178, pi. 1-63, charts a and b. Idem, 1900 and 1901, Bulletin 1901, vol. xxi, 1902, p. 173-398 and 299*-401*, pi. i-xliv, pi. A and charts A, B. 6 6 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. whalers from New Bedford, Mass., and other Atlantic ports, who fre- quented the waters of the north Pacific and Arctic oceans. In the memorial to the President of the United States adopted by the legisla- ture of Washington Territory in the winter of 1 866 especial stress was laid upon the fishery resources of the territory and the need for an arrangement with Russia by which our fishing vessels would be enabled to resort to the Alaskan harbors for shelter and to procure fuel, water, and provisions. Even at that time our fishermen were engaged in cod fishing on the Alaskan banks, the first vessel having gone there in 1863, while our whalers had been working in Bering Sea and along the Arctic shore for years. The treaty of cession between Russia and the United States was signed March 30, 1867, ratified by the wSenate May 28, and proclaimed by the President June 20 of the same year. Formal and actual pos- session was taken on the 16th of the following October. Much doubt was expressed in this country as to the wisdom of paying so large a sum of money for such an apparently sterile region as Alaska, and it was feared that the expenditure would never be justified. Such cal- culations were much at fault, however. The United States has not only been more than reimbursed directly, but through the fisheries alone has been many times compensated for the fiinancial outlay. The rental from the fur-seal islands has more than paid the initial cost of the district, and at the present time the tax derived from the salmon fishery amounts to about $90,000 a year. The following table shows, so far as it has been possible to secure reliable information, the quantity and value of fishery products secured in Alaskan waters from 1868 to 1905 (both inclusive). In some instances, where but rather fragmentary data could be obtained, esti- mates based upon the figures in hand have been inserted for the missing years. The second column in the table shows the products in units as put on the market, but in the third column all have been reduced to pounds for convenience in comparison. The dates given indicate the number of years the fishery in question has been prosecuted. No account has been taken in this table of the very extensive intertribal commerce of the natives in fishery products, as there are no accurate data for this feature. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 7 Quantity and Value of the Fishery Products of Alaska Marketed in Stated Years, 1868 to 1905. Species. Quantity. Prepared weight. Value. Codfish (1868-1905) pounds. Halibut (1890-1905) do . . . Herring (1878-1905) do . . . Guano do. . . Oil gallons. Salmon ( 1868-1905) pounds. Sardines, canned (1904) cases. Trout (1904-5) pounds. Fish oil, other than herring (1890-1905) gallons. Fish guano, other than herring (1904-5) pounds. Clams, canned (1898-99, 1903-4) cases. Walrus ivory (1868-1905) pounds. Walrus oil (1868-1905) .gallons. Whalebone (1868-1905) b pounds. Whale oil (1868-1905) b gallons. Beaver (1868-1905) number. Muslvrat (1868-1905) do. . . Otter: Land (1868-1905) do. . . Sea (1868-1905) do. . . Seals: Fur (1868-1905) do . . . Hair (1868-1905) b do. . . Total 156, 125, 684 37, 999, 506 10, 365, 877 29, 319, 800 4,281,420 a 1, 517, 944, 726 3,173 55, 382 30, 486 1,800 1,137 843, 930 3, 064, 001 246, 166 26, 518 150, 683 251,225 93, 272 107, 121 3, 345, 784 191,042 Pounds. 116,511,629 29, 630, 373 7, 793, 885 29,319,800 32,110,650 1,141,319,343 152, 304 • 44,306 228, 645 1,800 54, 576 843, 930 22, 980, 007 246, 166 198, 885 150, 683 31,403 233, 430 535, 605 20,074,704 573, 126 1,403,035,250 $4, 072, 626 921,562 202, 492 349, 349 1,055,368 68, 818, 792 12, 059 2,307 8,657 30 4,440 343, 542 1, 582, 219 567, 417 15,911 752,011 13, 123 497,041 10, 732, 867 47, 896, 383 194, 442 138,042,638 a Includes 21,784,106 cases of canned salmon, with an estimated value of $3 per case. b Estimated from data covering a portion of the period. THE FISHING GROUNDS. The district of Alaska is enormous in extent, being equal to nearly one-sixth of the United States proper. The total length of mainland from southeast to northwest is about 1,150 miles, the greatest width is about 800 miles, and the area is about 590,000 square miles. Because of the thousands of islands scattered along the coast, or, as in the case of the Aleutian chain, extending out to sea hundreds of miles, the district has an exceedingly long coast line and one well adapted to fishing, owing to the many large and safe bays, the shel- tered channels between the islands and the mainland, and the numer- ous rivers which debouch from the mainland. The Nushagak River is to-day one of the important fishing streams of the world. Following is a list of the fishing banks of importance off the Alaskan coast and in adjacent foreign waters so far as they have been discov- ered and charted. Notwithstanding the extensive fishing in this region, there are doubtless many fishing banks still unknown. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. H i o fa H o — O cS o ^ cd o 03 3 =s ll ■e o o3 o3 . fc- CO ■ P5 o : « o o o o ^ i. --H rH ^Tf fOC^ (N CO i-H r-! f-H ceo o3-^ oo 00 lO O O O OOOOO O O O O CC ■<*' CO T-H O "<^ ClO^C^OTt* CO (M T-t CO W »-l o CC CD CC OiO»^»CCO CO CO CO CO CO 00 CO C-lt^ OOO CO oo cr oo lO O lO lO I iO »o »o ^o *0 lO ,_ -' 3 3 3 3 'r_^ o o cPTj l4 38^150 >R1,0&3 ^576, 983 ~ 351,336 158, 158 185, 588 350, 222 563,056 366, 763 439, 131 499,500 232,140 253, 200 144,367 90,331 32. 459 119,871 114, 155 114,346 116,410 111,493 100, 172 89, 520 114,863 119,068 114, 136 115,445 115, 393 96, 096 122,405 128, 064 133,£45. 136, 388 ■ 139, 693 132,475 69,673 73, 974 54, 151 38, 202 76,871 71, 137 74, 571 43, 532 46, 599 50, 980 57,661 47,116 44,994 46,292 24,483 25,383 $708, 734 1869 653, 118 1870 188, 126 1871 1,584,986 1872 1,231,580 1873 1,439,307 1874 1,498,176 1875 1,402,662 1876 857, 203 1877 853,283 1878 1, 110, 145 1879 2,451,954 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 2, 465, 539 2, 167, 172 1,436,906 1, 710, 580 1,454,650 1,641,101 — 1,987, 793 1,716,476 2,298,204 2,035,605 1890 1891 1892 1,673,757 1, 370, 376 1,018,184 1893 584, 680 1894 859, 259 1895 877,614 1896 872,454 1897 455, 758 1898 474,340 1899 787, 334 1900 1,282,096 1901 1,137,611 1902 1,160,306 1903 1,066,254 1904 620, 940 1905 762, 120 Total 2,488,627 38,566,578 857, 157 9,329,805 3, 345, 784 47,896,383 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 33 At one time it was thought that the problem of furnishing a perma- nent supply of food for the natives on the Pribilof and Aleutian groups could be solved by salting the carcasses of the fur seals and shipping these to the various settlements. In 1880, 1 ,000,000 pounds, valued at $10,000, were so prepared, but owing to the fact that the meat did not keep very well, and to other causes, the project was soon abandoned. The natives living on the Pribilof group, however, still depend quite largely upon the seal carcasses for food. MISCELLANEOUS AQUATIC ANIMALS. Grrampus. — This mammal, commonly known as the beluga in Alaska, is quite abundant in the summer along the Alaskan coast north of the Aleutian chain, being particularly numerous about the mouths of rivers and frequently ascending the larger streams far above tide water. It is migratory, and its movements are regulated by the ice. The numerous tidal creeks along the l6w fiat coast from wSt. Michaels to the Kuskoquim River, in which tomcods are abundant, are the chief resort of the beluga, which comes in to feed on the fish. The Eskimos catch them with strong, large-meshed nets, heavily weighted, set off outlying points. In rough weather, when the ani- mals can not see the nets, many are taken, but in clear weather the catch is small. Some are speared, some shot, but unless the shot goes through the spinal column these generally escape. The flesh of a young beluga is tender and not unpalatable, but is rather coarse and dry. The fat, or blubber, is clear and white and is highly valued by the natives, who extract the oil from it and use it in barter with the inte- rior tribes. The intestines are made into waterproof garments or floats, and the sinews are very much prized. The small ivory teeth are carved into toys or ornamental pendants, while the skin is made into strong lines or very durable boot soles. The epidermis, which is nearly half an inch thick, when well cooked is considered choice eat- ing, having a flavor somewhat resembling chestnuts. Hair seals. — While these animals form a very insignificant part of the commerce in which the white traders participate, owing to the fact that their fur is worthless, they are of immense importance to the natives, for from the flesh and oil is secured a considerable part of their winter food, while the skins are highly prized for covering the kyacks and umiaks and for boot soles, trousers, mittens, clothing bags, and caps, and when cut into strips make a very strong and dura- ble cord. The skin in its raw state is thick and unwieldy, but when nicely tanned becomes soft and pliable. The coast natives also barter the flesh, oil, and skins with the interior tribes for reindeer hides and furs, thus creating a very important branch of trade, of which it is impossible to form an idea, owing to the inaccessibility of 34 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. most of the tribes. The very fragmentary record kept of the skins sold to white traders shows that in 1889, 3,500 skins, valued at $7,000, in 1890, 3,444, valued at $6,888, and in 1905, 9,098 skins, valued at $5,554, were so disposed of. These meager figures are probably too low. The species taken are the bearded seal ( Erignathus harbatus) ; the ribbon seal {Phoca fasciata) , a rare species; the ringed seal {PTioca foetida) , the vaost common; the harp seal {Phoca grcenlandica) , quite rare; and the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), which is quite common and the most widely distributed. When the ice leaves the coast the natives hunt the seals in kyacks, using a light spear or a rifle. At this season many of the ringed seal are found upon the ice packs well offshore and are taken by the Eskimo in a curious manner. The latter wear a shirt made of white sheeting, and, paddling cautiously up to a piece of ice on which the seals are gathered, are enarbled by means of the disguise to land and get among the seals without alarming them, and sometimes kill quite a number with a club before the herd takes flight. When the cold storms of September set in the seals return along shore again and seek refuge in the inner bays and sheltered coves. At this season the natives set many rawhide nets with large meshes off the rocky points, and large numbers are taken thus. Later, when the sea is frozen over, nets are set about the holes which the seals make in order to be able to come to the surface to breathe. Many of the seals also are killed at these holes by the hunters armed with spears. Steller's sea lion. — This animal, which at one time was extremely abundant on the Pribilof Islands and along the Aleutian chain, is now almost extinct. A few still haul up on the former islands, but they are becoming less and less each year, a fact which means a serious loss to the natives, as they made more use of this animal than of any other they hunted. Its skin, flesh, intestines, bones, sinews, and oil all came into play as food or in the primitive manufactures. The skins were considered an indispensable covering for the umiak, or large canoe, used in hunting, and after the animal became practically extinct on the Aleutian chain the traders imported such skins from the coast of Lower California and Mexico for the use of their hunters. The sea lion never became other than a subject of intertribal barter. Walrus. — This enormous mammal, which is not found south of the Bering Sea shore of the Aleutian chain, was at one time very numer- ous north of there, and the hunting of it and the seal formed the prin- cipal occupation of the Eskimos during the summer. It goes north as the ice breaks up in spring and returns again in the fall, stopping but a short time at any spot, and keeping close to the ice pack all this time. When in the water it is hunted by the Eskimos in kyacks, with COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 35 ivory-pointed spears and seal-skin line and floats. When the animal is exhausted by its efforts to escape the hunters draw near and give the death stroke with a lance. According to The Friend, published at Honolulu, Hawaii, March 1, 1872, the whalers began to turn their attention to walrus-catching about the year 1868. During the first part of every season there is but little opportunity to capture whales, they being within the limits of the icy barrier. As a result, much of the whaler's time during July and August was devoted to capturing walruses. Men would be landed on the shore in June and left to watch for the animals to haul up on the beach at certain points. The walrus must either come ashore or get on the ice, and when a herd is well ashore one or two old bulls are generally left on watch. The best shot among the hunters now creeps up, and by a successful rifle shot or two kills the guard. Owing to their very defective hearing, the noise made by the rifle does not awake them. The gun is then put aside and each hunter, armed with a sharp ax, approaches the sleeping animals and cuts the spines of as many of them as possible before the others become alarmed and stampede for the water and escape. The white hunters rarely make use of anything but the two long, curved tusks with which the animal is equipped and which average about 5 pounds to the pair. If time permits, however, the flesh is boiled and the oil saved. To many of the Eskimos, especially on the Arctic shore, the walrus is almost a necessity of life, and the devasta- tion wrought among the herds by the whalers has been, and is yet, the cause of fearful suffering and death to many of the natives. The flesh is food for men and dogs; the oil also is used for food and for lighting and heating the houses; the skin, when tanned and oiled, makes a durable cover for the large skin boats; the intestines make waterproof clothing, window-covers, and floats; the tusks are used for lance or spear points or are carved into a great variety of useful and ornamental objects, and the bones are used to make heads for spears and for other purposes. At the present time the Kuskoquim district is the only one in which the walrus is fairly common. In addition to hunting the walrus themselves, the whalers also pur- chase from the Eskimos the tusks, or ivory, that they have secured. The table on page 36 shows the quantity and value of walrus oil and ivory secured since 1868. Part of this was undoubtedly secured from the natives of ^Siberia, but that is more than offset by the large quan- tity which has been brought down by the whalers and not reported. 36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. Walrus Ivory and Oil Secured in Alaska, 1868 to 1905. Year. Ivory. Oil. Year. Ivory. Oil. Pounds. Value. Gallons. Value. Pounds. Value. Gallons. Value. 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 40,000 70,000 63,800 37,600 32,000 44,000 33,000 25,400 31,500 74,000 30,000 38,318 24, 650 19, 475 22, 085 27, 725 7,026 6,564 3. 5.50 6, 730 $2,000 3, .500 3,190 3,760 3,200 4,400 3,300 3,810 4,725 14,800 6,000 19, 159 24,650 19, 475 22,085 20, 794 7,020 6,564 3,550 5, 384 173,000 .303,000 315,000 189, 000 160,000 220, ,500 165,000 126,000 157,500 221,000 125,000 190,000 127,000 84, 392 95, 702 120, 142 30, 446 28, 444 15,383 29, 163 S86. 500 166,650 163,800 101,200 128,000 50,000 74, 2.50 81,900 157,500 44,200 56,2.50 76,000 57, 1.50 60, 762 38, 281 108, 128 15,527 12,800 5,692 16,040 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895a 5,158 6,228 5,799 5,200 4,800 7,900 12,313 $5, 158 4,982 4,639 3,900 3,360 6,320 9,850 22,351 26,988 25, 129 20,000 18, 196 21,400 15,100 SIO, 505 13,594 9,549 9,800 8,006 9,630 5,534 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 Total.. 10, 000 41,714 25, 700 22,300 5,969 7,000 12, 491 14,100 8,500 11,335 8,000 31,286 17,990 16, 725 5,969 7,000 9, 993 11,985 6,800 8,213 12, 444 8,400 5,111 6,310 2,200 1,200 1,800 700 1,000 4,604 3,360 1,845 2, 330 880 480 792 280 400 1887 843,930 343,542 3,064,001 1,582,219 a Data missing. Whales. — Whaling at the present time is participated in to a very hmited extent by the natives of Alaska, the Eskimos living along the Arctic coast being the only ones engaged. At one time, however, the natives of the Aleutian chain and the shores of Bering Sea fol- lowed whaling whenever possible during the summer months. As from the beginning, almost all of the whaling is done by the fleet which rendezvous at San Francisco. About 1867 from 10 to 12 of these whalers visited what are known as the Kadiak grounds, but this ground was soon exhausted and the whole fleet now works exclusively in the Arctic. Large numbers of humpback whales {Megaptera ver- sahilis) are to be seen during the summer months in southeast Alaska, but no effort is made to capture them. The bowhead {Balxna mys- ticetus) is the common Arctic whale, and the one generally secured by the whalers, although a few right whales {Balsena sieholdii) are taken in certain seasons. The principal object of whale fishing at the pres- ent time is the whalebone, which brings as much as $5 per pound in the markets. As the whaling fleet generally pursues its prey in the open sea and has its headquarters outside of Alaska, its work does not come within the scope of this report except as it deals with the natives. The belt of open water bordering the American coast from Icy Cape to the mouth of the Colville River is a favorite resort for whales during the latter part of summer and until winter sets in. From Icy Cape to Point Barrow the coast is low and sandy and backed by shallow lagoons, its southern portion being known to whalemen as the "graveyard," owing to the great number of vessels that have been wrecked there. It is along this stretch of coast that the natives do their whaling. In April the ice pack begins to loosen, and soon there COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 37 are cracks, or "leads," as they are called, open 6 or 7 miles from the shore, extending often for miles parallel to the land, but continually changing, frequently disappearing altogether as the wind veers. It is in these "leads " of open water that the whales work their wslj to their unknown breeding grounds in the northeast, passing by Point Barrow chiefly during the months of May and June. Each village fits out as many boats as it can supply with crews. The crews, 8 or 10 men to the boat, or occasionally women when men are scarce, are selected during the winter. The owner, who is always the captain and steersman, sometimes hires them outright, paying them with goods, and sometimes he allows them to share in the profits; he always feeds them while the boat is in commission. The harpooner is posted in the bow, while another man, armed with a bomb gun, is located amidships. As soon as a whale is seen the boat is launched and the pursuit begun. Instead of harpooning the whale and keeping the end of the line fast in the boat, which the whale is compelled to drag about until the crew can manage to haul up and lance him to death, as is the practice of the white whalers, the Eski- mos have but a short line attached to each harpoon, to the end of which are fastened two floats made of whole sealskins inflated, which are thrown overboard as soon as the harpoon is fixed in the whale. Each boat carries four or five harpoons, and as many boats as possible crowd around and endeavor to drive a harpoon into the whale each time he comes to the surface, until he can dive no longer and lies upon the water ready for the death stroke, which is given with a lance. Occasionally an opportunity occurs to use the bomb gun as soon as the whale is struck, and the contest is then ended at once. As soon as killed, the whale is towed to the edge of the solid floe and the work of cutting him up begins. The skin, blubber, and flesh, according to a custom universal among the Eskimos, belong to the whole com- munity, no matter who killed it, but at Point Barrow the whalebone must be equally divided among all the boats that were in sight when the whale was killed. Everything is soon carried home to the village. The blubber is not tried out, but is packed away in bags made of whole sealskins, and with the meat is stowed away in little under- ground chambers, of which there are many in the villages. There is very little data showing the extent of the whaling as fol- lowed by the Eskimos. In 1891 they took from 10 to 15 whales, while in 1892 — a very poor season, owing to the large quantities of ice on the eastern shore at the time the whales w^ere passing north — about 15,000 pounds of whalebone were secured. In 1905, 8,057 pounds of bone, valued at $51,197, were taken. All of the bone secured by the natives is sold to the whaling vessels, and it is very probable that large quantities so obtained in barter are reported at the home port as part of the catch of the vessel. In 1880 it is estimated that natives 38 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. put up 5,000 gallons of whale oil, valued at $500. During the period from 1883 to 1889, both inclusive, the Alaska Commercial. Company shipped 33 packages of whalebone from Alaska. The weight and value of the packages are not given. In 1882, 166 barrels and m 1889, 13 barrels of whale oil were shipped from Alaska by the same company. GENERAL STATISTICS FOR 1905. The fisheries of Southeast Alaska in 1905 were canvassed by the writer in person; the figures for the salmon fisheries of Central and Western Alaska are compiled from the reports sent in by the canneries and salteries to the agent at the salmon fisheries of Alaska; data for the cod and other fisheries of the same sections were secured either by personal interviews or by correspondence with the o^\^lers of fishing vessels and stations, nearly all of whom are located either in California or Washington ; the yield of fur seals from the Pribilof group was obtained from the report of the agent at the fur seal islands, and of the balance of the fur seals and the other aquatic furs and skins, also the whalebone, walrus ivory, etc., from the custom- house records at Juneau, Alaska. The custom-house records show the fiscal year (1904-5) ; all other data in the following tables rep- resent the calendar year 1905. In order that the data might be shown with greater clearness, the district has been divided into four geographical sections. Southeast Alaska embraces all that narrow strip of mainland and the numerous islands adjacent, from Portland Canal northwestward to, but not including, Yakutat Bay; Central Alaska embraces everything on the Pacific, or south, side from Yakutat Bay westward, including the Aleutian chain ; Western Alaska the shores of Bering Sea and islands in this sea; and Arctic Alaska, from Bering Strait to the Canadian border. As these divisions are already quite generally recognized throughout the district, their use here will not be confusing. The number of persons employed was 11,467, of which 4,028 were engaged directly in fishing and 6,856 in the canneries, salteries, and other shore work, while 583 were employed on the transportmg vessels. In the salmon fishery the employees of the cannery or salt- ery are usually taken to the latter place aboard a sailing vessel, which remains until the season's work is ended, when she returns to the home port with the employees and the season's pack. Wliile lying idle during the fishing season most of the crew, not being needed aboard the ship, are employed as fishermen, and have been counted as such, thus materirlly reducing the number of transporters. The total investment in the fisheries was $22,038,485, of which Western Alaska furnished more than one-half. The only fishing ves- sels (for herring and halibut) are those in Southeast Alaska. An important feature is the large number of transporting vessels — 185 — with a tonnage of 67,109 and a value of $3,112,307. Nearly all of COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 39 these vessels are employed in tlie salmon industry. In number gill nets lead the other forms of apparatus, but are not so effective as the traps. In variety of products secured, Southeast Alaska leads all the other divisions. This is largely owing to its greater accessibility and to the fact that its fisheries have been worked for a much longer period than the others. The halibut, herring, and trout fisheries are confined entirely to this section. The cod fishery proper is confined to Central Alaska, only a few thousand pounds being secured incidentally in Southeast Alaska. Western Alaska leads in the value of salmon canned. The only products given for Arctic Alaska are walrus skins, whalebone, walrus ivory, and a whale's head and skull, the latter being a natural-history specimen. Owing to the inaccessibility of the greater part of Western and Arctic Alaska, practically nothing is done during the winter and early spring months, but as soon as the ice breaks up in the spring the trading vessels make their rounds of the native villages and camps and collect the skins and furs which the natives have taken during the winter and ship these to Pacific coast ports. On account of this method of handling the business, the fiscal year is the better way of showing the year's catch in this section, as one whole season thus appears, and not parts of two seasons, which would be the case were the calendar year shown. It was found an imjwssibility to secure anything like accurate data as to the persons employed or the investment in the business of hunting aquatic animals, as it is prosecuted in conjunction with that for land animals, such as bear, marten, mink, l}mx, etc., and seems to be general among the natives. Neither has anything been shown of the fishermen and investment in the Arctic region, owing to the impossibility of securing even approximate data on such matters. The natives keep no rec- ords, and besides are in many instances migratory in their habits, thus making it an impossibility to keep track of them. The total quantity of products secured amounted to 117,247,398 pounds, valued at $7,711,981. As it was found necessary to show in full the prepared products, the figures given represent dressed and cured weights, and not that of the products as taken from the water. There is a tremendous wastage in the Alaska fisheries, especially in that for salmon, fully one-third of the round weight of the latter fish being thrown away in the process of dressing and packing. Had the round weight for all species been shown in the table the total would have been about 155,000,000 pounds. The salmon and herring fisheries of Alaska are carried on in a somewhat different manner from that followed in other parts of the country. Owing to the lack of what might be called '^ resident fishermen" in the district, the canneries and guano factory have to do their own fisliing, and in order to accomplish this import the necessary fisher- men from the Pacific coast states each season. These men are fur- 40 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. nished with fishing gear, boats, lodging, and food throughout the season, and are paid either a certain sum per thousand for each species of salmon (the price paid varying from place to place) or else straight wages. At the end of each season the men are returned to the point from whence they sailed. On account of this procedure it has been found impossible to secure even approximately correct data as to the cost of the fish as taken from the water for the salmon canneries and the one guano factory, and their products have been shown as marketed. So far as the salted salmon and herring and other species are concerned, the data given is in the same form as shown for other sections of the country in the reports of the Bureau. The tables follow. Persons Employed in the Alaska Fisheries in 1905. How engaged. Southeast Alaska. Central Alaska. Western Alaska. Total. Fishermen: Whites 543 1,147 9 658 129 1,470 72 2,671 1,348 Natives 9 Total 1,699 787 1,542 4,028 Shoresmen: Whites Natives ... . 457 512 375 208 329 103 552 208 30 902 374 1,591 1,215 1,688 989 2,518 1,631 Mexicans 30 Total. 1,552 1,222 4,082 6,856 Transporters: Whites '. 187 10 184 202 573 Natives 10 1 Total 197 184 202 583 3,448 2,193 5,826 11,467 Apparatus and Capital Engaged in the Alaska Fisheries in 1905. Items. Southeast Alaska. Central Alaska. Western Alaska. Total. Num- ber. Value. Num- ber. Value. Num- ber. Value. "be"- Value. Fishing vessels: Steam and other power. . Tonnage 8 209 8 81 59 1,221 10 6,456 794 6 849,775 \ 8 209 8 81 131 5,758 54 61,351 2,039 6 $49,775 5,550 5,550 Tonnage Transporting vessels: Steamers and launches . . Tonnage 261,450 27 921 12 14,207 317 $276,300 45 3,616 32 40,688 928 $1,023,357 1,561,107 Sailing 143,200 328,000 1,080,000 1,551,200 Tonnage Boats 100,685 5,000 2,494 16,075 44,950 25,050 164,000 5,381 1,842,550 1,374,978 84,555 237,782 423,022 Apparatus, vessel fisheries: 5,000 2,494 Lines .... * Apparatus, shore fisheries: Haul seines . . . 57 123 197 32 44 1 48 23 21,000 1,000 2,780 24,000 10,500 3, 147, 144 1,756,404 101 124 1,154 70 37,075 45,950 Gill nets. . . . 909 15 57,577 19,300 85,407 Traps 207,300 Lines 15,881 Cash capital 7,023,506 2,904,142 12,013,200 Shore and accessory property 6,035,524 Total 4,041,138 5,651,683 12,345,664 22,038,485 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. Products of the Alaska Fisheries in 1905. 41 Species. Southeast Alaska. Central Alaska. Western Alaska. Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. Codfish: Fresh 3,200 3,650 $99 136 Salted 5,492,000 2,060 7,975 $180,710 82 432 Codfish roe, salted Codfish tonsaies, salted Halibut : Fresh 3,144,614 316,341 16 1,213,845 46, 713 1,880,700 24,435 2,618,000 1,074,150 280,444 22,334 16,348 21,643 531,792 1,807,980 6,816,384 262,080 9,954,000 45,000 7, 122, 160 346,600 129,874 400 17, 013 7,000 255,000 85,326 12,641 1 48,554 2,382 10,331 1,534 32,725 35,805 15, 773 893 654 866 215,875 102,207 420,614 21, 733 723,937 1,452 106,320 10,654 9,212 12 1,155 210 10,400 Canned Salted Smoked Herring: Salted Herring guano Salmon: Frozen- Humpback ................... Canned — Coho 792,864 51,543 470,256 205,776 1,120,992 1,451,424 49,030,944 $31,542 Dog 10,849 Humpback 155, 280 308,496 16,582,800 3,600 9,058 20,567 1,174,615 144 68,522 King 99,699 Sockeye 3,436,995 Salted— Coho Dog Humpback King 91,200 3,355,600 3,224 128,436 Smoked Salmon bellies, salted: Coho 3,800 285 King 2,700 3,600 190 Sockeye 270 Trout: 12,306 32,000 100 21,413 799 738 1,569 5 735 3,952 18 7,109 Other- Fresh Fish oil other than herring Aquatic furs and skins: 435 598 1,585 300 1,873 258 3,930 11,867 701 961 1,220 5 76,368 3,267 2,446 18 916 Otter- 1,927 3,419 Sea 2,000 Seal- Fur 5,028 23,688 90 7,138 508, 945 Hair 4,512 399 139 71 903 75 129 Total 38,059,085 1.897.352 23.348.521 1,455,289 55,818,814 4,298,641 42 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. Products of the Alaska Fisheries in 1905 — Continued. Species. Arctic Alaska. Pounds. V'alue. Total. Pounds. Value. Codfish: Fresh Salted Codfish roe, salted Codfish tongues, salted Halibut: Fresh Frozen Canned Salted Smoked Herring: Salted Smoked Herring guano Herring oil Salmon: Fresh, king Frozen — Coho Humpback King Canned— Coho Dog Humpback King Sockeye Salted— Coho Dog Humpback King Sockeye Smoked Salmon bellies, salted: Coho Humpback King Sockeye Trout: Steelhead, frozen Other- Fresh Frozen Fish oil other than herring. Aquatic furs and skins: Beaver Muskrat Otter- Land Sea Seal- Fur Hair Walrus Walrus ivory Whalebone Whale's head and skull Total. 25 11,046 8,057 1,850 810 7,992 51, 197 1,500 3,200 5,495,650 2,060 7,975 3,144,614 316,341 16 1,213,845 46, 713 1,880,700 24, 435 2, 618, 000 a 1,074, 150 280,444 22, 334 16,348 21,643 1,794,912 2, 013, 756 8, 092, 656 2, 022, 000 75,567,744 48,600 7, 122, 160 346,600 221,074 3,356,000 17,013 10,800 255,000 2,700 3,600 12,306 32,000 100 6 21,413 c 1,935 d 1, 577 '4,732 /305 9 81,396 h 27, 354 i25 11,265 8,057 n,850 20, 978 60, 699 117,247,398 180,846 82 432 85,326 12,641 1 48,554 2,382 10,331 1,534 32,725 35,805 15,773 893 654 866 298,960 113,056 498, 194 141,999 5,335,547 1,596 106,320 10, 654 12, 436 128,448 1,155 495 10,400 190 270 738 1,569 5 735 8,271 1,192 14,458 13,867 516,083 5,554 10 8,138 51, 197 1,500 7,711,981 a Represents 143,220 gallons. t> Represents 2,855 gallons. c Represents 1,935 skins. d Represents 12,599 skins. e Represents 1,889 skins. /Represents 61 skins. g Represents 13,566 skins. A Represents 9,098 skins. i Represents 1 skin. i A natural-history specimen. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 43 The following table shows in greater detail than the preceding the number of cases (together with the size and style of cans) of each species of salmon canned, and the value of same: Output of Salmon from Alaska Cannekies in 1905. Species. Southeast Alaska. Central Alaska. Western Alaska. Total. Cases. Value. Cases. Value. Cases. Value. Cases. Value. Coho: J pouiid, fiat . . . . 516 394 40, 169 $1, 754 1,340 129,696 516 394 66,484 $1,754 1 pound, flat . . . . 1,340 1 pound, tall . . . . 16,518 851,543 9,797 $31,542 212, 781 Total 41,079 132, 790 16,518 51,543 9,797 31,542 67,394 215,875 Dog, or chum: 1 pound, tall Humpback: 1 pound, tall 37,685 142,008 102, 207 420,614 4,287 23,354 10,849 68,522 41,972 168,597 113,056 498, 194 3,235 9,058 King: 1 pound, flat. . . . 4,248 1,212 17,585 4,148 4,248 37,877 17,585 1 pound, tall 6,427 20,567 30,238 99,699 124, 414 Total 5,460 21, 733 6,427 20,567 30, 238 99,699 42,125 141,999 Sockeye: i pound, flat. . . . 12,915 18, 725 175, 735 46,674 67,410 609, 853 \ 12,915 18,725 1,542,788 46, 674 1 pound, flat. . . . 1 67,410 1 pound, tall. . . . 345, 575 1,174,615 1,021,478 3,436,995 5,221,463 Total 207,375 723,937 345,575 1,174,615 1,021,478 3,436,995 1,574,428 5,335,547 Grand total 433,607 1,401,281 371, 755 1,255,783 1,089,154 3,647,607 1,894,516 6,304,671 OTHER FISHERY RESOURCES OF ALASKA. By no means are all of the fishery resources of the district utilized even yet. The lakes, streams, and coastal waters teem with the steelhead, Dolly Varden, cutthroat, rainbow, and lake trouts, but the steelhead is the only one shipped, a small quantity being frozen each season. The lake trout (Cristivomer namaycusK) is abundant in the Yukon River, and large quantities are caught and sold fresh in the mining to^\^ls along the river. Other fresh-water species are the com- mon pike ( Esox lucius) ; the arctic grayling ( Thymallus signifer) ; seven species of white-fish ( Coregonus) , nearly all of which are impor- tant articles of food to the natives living along the rivers entering Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean, who generally catch them with gill nets set under the ice and in traps; the inconnu {Stenodus mackenzii) , which attains a length of 5 feet and a weight of 50 pounds; smelt (Hypomesus olidus), which are very abundant and used as food both fresh and dried; burbot or losh {Lota maculatus); sucker (Oatostomus longirostris) , and the lamprey {Amrnoccetus aureus), of which a vast quantity is captured through the ice on the Yukon River each season by the natives and frozen for future use. The eulachon, or candle- fish ( ThaleicJithys pacificus), is one of the best known of the anadro- mus species, but appears to be abundant in Alaskan rivers only at 44 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. infrequent periods. It has been reported at times as occurring in great abundance in the Stikine, Unuk, and Chilkat rivers, and in the rivers entering into Cook Inlet. It is much prized by the natives because of its oiliness. In the (for Alaska) densely populated delta between the mouths of the Kuskoquim and Yukon rivers a small hlack-^sh {Dallia pectoralis) is exceedingly abundant and forms the principal food of the natives during the winter months. This fish does not exceed 5 or 6 inches in length, but is very fat, and, in addition to using it whole as food, the natives try out from it a pellucid oil of which they are excessively fond. Among the sea fishes not described elsewhere in this report and at present of commercial importance to the natives along shore or to the whites living in the vicinity of the fisheries are the fol- lowing : Atka mackerel {Pleurogrammus monopterygius) , which are not mackerel at all, merely resembling them in flavor, are quite abundant along the southern shore of the Aleutian chain, especially around the island of Attn. They run from May to December, being most plenti- ful in June, July, and August, and are found in greatest abundance among the kelp in from 3 to 40 fathoms. They retire to deep water in the winter. In length the fish average about 18 inches, with an average weight of about 2J pounds. They are an important article of food to the Aleutians, who also salt a few barrels annually which they seU to vessels calling at Dutch Harbor and Unalaska. The North American Commercial Company has experimented with these fish for some years and reports them as good food fish. In 1903 the Alaska Attn Mackerel Company was formed at Seattle, Wash., to engage in fishing for and curing this species, and during the same year put up 400 half barrels as an experiment. There is no record of any subsequent operations of the company. The fishery will doubtless be a very important one some day. Black cod {Anoplopoma fimbria) and the cultus cod {Ophiodon elongatus) are very common in Southeastern Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska, and are excellent food fishes. The well-known redfish of Sitka (Sebastodes melanops) is one of several other species of rockfish found in Alaskan waters, and is exceedingly abundant in the Gulf of Alaska. Flounders seem to be abundant nearly everywhere. Scul- pins, capelin, and lance, or lant, are exceedingly abundant along the shore and make excellent bait ior the better species. Along the shores of Norton Sound occurs the tomcod ( Microgadus proximus), or wachna of the natives. This fish, which is very abun- dant in the fall and spring, is of immense importance to the natives, as they depend quite largely upon it for their winter's supply of food. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 45 At first it is caught from boats anchored close to the shore, but when the new ice becomes strong enough to hold them the natives erect stakes with mats hung between to keep off the wind, and fish through holes cut in the ice. The fish are allowed to freeze, and in that con- dition are stored away m suitable receptacles until needed. They also form an important article of dog feed. Throughout Southeastern Alaska clams are quite abundant. In 1898 and 1899 the North Pacific Trading and Packing Company packed each year several hundred cases of clams and clam juice, but then abandoned the business for some unknown reason. The clams were packed in September, usually, as they were then in the best condition. In 1903 the Alaska Packing and Navigation Company built a small can- nery at Wrangell and put up about 20 cases that same year, but owing to lack of capital the cannery has not been operated since. In 1904, 42 cases were put up by the Alaska Fish and Halibut Company on Wrangell Narrows. There is an excellent opening in this line for experienced persons with a moderate amount of capital. Along the Alaska peninsula and the Aleutian chain mussels, crabs, and shrimps are very abundant, and squid, octopus, and b^che-de- mer are quite numerous. All of these are at present utilized as food by the natives and a few of the whites, and large quantities are used as bait in the other fisheries. It is probable that when shipping facilities become better a trade in these products with Puget Sound ports can be buUt up. The natives also gather certain varieties of algae and, after drying them, store them away to be eaten in winter. FISHERIES CARRIED ON IN ALASKAN WATERS AND CREDITED TO PLACES OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT. Qod. — In addition to the cod fisheries carried on from the shore sta- tions there is a fleet of vessels which operate on the Alaskan banks, but as they hail from ports outside of Alaska they can not be credited to the district. The table below gives fuU data in regard to the opera- tions of these vessels during 1905. Their methods of work, etc., have already been described in fuU elsewhere in this report. Cod Fishing Conducted in Alaskan Waters in 1905 by Vessels from Outside Ports. Home port. Vessels. Num- ber. Ton- nage. Value. Crew, Lines. Salted codfish. Pounds. Value Ban Francisco, Cal Anacortes, Wash Seattle, Wash Tacoma, Wash Vancouver, British Colmnbia Total 1,382 849 422 195 $88,380 46,096 31, 552 8,512 8,512 201 93 70 24 24 $1,260 4, 600 950 1,200 1,200 2,800,000 2,528,000 948,000 240,000 312,000 2,848 183,052 412 9,210 6,828,000 $85,460 76, 904 28, 694 7,320 9,516 207,894 d 46 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. Halibut. — The above remarks on the codfish fleet from ports outside of Alaska apply equally well to the Puget Sound fleet operatmg in the waters of Southeast Alaska for halibut. Full information in regard to this fleet is given elsewhere in this report. The table below shows the number of vessels engaged in the fishery and the catch, together with all other necessary data. The catch of the sail and auxiliary power vessels in Alaskan waters has been taken from the custom- house records at Juneau, but the catch of the steamers had to be esti- mated, as these vessels return to their home port with their catch and lump the catch taken in Alaskan waters with that obtained outside. Halibut Fishing Conducted in Alaskan Waters in 1905 by Vessels from Outside Ports. Home port. Steamers. Sail and auxiliary power vessels. Crew. Lines. Fresh haUbut. Num- ber. Ton- nage. Value. Num- ber. Ton- nage. Value. Pounds. Value. Port Townsend, Wash ■I 28 1 40 503 17 $2,710 38,340 1,030 16 187 81 58 $1,050 13, 180 6,550 2,700 1 2 2 128 274 130 $45,600 80,000 60,000 TacQcia, Wash Vancouver, Brit- Total 5 532 185,600 33 560 42,080 342 23,480 5,367,422 $161,023 LE S '09 i4 I