Qa5S_ ^ r\ Ot6 U. S. COMMISSION OF FISH AND FISHERIES, GEORGE M. BOWERS, Commissioner. D- n p 1 i e ft t-a. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30,1898. By JEFFERSON F. MOSER, COMMANDER. UNITED STATES NAVY, COMMANDING. Extracted from U, S. Fish Commission Bulletin for 1898, Pages 1 to 178. Plates 1 to 63. Charts A and B. AVASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1899. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, RE6E1VED DEC 101901 DIVISION OF DOCUMENTS. NOV 27 1901 D.ofO, :a n y\ Bull. U. S. F C. 1898. (To face page 1.) FALLS IN STREAM AT SKOWL ARM, KASAAN BAY, SOUTHEAST ALASKA TIIR SALMON WD SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1898. Itv JEFFERSON F. MOSER, CoiniiuDiJir, i'nileJ Stales Navy, Coiiimaiiding. INTRODUCTORY. The following reiioit of the oiieiatioiis of the steamer Alhalross aiul party iiiidtu' my coiimuiud for tbe fiscal year ending June 30, l.S'JS, is respectfully submitted: In order to cover iu one report tlie work of the summer of lSt)7 it will be necessary to refer to the time of the arrival of the party in the field, a date earlier than .June .'!(), IS'M , tbe time of closing my previous report. While the Allnitross was engaged in setting deep sea gill nets along the edge of the Pacific plateau for thepurposeof ascertaining, if possible, the sea salmon-grounds, instructions were received, tinder date of April '23, 1897, directing the vessel to visit Alaska, for the purpose of investigatiTig the salmon and halibut fisheries. Under these instructions, modified by subsequent experience, the plan of work for the investigation of the salmon streams and the salmon industry of Alaska was laid out as follows: To commence at the southern boundary and work in detail to the northward and westward, visiting all canneries and all streams carrying commercial salmon, whether flslied or not; to obtain at the canneries statistics of streams fi.slied by them, reaching over as many years as the records would furnish data, and, in addition, detailed statistics regarding the persons, ves.sels, boats, and api)aratus employed in the fisheries, together with the catch and pack of the various species of salmon: to explore the streams and lakes and ascertain the general features and characteristics, so far as they relate to salmon and other fishes, spawning-grounds, condition and nature of the water, character of shores, vegetation, species of salmon entering, their movements, time and duration of runs, size of fish, abundance, waste species, signs and causes of depletion, the mortality of the different species on the spawning-grounds, natural and artificial obstructions to the passage of fish, fishing methods and their relation to the maintenance of supply, data relating to conditions for hatcheries, etc. In connection with the studies of the salmon industry it was decided that the halibut grounds could be examined and practical information obtained as to their location, depth, extent, the abundance and size of the fish, the proper bait, and other points. F. C. li. I8i)8-1 1 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The detail of tlie vessel to proceed from Sitka to Bering Sea ou special duty caused the abaiuloiimeut of the original scheme of proceeding systematically from the southern bouudary to the northward, as it was thought advisable, after fulfilling the mission referred to, to examine the salmon fisheries along the Aleutian chain and work from the westward, instead of returning to southeast Alaska and continuing the work to the northward. By making this change all the canneries in operation in Alaska, outside of Bering Sea, and many of the streams were visited. There are, however, so many streams in the Territory, particularly in what is known as southeast Alaska, that, while the party has covered a great area and has now a thorough acquaintance with the subject, the work so far as it relates to stream and lake exploration has only been commenced. Th& Albatross arrived at Mary Island, southeast Alaska, June G, 1898. and i)ursued the following itinerary during the investigation: Mary Iflland, soutbeaat Alaska June G Boca (le Quadra June 7-8 Ketchikiin, Tongass Narrows^ Juue 9-10 Port Chester, Annette Island June 10-13 Nichols Bay. Prince of Wales Island June 12-14 Hunter Bay, Prince of Wales Island Juno 14-22 Niblack Anchorage, Prince of "Wales Island. June 22-24 Cbasiua Ani;borage, Prince of Wales Island. June 24-25 Karta Bay, Prince of Wales Island June 25-28 Xasaan Bay, Prince of Wales Island June 28 Loriug, Naha Bay Juno 28-July 2 Tes or McDonald Bay, Cleveland Peninsula . . . July 2-3 Helm Bay, Cleveland Peninsula July 3 Thorne Bay, Prince of Wales Island July 3-6 Point Highfleld, Wrangell Island July 6-8 Duncan Canal, southern end July 8-9 Eillisnoo, Kenasnow Island - . J uly 9-11 Sitka, Baranof Island July 11-15 St. Paul, Kadiak Island July 17 Karluk, Kadiak Island July 18-20 Dutch Harbor, TJnalaska July 23-27 Chignik Bay, Ala.ska Peninsula July 29-Aug. 2 Karluk, Kadiak Island Aug. 2-6 Uyak Bay, Kadiak Island Aug. 6-10 Little Kivcr, Kadiak Islaud Aug. 10 Ugauuk, Kadiak Islaud Aug. 10-14 Kussilof Kiver, Cook Inlet Aug. 15-17 Port Etches, Prince William Sound Aug. 17 Orca, Prince William Sound Aug. 18-26 Yakutat, Takutat Bay Aug. 27-30 Sitka, Baranof Island Aug. 31-Sept. 5 Kedtish Bay, Baranof Island Sept. 5-8 Klawak Inlet, Prince of Wales Island Sept. 9-18 Killisnoo, Kenasnow Island Sept. 19-21 Cbilkat Village Sept. 22-25 Point Hightield, Wrangell Islaud .Sept. 25 Loring, Naba Bay Sept. 26-28 Ketchikan, Tongass Karrows Sept. 28 Metlakab tla, Annette Island Sept. 29 Seattle, Washington Oct.8-13 Tacoma, Washington Oct. 13-24 Seattle, Washington Oct. 24-25 Union Bay, Vancouver Island Oct. 26-29 Sausalito, California Nov. 2-Dec. 5 Farallon Islands Dec. 5-6 Sausalito, California Dec. 6-20 San Diego Bay, California Dec. 22-31 Many of the i)oints visited were unsurveyed, and existing sketches were found to be unreliable and inaccurate. In addition to the regular work connected with the investigations, many reconnaissances and sextant surveys were made, astronomical observations for latitude, longitude, and magnetic declination were taken, and hydro- graphic notes and sailing directions collated. At Karluk, Kadiak Island, Mr. A. B. Alexander, fishery expert attached to the Albatross, was landed, to make inquiries concerning the extensive salmon fisheries of the Karluk Eiver while the vessel was on her way to Unalaska. Mr. Alexander's report contains much valuable material on this subject, and is incorporated in the chapter on that region. During the latter part of the season the progress of the work was much impeded by boisterous and stormy weather. The vessel arrivetl at Seattle, Wash., October 8. After docking the ship and making some minor repairs, San Francisco was reached November 2, where inquiries regarding their work were made among the officials of the various packing companies, the majority of those operating in Alaska having their main ofiBces iu San Francisco. On December 20 the Albatross proceeded to San Diego Bay to undergo a general refitting and overhauling. She was lying at this point at THE SALMON AND SALMON I'^ISHERIES OP ALASKA. d the outbreak of the Spanish war, wlieu, by order of the President, she was detailed to the Navy Dei)artinent for use as an auxiliary cruiser. Before proceeding to the report of tlie investigations, I desire to express my appreciation of the work performed by the ofiQcers of the Albatross, and of the cour- tesies extended by those interested in the canneries. Lieut. L. M. Garrett, U. S. N., besides carrying on his duties as executive officer, made all the observations for geographical positions. Lieut. H. E. Parmenter, U. S. N., in addition to his duties as chief engineer, conducted the field work of nearly all the surveys and plotted the work. Lieut. J. P. McGuinness, U. S. N., conducted the field work of several surveys, but was mostly engaged in examining salmon streams and lakes. Ensign Yates Stirling, jr., U. S. N., was employed in stream and 'lake examinations and conducted the hydrography. Ensign S. V. Graham, U. S. N., assisted in the surveys. Mr. A. B. Alexander assisted in the stream and lake examinations, and Messrs. F. M. Chamber- lain and H. C. Fassett assisted generally, both rendering valuable service in pho- tography. All performed their several duties in a commendable and satisfactory manner. The Alaska Packers' Association furnished me with a letter to all their can- neries, directing the superintendents to ofler the Albatross every facility for conducting the inquiries and examinations. All the other canneries also extended every courtesy, and at no place were any obstacles i)laced in our way. For convenience, the salmon fisheries of Alaska may be divided into five districts, as follows: First, or southeast Alaska district, from the southern boundary to Gape Spencer; second, or Prince William Sound and Copper Kiver district, from Cape Spencer to Cape Elizabeth; third, or Cook Inlet district, from Cape Elizabeth to Cai^e Douglas; fourth, or Kadiak and Chignik district, from Cape Douglas to Unimak'Pass; and fifth, or Bering Sea district. Considering the pack of salmon from 1878 to 1897, the percentage of pack in the difl'erent districts, as averaged from the tables, is approximately as follows : Southeast Alaska (Lower, 15.0; Upper, 8.2). 23.2 Prince AVilliam Sound and Copper River 6.6 Cook Inlet 6.5 Kadiak (35.7)and Chignik (8.1) 43.8 Bering Sea 19.9 100 As the redfish is the commercial fish, the other species being packed incidentally, or to fill up the quota when other kinds are scarce, no attempt was made to examine streams other than those having the red salmon, except when detained, or in localities where no positive information on the subject could otherwise be obtained. Ileliable information relating to the streams is difficult to secure. There are large areas where not a single person can be found, except during the fishing season. Many hours were spent in Indian villages, surrounded by bucks and "klootchmen," children and dogs, tracing the geography of the country on the sand and trying to ascertain where the salmon streams of the vicinity were located, but generally without much reward. Their names for the different species of salmon are conflicting, and their geography vague and confusing. The largest species in a locality is always a "tyee." In many places they call the redfish "coho," and when it was intimated that the name was usually applied to the silver salmon, a quiet smile has been seen to pass around, expressive of our supreme ignorance. 4 BULLETIN OK THE UNITED STA'l'lOS FISK COMMISSION. Even when white men are met and ijuestioiu'd, information relating to tlie streams is difficult to obtain with any degree of exactness. The men at the head of the can- neries know the cannery business thoronghly. They know how to get the tish to the canneries, i)ack them, case them for the market, and figure on the profits, but it is exceptionally rare to And one who has followed even his home stream to its source and examined the lake system and the spawning-grounds. This is not said in a spirit of criticism, for the cannerymen are interested only in obtaining lish, but to indicate the difficulty of gathering the information desired in our work, except by persoinil examination and investigation. As the work progressed it was soon learned by certain signs, and independently of any information except by examination, whether a stream carried redfish. A shack near the mouth of the stream, with some lishing gear and a canoe or two housed in, was one sign, but it sometimes failed. A barricade, or the remnants of one at high water mark in the stream, was an infallible sign of a redfish stream. Another sign was the color of the flowing water; if clear, it was probably not a lake outlet, and carried no red salmon ; if but slightly tinged, brownish, not unlike the juniper water of the Dismal Swamp, it was a lake outlet, and probably contained redfish, and possibly all the other species as well. The exploration of these streams and lakes is not an easy task. The bed of the stream is the only highway, and this taxes endurance to the utmost, and, at the best, progress is slow. The current is generally strong, the river bed is full of pitfalls, and after an advance of a mile, climbing over bowlders, crossing rapids, clinging to the shubbery growing on the faces of precipitous rock walls, and tumbling through trees and over log jams, one feels that certain muscles have been called into play that have never before been known to exist. Practically no advance can be made on the banks; here and there deer trails can be followed, but they lead off away from the course and into the mountains. The forest itself is almost imftenetrable, not only on account of the vegetable growth, but because the mass of fallen and decaying timber and its debris form obstructions that are very dilliciilt to i>ass. The parties frequently returned to the vessel well-nigh exhausted, and in several instances men gave out while on duty. In carrying on the investigations the importance of obtaining detailed records from the different streams was recognized, not only to determine their capacity, but to be able to trace injury caused by traps, barricades, overfishing, etc. In a few instances only are complete records available, and even in these cases the waste at the fisheries aiul the amounts taken for local consumption and for winter food are unknown. The mastersof cannery steamers in calling at the different fisheries record the number from each locality in a notebook when the fish are bought, and the amounts are paid nixm delivery at the cannery. If the fish are obtained at fisheries conducted by the canneries, no accurate account is kept by localities. When the season is over and settlement is made, these memorandum books are thrown away or lost. Besides, there are freijuent changes of masters, steamers, and cannery suiierintendents. The Alaska Packers' Association now have printed form books at each cannery operated by them, in which are recorded, for each day, the state of the weather and the number of each species of fish received at the cannery and i>acked, so that at present the number of fish handled at any one of their canneries can be learned. If accurate stream records could be kept, it would be of great value, not only to the Government in framing laws, but to the canneries themselves. , U. S. F, C. 1898. (To face page 4.) PHOTOGRAPHING UNDER DIFFICULTIES, NEAR LORING. THE SALMON AND SALMON PISHKRtES Ol-' ALASKA. THE SALMON OF ALASKA. COMMDN NAMES. Tlie salmon packed in Alaska cousists for the most jiart of tlie species called "iL'dtisU" in that region (Oneorhi/nchuH nerl'a), and referred to in this report by that name. It is known in other localities as blneback salmon, Fra.ser River salmon, sawqui, sockeye, or saukeye salmon, and krasnaya ryba. Fonr other species are also packed, but they form only a relatively small portion of the outjjut. Of these the principal species is the hurai)back {Oiicorln/xcliiis fidrhuscha). The next important species is the coho (O. kisi(tcli), also called the silver salmon, .skowit/., hoopid salmon, bielaya ryba, kisutch, and qnisut.scli. I'liE Rrd Salmon {Oncorhyuchus mrka). (UiiptT ligiiie rciiresinta liali \>v(nm ™tpring riviT lor brpcding; lower tigiir4. reprpaiMila lireoiling rn.-ilc ) The king salmon (O. Ischairytficha), which is by far the most valuable sjiecies in the Pacific States, is com])aratively in.significant in numbers in Alaska. It is known in other localities as quinnat salmon, chinook salmon, Oolumbia salmon, Sacramento salmon, tyee salmon, saw-kwey, chouicha, and tschavitche. The dog salmon {(>. 1;eta) is the least important of all the salmon of Alaska. There are some local variations of the common names. At Hunter Bay the king salmon (O. tschawytucha) is referred to as " spring salmon." At ^^ rangell the redflsh 6 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. (0. nerlca) is called "silver salmon," and the coho (0. hisutch) is called "tyee." In Prince AVilliaia Sound the small redfish are called "bluebacks" and the large ones "redfish." At Klawak and Sukkwan the coho is called "tyee," and at Killisnoo the same salmon is called " kluck." RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE SALMONS. The salmon pack of Alaska, considered in the order of the market values per case of the canned fish, is made up of king, redfish, cohoes, and humpbacks; and, in the order of abundance for commercial use, redfish, humpbacks, cohoes, and king. It is said that there are more humpbacks in the streams of Alaska thau redfish; and this is undoubtedly true in certain sections, such as southeast Alaska. In the opinions of the canners, with which I am in hearty accord, the coho should rank next after the king salmon in food value. Its meat is more delicately flavored and contains more oil thau that of the redfish, but it lacks the full, deep, red color of the latter, which is popularly supposed to indicate the best quality of salmon. In reality, the redfish is coarse and dry compared to the coho. The dog salmon are packed very sparingly; in fact, in only one cannery was this species utilized as such in 1897, and then only about 1,000 cases were i^acked. In another locality, in one cannery, a few humpbacks and dog salmon are packed together under humpback labels, and at nearly all canneries, where different sjiecies are packed, a straggling dog salmon, if in good condition, may be included; but as a rule dog salmon are 7iot used, and may be considered a waste species. The run of none of the minor species of salmon in 1897 outside of Bering Sea was very large, except that of humpbacks in southeast Alaska; the humpback, king, coho, and dog salmon figure only incidentally in the packs. A reference to the detailed output by canneries will make this clear. None of the canneries were able to handle the supply of humpbacks in 1897, and they were obliged to limit the catches. Of the total number of this species packed, 140,500 cases, or nearly 90 per cent, were credited to southeast Alaska. The waste was very large; not only were the canneries obliged to reject many fish, but at the fisheries double the number that could be sold were frequently hauled. At Fish Creek one seine haul contained 2'i,000 hump- backs. While there was an over-abundance of humpbacks, the redfish were very scarce, and the pack of this species is small compared to 1890, which was a good red- fish year. lu 1897 the different species were represented in the pack as follows: Species. Caaes (each coDsistiDg of 48 one- pound cans). Percentage. 688, 581 157, 711 43, 657 18, 133 1,096 75.74 17. 35 4.79 2.00 0.12 Hurapbacli Kino- Total 909, 078 100.00 THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 7 THE SALMON RUNS. In the detailed accounts of the ditterent streams are given the times during which the various species of salmon run, based on the delivery of flsh at the canneries. There is a great variation in the streams, but by referring to these records and to the table which gives the packs for the different canneries and the dates between which the packs were made, a fair idea may be obtained of the time when salmon run in sufficient numbers for commercial purposes. These dates vary greatly, but it appears as though the onshore movement came from the westward, the large rivers of a region receiving the first impulses. This movement is but natural when it is cousidered that the larger streams extend their influences wider and farther, and the fish naturally come first within the influence of these Avaters and follow them to their sources. The king salmon, as a rule, probably come first; and, while not abundant at any fishing station in Alaska, they are found scattering everywhere, and individual stragglers occur in nearly every stream and throughout the entire season. The King Salmon (Onvorhnnchus tsehmvytscha). As soon as the ice clears sufficiently to permit fishing the king salmon are taken, the earliest at the Copper River about May G, at the mouth of the Stikine liiver about May 15, while Cook Inlet and Taku River are not sufficiently clear until later — about May 25. In these localities a few redfish are taken with the earliest fishing, showing that they are present, and as soon as they run in sufficient numbers to fish for them the gear is changed, except in Cook Inlet, where king salmon are fished for until the latter part of July. The fishing for king salmon in other localities does not cease because fewer fish run, but because the run of redfish is much larger and the fishing more profitable. It is generally believed, and my observations confirm the view, that the king salmon run in numbers only in streams fed in part by glacial waters. In different i^arts of this report, under stream or cannery headings, detailed reference is made to the runs of redfish, which need not be repeated here. In localities other than those in the vicinity of the larger rivers — that is, on purely redfish ground — it will be noticed that they run first in the Karluk district, where packing usually begins during the first days of June ; Chignik follows about the middle of June, and Prince William Sound and southeast Alaska in the latter part of the same month. The streams nearer the sea receive the first fish, though there are many exceptions, as will be seen by reference to the stream notes. The run at Karta Bay, for instance, 8 lU'LIJC'riX OF TIIK. rXITKI) STATKS FISH COMMISSION. which is well inside, and ;i lonu' distance from the outside waters, is very early. There is a great variation in time even in adjoining streams; and while in some streams in southeast Alaska redfish run early — that is, before July 1 — few cauueries in that section begin to operate before July 1 to 7, and those that operate probably do not pay expenses; but they get their fisheries organized and the cannery in running order, and when the big runs commence they are ready for work. Pyramid Harbor and Wrangell, where a few king salmon are packed, commencing in May, slionld be excepted. In southeast Alaska ditterent streams are often referred to as "early" or "late" for certain species, and wliilc there is undoubtedly some difference, and occasionally considerable, it is probably not so great as is often imagined. A stream having a large number of salmon will have the earliest arrivals in sufficient numbers to make their i)resence a]jparent, while a stream producing r>,()(iO to 1(1,(10(1 will lia\c so few early arrivals that they will not be noticed. I']xcept at Karluk, where the runs frequently extend to the first of October, and in the large rivers, the cannerymen usually count on about six weeks for the duration of the run of redfish; but if there is a variation in the timeof commencing the run there is a still greater variation of time at the end, and in many localities much depends upon The Cdiio 1)1! Sii.A i.i: Salmon i(iiiiviliiintliii.'< l.isiitch). the stage of water in the river. If the water is low, so the fish can not ascend, they are held in the salt or brackish water anack until the latter part of Augnst, and some into September, but exce])t at Karluk these are only a few fish that are taken in connection with tlie humpbacks and cohoes, which then form the body of the pack. Cohoes are not plentiful anywhere in Alaska. Those from the streams on the mainland are said to be larger than those from the island streams. The run for commercial purposes commences the first week in August and continues until after the canneri(^s close, Sei)tember .!(). There is, however, the same variation in the runs of cohoes as noted for redfish. The cannery at Wrangell, whicli i)acks cohoes from Lake Bay, usually commences canning the first week in July; at Tolstoi (Tliorne Bay) the fish run nearly at the same time, but these are unusually "early" streams; as a rule, tljey are in other localities from three to four weeks later, though scattering fish are taken throughout the season. .11, U. S. F C. 1898 iTo face page 8.) HUMPBACK bALMON FROtvl STREAM AT HEAD OF UGANUK Till'. SALMON AN'l) SALMOK FISIIEKIES OT ALASKA. 9 nuiiiphacks iiiiiy bo .said to run in southeiist Ala.ska, wliero tlio ]>rin('.ipal pat-lc of humphacks is made, rroiii July 15 to August ir>, though stniw years they may be a week earlier, and at some cauneries these iisli are packed until September 1. In Prince William Sound they seem to bo about a week earlier. It is said that they are in good condition for packing oidy about one month. Late in the season the meat seems watery, and it is dillicult to iirepare a can of full weight. Dog salmon are not very numerous, and as they are not used for commercial i)ur- poses no record concerning their run is available. AtOhignik in 1S!)7 tlie run was at itsliciglit August 1, forming at that time ."> per cent of the catch; at TTganuk, Kadiak Island, the fish were dead and dying in the streams on August 12; at a cannery in southeast Alaska a few were packed from July 17 to August 0; at Hunter Bay the run is said to last from August 1 to October 1, which is doubtless an error; at Tolstoi it is said they run with the humpbacks, which is probably more nearly correct. They are, however, taken scatteriTigly throughout the season. Along the Alaskan Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands they are preferred by the natives for their winter sup|)ly of " ukali.'" Thr IttiMI'IiACK i feet in diameter and 12 to 18 inches in depth. The female then deposits the eggs, which are quickly covered with the milt of the male. The eggs usually fall and lodge between the gravel on the lower side of the nest and are covered by the same process as adopted in building the nest. The parent salmon remain near the nest and fight off all intruders as long as they can maintain their position, becoming more and more emaciated and finally dying. Mr. Miller, of Klinkwan, who has lived in Alaska for some twelve or fourteen years and has noticed their habits, states that the red salmon spawn within sis weeks to two months after they enter the streams, and he has observed them spawning until November, and occasionally even until December, under the ice. The eggs deposited late do not hatch out for three or four months, and early iu the spring the young with the sac could be seen by taking up a handful of gravel from the bottom. Upon being released they wriggle back and burrow in the gravel again. He states that the young fish do not become free swimmers until some time after they are hatched; they dodge around under stones and sticks, come to the surface and nibble at some passing object, and dart back again. This is usually iu the spring, and he states that they I'emain in the lake until the following spring and 12 mMJ.RTlN OP 'I'lIK I'NiriCI) STATKS KlStt CoMMfSSION. that they then rctiirn to tlio, sen. This iiifomiatioii, lie says, he obtained fnuii ])er- sonal observation. So far as Iniown, observations have not been systematically made on the natural spawning habits of the salmon in Alaska, and only on lare occasions has anyone been met who had ever observed salmon spawning- tliere. The cannerymen are in the country for (ish and not for investigation or scientilic research. Very tew have ever even seen the lakes supplying the streams from which they obtain their su])ply. In the fall the canneries are closed and left in charge of the watchmen, and they, with the white stragglers who remain around, probably hibernate. At any rate, they thiidi no more of salmon until the next packing season commences. Keferenee has been made chiefly to the late-spawning fish. While it is probable that many of the fish remain in the fresh water for six weeks or two months before spawning, others are more advanced and spawn soon after their arrival. The manager of Yes Bay cannery states that he has seen young salmon witli the egg-sac attached as early as the micblle of September. Mr. ]>ell, who has been a permanent resident of Alaska for a number of years, and wlio has been superintendent of a cannery and now owns the saltery at Tolstoi (Thorne Bay) where he lives, says that in the late fall he has observed large numtiers of very young salmon in the lakes; that he has frequently watched the spawning tish, and that rarely are the male and female ready to spawn at the same time, and the one that is delayed will beat itself on the bowlders or gravel apparently to hasten the ripening. lie further states tliat in many instances they are unable to void tlie spawn, and both male and female die before their imtural functions are fnltilled, he having fre(iuently cut open the dead swollen fish on the shore anil found the eggs or milt in them. Mr. Gallbreath refers to this subject with a similar exiierience, and I have seen the same with dog salmon. Mr. Bell, in speaking of humpbacks, remarked that he had seen a number spawn in the same nest, others in brackish water, at high tide, and when the nests were uncovered at low water the sea birds consumed their eggs, and that he had observed well-filled nests destroyed and the eggs thrown out by other humpbacks that had selected the same place for their nests. At the head of the south arm of Tiganuk liay, Kadiak Island, is a stream having dog salmon and a few humpbacks, on which I spent a day, August 11 ; a description of it may give some idea of the appearance of these streams during the spawning- season. The following is quoted from tield notes : Left the ship at (> n. in. on a general rocoiinaissanco. Passed down 8onth Ann, which we found to be a straiglit, apparently clear body about 5 miles long and an average width of not ranch less than a mile. At the head of the arm is a flat, through which flows a small stream about 20 feet wide. It was low water, and we landed on tbe edge of the flat and followed the stream a few hundred yards, where it passed between two high rocky bluffs, probably a hundred yards apart. Inside this passage a large tidal basin opened, about li miles long by 1 mile wide, which at low water is a great nind and gravel flat with the stream flowing through it b.y several channels, and at high water is covered with 6 or 8 feet of w.ater. At the head of the basin the stream empties between grassy banks that are low and extended for some distance, with here and there a scrub growth. Over the grass plain bordering the river, the bear trails were as thick as the lines (m a checker-board, and in many places close to the w ater the gr.iss wiis beaten down and the bones and half-i-onsnmed fish plainly indicated the presence of bears. At the montli of the river we first encountered the asceinling salmon ; they were mostly of the clog species, all barred, though a few huTupbaeks were present. As we advauceil they increased in nuni- Sull, U S. F C. 1898. (To face page 12.) SPAWNING BEOS IN STREAM SKOWL ARM, KASAAN BAY TIIK SALMON AND SALMON KISIIElilKS OF ALASKA. 13 beis until it seemed as though iu places one eouhl no longer advance through theui. It was simply full of dog salmon in all stages, from those iu but a short time from the sea to the spent and dying. There were thousands upon thousands of them and other Ihousands dead on the hanks or floating down with the current. They strugghil over ritlles only a few inches deep and when distiirbid dafhed about, frequently throwing themselves bodily on shore. We followed the stream about two miles and it seemed in places as though we were wading in salmon ; they would often strike one's leg with consid- erable force, swim between one's feet, and in walking wo at times stepped on them, and froqucutly touched them with the foot. But what a change had come over these fish from the time they (ir.st entered ! Those that were spent, and some that had not spawned, were iu all stages of dc-cay, repulsive-looking objects, all dying, some in their last struggles. The llesh of many was deeply gashed as though decaying, the fins frayed and torn, tie skin gonc^ in places showing dirty and sickly-looking yellow flesh, skin hanging in shreds from the head, jaws heavily hooked in the males, teeth prominent, body thin and emaciated. The water was polluted and had a bad smell which was intensified by the stench from the decaying salmon on the bo.icli. Those iu the last stages when turned over hail hardly the strength to right themselves. 1 had my trout gear with me and there were plenty of trout hanging around the salmon, the more vigonms of which, divining their jiurpose, would frequently dart at them, but the sight of the fish and the stream quelled my lishiug ardor and the gear was not put in service. We kicked a large number of salmon out on the banks and hooked others out with sticks, and e.-iamined them. My first surprise was that the males were largely iu excii a liuiii|ihaclc .stfeam in rriiicc W'illiairi Sound. The stream is a very small one, not more tliaii 15 feet wide, and did Tiot (;ariy nuieh water, thougli there were many deep pot holes. Tiiis stream, in pLw^es, seemed to be packed solidly with humpbacks, all struggling- to ascend. In places where tlie water Howed over riffles, not over an inch or two deep, they seemed to rise out ol' the water and would wriggle, moving rapidly, for a distance of 10 to 15 feet, until deeper water was readied. At the mouth of the stream I kicked out 40 or 50 Iish and examined them. The males were hook jawed and humped, but all were bright colored and vigorous fish ; yet upon pressure the milt Howed readily in the males and the eggs were separated iu the females, some of the eggs beitig voided iu landing on the banks; yet these fish were evidently just enteriug the stream. Near the head of the stream I was much interested in observing the spawning. A female was over a .so called nest, which was an excavation in the gravel, of appar- ently rounded form and (piite large — I should say nearly 4 feet in diameter and 18 inches deep. The female remained over the nest, but occasionally turned from it to drive off what seemed to be one of her own sex; the favorite male was near by, but he was more busily ein[)loyed in keeping at a distance a number of male intruders. This male every minute or two would rise to the surface, and half out of the wiiter woiihl flap sideways on the surface as if beating the water; at other times he would descend to the bottom and seem to chafe his belly on the gravel. A small pebble thrown in the water did not disturb them, but a larger stone thrown with a si)liish over the nest sent all scurrying away, the female darting back very warily after a few minutes and 14 bui,h;tin of the united states fish commission. occupying lier place over tlic uest, followed later by the male. At a second nest a female beld the position against all intruders, male or female; any fish approaching within 6 feet was attacked. Oannerymen and fishermen in Alaska all agree that hardly any two streams in the Territory carry exactly the same redfish or other species of salmon, but the redtish is the only one that receives much attention, the others being taken incidentally. It is said that there is a slight difference in general form, color, and texture which fishermen recognize, as well as a large difference in weight. (Jpou this hangs the idea persisted in by many fishermen, that salmon do return to their parent stream; and if the diflerences mentioned do exist, the theory based upon them must have great weight. I have never been able to detect the variations in form, etc., except the well-known changes which take place in each fish from the time it arrives from the ocean until death overtakes it on the spawning-grounds, but there seems to be a difference in the quality, fish from certain streams being considered better than others. For instance, the best redtish in Alaska are said to be the (Jhilkat redfish, in that they are more delicate in flavor and more oily. The Red-throated Trout (Sahno mykiss). Adult. There are undoubted and undisputed differences in average weight, and so well known is the weight of redtish that run in different streams that contracts are made and prices paid accordingly; for while the number of fish required to pack a case varies, it practically remains the same for each stream from year to year. As extremes of weight, it may be mentitnied that Quadra stream carries 8-pound redfish, while Necker stream (about 35 miles south of Sitka, on Baranof Island) has redfish averaging about 2i pounds in weight. These are not accidental runs, but peo))le -who have fished these streams for years assert that each year these streams have the same fish with little or no variation. It is probable that the fish vary more in the same stream than is stated. At Karluk the early run usually consists of fish from 14 to 15 and even as high as 17 to the case, but as the season advances they come down to 12. At all places visited by the Albatross inquiries were made as to whether spent salmon bad ever been seen returning to the sea, and the usual reply was that, with the exception of king salmon and steelheads, they all died at the headwaters after spawning. Some of the cannery superintendents whose opinions were obtained had fished in Alaska twelve to fifteen years; others were men interested in the fish- THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 15 eries who had lived pennaneutly in Alaska for tea or more years. In one instance a cannerymau had set nets to take returning spent salmon, but never caught a single fish. At the office of the Alaska Packers' Association, in the jiresence of six or eight cannery superintendents, the same question was propounded, when one of them, from a Bering Sea cannery, said he had seen spent salmon returiung to the sea. Upon closer inquiry, however, it was learned that the current at tlds locality was very strong and had swept the weakened and emaciated fish down, but that they were heading upstream. I have personally seen both humpback and dog salmon swept downstream by the current to Siilt water, but they died, nevertheless. I have )io doubt that all species of salmon, except some king salmon and steelhead trout, die after spawning, and I believe that if directly after spawning they were transferred to salt water they would also die. One of the greatest sources of destruction to the rediish, and, in fact, to all salmon, are the trout, both the Dolly Varden (Salrclinus malmu) and the cut-throat {Salmo mykiss). Early iu the spring, or shortly before the redflsh commence to run, the Dolly The Dolly Vauden Trout (iSalrclinns malma). Varden comes to the mouth of a stream and awaits the salmon, and abt)ut the same time the cut-throat comes down the stream to brackish water to welcome the new arri- vals; together these two follow the salmon to the spawning-beds. The Dolly Yarden is usually found wherever the salmon is, of whatever species; the cut-throat more rarely. On the spawning-grounds, when the ripe fish deposit their eggs, the trout consume them in immense numbers. The Dolly Varden has been seen to take the salmon eggs as they were dropped. The salmon know these egg destroyers and will frequently dart at the trout, but the latter are quicker in their movements and get away without injury. The next great destroyer of the redflsh eggs is the humpback salmon. When these fish have access to the redflsh spawning-grounds, they will spawn over the redflsh nests. The humpback arrives later than the redflsh, and in building its nest the red- flsh eggs are flung about, disturbed, and destroyed. Usually humpbacks are present in nearly all streams, though they can not ascend some that are open to redflsh, because the latter are more vigorous and can surmount obstacles that tlie former can not. In such cases the humpback spawns in the lower courses of the stream in pools and eddies — in fact, often iu brackish water and on banks of sand and gravel that are exposed at low water, where the eggs are of course lost. huuli:tii\ i)F the united states fish commission. ESTABLISHMENT OF SALMON CANNERIES IN ALASKA As it will be uecessiiry in tbis report to refer fre(iiieiitly to the coiiiiiiercial orjiaiii- zatious doing a salmou-iiackinj,'- business in Alaska, it may not be out of jtlace here to jjive a sbort account of the growtli of this industry, in order that the references may be i)roi)erly understood, although an account of each cannery will be hereafter given. The first canneries in Alaska were at Klawak and Old Sitka, both built in the spring of 187S. At the former place the North Pacific Trading and Packing (Com- pany erected their plant, made a pack that year, and have done so every year since. At the latter place the Gutting Packing Company commenced operations, and, after making two packs (1878 and 187!t) the cannery was closed. In 1882 its available machinery was moved to Cook Inlet l)y the Alaska Packing Company of California., and there utilized in a cannery built that year at Kussilof, now known as the Arctic Fishing Company. Transport ship at Chignik. No additions were nuide to the Alaska canneries until 1882, when the cannery just mentioned was built and the first cannery on the Karluk Eiver appeared, built and oi)eratcd by Smith & Ilirsch, and now kiiown as the i)lant of the Karluk Packing Company. The year 1883 saw three additions — Pyramid Harbor Packing Comjiaiiy, Chilkat Packing Company, aiul Cape Fox Packing Company, all in southeast Alaska. In 1884 the first cannery in Bering Sea, the Arctic Packing Company, on the Nushagak River, commenced operations, followed in 188G by the Bristol Bay Canning Company and the Alaska Packing Company, both at Nushagak. In the year 1887 one more cannery was added to the list, that of the Aberdeen Packing Company, on the Stikine River, in southeast Alaska. During the same year the plant of the Cape Fox Packing Company was moved to Tongass Narrows and operated under the name of the Tongass Packing Com])any. Bull U. S F. C. 1898. (To face page 16.) CANNERY AT BOCA DE QUADRA. SALMON SALTERY ON THORNE BAY. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHEIIIKS OF ALASKA. 17 lu 188S tbe following additional canneries were in operation: Alaslca Salmon Packing and Fur Company, at Loring, sontbeast Alaska; Cape Lees Packing Comi)any, at Burrouglis Bay, southeast Alaska; Northern Packing Company, at Keuai, Cook Inlet; Kodiak Packing Company and Aleutian Islands Fishing and Mining Company, both at Karluk, Kadiak Island; Arctic Packing Company, at Larsen Ray, Kadiak Island, and the Nusliagak Packing Company, on the Nushagak IJiver, Bering Sea. The increase of canneries in ISSS and their large output called the attention of the public to the Alaska salmon fisheries, and in 1881) there was a further increase of canneries, as follows: Southeast Alashi: Boston Fishing and Trading Company, Yes (McDonald) Bay; Baranoff Paclcing Company, at the lledoubt, near Sitka; Astoria and Alaska Packing Company, Freshwater Bay ; Bartlett Bay Packing Company, Bartlett Bay, and Chilkat Canning Company, Chilkat Village. Prince Willium /Sound and Copper RirMON AXD SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 19 localities, based upon tbe averajne packs of each cauneiy in 1889 and 1890. The estimated pack for tbe canneries interested was jilaced at 250,000 cases, and upon this estimate tbe apportionment of tbe work at each cannery was made. Under this agreement four of the eight canneries were closed, their quota being packed in tbe other four canneries as follows, viz, that of the Eoyal at the Kailuk, of tbe Arctic at the Kodiak, of tbe Aleutian Islands at the Hume, and of the I! ussian- American at the Alaska Improvement. In tbe summer of 1891 the Kodiak Packing Company* and the Arctic Packing Company, both at Alitak Bay, also bad a mutual agreement under which only one cannery, the Arctic, was operated, the quota of fish of the Kodiak being packed in the Arctic cannerj'. By these combinatlous the full pack of tiie Karluk district was made in half tbe number of canneries and tbe expense of packing very consider- ably reduced. Fish scow at dock, Chignik. In September, 1891, the Alaska Packers' Association was formed to dispose of the unsold salmon of that season's pack (some 363,000 cases), and Ave trustees were appointed to manage the business. This association was not incorporated, and expired after the salmon were sold. The successful operation of these arrangements led, in 1892, to an arrangement in which nearly all (thirty one) of tbe canneries joined, entering under the name of the Alaska Packing (not Packers') Association, for tbe purpose of leasing and operating and therefore controlling tbe canneries and reducing tbe Alaska pack for that year, it being found too great for the market's demands. All the canneries in operating condition in 1892 were members of this association except tbe following, viz : Met- * Though the present approved spelling of the name of this island is Kadiak, the company retains the former spelling Kodiak. 20 liULLETlN OF THE UNITKlJ STATES FISH COMMISSION. lakalitla liidiistiial Oouipauy, at INIetlakalitla; Boston Fisliiugaiid Trading Coinpany, at Yes Bay; Baranotf Packiuy Company, at Kedfisb Bay; Ohilkat Canning Company, at Pyramid Uarbor; Alaska Improvement Company, at Karlnk, and the Beriug Sea Packing Company, at Ugasliik. TLe association was regularly incorporated on January 13, 1892, and shares were distributed on the basis of one for each 2,000 cases packed in 1891, and the profits were divided equally on all shares regardless of the amount of i)roUts derived at the ditt'ercnt points. Of the 31 canneries, 9 were operated by the association, while the others were closed, the Alaska pack being reduced one-half. Steiu-wLcul steamer used iu tuwing lisllill^ lioats aud setting uets, C'liij^uik. Tiie year 1893 Ibiiiid the Alaska I'ackers' Association organized and incorporated (Febriuiry 9). This association was formed from the canneries that had Joined the Alaska Packing Association of 1892, except the Pacitic Steam Whaling Comi)any, at Prince William Sound, aud the Peninsula Trading aud Fishing Company, tlie latter's cannery having been moved from Little Kayak Island to the Copper River Delta iu 1891 . The agreement of 1893 was similar to that of 1892, except that the amount of profit was taken into consideratiou, iu addition to the probable average quantity which could be packed at the different jioints. This was subject to adjustment for each district and no arbitrary rule was followed. Each cannery entering the association was obliged to purchase an additional amount of stock equaling two thirds of the number of shares received by it for its plant; that is, a company which received 1,500 shares for its plant was required to purchase 1,000 shares additional. The money received from this sale of extra stock was used as working capital. No shares were sold to the general public, the owners of canneries subscribing for the full amount. Bull US F C 1898 iTofa ce paqe 20 1 Plate 6. i ^^^^^. ^ m ■mm A ^^^^^^^^■k ^ •J m ^^^^^^^^^^^Bk^ ' V IP ^^^^^^Rf^" m m Jpf^ ^^^^^^^^^^. m ■ V 1 L r k 1^ ^ ^ H n ■ ^^^^^■» 1 w W ^9 1 '^H 1 I Ife jnn ^Hi He THE SALMON AND SALMON FlSHIiKIES OF ALASKA. 21 The Alaskii Packers' Association is the largest canning operator in Alaska. Of the 29 canneries operatetl in 1S97, 17 belonged to this association, with an outpnt of (!G9,494; cases, or nearly 74 per cent of the total pack, while the other I'J canneries packed 239,584 cases, or 2G percent. In addition to the 17 operating canneries the association had as reserves S other establislinients, besides several in a dismantled condition which have not, however, been abandoned. The Pacific Steam Whaling Company has increased the number of its canneries daring the past two years. In 1S.S9 the company bnilt and operated a cannery at Eyak, Prince Wdliani Sound; in 1893 it controlled the plant of the Peninsula Trading and Fishing Company in the Copper liiver Delta. In 189G it bnilt and operated a cannery at Hunter Bay, in southeast Alaska, and another at Chignik P>ay, Alaska Peninsula. In 1897 a cannery was built and oi)erated in Uyak I?ay, Kadiak Island, and cannery buildings were erected at Kenai, Cook Inlet. ]\Iachiiiery will probably be installed in the latter ready for operation in 189S.* SALTING SALMON. Redfish are salted oidy in localities like Bristol Bay, where a large run sometimes taxes the cannery facilities, when the surplus is salted, and at Egagak (Boring Sea) and Tyonek (Cook Inlet), where the run is not large enough to maintain a cannery. A few king salmon are salted for private use at canneries where stragglers are taken in the general catcii, and at i)la.r(\s like Killisnoo, where a little salting is done on special orders. The commercial salting outside of Bering Sea consists chiefly in whole cohoes and hnnipback bellies. In the latter the number varies according to the cutting. One saltery (Ketchikan) delivered humpback bellies under contract to a cannery at 83.2.5 per half barrel, and tried to cut KiO bellies to that measure. This product should reach retailers on tlie Pacific coast at, say, $5, and if sold at 5 cents per belly would bring $8, making a good profit for the venture and a cheap fish for the consumer. It is very difficult to obtain accurate saltery statistics. The low price of salt salmon, and the terms ottered by the canneries in the purchase of fresh fish, have induced the men formerly engaged in salting to sell their fish fresh, the cannery tender calling for them, and to salt only those that are not called for in time, or the surplus in the event of a large run. Siuall schooners frequently move from one stream to another when the run is small and salt a few fish on board. It is doubtful if there are more than three or four salteries in Alaska, outside of Bering Sea, that are con- ducted purely as such, and these are in remote places where the catch is uncertain or it is inconvenient for the cannery steamer to call; the others are operated oidy to make use of the fish not sold fresh. On account of tlie variation in the weight of the same species it is rather difficult to give even an approximate estimate of the number of live fish necessary to make a barrel of salt salmon, but the following may give a general idea of the subject: A barrel of salt fish contains 200 pounds of fish washed from the salting tub; 1 barrel of redfish has from 40 to 52 fish; cohoes from 25 to 35; humpbacks, from 70 to 80; king salmon, from 10 to 14. A barrel of humpback bellies represents from 300 to 320 fish. 'The machinery was installed and the plant opor.'itod in 1898. 22 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. FISHERY AND CANNERY METHODS. THE FISHERIES. The metbods employed in taking fish at the fisheries are given in detail in the descriptions of the canneries and streams, and will only be briefly referred to here. Each locality has its own methods, obtained by experience and believed to be the best. In general it may be said that in localities where the water is discolored gill nets are used, and if the topographical conditions are favorable traps are added; where the water is clear, drag seines give the best results. In southeast Alaska drag seines are used exclusively except at Chilkat and Wrangell. Drifting gill nets are used in Chilkat Inlet and at Taku by the cannery fishermen, while the Indians use small nets and gaffs in Chilkat and Chilkoot rivers, as described under other headings. The cannery at Wrangell uses gill nets in the fisheries at the mouth of the Stikine, but all fish obtained for this cannery in other localities are taken in drag seines. Spasmodic attempts have been made to work traps in southeast Alaska, but the results have not warranted the expense. Gill nets and purs(i seines have been tried in the lower section, but with indifferent success. The canneries in Prince William Sound fish the Copper River delta with drifting gill nets, and the Prince William Sound streams with drag seines. In Cook Inlet the fishing is done with drifting gill nets, and by traps at prominent points along the shore leading to the rivers, and in the mouths of the rivers. On Kadiak Island drag seines are used — a description of which will be found in the report — though gill nets have been experimented with, and for several years huge floating traps have been tried at Uganuk. The fishery at Chignik is carrried on prin- cipally with traps, but drag seines are also used and formerly gill nets, but these are uot much in vogue now. In Bering Sea the fish are taken in gill nets and traps. Outside of southeast Alaska the fishing is carried on entirely by the canneries; that is, when the cannery ships proceed to their stations in early spring they carry fishermen with whom contracts have been made for the season. Occasionally fresh fish are bought from the natives; but there are few natives, and fewer still who care to exert them.selves beyond taking fish for their own wants, so that the number of fish thus furnished is extremely small, and the canneries can uot depend upon this source of supply. In southeast Alaska, while each cannery has fishermen of its own, a large part of the supply comes by purchase from ijative and white fishermen. These fisheries are conducted in various ways. A salteiy may have been established by a white man near some stream or streams, and a certain right to the fishery is recognized. A cannery makes a contract with him to take all his catch at a certain rate, tiie steamer calling for the fish at fixed intervals. He employs his own men, boats, gear, etc. Or a cannery may supply natives, who claim to have rights in a stream, with nets and boats on condition that they sell all their catch to the cannery at certain fixed rates. A third method is for a cannery to send its own fishermen into a locality to do the fishing. Many disputes arise concerning the fisheries. A native, whose ancestors have lived on a certain stream for many generations, and whose rights are resijected by THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 23 other natives, supplies a certain cannery witli his catch, as possibly he has l»een doing for years. A rival cannery tells the native that he must sell his catch to it, and that otherwise their men will fish the native's stream. The result is overfishing, complaints, bad feeling, blows, and threats of bloodshed. So far as can be learned, there are now no legal rights or title to any fishing-grounds in Alaska except what force or strategy furnish. LABOR AT THE CANNERIES. The cannery fishermen are nearly all foreigners, the majority being " north countrymen,'' or, as they are termed, "hardheads," though there are some fishing gangs comprised of what are called " dagoes," consisting of Italians, Greeks, and the like. When these two classes form diflerent fishing gangs for the same cannery, the north- country crew is referred to as the " white crew." Cuttiug machine. With the exception of Metlakahtia and Klawak, the packing at all canneries is done entirely by Chinese, and it is very satisfactory labor. The canneries make a contract with the Ghine.se controlling the labor at a stipulated amount per case, guaranteeing a certain pack. If the guaranteed pack is not made, they are paid as though it had been ; if the pack is overrun, they are paid for the extras. They are conveyed to and from the cannery in the ships, are given a bunk-house where they all live, are provided with water, fuel, and salt, and are paid collectively, according to contract, from 40 to 46 cents a case, depending upon the location of the cannery and the facilities for packing. The Chinese make all the cans, receive the fish on the dock, where they are tossed into bins from the boats, and do all the labor until the 24 lUILLF/riN OK THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. product is ready for sbijjmeiit; in other words, they receive the fresh lish at one can- nery door and phice them at the other in tin cans, boxed, ready for shipment. They liave tlicir own bosses, are ready to work at any and all hours, and apply themselves strictly to the work for which they are i)aid. At Ivlawak in the early days Indians were i)aid $1 per day. Demands for higher wages resulted in a gradual increase until $1.50 per day was reached, while as the Indians became more expert they grew lazier and constantly clamored for increased wages. As the point had been reached where the prices paid for the woik done made the pack too expensive to warrant a furtiier increase, the manager decided to pay l)y piecework. This was rather dilliciilt to arrange, but was eventually accomplislied. It was then found that each one performed about twice the amount that he had ever done by day's work. Under the piece-work system the Indian is still dissatisfied. During the time of our visit the labelers struck for higher rates; 25 cents was paid for 12 cases; they demanded 25 cents for 10 cases and got it. It is said that it now costs the cannery (!0 cents a case to make the pack; one half is paid in coin and tlie other half in store checks; but, deducting the fixed store profits, it still costs the cannery 51 cents a case. Chinese can be employed to make a hand pack for about -15 cents per case. At Klawak native women (klootchmeii) are employed as labelers, fillers, cappers, and washers; boys as carriers and to assist at the gang-knives; and men in all other capacities. The least amount earned under the schedule is $1.50 per day for women, .and from that amount to $2, and one woman has made as high as $4 a day as a labeler; THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 25 butcliers have made as high as $5.00 a day. The work is not steady, but for the season the native women make from $S0 to $100, and the better class of men $200. Fishermen are paid $2 a day, without board, and laborers $1..")0 per day, for the time employed. The complaint is made everywhere that Indian labor — tliat is, the labor of the men — is uncertain. After making sufiQcient wages to supply their personal wants and getting a few dollars ahead, the desire for hunting or lishing seizes them and they are apt to leave when they are most wanted. To provide against this contingency, a contract is made with the fishermen, upon which they are paid $1.50 down for every day's work, and the remainder is held until the end of the season; it is then paid if tliey remain, but forfeited if they leave without permission. roiUMiig miu'hine The Indians are doubtless improvident, knowing that nature has provided for them without much labor. Their frequent boast is that white men and Chinese must work to get something to eat, while the waters and the forests furnish the Indians with all they want. A veiy small amount of money will supply them with t\n' few necessaries which money alone will purchase. In the spring of the year, when the cannery is opened, the Indian has spent his money and consumed his supplies. His wants are many, and he is willing to do any work; after these wants are satisfied he rel.ajjses, becomes lazy, and demands more wages. The Indians fancy the cannery is getting $0 and $7 a case for salmon, and that they are not getting what is due them. The manager at Klawak said that year after year he had acceded to their demands, but that now they had passed beyond the limit. The Indian is perfectly capable and can probably do the work as well as the Chinese if he could only be made to understand the exact conditions. 26 iSULLKTIN OF THE UNITED STA.TES FISH COMMISSION. THE CANNINCl PROCESSES. When the salmou collected from the various streams by the cannery steamers are brought to the fish wharf, they are transferred to the fish bins by men armed with pews (single fined forks). These men stand knee deep in fish on the steamer or scow, impale one or two lish at a time, and by a rapid movement toss them to the top of the wharf, where others, also using pews, toss them into bins. The men bei'orae very expert in the u.se of these implements, and a constant stream of fish seems to flow from the steamer or scow to the wharf and thence to the bins. Elevators are used in some canneries, l>ut they are not common in Alaska. Soldering inachiue. It is claimed that fish should be twenty- four hours out of the water before packing, so as to allow them to shrink, as when packed jjerfectly fresh so much juice is formed that in "blowing," after cooking, light weights are produced. In the fish-house and near the bins are arranged the butchers' tables, where the fish are cleaned. A stream of water is kept playing over the fish in the bins to remove the dirt and slime that collect on them, and they are then transferred to the tables, where the "butcher," after removing the head, seizes the fish by the tail, grasping it at the caudal peduncle, and with a few rapid strokes removes the fins, with one slash opens the fish along tlie ventral line, and by another removes the viscera. The fish is then transferred to a tank of water, where it is washed and scraped and the tail removed. In a well-regulated cannery it is passed to another tank of water, where it receives a second washing, scraping, and final brushing with a whisk-like broom. Being then thoroughly clean, the fish is transferred to large bins on either side of the cutting machine. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 27 There is great variation in diflfereiit canneries in all tlie various processes, but one principle in cutting is kept in view by all; that is, to cut the fish transversely in sections the exact length of the can. The usual method is to have a large wooden, cylindrical carrier, with ledges or rests on the outside the length of the carrier, wide enough to hold the flsh, and slit in cross section through the ledges and outer casing to receive the gang knives. The gang-knives are circular, fixed on an axle at the proper distances apart, and revolve at the highest point reached by the carrier and independently of the latter. The carrier and gang-knives are set in motion, each revolving on its own shaft. As a rest on the carrier comes to a horizontal position, men stationed at the fish bins lay a fish on each ledge as it passes. Thence it is con- veyed to the revolving gang-knives, and, after being divided, passes through and on the downward course the severed fish slides oft the rest upon the filling table. The cutting carriers of the larger canneries are usually elliptical. This form gives a larger carrying capacity and transfers the divided fish to a higher point, from which the filling is more readily done. In some of the smaller canneries the gang-knives are worked by hand. In this case the knives are not circular, but elongated or semi- circular in shape, tapering at the outer ends. They are mounted on an axle having a large iron lever at one end, and when this lever is raised the ends of the gang-knives are thrown up and back. The fish is then placed in position under them and the lever pulled forward, when the knives, with a scimiter like movement, divide the fish. Most canneries use filling machines, but as these machines are covered by a patent owned by one of the large packing organizations they are difficult to obtain. One filling machine will fill 800 cases per day, and the larger canneries have from two 28 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. to three, aud, exceptionally, four filling machines. At some of the smaller canneries filling is done by hand. These are usually establishments that have a capacity of from 400 to 600 cases per day. The machines are only adapted to wliat is known to the trade as "tails"— that is, the ordinary high Ipound can. All fancy cans, such as "tlats," elliptical, half pound, etc., are filled by hand. The filling machine consists of a receiving platform, on whicii the empty cans are fed, each one reaching a distinct position in its turn. One man at the fdling table overhead feeds the divided fish into a hopper, from which it is conveyed to the can underneath, and by a gentle pressure of a piston is pressed into the can, when a movement of the machine conveys the filled can to a table and an empty can into position to be filled. The movement is so rapid that a continuous stream of filled cans Retorts and test kettles. is poured on the table. Here the filling is inspected, and, if for export, the cans are carefully weighed, so that there may be no short weight. If they are not quite full a small quantity of fish is added, a supply of small bits being kept at hand for this purpose. The can is now ready for the top, which in some canneries is put on by hand, but inmost cases by a machine. The cans are placed in line and conveyed by a belt to a machine, the tops being fed in through a separate aperture. As the cans emerge with tiie tops on, a crimping attachment presses the edge firmly around the body, and as it is still carried by a belt, it is turned by the movement of the belt on its side and rolls down a trough to the soldering machine. Here an endless revolving chain passes over the can near the top and rolls its edge into the molten solder. As it emerges from the soldering machine it rolls down a trough and under several jets of water to cool, THE SALMON AND i^ALMON KISIIKKIES OF ALASKA. 29 and as it comes from the trouyli it is jjlaced on a table where Chinese seal by hand the central vent, which was left open in the capping process and in the soldering machine, where it becomes quite hot, to let the air escape. After the central vent is closed the cans are placed vertically in single layers in large openwork trays made of heavy strap iron and holding two cases. The lilled trays are now lifted by tackles and iron tongs and lowered into a square wooden tank tilled with water heated by steam. This is the tirst test for leaks. The experienced eye of the Chinese tester at once detects a faulty can by the escape of air, and the can is removed with a pair of tongs and placed aside, where one or more solderers remedy the defects. After removal from the hot- water test the trays are placed one on top of another on cars, and are carried by a railway into the retorts for the first cooking. Cooliug a day's puck. The cooking is all done by steam in a part of the cannery called the "bath-room." In some canneries the retorts for tirst cooking are made of heavy plank, well bolted to resist the steam pressure, but in most places they are made of iron or mild steel plate. In the early days the cooking process was a grave secret and none but those interested in the cannery were intrusted with it. The time of cooking differs somewhat in difterent canneries, according to the ideas and experience of the superintendent. It is desired to not only cook the flsli, but the bones must be cooked so they will crumble between the lingers, as if this is not done the contents may spoil. In some establishments the canned fish is (!0 minutes in each retort, in others 50 minutes in the first and from 70 to 80 minutes in the second. The trays with the hot, steaming cans, bulged out at the ends by the steam within, are then placed on tables where the bathroom men test the cans by the process known as " blowing '' or " venting." These men, armed with small wooden mallets, having on the broad face an awl like point, tap rai)idly the top of one can after another, 30 RULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. making a small perforation in each. A fountain like jet at once appears, cansed by the steam escaping, and carrying with it some of tlie li(iuor. Tlie veiits, after blowing, are immediately soldered and the tiays run into the second retort for final cooking. The reason for the two separate cooking operations is that if the cans are kept in the first retort a sufficient length of time to complete the cooking, the steam generated would be so great in the cans that they would be ruined. At one cannery inspected, where it seemed that more attention was given to exact details of cooking than in some others, there was on the top of the retort a thermometer, connected with the interior, and a separate steam-gauge. The cans to be cooked were placed in the retort, the doors securely clamped, and the steam turned in. The steam gauge was carefully noticed until it showed G pounds pressure, where it was main- tained, by regulating the stop valve, until the thermometer registered 220° F. The Lacquer room. temperature was kept at this point for thirty minutes, when the retorts were opened and the cans removed. The second cooking at this cannery is as follows: After the cans are placed and the doors secured, steam is adnutted until the independent gauge shows a pressure of 12 pounds. It is then maintained at that pressure until the thermometer registers 240°, when the temperature is regulated to 240'= for 45 minutes when cooking redtish, or 60 minutes when cooking cohoes. The latter fish are (juite large at this cannery, and presumably the longer period is given so that the large bones may be thoroughly cooked. In both cases of cooking, after the desired temperature is reached the pressure falls, while the temperature is held at the proper point. After the cans are taken from the second retort the grease and dirt on them are removed by a lye bath, the lye is next removed by a fresh water bath, and the cans THE SALMON AND SALMON FLSHERIES OF ALASKA. 31 are ready for the cooling room. After cooliug they are lacquered by placing them on a tray in an inclined position, which is lowered into the lacquer contained iu a rectan- gular wooden tank, lifted, drained, and removed. W hen the lacquer is dry the cans are labeled and cased. After the second cooking they are twice tapped for leaks. Certain Chinese are very expert at this test. With a tenpenny nail they i)ass rapidly over the cans, striking the top of each, and Judge by the sound whether there are any defects. During tlie process of canning imperfect cans are found by inspection and testing, and if repaired before the first cooking and immediately processed they are naturally in the same condition as if there had been no defects. If tiie leaks are discovered after cooking and are repaired at once and the contents recooked, they are still very good, the only difficulty being that by blowing them a second time they lose weight. The above goods usually go in with the regular pack of their kind and are not classed as regular "do-overs." "When a cannery is running to its full capacity defective cans can not be repaired and recooked at once, and are set aside sometimes for days before they are recooked, the result being that decomposition follows, the same as with any other meat that is exposed to the air, and the fish becomes unfit for food. When recooked the fish is mushy, and the blowing makes the cans very light, which is frequently corrected by adding salt water. This, the "do-over," is the lowest grade of goods, and is fit only for chicken food. Such cans are frequently sold to brokers without labels, or else labeled with the name of some fictitious cannery, and find their way into country, lumber, mining, or negro districts, or are sent to the South Seas and semibarbarous localities. Defective cans run from lA to lii per cent of the output, and those intended to go with the regular pack are usually vented by opening one of the first vents, or the seam at the top, so that additional vent marks may not lead to suspecting the goods. WEIGHT OF FISH. Cannery jjeople, in referring to the weight of salmon, always speak of so many to the case. They never weigh the fish, but estimate them by the case, and sometimes make fishing contracts in that manner. This naturally involves another subject: How many live fish are required to make a case of 48 one-pound cans? Much depends upon how the fish are cut. The largest company doing business in Alaska cuts off a considerable portion of the tail and the head well back as waste. Another cannery saves these end pieces and packs them under special labels. A liberal esti- mate of the loss in cleaning and preparing the fish for the cans is one-third, which would be about 75 pounds of live fish to a case, or 72 pounds if each can contained exactly 1 pound ; but as the cream of the pack goes to foreign markets, the cans are always slightly overweight, about an ounce, to prevent a rebate on short weights. My own observation and inquiry among canners who seemed to have given the subject some attention lead me to believe that 6.") to G8 pounds of live fish will make a liberal case, depending somewhat on the size of the fish. Fish that run 10 to 12 to the case can be gauged very closely on a Go-pound basis, but for smaller fish this must be increased. The waste of redfish and cohoes at the canneries is not large, but with humpbacks many are culled out, either on account of being very small or iu bad condition. This species, late in the season, when the hump commences to be marked, becomes watery, and it is then difficult to properly fill a can, as much of the weight is iu liquor, which 32 liULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. blows oH' in testiug, caiisinjf light weight. Under average eunilitioiis IVoni 10 to 15 l)cr cent of Imuipbacks are wasted, and in a season when they aie as plentiliil as in 1897 as many or more are wasted than are paeked. Some years ago, when only a few humpbacks were i)acked, they were so numerous iu Naha Bay that tens of thousands were hauled on the banks and left to decay iu order to thin them out. LABELS AND BRANDS. Every cannery in Alaska has its own labels and brands, and the same lish are packed in each cannery uuder various brands. One cannery that was visited had seventeen. The reason for employing so many is briefly as follows: When the can- neries were first operated independently each adopted various brands for the same species of fish, and they were introduced into different sections, ultimately creating demand for particular goods. Ill spite of these various brands, the highest-grade goods iu all, or nearly all, the Alaska pack has some word which conveys to the consumer what is in the tni, if he knows the key. The few cans of king salmon that are packed have the words "king" or "Alaska king'' somewhere on the label, but these lish form so small a part of the Alaska pack that they can hardly bo considered. The labels lor redlish, which forms the great bulk of the pack, as a rule have the word " red" in some connection, such as "red salmon," "choice red salmon," "Alaska red salmon," etc. In some canneries a few of the early cohoes find themselves under a redfish label, but usually a can marked "red salmon" contains that lish. The cohoes, and frequently the white king salmon, are usually packed under a label that somewhere has the words "spring salmon" on it, and the humpback is covered by the term " i)ink salmon." The few dog salmack sold for home use, but inqjorted tin for the export pack. Formerly all tin plate was imported, and what is known in the trade as 110 pound and 112-pound tin was used. One box of 100-pound tin, 14 inches by 20 inches, Knglish i)late, contains 112 sheets of tin plate, weighing IttO pounds, or with the box 5 pounds additional. One box of 95 pound tin of the same dimensions contains 112 sheets of tin plate, weighing 95 pounds net, or with the box 5 pounds additional. The quotations in December, 1897, in San Francisco, on lots of 500 boxes or more, duty paid, were $4.20 per box for 100-pound tin and $4.10 for 95-pound tin. American plate is the same except in i)rice, which at the time the imported tin quotations were made was for 100-pound tin $3,425, and for 95-pound tin 10 cents less per box, delivered f. o. b. San Francisco in large lots. One-fourth of 1 per cent is said by dealers to cover all deterioration due to rusting, sweating, etc. For the season's pack it is usual to allow 110 boxes of tin to 1,000 cases of cans. This makes an allowance of 2.J to 3 per cent for rusty plates, losses due to imperfectly cut sheets, and for other cannery uses, as the following will show : One sheet 14 inches by 20 inches will cut bodies or 24 tops of Ipouud tall cans; 1,000 cases, or 48,000 cans, contain 96,000 tops (4,000 sheets) plus 48,000 bodies (8,000 sheets) equal to 12,000 sheets, which is 1074 boxes, or 107 boxes and 10 sheets. Hence 112 sheets, 14 inches by 20 Inches, will make 448 tall l-pound salmon cans, or 1 box of tin plate will make 9J cases of cans. In canneries generally it is said that actual experience shows that * In Bering Sea packing commences soon after tbe ice ])erniita the vessels to enter the estuaries. As a rule, empty cans are carried from San Francisco to these canneries. F.c.n.wjs—s 34 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 1 box of tin will make only 9^ cases, at wliicli rate it will take KtO ,',, boxes of tin to 1,000 cases. There is a rebate of 99 per cent of the duty on imported tin used on the export pack, but under the ])resent ruling every box must be accounted for, and it is said that under these conditions only about 75 per cent is realized on account of the inability to account for the disposition of every box. The boxes in which the canned salmon is packed in Alaska are mostly made in Puget Sound and carried up in shocks. The cannery at Metlakahtla turns out its own boxes, and the sawmill in Tongass Narrows, operated by Metlakahtla Indians, supplies Loring and Wrangell. As lumber can not legally be exported from Alaska, there is only a small local demand for the product of the sawmills. DEPLETION OF STREAMS. When a person interested in a cannery is questioned regarding the decrease of salmon in Alaskan waters, he is likely to assure you at once that there are Just as many salmon in the streams as there ever were, and begins his proofs by citing years like 1896, when there was a large run of redfish in Alaska; but any disinterested authority on the subject will say that the streams of Alaska are becoming depleted. While it can hardly be said that the streams will fail entirely within a few years, there is no doubt that the average runs show fewer fish year by year, and if the laws are not amended and enforced, the time will come in the not very distant future when the canneries must suffer through their own actions. It is a diflicult matter to furnish convincing proofs to those who do not wish to be convinced, and any argument may fail with those who are interested commercially. It is also difficult to establish proof by statistics, because accurate stream statistics, as a rule, can not be obtained; and, as to packs, the canneries have multiplied iu numbers, and many of them have been so enlarged that no comparison can be made. The causes of the depletion are the barricading of streams and overfishing; iu other words, illegal fishing. In the examinations of the various streams, as outlined in the following pages, all resources have been exhausted to obtain data showing their past and present condi- tion. It must be evident to anyone referring to the records of the streams that they are furnishing fewer fish than formerly, in spite of the improved gear and appliances. The results of barricading are illustrated in such streams as Karta Bay, Naha Bay, Yes Bay, Klawak, Redoubt, and many others in southeast Alaska; in the streams of Prince William Sound district, on Afognak Island, and at Chignik. The illegal obstruc tion of streams by barricades is more apparent in southeast Alaska than elsewhere because the streams are small, there are many of them, and they are easily closed; but from all reports made to me, even by cannerymen, the district of Prince William Sound is and has been more heavily barricaded in proportion than southeast Alaska. The following may be some evidence bearing upon the subject of depletion : Taking, for instance, a section of southeast Alaska, irom Behm Ganal and I'riuce of Wales Island south a,nd east, in 1889 four canneries were operated, viz, Loring, Burroughs Bay, Ketchikan (burnt that year, but packed 13,000 cases), and Yes Bay. In 1897 four canneries also operated, viz, Loring, Yes Bay, Metlakahtla, and Quadra. Iu 1889 the packs were made from the streams near the canneries — that is, from the "home streams" — and nearly all were redfish, with a few cohoes and probably very few hump Bull. U S. F C 18^n (To fac. BARRICADE IN WEST BRANCH OF SKOWL ARM. Bn U S F C, 189R iTo face oaee 34 i Plate 9. f'': / , ■ , "'^J'^^.-. „ ^^ ^Ab«, -^-.^ ' "?« — «.,. - •-« '"^^ • I^H^Al^i - _ ^ ''^•r>^^..;:v-.«^ ..i**r— . 1^\ •'•^, ■^ ^^-"»~-£r^^-iJ. i ■^""C* ; .'*^ .__ -■■*5£;^ ^^r,,.--' ,^,H«.««W» ••«• I- '■'i^'^ S^^ ^^ )»•»* '^ ■ •*■ - ■ -••./;^,r-i:W^ ^*^ '^ - ''^•mf^fnT^^ ^"" ^ »*.\ I V *■' m. ^^e^am. ■ ^^^^^ysi^ '^^^ ^ w > ^S a- ^^ > ^^SRiUlj Sj 1^ mmi BARRIER IN SALMON STREAM AT HEAD OF NICHOLS BAY rtlCADE IN SALMON STREAM. NEAR HESSA DAM IN OUTLET TO LAKE, REDFISH BAY. Bull, U. S. r. C. 1898 iTc face page 34.) Bull U, S F. C 1893. (To face page 341 U S, F, C. 1898 iTo lace page 34. i BARRIER IN STREAM AT M DONALD BAY iHiniiiriiiirrriiiiri^iiififl, 'l^f^ffVtt'Wiiiiiii FISH-TRAP IN M DONALD BAY. BARRIER IN STREAM ENTERING FIRST INLET, SOUTH SIDE OF MOIRA SOUND. r^^Jf INDIAN FISH-TRAP AND ARTIFICIAL CHANNEL IN STREAM, FIRST INLET, SOUTH SIDE OF MOIRA SOUND. Bull. U. S F C 1 OLD BARRIER FENCES AND INDIAN FISH-TRAPS. KARTA BAY Bull. U. S F. C 1898. (To (ace page 34.) i^LATE 16. OBSTRUCTIOM AT KLAKAS FROM ABOVE OBSTRUCTION AT KLAKAS. FROM BELOW. THE SALMON AN1> SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 35 backs, for the latter were uot in favor aud few were packed. In 1S97 the pack for the same section is double the 1889 pack, but they are uearly all jiumpbacks. The pack of redfish is certainly very much less, yet (dl the streams within 70 or 80 miles of the cauueries have been scoured with all the gear that could bo devised or used. Probably nowhere is the depletion more noticed than in Copper liiver Delta aud Prince William Sound district. In 1S90 the two canneries used 20 boats, each with 150 fathoms of web, besides seines, and lished Mountain Slough, Eyak Lake aud River, and Algonek aud Glacier sloughs in the delta, aud Miner liiver and Cheniga in Prince William Sound. In 1897, to make a slightly increased pack, one cannery used o2 boats, the other 43, all with 450 fathoms of web to a boat, and they fished all the streams from Chilkhat Eivtr to Eyak in the delta, aud all the streams in Prince William Sound. There is no doubt in the minds of the people of Prince William Sound that the streams are being depleted. Redfish hatchery at Karluk. At Karluk, in spite of the great run of 1896, it is conceded that the average run is smaller than in the early days of fishing off this river. At Cbignik, from 1890 to 189G, an average of 01,400 cases per year were packed from that stream by one organization. In 1896 three separate canneries, with all their forces and every effort they could make, only packed about 65,000 cases of Chignik fish ; and in 1897, by doubling their efforts, they reached a pack of 74,159 cases. Any- one who sees the fisheries at Chignik will readily understand that the stream can not stand the excessive fishing. It was a matter of great surprise to discover, as the investigations progressed, the large number of streams which were either actually barricaded, or which showed indications of having been barricaded, notwithstanding the strict law forbidding such obstructions, the maximum penalty being $1,000 flue, three months' imprisonment, and a tine of $250 jier day for every day the obstruction remains. 36 liUM.ETIX OF THK UNITED STATICS FISH COMiMISSION. Wlu'ii tlie attention of those known to liave an interest in keeping tbe salmon streams in a normal condition has been calletl to the existence of barricades, with the expectation of having them join in protests against their construction, it has been surprising to hear some defend barricading as right, and the belief has been inevitable that if such persons were not directly concerned, they at least encouraged these practices. The statement was made in certain localities that it is impossible to obtain sufficient Hsh to compete with other canneries without barricading. This is very true, but the argument is absurd, and needs no comment. Equally absurd defense of barricades was made in other parts of Alaska. The effect of barricades can be readily appreciated. Salmon come to the streams to ascend for spawning at certain dates, from which there is little variation. At first a few stragglers appear, then small schools, and the schools grow larger and larger as the season advances. At the mouths of the streams the fish accustom themselves to the new conditions in brackisli water, and if the river is open to their passage they soon ascend to the lakes and thence to the spawning-beds. A whole school has been known to ascend in one night. If the stream is barricaded, preventing their ascent, they school around in the bay or inlet at the approaches of the streams, may apparently leave the vicinity for a short time, and then return and rei>eat this process many times. While thus schooling in the salt water they do not reach a spawning condition so rapidly, and continue suitable for canning a longer time. Some of the fish that are more advanced toward the ripening period, in their frenzy to get to the spawning- grounds, fairly attack the obstruction and have been known to dash themselves against the timbers with such force as to be killed or die of exhaustion caused by the repeated attacks. Brietly, the barricades corral the fish, and thus permit the fisher- men to catch all at little expense; they are also said to keep them from rii)ening rapidly, and thus permit the cannerymen to pack good-quality fish much later in the season. This seems to be shown in tbe 1890 catch at Hetta, where — not from the action of barricades, but because the fish, on account of the extreme low water, could not ascend until the late September rains raised the water — over 40,000 redflsh were taken between September 1 to L'O. It is claimed tliat after the fishing season is over some of the rails of the barricade are knocked out to allow the remaining stragglers to pass through, but this is doubtful. The defenders of barricades state that when the water in the rivers is high it flows over the ends of the rails, and some redfish leap the barrier, while the other species and the trout are kept out, and thus the eggs of the redfish are preserved. But the barricades are generally so constructed that if a few fish find a passage the same proportion of one species passes in as another. The origin of barricading Alaska salmon streams dates back to a jjeriod prior to the acquisition of Alaska by the United States. The Russians built "zapors" oi- dams with stone piers across the streams, near the settlements, from which they drew their salmon supi)ly. The ruins of some are still standing, at Kedoubt, Afognak, and other places. The injury these zapors caused to the fisheries is acknowledged by everyone who has any knowledge of the subject. The Russians doubtless received the idea of barricading the streams from the Indians. When the first fisheries for the canneries were organized, "these little Inilian devices," as they were called by a person interested in Indian education, were in use, and in some instances were so ingeniously arranged that the fish were carried out high and dry into a basket. At one jJace (Klawak) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIKS OF ALASKA. 37 au Indian owner of a stream used to boast tliat Lis trap was so cleverly arranged that not a tisb could get up the stream; that he caught them. all. It is said that the Indians ap[)reciated the necessity of allowing the fish to ascend the streams to spawn, and therefore after obtaining their winter supply they opened the barricades. That barricading has been done in recent years by the Indians there is no doubt, for in a number of iiistiinces evidences of recent barricading were found on streams jiresumably fished by Indians only. If the law were translated into Chinook, i)rinted on muslin, and posted in every Indian village and explaineil to the natives, it wonld have au excellent eft'ect. The general form of tliese barricades is the same, and a description of one in Nichols Bay stream, Prince of Wales Island, may answer in a general way for all. The barricades extend solidly across the stream, and the best idea that can be gained of this construction is by reference to the illustrations accompanying this report. They are located near the high-water mark and, if possible, at a jjoint where a pool is formed immediately below the obstruction. A tree, 2 or 3 feet in diameter, is felled across the stream, and then cut to a proper length so as to make a log that reaches from bank to bank and from 4 to 6 feet above the surface of the stream. This log isthen Jamine to 40 feet, varying in the different sections, the topographical features appear very different at low water from what they do at high water. Low water is the proper base to which the laws should apply, and is the plane to which Government surveys are reduced on all charts. Everything pertaining to hydrography is reduced to low water, and on published surveys tlie dividing line between land and water is the line cut by the low-water plane. This is a (luesfion of vital importance and a decision should be rendered. The same (|uestion involves the legality of traps in the Kussilof Kiver and others to the westward. Tiie point is whether or not they are in the river. The Kussilof liiver at high water has its mouth at the point where it ilebouches into Cook Iidet, where the banks are both defined within the meaning of slioie people; while at low water the stream flows between steep and welldefined banks that are covered at high water, yet they are banks, and the mouth is then a long distance from the high-water mouth. One of the traps at Kussilof is between what might be called the liigli watei- mouth and the low-water mouth of the river. It is the one near the cannery on the southern bank. The leader commences at high-water mark and extends down the left bank wif 1) the heart in the low-watei' river, which is (jnite narrow. At high water the trap is clearly outside of the river, at low water it is as clearly inside, but it is then mostly uncovered and on dryland, and serves no more puri)Ose in catching fish than a line of telegraph i)ok'S. This low-water river is very shallow; in fact, it has a bar at the moufh which dri<'s at the lowest tides, .so that fish do not ascend at low water, but probably only at high water, when they trim closely around th(i shore and are dettected into the trap. It is said that the traps at Keuai are similarly located, and are in fact in tiie river. We did not visit Kenai, as no cannery has been in operation there for a number of years, and as the fishing season was all over and the traps ])ulled up at the time of our call. A decision on the following point is also very necessary : There are several b are designed to show, as completely as possible, the location of the salmon canneries and streams of Alaska, the pioductive capacity of the streams, and such other information bearing upon the fishing interests of the region' as could be appropriately given in this manner. Several corrections are to be noted, most of them occurring in the lists of caiinerie)* printed on the charts. The following canneries arc owned by the Alaska Packers' Association, and sliouhl be so noted : SoUTHEAsr Alaska. Operiiteil, lcS97 : Pyramid Harbor Packing Co. Glacier Packing Co. Alaska Salmon Packing and Eiir Co. Kesi-rve, 1897 : Chilkat Canning Co. Westeux .\laska. Oi.eiated, 1897: Bristol Bay Canning Co. Arctic Packing Co. at'Nnshagak. Alaska Packing Co. Point Roberts Packing Co. Arctic Packing C^o. at NaUnek. Ugashik Fisbing Station. Kesorvo, 1897 : Nushagak Packing Co. Bering Sea Packing Co. Centhal Alaska. Operated, 1807: Pacific Packing Co. Arctic Fisbing Co. Karluk Packing Co. IIi;m<-Alentian Packing Co. Alaska Improvement Co. Ilganuk Fishing Station. Arctic Packing Co. at Alitak. Cliiguik Bay Co. Reserve, 1897: Nortb('ru Packing Co. llnme Canning and Trading Co. Kodiak Packing Co. at Karlnk. Kodiak Packing Co. at Alitak. Cbignik Bay Packing Co. Chart ,1.— "Kasan Bay" should be "Kasaan Bay." Abandoned saltery No. 5 should be designated "Morriscy" in.stead of "No name." Chart B.—h\ the list of canneries Cannery No. 4 should be designated " Uganuk Fishing Station." Keserve cannery No. 9 should be designated "Ohignik Bay Packing Oo." Reserve s;»ltery No. li should be designated " Uganuk Fishing Station." "Alaska Coast and Fishing Co." should be "Alaska Coast Fishing Co." The name of the company operating reserve canneries 4 and is the "Kodiak Packing Co.," the old spelling of the name of the island being retained, instead of the present accepted spelling "Kadiak." Bulletin U.S.rC. 1898. Chart A. 49 fthe port and, neut 1897 moil I by 7, as ; uet uion ises, was 1,000 It of ted. ern ialc lid. the 897 iak iiid tbo Bulletin US.FC. 1838 Chart B. r ? roimnisjion of Finh anJ n«ll I Geo, M, Bowers, Commtssionei SALMON INVESTIGATIONS COAST OF ALASKA FROM CAPE SUCKLIN(; TO UNIMAK PASS SHOWrnO LOCATIONS OF SALMON CANNERIES AND SALTERIES PRINCIPAL SALMON STREAMS I I THE SALMON AND SALMUN FISHEfUES OF ALASKA. 49 STATISTICS OF THE ALASKAN SALMON INDUSTRY. The following statistics of the salmon industry of Alaska comprise a continuous record of the business from 1878, the year of its origin, to 1897, when the investigations referred to in this rei)ort were made. The data are more comprehensive and useful than any Leretolbre published, and, besides showing the annual development of the industry in each section, will have a permanent value because of the interesting comparisons that will be possible. For the years LSOG and 1897 there are given detailed statistics of persons employed, capital invested, apparatus used, salmon utilized, and canned products prepared. Special statistics of the salmon salting coiulucted by independent establishments are shown for 1897. The total quantity of salmon canned in Alaska during the twenty years ending in 1897, as shown by the following table, was 7,508,358 cases, each case holding 48 one-pound cans. Tlie net weight of the flsh thus prepared was 360,401,184 pounds, while the gross weight of the salmon required for this pack was over 500,000,000 pounds. The average annual pack was 375,418 cases, but during the last ten years of the period in question the average quantity of salmon canned was 091,743 cases and the total gross weight of the tish utilized for canning was over 470,000,000 pounds. Thus, between 1888 and 1897 the Alaskan waters yielded au average yearly output of 47,000,000 pounds of salmon for canning purposes, in addition to large quantities which were salted. Talile ahowinij hy years and diatiicti the nalmuii-caniiiiig vijeritlioiia in Alasla from 1S7S lo 1S97. Ymir. 1 Southeast Alnsk.i. Prince William | Kailiak Sciuudaiul CiMik Inlet. and Copper j Cliiguik. Eiver. | | Berin. Sea. Cases. Grand totals, all Alaska. Cases. 8,159 12, 530 6,539 8,977 11,501 18,0-10 19, 189 10, 828 18,160 31,462 81,128 136,700 142, 901 156,615 115,722 136. 053 142,544 148, 476 262, 381 271,867 Caies. \ Cases. \ Cases. 8, 159 12,530 6,539 8,977 21, 745 46, 337 fiO, 880 77, 515 141,565 200, 077 412,115 714, 196 682, 591 801,400 474,717 643, 654 086, 440 626, 530 900, 707 909, 078 1879 1880 1882 6,044 14, 818 21,141 19,217 28, 433 30,765 42, 451 50, 494 28, 655 58, 997 20, 741 31, 665 34, 033 36, 188 34, 787 32, 532 4,200 13, 479 20, 156 33, 470 46, 150 71,7,50 198,650 386. 753 350, 451 384, 279 274, 755 291.152 322, 356 232, 237 358, 3.57 298, 310 1883 400 14, 000 48, 822 72, 700 89, 886 11,5,985 118,390 133,418 03, 4!)9 1U7, 786 108, 844 150, 135 218, 336 254, 312 1885 1886 1887 1889 24, 204 42, 194 68, 091 1890 1892 1893 76,9118 78. 603 59, 494 92, 866 52, 057 1895 1890 Totiil 1,739,832 494,567 490,941 3,286,505 For four years after salmon canning was begun in Alaska it was coiiQiied to the southeastern part of the Territory; in 1882 the business was inaugurated in the Cook Inlet and the Kadiak regions; two years later canning commenced in Bering Sea, and in 1S89 in Prince William Sound. In all of these sections the industry has continued and has undergone a great increase, so that the pack of 1897 was larger than that of any jtrevious year except 1890.' Up to and including 1897 more than two-tifths of the canned products, namely, 3,280,505 cases, had come from the Kadiak and Chignik district; somewhat more than one-fifth, or 1,7.39,832 cases, from southeast Alaska, and a little less than one-tifth, or 1,496,513 cases, from Bering Sea. The coudeu.sed tables showing the ' TLo Aliisk:i salrncm jiack of ISil.S \v:ih :Onn\t CHIGNIK. Karliik Packing Co., Karliik, Kadiak Island BERING SEA. Arctic Packing Co., Nnshagak Eiver, Bristol Bay Name of company and location of cannery. 1880. . 1887. Canes. 1 Cages. Packs unknown. 8, 240 0, 180 14,818 13, 479 21,141 20, 136 SOUTHEAST ALASKA. Cape Fox Packing Co., north shore Boca de Quadra Tongass Packing Co., Ketchikan, Tongass Narrows Metlakahtta Industrial Co., Metlakahtla, Annette Island Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Co., Loring, Naha Bay Boston Fishing and Trading Co., Yes or McDonald Bay Cape I.ees Pat-king Co., Burroughs Bay, Behm Canal Aberdeen Packing Co., Stikine Ki ver .' Glacier Packing Co., Point Hightield, TV rangell Island North Pacitic Trading and Packing Co., Klawak, Prince of Wales Island. Baranotf Packing Co., Kedoubt. Baranof Island Baranotf Packing Co.. Kedfish Bay. Baranof Lsland Astoria and Alaska Packing Co., Freshwater Bay, Chichagof Island Astoria and Alaska Packing Co., Point Ellis, Kuiu Island Bartlett Bay Packing Co., Bartlett Bay, Icy Straits Chilkat Packing Co., east shore Chilkat Inlet Chilkat Canning Co., Chilkat Village, Chilkat Inlet Nortliwest TYauing Co., Pyramid Harbor, Chilkat Inlet Pyramid Harbor Packing Co., Pyramid Harbor, Chilkat Inlet Cases. I Cases. \ Cases. [ Gases. Packs unknown. /New company ....| \5,500 11, 000 Totals of annual packs in southeast Alaska PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND COPPER RIVER. Central Alaska Co., Little Kayak Island, Gulf of Alaska Peninsula Trading and Fishing Co., Little Kayak Island, Gulf of Alas IVninsula Trading and Fishing Co.,Coquenbena, Copper Kiver Delta. Pacific Packing Co., Odiak, Prince William Sound Pacitic Steam Whaling Co., Odiak, Prince William Sound Tot.als of annual packs in Prince William Sound and Copper Pji COOK INLET. Northern Packing Co.,Kenai i George W. Hume, Kussilof Kiver Alaska Packing Co., Kussilof River Arctic Fishing Co., Kussilof River Totals of annual packs in Cook Inlet KADIAK AND CHIGNIK. Kodiak Packing Co., K-irluk, Kadiak Island Hume Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island .\leutian Islands Fishing and Mining Co., Kivrluk, Kadiak Island.. Ivarluk Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island Alaska Improvement Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island Arctic Packing Co., Alitak Bay, Kadiak Island Kndiak I*acking Co., Alitak Baj', Kadiak Island Ar<-tic I'acking Co., Larsen Cove, UyakBa}- Kiiyal Packing Co., Afognak Island Russian-American Packing Co., Afoguak Island Chignik Bay Co., ChignikBay, Alaska Peninsula Shuinagin I*acking^ Co., Chignik Bay, Alaska Peninsula Chignik Bay Packing Co., Chignik Bay, Alaska Peninsula Western Alaska Packing Co., Ozernoi, Stepovak Bay, Alaska Penii Thin Point Packing Co., Thin Point, Alaska Peninsula Central Alaska Co., Thin Point, Alaska Peninsula 3,400 7, 8(>0 9, 582 33, 470 46, 150 Totals of annual packs in Kadiak and Chignik 33,470 BERING SEA. Arctic Packing Co., Nu8hag.ak River. Bristol Bay 14,000 Alaska I*acking Co., Nnshagak River, Bristol Bay Bristol B.ly Canning Co., Nnshagak River, Bristol Bay Nnshagak Packing Co., Nusha^k River, Bristol Bay? | Bering Sea Packing Co., Ugashik River. Bnstol Bay Totals of annual packs in Bering Sea 14,000 19, 000 16, 500 13, 322 48, 822 24, 000 27, 500 21, 200 13, 000 Burnt, Aug., 1889. 28, 862 4,500 10, 574 Moved : 13,800 I 11,370 4,454 23 500 024 J. 000 786 9 343 17 36.'> 10 823 . 14, 600 10, 188 10, 123 4,300 13,500 19, 000 Moved to Thin Point 25, 000 19,000 30,000 15, 886 30, 287 28, OOU 53, 551 02, 057 25, 600 13. 850 12, 535 44, 200 10,412 25. 500 21, 500 11, 200 10, 500 6,400 25, 161 25, 000 30, 000 33, 221 27,704 72,700 80,886 I 115,985 15, 870 9,256 Moved. 7,949 16,200 7,600 13, 369 20, 914 43, 060 37,613 40, 335 40,306 "26, 000 17, 8001 16, 347/ 37. 600 9,926 26, 500 14,465 ■I 14, 4.'i5 II 14,455 2,198 2,401 7,000 19, 157 58, 997 41,000 36, 247 "39,312 66, 483 26, 000 26, 600 (') »41,000 (') '" 2.1, 000 24, 730 " 24, 832 "24,780 Aband'd. 4,206 33, 000 31, POO 30. 400 23,990 ' Machinery moved: site abandoned. ^ The records for the southeast .\laska 1886, and 1889 lack the jiack of one suia of which i-an not he ascertained. ^K\periinental pack. * Burnt and rehuilt in spring. * Vessel lost: closed. district for 1883, 1884, 1885, , cannery .ach, the output •jPacketl in cannery of Hume Packing Co. at Karluk ' Consolidated with the Arctic Packing Coiiijiii s Packed in cannery of Kodiak Pai-kini; Coiiip; i^The quota of fish for the Royal l';i.kini; r. as packed by the Karluk l*ackiiig rniiiii.un at '« Packed in cannery of Alaska Inii.mx cniciil i " Packed in cuuuery of Chignik Bay Compaiii' at Karluk. iiiuv at Afogn rhik. ipaiiy .'It Karlu 52 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH ('O.MMISSION. Table ahowintj the output of the Kalmoii rfiiiiicricv o/ Mania from 1S7S to WOr— Contiiuicil. niian^' autl location of cannery. Quailra Piirkinj; Co., Mink Bay, Boca ilo Quadra Metliikablla Indiistri.al Co., Metlakalitla, Annette Lslaml I'a.itic Steam Whaling Co., Hiiiit«r Bay, Prince of Wales Isl.and Alaska Salmon Packing and l-'ur Co.. Loring, Naba Bay Boston Fishing and Trading Co., Tea or McDonald Bay (;ai)e Lees Packing Co., Burrouglis Bay, Belini Canal ii lacier Packing Co., Point Higlifield, \Vrangell Island North Pacific Trading and Packing Co., Klawak, I'rince of Wales Island . Barannff Packing Co., K.-fifish liiiv. Unnin.if IsLand Astoria and Alaska Park iim c. Vcim Kills, Kniu Island Bartlett Bay Packing C(. i;;,iil. ii l;a^, J. v straits Cliilkat Packing Co., la,.! ,..li,.i.- ( hilk.it lul.t Cliilkat Canning Co., Cliilkiit \ illagc, Cliilkat Inlet 11,125 Totals of annu.'il packs ntbcast Alaska '. 115, 722 I'KINCK WILLIAM ^OUND AND COPPER KIVER. Peninsula Trading and Fishing Co.. Coqucnhena. Copper Iliver Delta I Closed. Pacitic Packing^Co , Odiak, Prince William Sound I Closed. Pacific Steam Whaling Co., Odiak, Prince William Sonml I Closed. Pacitic Steam Whaling Co., Orca, Prince William Sound ' Tot.ilsof annual packs in Pi COOK INLET Northern Packing Co., Kenai -. Closed. I'acitic Steam Whaling Co.,Kenai ' , George W. Hume, Kussilof Iliver I 20, 741 Arctic Fishing Co., Kussilof IJiver Closed. Totals of annu.al packs in Cook Inlet . Kodi.-ik Packing Co., Karluk, Xadiak Island j Clo.sed. Aleutian Islands Fishing and Mining Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island f Consol. Hume Aleutian Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island \ 76,233 Karluk Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island 75,416 Alaska Improvement Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island I 52, 098 Hume Canning and Trading Co., Tanglefoot Bay, near Karluk Arctic Packing Co., Alitak Bay, Kadiak Island i 21,077 Kodiak Packing Co., AlitakBay, Kadiak Island I'acific Steam Whaling Co., I'yak Anchorage, Kadiak Island HiimeBros. & Hume, Dyak Anchorage, Kadiak Island Arctic Packing Co., Larsen Cove, Uyak Bay I Closed. 1893. 1894. Cases. 12,566 25, 153 15, 11-2 Closed. 22, 728 12, 595 9,889 189S. 1896. Ui.smantled. 25,250 I 27.410 14,455 ■ 12.228 11,189 I 14.805 Closed. I Dismantled. 15, 270 28, 999 32, 729 15.000 28,378 35, 285 Closed, i Closed. 30, 138 69, 959 59, 220 43,076 15, 429 25, 777 Mach. moved. Closed. 79, 000 79, 000 54, 300 26, 984 CasfS. 8, DUO 17,650 27, 442 61,407 24, 100 Cases, 24, 500 15, 490 34,388 U2. 040 22, 300 44,233 10, 675 15, 358 45.918 15, 705 14,070 Closed. Closed. 35, 373 47, 456 148,476 I 262,381 15,000 I 20,672 21,453 ! 39,873 f Moved. I I 23,041 32,321 Closed. Closed. 30, 1S8 ( 34, 767 36,188 I 34,767 Closed. 47, 500 48, 379 35, 700 15, 277 15, 331 Closed. Closed. Uganuk Fishing .Station, Uganiik Bay. Kadiak Island Royal Packing Co.., Afognak Island .". (Closed; inoperative by President's ;< proclamation creating* a Fish Com- Bnssian-Anu-ri :iii I '.n i, mil ' o., Afogn.ak Island il mission reservation. CIiignikBavt _ 1 1 ..v, Alaska Peninsula / 49,9311 57, 553 1 55, 352 I 70,050 Sbnmaginl'ai I ^ i uikBav, Alaska Peninsula IConsoI. ' ChignikBay I'.M I 11,^ ( . , I liignikBay, AlaskaPeninsula Closed. Closed.! Closed. Closed. Hume Bros. & Hiiiiic, Cblgnik Bay, Alaska Peninsula Pacific Steam Wlialing Co., Cbignik Bay, Alaska Peninsula , Tliin Point Packiyg Co., Thin Point, Alaska l^eninsula Closed, j Closed. I Disman. Central Alaska Co., Tliin Point, Ala.ska Peninsula Closed.! Closed. Closed. Disman. Totals al packs ill Kadiak and Chi 274,755 291,152 1 322,356 232,237 ItEKING SE Arctic Packing Co., Nushagak Iliver, Bristol Bay I Closed. Alaska Packing Co., Nushagak Iliver, Bristid Bay 31, 859 Bristol Bay Canning Co., Nushagak Kiver, Bristol Bay 31.640 Nushagak Packing Co., Nushagak River, Bristol Bay Closed. Point Roberts Packing Co., Kvichak Iliver, Bristol Bav ' Arctic Packing Co., Naknek River, Bristol Bay ." , Naknek Packing Co., Naknek River, Bristol Bay , Bering Sea Packing Co., Kgaahik River, Bristol Bay Closed. Vgashik Fishing Station, Ugasbik River, Bristol Bay Totals of annual packs in Bering Sea 63,499 35, 848 37, 188 34, 750 Closed. 30,413 30, 038 30, 999 Closed. 33, 631 34, 632 33, 434 Closed. '22,731 13, 700 12, 007 Closed. Closed. 70, 320 68, 495 87,613 Closed. 23,155 49, 633 84, 777 49, 852 Closed. 37, 401 Mach. moved. 21,005 I Mach. \ moved. Disman. 48, 361 Closed. 17, 893 21, 515 Closed . 12, 000 24,000 35. 676 39.115 38, 314 Closed. 29, 730 27, 133 8.600 20, 004 19, 764 37, 849 34,117 Closed. 55, 508 34. 676 18, 000 Closed. 38, 272 218,336 ' Burnt May 1. 3 Consolidated with the Arctic Fishing Com]>any. IIIK SALMON AND SALMOX FISHKKIKS OF ALASKA. 53 Siimmaiii shoiriiiii oiitpiif of Alankan salmou-pavking companies since onjauizatioti, Im/etlier with their oiniirsliip in 1897. iipaiiy ami I'tcati- Total ( put sii SOUTHEAST ALASKA. , Hi.ia (le Qiiailr iilni I'a.kiiiL' <■' ll.tliiK.ilill.i Iii sland. 1 \VbaliTi"Cu., ri DefuDf t . Sauie Co . Delniiit . Same Co . Alaska Salmon Packiuf; aud Fur Co., Xalia Bay. lioaloii risliin"rauil Trading Co.. Ves lia.v.. i'Alix' Lfes Tat: King Co., Bnrrougli.s Bay Alifirr M-tinuSea . Bristol Bay Canning Co., Nuftii.i- i i i I'tingSea Point Roberts Packing Co., K\i' 11 . 1. ;;,.m i:cringSea Arctic Packing Co., Naknek Jijvei, l;tii in^; Sea Naknek Packing Co.. Naknek liiver, Bering Sea , Bering Sea Packing Co., U^ashik Kiver, Bering Sea Ugashik Fishing Station, L gashik Kiver, Bering Sea , Daily capac- 't,V (cases). 1,500 1,500 1,500 C.OOO 2,600 1,500 1,500 1,400 2,000 2, 000 2,000 1.800 1, 500 1.200 j 1,800 Num- Aver- ber of nuniber mcked. per 8,000 8,730 12 15, :i86 10.3 19,621 11 7, 000 9 12, 584 9.88 14, 089 13 9,338 U 44, 044 10.3 20, 558 10 29,500 . 9.6 23,445 a. 5 23, 367 i:i. 2 70, 320 12 68, 495 12 87, 613 12 23, 155 13 21, 005 10 t 45, 281 10 17, 643 10 18, 500 10 , Com- lueuced packing. July 1 July 10 June 19 July 11 June 22 June 19 May 10 May 15 May 25 Finished packing. Sept. 5 Sept. 20 Aug. 31 Aug. 25 Aug. 31 Aug. 23 July 25 Aug. 30 July 31 Aug. 14 Sept. 18 Sept. 18 Sept. 15 Aug. 28 July 26 Aug. 25 Num- ber of cases packed. Com- Fin- nienced ished packing. Ipacking. Aug. i Aug. 1 Aug. 5 Aug. 20 Sept. io Sept. 26 Sept. IS Sept. 15 Aug. au oept. 13 July 1 } Sept. 16 Aug. 15 Sei)t. 25 Aug. 15 I Sept. 21 Aug. 28 ' Sept. 12 Aug. 9 Aug. 13 July 20 Aug. 27 Sept. 14 Aug. 14 Aug. 18 I Sept. Scattering Ihrou; July 18 I Aug. 15 >No data for 1896. and location of cannery. ber of cases packed. Metlakahtla Imlustrial Co., Metl.akahtla, Annette Island.. Pacific Steam Whaling Co., Hunter Bay, Priiure of Wales Island. Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Co., Loring, Naha Bay. - . Boston Fishing and Trading Co., Tes or McDonald Bay... Glacier Packing Co., Point Highfield. Wrangell Island North Pacific Trading and Packing Co., Klawak, Prince of Wales Island. Barauort' Packing Co., Redfish Bay, Baranof Island Pyramid Harbor Packing Co., Pyramid Harbor, Chilkat "Inlet. Peninsula Trading and Fishing Co., Coquenhena, Copper Kiver Delta. Pacific r.<. kiTc; r„.0,V,:,\. r,il,rr Will 38, 365 15, 000 19. 652 W I William Sound .. "iilv Inlel 1-nik l;ay Hume Bros. & Hume. Ancliorage Bay, Chiguik Bay Pacific Steam Whaling Co., Anchorage Bay, Chiguik Bay. Pacific Arctic 1 I Chignik 9, 940 4,855 2, 100 umber per 20 to 21 16 18.4 Com- menced packing. July 21 July 21 July 18 Aug. 5 July 1 July 24 July 19 July July July Aug. July ' July : Finished packing. Aug. Aug. Sept. Aug. King and dog salmon. Number of cases packed. number per Dog, King, Com- menced packing. July 18 Mav 15 Finishe. 15 I'aciflc .steam Whaling Co., Anchorage Bay, Chignik Bay.. Scattering through King, 5, 823 King, 126 King, 180 King, 11 3 2.7 June 7 Juno 7 Point Roberts Packing Co., Kvichak River, Boring Sea ... . Juno 23 1 157,711 319,229 'Humpback and dog salmou. ^Includes dug salmon. 56 HFLLKTIN OF 'I'llK TNITKI) STATKS FISH COJnriSSION. Tahle sJioiiiini Hit valnr nf plaiitH, flit: emiiluijcex, mid JialiiiKj aiqiaralii» of Ike Alaska galinoii canneries for 1896. (Quadra Packinc Co.. Mink J5av. lioca do Quadra MetlakalitlaInduslrialCo.,Metlakabtla, Port Chester, Annette l-sland. Paiitic: Steam Whaling Co., Hunter Bay, Priuce of Wales Island Alaska Salmon Packijig and Fur Co., Loring. Naha Bay Boston Fishing and Trading Co., Tes or McDonald Bay Glacier Packing Co., Point Highfield, WrangcU Island" ^ro..Kla !ik. Prince of Wales Island . Island "1-, Chilkat Inlet "•iia. Copper River Bella. ok Inlet . I Sound . North Pacific Tradingand I'aiki Baranoif Packing Co.. Ki 'Ili-Ii Pyramid HarhorPaekin- ' <> , 1 Peninsula Trading anil I- islnn- Pacitic Packing Co., Odiak, J'ri Pacific Sleam Whaling Co., On Arctic Fishing Co., Kussilof l< Hume- Aleutian Packing Co., Karl iik , Kad iak Islanil Karlnk Packing Co., Karliik. Kndiak Island Alaska Improvement Co., Kai'luk. Kad iak Island Arctic Packing Co., Alitak l'.a\ , K^idiak Island Uganuk Fishing Station. rj;aniik Hay, Kadiak Island Chiguik Jiay Co., Chigiiik Lagiiim. Chignik Bay, Alaska Penin Hunte Bros. &. Hume, Anchorage I5ay. (chignik Bay Paciiic Steam Whaling Co., Anchorage Bay, Chignik Bay Value o plant. Other employees. "White. Native. White. Native. Chinese. CO 200 40 64 60 35 GO 18 25 20 73 40 30 i'^ 8 20 00 16 '100 10 12 IS 16 20 15 33 Ifame of company. j Gill nets and traps — ninuher, dimensions, and value. Seines— numher, dimensions, and value. (Juadra Packing Co Metlakahtla Industrial Co I'.-iciflcSteamWhalingCo., Hunter \ Bay. |- AlaskaSalmonPackingandFurCo .. Boston Fishing and Trading Co Xorth Pacific Tr ing Co. Baranotr Packing 14 gill nets, 230 fras., M-inch mesh. 24 meshes deep ; 40 cents per fm. 14 gill nets. 200 fms., CJ-inch mesh, 20 meshes deep ; 40 cents per fm. 1 experimental trap; .$1,0U0 (No data.) 79 drag seines, 100 fathoms long; $200 each. \2 purse seines, 120 fms. long; $350 each. (9 drag semes, average 75 fms. long; $1.25 per fm. < 1 purse seine, 175 fms. long. 12 fms. deep : $522. [U purse seine, 175 fms. long, 7 fms. deep; $300. 21 drag seines. 75 to 250 fms. long; $1.50 per fm. 'f4dragseines, 80 to 140 fms., 3-inch mesh; $1.50 per fm. U purse seiue, 220 fms. by 30 fms., 3-inch mesh ; »800. uid Harbor Vi 12 gill nets, 200 fins, hy 16 feet, 8»-incli mesh; 65 cents per fm. 46 gill nets, 300 fms. by 10 feet, CJ-iueh mesh; 05 cents per fm. Peninsul-i Tndin>f and Fisl.in" Co L'^" 8'" °®"'' ""' *"""•• -"• meshes deep; $1 per fm . . . 1 eninsul.i Irading "im ^ isi"n„ Co. j^ gj,, j^^,^^ 200 fms., 30 meshes deep ; $1 per fm . . . " " gillnetstSDIms.perset. Mesh. 6J-ini'h for eking C( Piieifie Steam Wlial ; Co.,()ria ., 30 > ( ' deep ;'tl per tm! 115 gill n-Jts,50 1ms. long, 9J-ineh mesh, 22 meshes ) deep; $1 per fm. 8 traps, 30 to 50 foot pots; 300 to 700 fool leaders; [ $300 to $1, .500 each. 71 »o:[ting trap :it Tgaunk ; leade ;\ ft. by 200 It., 3J-iuch njcsh ; $!, Antic leaking ro.,Ali(a Uganuk Fishing St;ltii •acific Steam chorageBay. ni 1 trap fence; $800 |3 gill nets, 150 fms., GJ-inch n»«h ; 05 cents per fm j 19 traps, leaders average 1,350 feet ; $1,000 each. , , , I (10 gill nets, 200 fms., 6J-inch mesh, 40 meshes deep ; I3 traps, leaders 150 to 200 fms ; $1,200 each ig Co., An- ' 5 traps, 150to 200fm. leaders; 40-feet square pots : $1,100 each. , long by 3 to 8 fms. deep; 9 drag seines, 50 to 150 fu $1.50 per fm. 4 drag seines, 110 Inis. long: $1..5li per fm. ag seines, 123 fuis. limg, $1..3U per fm. h nu'sii. 120 meshes deep; $1 per fm. [8 drag seines, 450 fms., 3-iuch mesh, 145 meshes deep $1.50 per fm. 12 dragseines, 425 fms., 3-inch mesh, 180 meshes deep ] $1.50 per fm. 1 drag seine, 200 fms., 3-inch mesh, lOO meshes deep I $1.50 per fm. ;i3 drag seines, 500 fms., 3J-inch mesh ; $1-75 per fm. :;3 drag seiues, 375, 175, and 150 fms. ; $1.75 per fm. I (2 drag seines, 250 fms. deep by 120 m., 3-inch mesh 1 $1 per fm. J2 drag seines, 200 fms. deep by 100 m.. 3-inch mesh 1$l per fm. 1 drag seine, 100 fms. deep by 80 m., 3 inch mesll $1 i»er fm. 2drag seines. 350fms., 3-in('h mesh, 125 meshes deep I $1.50 per fm. '\5 drag seines, 200 fms. long., 3-inch mesh, 100 meshes 7 deep; $1.50 per fm. 71 drag seine. 250 fms. long, 3-inch mesh ; $1.50 per fm '{ 1 drag seine, 200 fms. long, 3-ini-h mesh ; $1 .50 per- fm II drag seine, 100 fms. long, 3-inch mesli ; $1 .50 per I'm I 2dragseiues,250fms.long,3.inchraesh; $1.50perfm '.Includes the values of < 2 During busy season. in the district. * Men and boys. THK SALMON AXD SALMON I-'ISIIKKIKS OK ALASKA. Tahir shoniiti/ the rcsach mid hoals emiihujcd hit llie .IIiixIk shIiiuiii laiiinriii in ISM. 57 Stoa els. Metlakalitla ludustrial Co PiKiHr Steam Whaling Co., Uuiitor Bay. AInHkaSalnioii Packinj^and Far Co. Boston Fisliing and Trailing Co Glacier Packing Co North PacificTrailingand Pack. ing Co. Baranotf Packing Co PyramiGatherci (Santa Clara.. list. Nicholas . Centennial... Harvester . , . Coryphene. . (■1-r , Llewellyn J I Morse. f Leon (Equator Bark . . . ' 1, 377 Ship ' 1,909 Bark ...' 1,131 Ship....! 1.473 Ship 1,888 Ship.... Bark . . . 3-m. sch. 1,130 710 292 Chartered Chartered Chartered 14, 250 7,750 9,000 Chartered Fishermen. Fishermen. sport hy vessels from Karluk.) Ship....] 1,271 I 25,000 Fishc (Transport by calling vessel of company.) Name of company. Metlakahtla Industrial O. Pacific Steam Whali: liter Bay Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Co Boston Fishing and Trading Co Glacier Packing Co North Pacific Trading and Packing Co. Baranoft' Packing Co Pyramid Harbor Packing Co Peninsula Trading and Fishing Co Pacific Packing Co 2 lighters [3 lighters 2 purse-seine scows. . [2 pile drivers 29 lighters and scows 6 lighters 2 lighters < } 1 fish scow «i io encli f^ Columbia-river boats. . *iooeacu unatiHa $100 each . . $150 each . . $750 each . . $50 to $100 I $50 to $75 e: itlOskiHa . l2 whale boats. $100. Pacific Steam Whaling Co.. Orca 4 lighters 2 lighters 1 lighter 21ighters '3 sloop lighters . 1 coal scow . I pile driver 13 lighters 21 seine boats 4 seine boats 14 Colamhia-river boats . . 20 dories and skitl's 4 seine boats 4 seine boats 1 $50 each ' (48 Columbia-river boats. . iSeveral skiffs $200 each , 20 Columbia-river boats . 49i:n I (32 Columbia-river boats.. *'"" !\2 seine boats $250 each jpo Columbia.river boats. . 1(3 seme boats I*"'? ""'■'> [il5gill.net boats $'75o.;!;;!;;;;;;:r*'"'>p8"-<''*'s (15 seine boats ■|i70 dories. $400 ( Arctic Packing Co., Alitak Bay. Uganuk Fishing Station Uume llros. it Hum.-, Anchorage Bay Pacific Steam Whaling (.'o.. Anchorage Ba III lighter.-. 'Al scows I Blighters '(-I'gl'ters lOtrnp scows ■.., 12 i)ile drivers j4 lighters < 4 trap scows tl sail scow (11 lighters and scows. 11 pile driver $200 each $3.50 each $200 each $650 eai'h $350 each $100 each $500 $50 to $250 each $650 heachseine boats, 35feet. 12 river seine boats. 25 feet. 1 river seine boat, 20 feet. . [Many dories and sUifl's... $85 each. $50 each. $"0each. $50 to $75 ( $180 each. $25 each. $90 each. $75 each. $200 each. $20 each. $200 each. $200 each. $100 each. $200 ea<-h. $100 each. $50 each. $50 each. $125 each. $25 each. $4 per line: $4 per line $4 per line $25 1 dories $20 1 $150 each. [12 seine and gill.nct boats. $125 each. 58 BULLETJN OF THE UNITED STATKS FISH COMMISSION. Table showiui/ the value of plants, the emploi/ees, and fishing apx'aratus of the Alaska salmon canneries for 1807. Tiipauy and locatiuu of cai QaailraPackinKCo.,MinkBa,\, I-" . J. ( lunha MetlakalitlalnduBtrialCo., Mri I i 1' i ' 'liester, Annette Island Pacific Steam "WTialing Co.. Hm ti : . : I . I i me of Walea Island Alaska Salmon Packing and !■' n ( m i.u[ m^, Xaha Bay Boston Fishing and Trading C"., \ cs *)r Rlcl>ouald Bay Glacier Packing Co., Point Higlifield. Wrangell Island North Pacific Trading and Packing Co., Klawak, Prince of Wales Island . Baranotf Packing Co., Kedti.shBay, Baranof Island Pyramid Harbor Packing Co., Pyramid Harbor, Chilkat lulet Pacific Packing Co.. Odiak, Prince William Sound Pacific Steam Whaling Co. , Orca. Prince William Sound Arctic Fishing Co., Kussilof Kiver, Cook Inlet H ume- Aleutian Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island Karluk Packing Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island Alaska Improvement Co., Karluk, Kadiak Island Uganuk Fishing Station, Uganuk Bay, Kadiak Island Arctic Packing Co., Alitak Bay. Kadfak Island Pacific Steam Whaling Co., Uyak Anchorage, Kadiak Island Hume Bros. & Hume, u yak Anchorage, Kadiak Island Cbignik Bay Co.Chignik Lagoon. ChiLniik Bay, Alaska Peninsula Hume Bros. & Hume, Anchoraui' V'-w . ( 'hiunik Bay Pacific Steam Whaling Co., Am iH.r.fi;, r„ii cliignikBay Arctic Packing Co., Isushaguk l;i\ n, !;, i iIl^ ,Sea Alaska Packing Co., Nusbagak lei \ cr, 1 kring Sea Bristol Bay Canning Cd., Nusbagak lii\"er, Bering Sea Point Eoberts Packing Co., Kvichak Eiver, Bering Sea Arctic Packing Co.,Naknek Kiver, Bering Sea Naknek Packing Co., Nakuek Kiver, Bering Sea Ugashik Fishing Station, Ugashik River, Bering Sea Value of plant. $23, ass 4U, 000 73, 000 40, 000 45,000 20, 000 12, 000 * 113, 000 51,000 60,000 * 108, 000 ■'858, 507 « •■106,000 40, 000 30, 000 ^225,000 30, 000 40, 000 >'386, 500 White. Native. White. I Native. Chinese Other employees. Name of ( Gill nets and traps — number, d: Seines — number. dimensi< Quadra Packing Co., Mink Bay. Metlakabtla Industrial Co Pacific Steam Whalin Hunter Bay. Alaska Salmon Packii rCo. Boston Fishing and Trading Co. Glacier Packing Co North Pacific Trading and Packing Co. Baranotf Packing Co Pyramid Harbor Packing Co.. Pacific Packing Co Pacific SteamWhaling Co., Orca Arctic Fishing Co ) 12 gill nets. 250 fms. bv 24 m., 8J.i U2 gill nets, 200 fms. by 26 m., 6J-i ll experimental trap ; $1,000 .; 40 cents per fm .; 40 cents per fm. 12 gill nets, 200 fms. long, 16 feet deep, 8J-inch mesh ; 65 cents per fm. 46 gill nets, 300 fms. long, 10 feet deep, 6J-inch mesh : 65 cents per fm. 32 gill nets, sets, 450 fms. per set ; mesh G^-inch, I red; 64-inch, coho ; 9^-inch, king; $1 per fm. /43 gill nets, sets, 450 fms. per set; mesh 6^-inch, \ red: 6J.iuoh, coho; 9§-incb, king; $lperfm. 15 gill nets, 50 fms. long, 30 m. deeji, OJ-in. ; $1 per fin . 15 gill nets, 50 fms. long, 22 ra. deep, 9J-in. ; $1 per fni - 8 traps, 30 to 50 foot pots, 300 to 700 foot leaders ; $300 to $1,500 each. Hume- Aleutian Packing ( Karluk Packing Co Alaska Improvement Co. Vganuk Fishing Station. l/l floating tr.ap, 200.fni. lead, 100-fra. wings ; $1.500.. |U floating trap, 300-fm. lead, 100-fm. wings ; $1,500.. Arctic Packing Co., Alitak Bay Hume Bros. & Humo, Uyak Anchorage. Cbignik Bay Co Hume Bros. & Hume, Auclior age Bay. PacificSteamWhalingCo., An chorage Bay. ArcticPack'g'Co., Nusbagak K, Alaska Packing Co Bristol Bay Canning Co Point Koberta Packing Co. . . . Naknek Packing Co TJgaBhik Fishing Station - 3 gill nets, 200 fms, long, 30 meshes deep, G-iuch mesh ; 65 cents per fm. f 3 gill nets, 150 fms. long, 6J-in. mesh ; 65 cts. per fm . . \lo trap.s, average 1,360 feet long; $1,000 each j 10 gill iiet.s, 200~fms. long, 6J-inch mesh, 40 meshes < di-e(); 75 cents per fm. l5 traps, leaders 150 to 200 fms.; $1,200 each 8 traps, 150 to 200 fm. leaders, 40-foot stiuare pots; $l,100e:ich. nets, 125 fms. long, 24 m. deep; 75 cts. ]ier fni. 75 fms. long, 24 m. deep ; 75 cts. per fm. ■aps; leaders, 300 feet average; $1,000 each. 125 gill nets, 60 fms. long, 30 ni. deep ; 75 cts. per fm. \4 traps, leaders 300 feet; $1,000 each. 1 11 gill nets, 70 fms. long, 24 m. deep ; 75 cts. per fm. \ 34 gill nets, 70 fms. long, 22 m. deep ; 75 cts. per fm. l3 traps, leaders 175 feet; $750 each. )30 gill nets, 100 fms. long, 20 m. deep ; 40 cts. per fm . U double trap; $600 |21 gill nets, 75 fms. long, 24 m. deep : 75 cts. per I'm. 12 traps, 150 and 250 foot leaders ; $600 each. .ri.iuueacu. ) I (60 gill nets, 125 Wr-'O gill nets, 75 J ll traps ; leader 14 drag and purse seines (no data). f9 drag, 100 fms. long; $200 each. 12 purse, 120 fms. long ; $350 each. 12 drag, 75 fms. long; $1.25 per fm. 1 purse, 175 fms. long, 12 fms. deep; $522. .1 purse, 175 fms. long, 7 fms. deep ; $300. ^21 drag, 75 to 250 fms. long ; $1.50 per fm. (4 drag, 80 to 140 fm.s. long, 3inch mesh ; $l."iO per fm. tl purse, 220 bv 30 fms., 3-inch uTCsh; $800. (9 drag, 50 to 150 fms. long, 3 to 8 fms. deep; $1.50 \ per fm. 4 drag, 110 fms. long; $1.50 per fm. 2 drag, 125 fms. long; $1.50 jrer fm. [2 drag, 150 fms., 3-incli mesh. 120 m. deep; $1 jii )4 drag, 150 fms. ; $1 per fm. drag, 500 fms., 125 ra. deep, 3.in. mesh ; $1.50 per fm. drag, 450 fms., 145 m. deep, 3-in. mesh ; $1.50 per fm. drag, 425 fms., 180 ni. deep, 3-in. mesh ; $1.50 per fm. drag, 200 fms., 100 m. deep, 3-in. m. ; $1.50 per fm. ,2 drag, 350 fms. long, 125 m. deep, 3-in. mesh ; $1.50 per fm. ■2 drag, 250 fms. long. 120 m. deep, 3-in. mesh : $1 per fm. 2 drag, 200 fms. long. 100 m. deep, 3-in. mesh ; $1 per fm. [1 drag, 100 fms. long, 80 m. deep, 3-in. mesh ; $1 per fm. |2 drag, 300 fms. long, 3 inch mesh ; $1.50 per fm. 2 drag, 150 fms. long, 3-iuch mesh ; $1 .50 per fm. 2 drag, 100 fms. long, 3-inoh mesh; $1.50 per fm. 1 purse, 300 fms. long; $1,000. '6 drag, 200 to 300 fms. long, 100 to 125 m. deep; $1.7.-| per fm. 5 dr.ig, 200 fms., 100 m. deep, S.inch mesh ; $1.50 per fm. 1 drag, 250 fms. long, 3-inch mesh ; $1.50 per fm. 1 drag, 200 fms. long, 3incb mesh; $1.50 per fm. 1 drag, 100 fms. long, 3-inch mesh ; $1.50 per fm. 2 drag, 250 fms. long, 3-inch mesh; $1.50 per fm. 2 drag e !s, 60 fms. lo iipty trap) ; $1.25 jicr I'm. During busy time 2 Women. Includes 16 hateberymeu. !32 men and boys. Included in Karluktigur * Includes values of cannery i>lauts i ' Includes 3 coal minors. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 59 Tabic alu>ivin(j the vesaeh and hoata employed hy the Alaska salmon canneries in 1S97. Steam vessels. Name of cciiiipany M. Ni fHerald i Marie G. Haaveu Alaska Sain lid J''i I Mini: c-king IfNovelty Boston Fishing and I'l-n ing Co. Glacier Tacking Co ... North Pacific TraUii and Packing Co. Baranotr Packings Co.. Pyramid Harbor Packi] "Co. Pacific Packing Co — f,\laska \Kosie (launch rP) (Ella Kohlffs flvlawack \Cora (launch) Wigwam fElsu \Lilli; (1 Art-tic FiHhiii"; C" Hiime-Aleutiau KarluU Packin;: Alaska Improve Uganuk Fishing Station Arctic Packing Co.. Ali- tak Bay. Pacific Steam "Whaling Co., Uyak Anchorage. Hume liros. &. Hume, Uyak Anchorage. Chignik BayCo Hume Bros. & Hume, Anchorage Bay. Pacific Steam Whaling Co.. Anchorage Bay. Arctic Packing Co.,'Nu-^ flhagak Kiver. Alaska Packing Co , Bristol Bay Cauning Co., Point Roherts Packg Co . Arctic Packing Co., Nak- nek River. Naknek Packing Co Ugasbik Fishing Station. (No (lata.) (Transpiirt hy regular lino i>i steaniera.) sport hy .ulliug vessel of company.) Nicholns Thayer (2 trips). { Bark.| 5r.G t$lU,000 I Fishermen. Eleclra ] Bark.| 940 | 12,000 | Fishermen. (Transport hy regular line of st<^aniers.) Skoilii^l.i I Ship. I 1,27G | le.OOO IFishurmen. (Transport hy chartered vessel.) (Transport by chartered vessel.) {Olga [ Arthur (launch) ^Hattie Gage iKadiak ra (launch) t'co''iii;*^^ I'ristol Bay Canning Co j Point Rol>ert8 Packing Co Arctic Packing Co., Naknelc River I.ighto Xumber and descriptit 7 flcows ... Blighters . ■:i lighters . .4 scows -- . 2 lighters - $00 each . . $200 each . $2,10 each . $100 each . $350 each . 2 lighters $350 each (8 lighters : $350 each no trap scows I $200 each la pile drivers > $650 each (4 lighters I $350 each {4 trap scows I $100 each 1 1 .sail scow I $1500 (11 lighters -and scows I $50 to $250 each \2 pile drivei'a $050 each (No data). (Xo data). (No data). (1 lighter.. Naknek Packing Co ili lighters. h piledrivt Ugasliik Fishing Station I (No data). Boats. Number and description. $700. $300 « $300. [10 dories 4 seine boats 10 dories f5 seine boats 115 dories 12 seine boats ^12 seine and gill-net boat: llO gill-net boats (8 boats and skitis 4 seine boats Several skitis 98 boats and lighters 32 boats, lighters, and set 30 boats ami lighters [20 gill-net boats 53 boats .md lighters $150 each. .$20 each. $100 each. $25 each. $100 each. $125 each. SALTEKY STATISTICS. Tlicj following table shows the e.xteiit to which the salting of saliiioii was cairieil in Alaska in 1897, and comprises all the data obtainable, except that, in addition to the amounts given, various small establishments in southeast Alaska salted about 500 barrels, deducing half-barrels to barrels, it will be seen that the total salt-salmon output for Alaska in 1897 was about 15,543 barrels. Table (I'nnn;/ the Sdltery Klutistiiv of AUnka for 1S97. Fort Tongass, southeast Alaska James Turk Mink Arm, Boca de Quadra, southeast Alaska Clark & Martin Ketchikan. Tongass Narrows, southeast Alaska | do Ward Cove, Tongass Narrows, southeast Alaska ! Natives (Indians) Hunter liav. Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska Alaska Packers' Association . "500 Hump- back bel- lies (half bbls.) 100 500 Nut qua Inlet, Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska.. - Sukkwan, Sukkwau Island, southeast Alaska Kassook, Sukkwan Island, southeast Alaska Karta Bay, Prince of Wales Island, soutlieast Alaska Thome Bay, Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska Yes (McUonald) Bay, southeast Alaska Whale Passage, Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska - Lake Bay, Prince of W,ales Island, soutlieast Alaska Salmon Bay, Prince of Wales I.sland. southeast Alaska Red Bay, Prince of Wales Ishiii.l, southeast Alaska Shipley Bay, Prince of Wales l.slar.d, s.>utlirast Alaska. ... Sar-ka'r, Prini^e (if Wales Islaiiil. .soutloa.-il Alaska Point Barrie, Kupreanof Island, soutlieast Alaska Point Ellis, Kuiu Island, southeast Alaska' Killisnoo, (jhatham Strait, southeast Alaska^' Port Althorp, southeast Alaska Neva Strait, southeast Alaska Sandy Bay, southeast Alaska Tyonek, Cook Inlet Eagle Harbor. Kadiak Island Alitak Bay, Kadiak Island Nushagak River, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea Do . Koggiuug, Kvichak River, Bri.stol Bay, Bering Sea. Naknek River, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea Egegak River, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea Ugasliik River, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea Do . /None salted : fish used at Pacitic Steam ' I Whaling Co.'s cannery. Pacific Steam Whaling Co. Banter & West Miller & Co 200 I I 700 Baronovich Bros 41 Robert Bell 160 i 000 Boston Fishing and Trading Go , 150 ! Thomas McCauley i | I 1. 400 do 1 Abandoned : tanks moved to Whale Pas- do \\ safie. All fish supplied to Wrangell do '. J cannery. Walter Kosmikoff | Salted few for local use; sold fresh. Fred. Brockman I | I 300 Cyrus Orr i Salted few for local use : sold fresh. Jack Mantle ] '^ Salted few for local use: sold fresh. Alaska Oil and Guano Co I »75 I 80 i 25 200 Ford &. Stokes Reported abandoned . Morrissey &. Co | Abandoned. do ' Abandoned. C.D.L.add C. E. Whitney cfe Co Alaska Packers' Association . Naknek Packing Co Alaska Packers' Association . 950 half-barrels of herring were also salted. U. S, F. C. 1898 iTo face page 60. > STREAM AT M'DONALD BAY, LOOKING INTO SMALL LAKE MOUTH OF STREAM DRAINING LAKE NEAR MINK ARM, BOCA DE QUADRA Till': SALMON AM) SALMON KISHKKIKS OK ALASKA. (jl SOUTHEAST ALASKA DISTRICT. EXTENT AND IMPOUTANCE OF THE REGION. This district extends from tlie southern boundary of Alaska to Cape Spencer. Tlie trend of the mainland from the entrance to Portland Canal to the head of Lynn Canal is in a general northwest and southeast direction. The strip of territory west of the boundary line between Alaska and British Columbia is about 30 miles wide, and consists of irregular mountain masses often rising precipitously from the sea to an elevation of several thousand feet, and sometimes (as a point farther from the coast is reached) attaining an altitude of 9,000 to 10,000 feet. This rugged condition is broken on every hand by deep valleys or gorges through which the glaciers debouch and from which nearly all the streams on the mainland derive their sources. Fringing the mainland are numerous islands, large and small, close to the coast line, conforming to its irregularities, and separated from it and from each other by deep straits and channels. These islands, about 1,100 in number, extend from the coast an average distance of about 75 miles, and along the general contour for about 250 miles. As a rule they are mountainous and heavilj' wooded with spruce, hendock, and cedar, forming an almost impenetrable growth. Some are very large, indented with deep bays and sounds, and they in turn are fringed with smaller islands. Tiiroughont this region numerous streams and streamlets on the islands and the mainland contain one or more species of salmon, but none alone can furnish sufficient salmon to sujiply a single cannery, and in only a few streams does the redtish, the principal salmon sought, exist in numbers sufficient for commercial purposes. As a result, each cannery is supplied from many streams, some of them, i)erhaps, GO to 80 miles from the establishment. Encroachment of one cannery upon the streams claimed by another frequently occui'S, and bad feeling, threats of violence, etc., occasionally result. The largest salmon rivers in southeast Alaska are the Unuk, Stikine, Taku, and Chilkat, to which further reference will be made. These rivers take their source in the interior and drain considerable areas. The other rivers are usually small streams, and the greater number are simply outlets to a lake or system of lakes. These outlets are in some cases only half a mile in length, generally from 2 to 5 miles, and exceptionally 8 to 10 miles. Ey reference to Chart A it will be seen that a line diawn through Sumner Straits and extending to the Stikine liiver forms a natural fishery division for southeast Alaska. South of this line are seven canneries, with an output in 1897 of 220,341 cases, and all the streams from which their supply is obtained except two small streams that furnish less than 5,000 redfish to the cannery at VVrangell. The division north of this line, though comprising a larger territorial area and coast line, has but two canneries, with an output of 51,520 cases in 1897, and if the Chilkat and Chilkoot rivers are excepted, there would not be sufficient redfish taken in all tlie streams of the upper division to pack 20,000 cases. Since 1878 the district has packed 23.2 per cent of the total Alaska pack. Jn 1897 its i)ercentage was 29.9. 62 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES I'ISH COMMISSION. BOCA DE QUADRA. The Albdtrosft arrived at Mary Island, soutlieast Alaska, Jane C, and after making;' such inquiries relating to tlie salmon and halibut fisheries as seemed pertinent to the subject, went to the Boca de Quadra and anchored off the cannery the following day. This body of water is a deep fiord making into the mainland in a general northeast direction from llevillagigedo Channel for a distance of i!8 nsiles. Thi-ee smaller fiords branch from it to the southward and eastward, viz, Marten Arm, Mink Arm, and Vixen Bay; and extending to the northward are Badger Bay and Weasel Cove. There are no villages or i)ermanent Indian habitations on the Boca de Quadra — a shack here and there affording temporary shelter during the hunting and fishing seasons. About 2 miles below the entrance on the southern side is a small Indian village named after the Cape Fox chief, Kah-Shakes, who lives there. The shores are rugged and mountainous. A few streams, all of which contain salmon, discharge their waters into the main arm and into the heads of its branches. Only one, however, is known to be a resort of red salmon, though a second redfisb stream empties into Kah-Shakes Cove. One of the first canneries in Alaska was located on the northern shore of the Boca de Quadra, about S miles from the entrance. It was built in 1883 by Mr. M. J. Kinney, of Astoria, and was operated under the name of the Cape Fox Packing Company from 1883 to 188G. In the winter of 1886-87 it was sold and moved to a place now called Ketchikan, in Tongass Narrows, and was operated there under the name of the Tongass Packing Company during the seasons of 1887, 1888, and part of 1889. It was burnt in August, 1889, after having packed about 13,000 cases. The cannery now operating in the Boca de Quadra was built by the Quadra Packing Company In the spring of 1890, and made its first pack that year. It is ou the western shore of INIink Arm, in a small indentation near the entrance, and directly inside of Grouse Island. As the building was only commenced in March, the equip- ment was necessarily incomplete for the 1890 pack, yet 8,000 cases of redfish were canned. The fish were all taken at no great distance from the cannery, in purse seines.. Wheu the Albatross was at this point in the early part of the season, new buildings were being erected, the wharf extended, and preparations made for fishing on a more extended scale. For the season of 1897 the steam schooner Annie j\[. ^ivon was chartered to transport fish from a distance and as a general cannery tender. The agent of the company at Victoria reports that the total pack of 1897 was 24,500 cases, of which 7,500 cases were redfish, and the balance humpbacks and cohoes. QUADKA STREAM AND LAKE. The mouth of Quadra Stream is N. i W., a scant mile from the cannery, iu a V-shaped inlet. The entrance is formed by precipitous rocky walls, covered with the dense growth characteristic of this country, and on approaching it the rushing white waters of the ra])id stream are seen. The entrance contracts to a width of about 50 yards and then opens into a small bay. This bay receives the water of the stream at low water, but at high tide the fresh water recedes a considerable distance. A saltery was built on the northern shore about seven years ago by Clark & Martin, of Ketchikan. It was not operated in 1890, but some fish were salted in 1897. After leaving this bay the rapid waters of the stream are encountered, and in less than half a mile the lake which is the soui'ce of the stream is found. The stream is III. U. S, F. C. 1898. (Toface page 62.1 THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF A1,ASKA. G3 about 20 yards wide, and from tlie lake to high water has possibly a fall of 30 feet. At the outlet of the lake the stream is heavily choked witli drift, but this does not form a serious obstacle to the ingress of salmon. Quadra Lake is about 4 miles long and from a half to three- fourths of a mile wide, and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and precipitous shores. The dense, almost impenetrable, forest growth prevents any extended exploration from the shores, and, as the only navigable means at hand was a very crank and leaky canoe, only a cursory examination was made. The kike seems very deep and the water is dis- colored, probably from decomposed vegetation and the spongy conditions along the shores. It is fed by numerous cascades and falls, formed by the melting snows and the natural drainage, and it is said there is a sandy beach and an entering stream at the head. It appears, from a superlicial examination, that this would afford an excellent site for a hatchery. The small bay at the mouth of the sti-eam could be made into a natural trap, with an abundance of room for all the fish, from which they could be easily removed when wanted, and plenty of water is obtainable by gravity, but it would probably have to be filtered. (Juadra Stream is at present considered one of the best i-ed-salmou streams in southeast Alaska. 97,000 redfish in 1S95 were taken from around its mouth and approaches; 137,000 were obtained in 1890, of which number the cannery at Loring secured 44,370 between July 13 and August 31, and Metlakahtla 13,780 from July 14 to August 22; and in 1897 abont 05,000 fish were taken, of which 20,000 went to Loring, 4,000 to Metlakahtla, and the remainder to the Quadra cannery. The run of redfish at Quadra for cannery purposes usually lasts from July 15 to September 1. Straggling fish are taken before and after these dates. A few years ago this stream did not rank as a large producer of salmon. Until recently it was tightly barri- caded every year. The competition for these salmon has probably caused overfishing by the introduction of more gear than the stream warrants. In 1897 thelocality was fished by the canneries at Loring, Metlakahtla, andQuadra, and the Mink Arm saltery. Fourteen seines, from 200 to 240 fathoms in length, were used, and Clark & Martin, of the saltery, used two purse seines, one 225 fathoms, the other 240 fathoms long. If fishing is continued as extensively as at present, it would seem that a large reduction in the catch must follow. Judging this stream by others examined, and taking into consideration the probable overfishing, it is thought to have a capacity of 50,000 redfish under average conditions. The Quadra redfish are the largest found in southeast Alaska, if not in all Alaska. They are well known to all the canuerymen in the vicinity, running 8 to the case, or averaging a trifle over 8 pounds in weight. Early in August they frecpiently lose their bright and firm appearance, their scales drop oft', their fins become frayed, and they commence turning red in color. It is thought by some that these fish have been in fresh water, but such is probably not the case. During a dry season, such as 1896, the salmon streams of southeast Alaska are so low that the fish can not ascend, but school around the mouths of the streams until the September rains raise the water, when they go up in a body. Fish so held and prevented from running, undoubtedly ripen in the brackish water at the river mouths as the spawning time approaches, and commence to disintegrate just as in fresh water, though not so rapidly. 64 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. OTHER STREAMS OF THE BOCA DE C,)UAI)RA REGION. At the liead of the main arm of the Boca de Quadra aud of the arms making to the soutliward and eastward are streams liaviiig runs of colioes and liiunpbacks, but no redfisb. The stream at the head of Mink Arm was examined for a distance of about 2 miles. At the mouth it is about 00 feet wide, with an average depth of (i inches, narrowing to 15 to 20 feet in a short distance. The stream is said to be a lake outlet, the lake lying some distance inland, but no one could be found who has ever visited it. The stream at the head of Vixen Bay was also examined for a distance of 4 miles. It is from 75 to 100 feet wide at the mouth, narrowing to 50 feet. For the first mile the bottom is gravelly and well adapted for the spawning-grounds of humpback and dog salmon, but for the rest of the distance traveled it contains many bowlders. In the upper part reached by the party it is about 40 feet wide, with an average depth of 10 inches. The current is very strong. It is said that a large number of cohoes are taken in Marten Arm. KAHSHAKES. The next redflsh stream in this vicinity is that which empties into Kah-Shakes Oove. It was unknown to us at the time of our visit to the Boca de Quadra, and there- fore not examined. In 1897 there were taken from this stream between 0,000 and 8,000 redlisli. From the records of the stream, so far as they are obtainable, it is estimated that under average conditions its annual ca jiacity is 12,000 redflsh, and the time of runs is the same as at Quadra, namely, from the middle of July to the last of August. The average weight of these fish is about 7i pounds. TONGASS NARROWS— KETCHIKAN. Ketchikan is situated on the southeVn side of Kevillagigedo Island, about 5 miles from the eastern entrance to the narrows, and is on the Alaska steamer route from Metlakahtla, or Mary Island, to Loi'ing or northern points. The village is on the shore shelf, the houses straggling on both sides of Fish Creek. In 1890 it had a i)opulation of 40, of which number 20 were ludians. The cannery of the Cape Fox Packing Company was moved from the Boca de Quadra to this place in the winter of lS8(i-87, and operated under the title of the Tongass Packing Company until it was burned. A store, trading post, and a large saltery are owned and maintained by Messrs. Clark & Martin. The senior member of this firm, Mr. George W. Clark, was formerly a Gloucester fisherman, and has been at Ket(;hikan about ten years, in the trading and fisliing business. The saltery at C^Hiadra, previously mentioned, is also owned and operated by this firm. At the two salteries owned by Clark & Martin 4,000 barrels of salmon were salted in 1894, of which 2,500 were put up at Ketchikan and the remainder at Quadra. The price at that time fell to $4 and $4.50 per barrel, which made salting unprofitable, and these establishments have been operated irregularly since that date until 1897, when a certain number of fish were salted under contract. While the present year has brought a larger price for salt salmon — $8 to $9 per barrel — the firm find it advanta- geous to .sell their fish fresh, nnder contract, to the canneries. Their salt product is also disposed of by contract. U S. F C 1B98 (To <3ce page 64 PL4T6 22. RAPIDS li: STKEPM KETCHIKAN THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHEKIES OF ALASKA. 65 FISH CREEK. Fish Creek, at Ketchikan, is a little larger than the Quadra Stream, ami is a lake outlet. It flows with great velocity through a rocky glen, iu rapids aud falls. There are no artificial obstructions to the passage of fish in this stream. It is a remarkable stream for humpback salmon, containing that species almost exclusively, though a few steelheads tiud tlieir way to the upper waters. No redflsh or cohoes are taken here. The steelheads probably find their way to the lake, but uo other species could surmount the falls aud rapids. At the time of our visit (June 9) a few steelheads were running upstream, aud at oue of the rapids au Indian was catching them by means of a large, pointed hook, secured to a stout pole, which he held in the current, aud, by sight or touch, hooked the tish broadside ou. Mr. Clark stated that steelheads seem more plentiful from the middle of .Alay to the last of June, though he has seen some as early as the middle of April. They are so few in number that they are used for local consumption only. The run of the humpbacks is from July 15 to September 1. They spawn in the lower courses of the stream iu pools and eddies. At low water at the mouth of the river, and facing Tongass Narrows, there is a good seining beach, and it is here tliat the humpbacks are taken. Their average weight is 4 pounds. In 1897 Clark & Martin used in their fisheries 1 drag seine at Ketchikan and 1 at George Inlet, each 150 fathoms long, 2f and 3 inch mesh, valued at $175 each; 2 purse seiues at Quadra, 225 and 240 fathoms long, valued at *G0O each. From i to 10 boats were used, aud 10 whites and 30 natives were employed. At Fish Creek in 1694 500,000 humpbacks were taken; 246,000 iu 1895; 300,000 in 189U, and 5(t0,000 iu 1897. In 1897 the run of humpbacks was almost unprecedented. At one haul of a seine 22,000 were taken. The price paid by the canneries to Clark & Martiu for fresh fish, delivered along- side the cannery steamer at the fisheries, was 75 cents per 100 for humpbacks, and $0.50 per 100 for redfish. If there was any call for dog salmon they received $3 per 100 for them, but very few of this species are packed. In 1896 Clark & Martiu delivered to Loring cannery 248,258 humpbacks between July 24 aud August 31^ and in 1897, 318,000 humpbacks from Fish Creek, and l(i2,000 humpbacks and 20,000 redfish from Quadra. In 1897 they salted, from Fish Creek, .500 half-barrels of humpback bellies; from Quadra, 700 half barrels of humpback bellies; from George Inlet, 300 half barrels of humpback bellies, and from scattering places, though mostly from George Inlet, 120 whole barrels of cohoes. WARD COVE. About 5 miles to the westward of Ketchikan a small bay known as Ward Cove makes in ofl' Tougass Narrows on the northern shore. A small stream empties iuto this cove, carrying annually about 2,000 redfish with some other salmon. There was formerly a saltery here, which was purchased by the Alaska Packers' Association aud partially dismantled. Some of the buildings are still standing, aud an Indian who makes his home iu the cove salts a few fish. The cannery at Loring obtained from Ward Cove in 1897, between July 24 and August 13, 1,.500 redfish, 600 cohoes, and 11,000 humpbacks. The stream was not examined. K. C.B.,1«9S 5 6G KULLETIN (U' THE UNITED STATES KLSH CUMMISSIUN. METLAKAHTLA. Methikahtbi, or New Mctlakahtla, is situated on Port Gliester, on the western side of Annette Island. It consists of a comninnity of Tsim[)sean Indians who, in 1887, followed Mr. William Duncan from Metlakahtla, Dritish (Jolumbia, to make a home in Alaska. So much has been written of tliis interesting colony that a history of their progress is superfluous in this report. Suffice it to say, that aril honor is due to the energetic and intelligent civilizer and preacher, Mr. Duuean. In 185(i he found the Tsimpseaus hardened savages and cannibalistic in their tendencies, and was obliged to live inside a stockade for protection. After having brought them to a civilized condition through his own example and energetic teachings, some question arose in the church, and he deemed it best to retire. lie was followed by about -lOO of the community, and, as they were not allowed to carry with them their own belongings, they calmly faced the privations they were to endure in their new home, and to-day the Xew Metlakahtla stands a monument to their skill and industry and an honor to the self-sacriflcing devotion of their leader. Annette Island has been set aside by an act of Congress for a reservation for the Metlakahtlans and otiier Alaskan natives who may Join them, under regulations pre- scribed by the Secretary of the Interior. An attempt has been made by some influ- ential whites to open mines on the island. In 18!t0 the population of Metlakahtla was 823, of which number 817 were Iifdians, 4 whites, and 2 mixed. One of the principal industries of this community is salmon canning, which is carried on by an organization known as the Metlakahtla Industrial Company. When the colony moved to their new home in 1887, after the peoi)le were comfortably housed, Mr. Duuean commenced erecting buildings with a view to establishing a cannery. It took several years to obtain the necessary funds and install the machinery, and it was not until 1890 that any pack was attem])ted. In that year an experimental pack of only 500 cases was made. The following year it was in active operation and a pack of 5,834 cases was the result. All parts and branches of tlie cannery and the fisheries supplying it are conducted by native Indians, who sliow considerable skill in the ditteient kinds of work. During the time of our first visit, June 10 to 12, they were making cans for the season's pack, rebuilding the steam tender, and some 30 or 40 women and girls were making seines and nets for the use of the community aiid for sale. All this work is done by the Indians, and apparently well done. The value of the cannery buildings, machinery, piping, tools, material, etc., is a little under .$25,000. In 1890 the product of 72 native fishermen was used, and during August 162 natives were employed in the cannery. In the fisheries they used 9 drag seines, each 100 fathoms in length, valued at $200 each; and 2 purse seines, 120 fath- oms long, worth $350 each. The vessels and boats employed were the steam tender Marie G. Haarvn (rebuilt in the spring of 1S97), valued at $3,000, of 12.8 net tons, and with a crew of 5; also 7 Columbia Kiver boats, valued at $180 each; 2 lighters at $150 each, and 10 skitts, etc., at $30 each. The statistics for 1897 were about the same as for 1890, but besides the seines, 10 gill nets were tried, 180 fathoms long, 4 fathoms deep, 5i-inch and Oinch mesh, and valued at $150 each; and iu addition to the, Murk G. llaartn, auother steamer, the Ecruhl, was purchased. This was of 19.4 net tons burden, had a crew of 5, and was valued at $7,000. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHEKIKS OF ALASKA. 67 The following table shows tlie packs at Metlakahtla for ISOG and 1897: Species. 1896. 1897. ■W/i ^f Number Value per case. Bate of packing. No. of cases. Date of i>acking. 8, 280 * 12 1, 500 6 ar 7 $3.80 3.40 2.40 3.00 Julvl to Sept. 5.... Aug. 1 to Sept. 10... July 21 to Aug. 22 .. Julyl to Sept. 10 7,090 840 7,260 300 15,490 July 8 to Sept. 2. July20toSept. 2. July 20 to Aug.26. 7,420 450 21 or 22 Do-overa 17, 650 * Quadra redtisl) ran 8 to the case; those from Moira Sound, 15 to the < The average was about 12. The gill nets were not very successful, the failure being attributed to a too large mesh. Mr. Duncan thinks that 5 and 5.i inch mesh might have done better work. Gill nets have been tried all over Alaska and are now used with success only where the water is discolored; if the water is clear the tish see the net and the catch is small. In some places, where the waters are discolored, gill nets only are used. Of these places, there may be mentioned the mouths and approaches of the Unuk, Stikine, Taku, and Ghilkat rivers in southeast Alaska, Coi)per River, Cook Inlet, and the Bering Sea district. Fish can be taken in gill nets in other places, but where the water is clear other fishing methods are far more successful. The Metlakahtla cannery pays for redfish, according to locality, from $.5..50 to $7 per 100; for cohoes, from $10 to $14 per 100, and for humpbacks, $1.50 per 100. Tiiese prices are unusually high. The redfish is, of course, the siiecies most sought for, but as the canneries increase in number and the output becomes larger, more humpbacks and cohoes are packed to fill up the cannery quota. The home stream at Metlakahtla lies about 2 miles north of the anchorage, insid(5 of Copper Point. It is about 1^ miles long, 90 feet wide, and li' to 15 inches deep, and tiows in numerous rapids of easy ascent from the lake of which it is the outlet. The lake is about 3 miles long, half a mile wide, and has connected with it other smaller lakes, but does not appear to have any inflowing stream, being fed by falls and cascades. The banks of both stream and lake are wooded. The outlet is very rocky, and the lake is deep without much shelving; from report it has no extensive spawning- ground. The average number of redfish taken per year from around the mouth of this stream, for six years, was 8,000; the average time of the catches, from July S to August 11 ; average weight, from Si to 4 pounds. A few hundred cohoes are taken from July 22 to September 1. Off the mouth of the river, and well out in the bay, there seems to be a schooling- ground for humpbacks, of which the average catch for four years was .'38,000 per year, the run extending from July 2" to August 30. A considerable number are furnished for lo(;al use. On the eastern side of Annette Island, and opposite Mary Island, is another schooling ground for humpbacks. In 1803 the Metlakahtla fishermen took frum this locality, between August 1 and 2G, 140,000 humpbacks; in 1896, between August3 and 22, 68,000; and in 1897, between July 27 and August 7, 29,000. The cannery ^t Metlakahtla has received redfish from Quadra and KahShakes also, though the latter stream furnished none here in 1896 and 1897. 68 BULLETIN OK THE UNITED STATES FIlSlI COMMISSION. GEORGK AND CARROLL INLETS — THOUNE ARM — DUKE ISLAND. From George Inlet about ;>,(K)0 redflsh, of au average weight of 5 poiiiuLs, and occasionally a few coboes and humi)backs, are obtained. The redti.sh are taken from July 1 to August 1, the cohoes from the middle of July to the middle of August, and the hum])backs from July 20 to August 15. lu 1S97 none were I'eceived. The exact location of the redflsh stream was not ascertained, and it is generally said that only cohoes and humpbacks are found in George and Carroll inlets and in Thorne Arm. From Duke Island the Jletlakattla cannei-y receives about 3,000 redtisli, of an average weight of 5 pounds ; the earliest date given was July 7 and the latest August 28. The streams furnishing these fish empty into the coves at Bay Anchorage, on the eastern side of the island. There are a great number of these small streams throughout Alaska capable of supplying 2,000 to 4,000 redflsh, but as a rule the canneries do not bother with them. Under favorable conditions the natives deliver the fish to the canneries or to the tenders in passing. TAMGASS HARBOR. Tamgass Harbor sup[)lies an average of 9,000 redflsh between July 2 and August 12, though they have been taken as early as June 28 and as late as August 26. These redflsh run small, the weight being between 3A and 4 pounds. A few humi)backs (20,000 in 1897) have also been taken from this locality as early as July 17 and as late as August 20. The stream supplying these flsh is pu the eastern side of Tamgass Harbor, Annette Island. The other streams supplying fish to the Metlakahtla cannery are on the eastern side of Prince of Wales Island, in Moira Sound and vicinity, and will be referred to Jiereafter. HUNTER BAY. Hunter Bay is an arm of Cordova Bay, on the western shore of Prince of Wales Island, about 10 miles north of Point Marsh. It is about 2h miles long and from g to g mile wide, with a branch, about midway, extending to the northward. This bay, with the surrounding waters of Cordova Bay, on which, with its branches, are located the salmon streams fished by the Hunter Bay cannery from Point Marsh northward, is unsurveyed. The cannery operated by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company is on the northern shore of the bay, about l.J miles from the entrance and about !^ mile from the head, which receives a redfish stream. The building was commenced in March, 1S9G, and a sufficient plant was in position to make a jiack that year of 27,442 cases. A saltery formerly owned and operated on this site by Miller & Co. was purchased by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, and removed to make room for the cannery. The main building, like all those of the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, is 270 feet long, double-boarded, painted brown, and is roomy, well ventilated and lighted, in striking contrast with many of the other canneries. In 1896 the company employed 8 -white and 45 Indian fishermen, and in the can- nery 6 whites, natives, and 58 Chinese. They used 9 drag seines, average length 75 fathoms, valued at $1.25 per fathom; 1 purse seine, 175 fathoms long by 12 fathoms deep, valued at $522, and another, 175 fathoms long by 7 fathoms deep, valued at .$ JOO. The tenders used were the tug Alice, of 20 tons net, crew 5, value $10,000, and a small decked launch, the Minnie jV., of 3 tons, crew 2, and valued at $400. There were also employed 3 lighters, valued at $100 each; 5 seine skifls, $50 each; 2 whaleboats, $85 each; 2 trap drivers, $750 each, and 2 purse-seine scows, $150 each. U S F C. 1898. (To face page 'tftL-^z^'l SALMON STREAM, EAST SIDE, PORT CHESTER SALMON CANNERY. HUNTER BAY THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. (;9 The cannery equipment in 1897 was the same as for 1S9G, except that, in addition, the steamer Cnlnmhia, 70 tons net, crew !), was chartered, and '■'> seines, 3 seine boats, and 27 tishermcn were employed. The following statement gives the pack of Hunter Bay cannery for 189(i and 1897 : Species. 189G. 1897. Dates. Nnm- Ijor of flsb per Num- ber of Approx- imate. number of fisb used. Dates. Num- ber of fish per Num. ber of eaaea. Redfish Cohoos Humpljacka . July 10 to Sept. 20.... Aug. 1 to Sept. 26 Jiily21 to Aug.29.... 10.3 7 19 15, 386 5, 6.54 6,402 159, 130 39, 583 121,641 June 27 to Sept. 25.... Aug. 16 to Sept. 25.... July 6 to Aug. 31 13 7 19 13, 162 5,300 15,926 In 1890 all the streams from Nichols Bay on the south to Hetta on the north, and including Dall Harbor and Essa\va,on Dall Island, were fished to supply this cannery. We visited all the streams in the district except those on Dall Island, wlii(;h fur- nished only 3,000 redflsh. As the can- nery had been operated only one year at the time of our visit, there -^vere no earlier stream records available from which aver- ages or general deductions could be made. Hunter Bay stream, which empties into the head of the bay about three- fourths of a mile from the cannery, is of considerable size. About one fourth of a mile above the cannery the bay narrows and shoals to the head, which is bor- dered by grassy plateaus, forming the banks around the mouth of the stream. It is a beautiful stream and runs over a bouldery bed, between rocky banks cov- ered with a dense forest growth, for a dis- tance of 4.J miles from its lake .source to the sea, in a general southeast and north- west direction. It is from 100 to li-'O feet wide and a foot deep. There are no ob- structions herenow, and the How of water, while rapid, is not much broken and affords an easy ascent for the fish. The lake is about three-fourths of a mile long by half a mile wide, is deep, and has a large inflowing stream near the upper or northern end, which is connected with a second long L-shaped lake on the northern side. The banks are heavily wooded. There were no means for examining the lake beyond the outlet, and the information in regard to the second lake and the entering stream is from local authorities. Judging from the flow at the outlet, the lake must receive a large amount of water. Mr. Miller states that this stream should yield 50,000 redfish; but in I89(i the cannery obtained, from July 10 to 31, only 5,318 redfish and 1,937 humpbacks; during August 2,300 redfish, 80,845 humpbacks, and 4,836 cohoes; in Sei)tember, up to the 20th, 8,645 cohoes — a total of 7,018 redfish, 85,782 humpbacks, and 13,481 cohoes. sketch of Hunter Kay Lake System. 70 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The catch iu 1S97 was: From July 6 to September 20, .'3,848 redfisli; from .hily Ul ro August 2(1, 44,501 cohoes. It was not learued whether the stream has ever been barricaded. The Huuter Bay stream and the one at Nichols Bay would no doubt aH'ord good sites for hatcheries, though careful examination is necessary to determine a point of this kind. There is an abundance of water (which would probably have to be filtered), -and an excellent place at each stream could be arranged to hold the fish till ripe. Usually the lake waters undergo a considerable change iu temi)erature during the summer, while the entering streams remain constant and low. Yet these entering streams can not always be utilized, because they are inaccessible and may not afford the abundance of fish which the mouth of the outlet does. The cannery company at Hunter Bay is considering the establishment of a hatchery, which will probably prov.e successful. With so many excellent sites for hatcheries, the first requisite in this country is accessibility; the second is plenty of fish of a large variety. Water can be obtained anywhere. Above the cannery, where the bay narrows and shoals toward the head, a trap was driven during our visit. Below the cannery an arm makes to the northward from the bay. At the end of this arm is a narrow passage, or " skookum chuck," as it is called in this country, leading into a bay which receivers a small stream carrying a few redfish; it was barricaded. About a mile beyond, on the northern side, is another lagoon making in from the bay, with the entrance obstructed by three islands. This was also examined, but no salmon stream of value was found. KLAKAS INLET AND STREAM. Near the entrance to Hunter Bay a long, deep bay called Klakas Inlet makes in a northerly direction for a distance of 12 to 15 miles. It is a beautiful sheet of water, with an average width of about 1^ miles. At the entrance, which is obstructed by islands and reefs, and on the end of the peninsula formed by Klakas Inlet and Huu- ter l>ay, is the Haida village of Klinkwaii, one of the older native settlements, and not yet under mis- sionary influence. It contains a large number of carved poles, other totcmic symbols, and a few of the old Indian community lodges with interior decorations. There is one red-salmon stream in Klakas Inlet, on the eastern shore, about 10 miles from Kliu- kwan. It is the outlet of a lake, and is about a mile long, from 20 to .30 feet wide, and 10 inches deep, with pools under (i feet in depth. The water iu this, as in all these lake outlets, is of a brownish tinge, probably from decomposed vegetable matter. At the liea.l of ti was all done by its own men. The tender called at several of the small fisheries to make a single load, and wlien the fish were discharged they Were all entered as coming from one place, the cannerynien not being interested in exact records. Below Hunter Bay is a small stream, called Tar, from which less than 1,000 cohoes are taken. NUTQUA INLET. This is a wide, deep indentation, which makes into Prince of Wales Island, about 15 miles north and west of Klinkwan. At the upper end of the bay, on the eastern side, are a saltery, a dwelling, and some shacks formerly owned by Mr. Miller, but which were sold to the Pacific Steam Whaling Company. At the head of the bay, about 1 J miles from the saltery, is a narrow bowldery passage, less than a mile in length, which leads to a brackish lagoon. The level of this lagoon is a few feet below high water, so the passage is a " skookum chuck," through which the water runs in whirls and rapids almost constantly and with great velocity. The lagtion, or brackish lake, is 5 or 6 miles long by i mile wide, and has at its head the mouth of an outlet to a lake, which is said to be several miles distant. This outlet, it is reported, runs over a sandy and gravelly bed. During the visit of the party it was impossible to take the launch through the rapids into the lagoon, and a specific examination conld not be made during the limited time at our disposal. In 1896 the Hunter Bay cannery obtained from this place the following: During August, 150 redfish, 500 humpbacks, and 1,800 cohoes; during September, uj) to the 20th, 700 redfish and 7,812 cohoes; a total of 850 redflsli, 500 humpbacks, and 9,442 cohoes. In 1897, 8,086 cohoes were taken from August 26 to September 26. This probably does not represent the value of the locality, as it was not fished constantly during either season. It is essentially a coho stream, though the other species also occur. ' The s.altery was erected in 1895. It is about 80 feet long by 30 wide and is valued at $600; there are also 14 tanks worth $20 each, and some shacks valued at $200. The barrels used are nuinufactured on the place. No bellies are salted. In 1806 there were very few fish of any kind salted, and in 1897 none were salted. For saltery purposes the fishery has a capacity of 400 barrels a year. HETTA INLET. Iltftta Inlet is the next to the northward of Nutqua, parallel to it, and separated from it by the long, narrow peninsula which terminates in Lime Point. About 6 miles from the latter point, and nearly midway up the inlet an indentation or bay on the eastern shore receives at its head the outlet from lletta Lake. There is a shack at the month of the outlet, a house near by, and on the southern side of the bay a new house for the fishing crews of the Klawak cannery is located. The outlet runs east- northeast and west-southwest; it is only about one-fourth of a mile long from high- water mark to lake, and about 30 to 50 feet wide at low water, with an average depth of 8 inches. The bottom is rocky and the banks heavily wooded, as, in fact, is all of this country. There are several natural obstructions across the stream which could readily be utilized as barricades. There are no barricades in the stream now, though it is said that until a few years ago it was barricaded every year. (4 lui.i.F.riN OK TiiK rNirK.n statf.s i-isn roM mission. The lake is about 10 tWn above hisjh watov, aii«l is lA milos loiij;. Its lower part is oircnlar aiul 1 mile in width, the upper part ^ mile in width, ami all api>iueiitl,v (loei>. The general direi-tion is north by east and south by west. A low i>oint juts into the lake on the northwest side. At the upper end the shore is low. hea\ ily timbered, with some sjrassy spots, and with gravel and sand in ]>laees along the shore margin. On all other sides the mountains, trmn whieh a number o( cascades enter, are pr(H'ii>itous to the lake. A stream 10 feet wide, with an average depth of 4 inches, enters at the u]>iHM- end. It runs through bottom land over a sandy and gravelly tloor, and hius a number of pools. The outlet at the lake end is covered with driftwood, which, how ever, does not prevent tlie passage of tisli. If lletta stream has not received some accessions tVom oilier localiiics, it is jirob ably being overlished. It may be classed now as being able to yield l.">0.000 redtish. though under average conditions .">0.000 seems to be the limit. Fish have been taken as early as -lune 27 (1807^ and as late as September L'(5 (1807). During September, 18!Ui. up to the L'Oth. 40,.")L'9 redtish were taken by the Hunter Ray eaunery, and were said to be in good condition. This late catch is attributed, however, to the dry season and the extreme low water in the stream, which prevented them Ironi ascending until after the September rains had raised the water, the result being that tish were held at the mouth and tiiken when desired. The September catch lor lS".t7 could not be obtained. lletta is one of the tirst-elass red-salmon streams in southeast Alaska, and ranks with Quadra and Nichols Bay. It has been lishcd by the Klawak cannery since lS8(i, and. with their home stream, has been the main source of tish siipjily for that cannery. When tishing for this cannery commenced here the rights of the Indian claiming the stream were recognized and a :20year lease was made with him at an annual rental. ' In ISOti, when the Hunter Bay cannery came into the tield, it is said the owners declined to make any agreement in regard to this tishery. and the Klawak cannery at present pays no rental. Hetta is now tislied by both canneries, and it is rejiorted that this year there was some trouble between the dilVerent tishing i>arties. This is mentioned simply to show how complaints arise, lirst on the part of the Indians and then on the part of the canneries. It usually results in the survival of the must |»oweri'iil corpo- ration, and the Indian goes to the wall. The foUowiug statistics show the Hett^i stieam catch since l.s.sc: Tear. Klawnk cannery. lliiutoi' l»»iy I'aiuioi'y. Speoiea. Dates. Ko. Batoa. Spooios. No. 1887 Kedfish Jnly 3 to Sppf, 14 Julv 4 to Ahs.26 Julv 6 to Aug. 28 Jnl'v flto .\\n;.;S .liilv U t.. .lutvie.... .lul'v Hit.. Ani.'J2.... ,lnlv U t.> An-.'.':l .... .llll'v 7to Aug. 31 Jul.v :t to Aug. 24 June 29 to Aug. 23 July 7 to Aug. 30 24. 022 47,468 48,585 .•A 673 1. 089 51.479 10, 580 47, 769 78,461 104,603 84,980 do do do 189S 1897 do do do ■lulvlOtoSoi)t,20.... Juno27.toSoi>t,26.... AHg.22t«Sopt,28.... Jul7 20 to Aug. 31 .... Redllsh do Cohoos llumpbaoks . . 96,«!>7 114,798 12, 964 ... do 28, 196 The increase in the catch for the last three years is remarkable. In lS!t."> it was uearly double the average of previous years. In lS9(i and 1807 it. was live times that average, and it must be remembered that in 18!)."> the stream was only lishcd for Klawak eannerv. It might be inferred that the increase was due to the two lishing 11,1, U ■, ' , IHflH rT« (•r.o (»«(/" M,) THE SALJION AND SALMON FISHERIKS OF ALASKA. 75 gangs, and therefore to overfishing, but the statement is made that there is a marked increase of fish in these waters, and that other streams in tliis vicinity have felt it. When qnestioned as to the probable canse, the fishermen claim that these streams are receiving the adult fisli prodnced by ^Ir. Callbreath's hatchery on Etolin Island, which was built and began operating in 1S!)2, turning out t!00,000 fry that year, and increasing until the present year, when al)Out 5,000,000 eggs were hatched. The stream on which this hatchery is located is known as a poor salmon sti-eam. There have been as yet no returns from tlie hatchery work, but the fishermen on the south- western coast of Prince of Wales Island believe that Mr. Callbreath's fish are coming to their streams. EEKE INLET. This is a small arm making into the peuinsula opposite Iletta and separating Hetta Inlet from Sukkwau Strait. It is narrow, about a mile long, and has a general east-and-west direction. About one-fourth of a mile from its head lies the mouth of a stream — a lake outlet — 15 feet wide ami about inches deep, which carries red salmon. At low water the stream discharges over a cascade, and about 100 yards from the entrance is a fall a few feet high, and which is about high-water mark. Above this the stream is sluggish and oi)ens into shallows and pools varying in width from 50 to .300 yards. A mile from the entrance the stream opens into the lake, which is about a mile long with a greatest width of half a mile. It lies at the foot of a mountain ridge and runs about west-northwest and east-southeast. The bottom of the lower part of the stream is clear rock; the upper part, where it opens out, could not be examined for want of time. Part of an old barricade was found between the entrance and high-water mark. The Klawak cannery has taken a few scattering redflsh here, but never more than 1,000 during a season. In 189(1 the Hunter Bay fishermen took 8,688 redfish from Eeke between July 10 and the latter part of August. In 1897 they caught 9,21.3 redfish from July 1-4 to September 2G; 47.3 cohoes from August 10 to .31; 25,400 humpbacks from July 31 to August 31. A few fish were salted here in 1890. The stream may be said to have an annual value of 7,000 redflsli. SUKKWAN. Leaving Eeke and passing around the point, up Sukkwan Strait to the westward about 5 miles, is the village of Sukkwau, consisting of a saltery aud about a dozen houses and shacks. The village is on a bay, al)out a mile long ami of the same width, at the head of which is the salmon stream. A few scattering redflsh only are taken, the run consisting of cohoes, and humpbacks; the former run from August 5 to Sep- tember 30, and the latter from July 20 to August 25. The Klawak cannery in 1890 took 4,403 cohoes between September 5 and 7; and 607 in 1897, between August 21 and 30. In 189C the Hunter Bay cannery obtaiued from Sukkwau 4,830 cohoes from the last of August to September 20; and in 1897 it took 3,317 cohoes from August 24 to September 26. The saltery is operated by Banter & West, who this year (1897) packed about 300 half-barrels of humpback bellies, selling their fresh fish principally to the canneries. So far as could be learned, this saltery has never packed more tlian 200 barrels; in 1896 the output was 175 barrels of cohoes. They use one drag seiue, 70 fathoms by 6 fathoms, witli 23inch mesh. <•' HTLLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. KASSOOK INLET. Kassook Inlet extends into Snkkwan Island in a general northwesterly and south easterly direction from a point about 2 miles west of Jackson Island. It is about 2i miles long and from one-fourth to one-half mile wide. Near the head of the inlet on the western side a saltery was, at the time of our visit, in course of construction by Miller & Co., of Klinkwaii, with the intention of salting humpback bellies and selling redflsh to Loring and Klawak. An Indian shack is on the opposite side of the inlet. Saltery at Kassook. At the head of Kassook Inlet is the mouth of a lake outlet. It is only a small, shallow stream about 20 feet wide. At the point of high-water mark, where the width is about 20 feet between banks, is an old barricade. Above this the stream is rough and rocky, and flows from a rocky slough 200 yards beyond, which is a part of the lake and is about one-fourth of a mile long by 100 yards wide. This slough, as well as the lower part of the lake, is covered with pond lilies. The lake proper is about three-fourths of a mile long in a general northwest-by- west and southeast-by east direction, the upper part circular and about half a mile in diameter. The surface is only about 10 feet above high water. The shores are flat and wooded, grassy in places, especially near the feeders, of which there are several near the head and on each side of the outlet. There are some sand and gravel beaches. The entering streamlets average about 12 feet between banks, with a very slight flow at the time of our visit, but the indications are that they discharge a con- siderable amount of water during the rains. Around the mouth the bottom is sandy and expands into pools. The water of all these lake outlets is slightly discolored. Bull U S. F C 1858 i To face page 76 Tllli SALMON AND HALMON FJKIIKKIKS Ol' ALASKA. 77 Jt iHKsiid that ill prospecting this inlet weveral years af,'o 10,000 nidlisli were taken in two w(M;kK; but this Htatement sliould be received with caution, as no available recmdH b(!aritout. In 18!)7 the cannery at Klawak took from Ka.ssook .stream lyidl rcdlish; in 1X88 it took \,H'M rcdflKh from July 11 to 24, and a few hundred have been taken in Kub.sei|U(;nt years wln-ri the; cannery steamer witii a li.sliinf^ Kan;; was in that vii:inity. In IXlXi the Hunter I»ay cannery took 1,.'}10 rcdlish duiin;^ July; in 1897 it took 1,0.">1 rcdlish between July 11 and August 1, and 20,45(J humpbacks from Auj^ust 1 to Au;{UHt .'51. A fair cHtimatc for the ca|)acit,y oi' the stream would be 4,000 rcdiisli. (;knkbal 1'kati;im;s oi-' iiuntkii hay EEfUON. 'J'lic fore{,'oiiij.? streams (Nichols IJay, Ilessa, Tar, Hunter Hay, Klakas, Nutijua, Iletta, ICeke, Sukkwan, and Kassook) supply fish to the Hunter Hay cannery. In addition, there are two small streams on Hall Island, from which together only .'i,G00 rcdlish were taken in 1890, and 812 in 1807. These were not visited. In 1897 the same cannery took al.so, from scattering localities in the I'egion, 7,88.j colioes from August 24 to .Se|)teniber 20, and 2.'>,020 humpbacks from July 20 to August .'51. The earliest led sahnon to arrive in the district are scattering individuals, which may be sec-n Jumping as early as June 20, in the vicinity of Hetta, where they seem to make their appearance befoie they do at Hunter Hay. liy July 4 small schools have usually arrived, and from the 8th to tiio loth they in<;rea.se in large numbc^rs until the height of the run, from ..'uly lo to 25. From the latter date to August I tliey conniienee to decrease, and aCler August 1 they are taken in connection with other salmon — cohoes ami iiiimpbacks — though they continue in good condition for packing until August 20. There is, however, great variation in the length of the runs on account of the small streams, which an; much influenced by wet and diy seasons, as instanced in 1890 (which was very , subject to variations due to the stream conditions, but .scattering fish are taken before anil after these dates. When this fish first comes in from the sea it is in excellent condition for canning, and remains .so for about a month; then it begins to deteriorate, the hump on the male growing rapidly, and the flesh becoming watery and poor. The average 78 HULLKTIN OK THE UNITED STATES F1S}I COMMISSION. weight is from 3A to i pounds. Ou account of the pale coh)r the humpback is not in favor, and in fiict is considered a nuisance in salmon districts, yet it is used for salt bellies, and makes up the pa(;k ou short runs of other species. In my oj)inion, it is an excellent fish and will only be justly appreciated when the redflsh become scarce. Dog salmon run from August 1 to October 1, and are not used in this section. When the Hunter Bay cannery was built, in 1891!, the held was comparatively new with the exception of the stream at Hetta, which had been fished for years by the Klawak cannery. The other streams supplied the Miller salteries, and as they were acquired by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company the field was clear. The fisheries were conducted entirely by the cannery fishermen with cannery gear, and the product was received at the cannery at very little expense. It is said that the output for 1896 paid largely for the plant. In 1897 some flsh were purchased at the rate of $G per 100 for redflsh and 50 cents per 100 for humpbacks. In 1897 the strong opposition of cannery interests brought a competitor into this field. During our visit a saltery was in process of construction in Hunter Bay by the Alaska Packers' Association, as a branch to their Loring cannery. It is on the southern shore of the bay, a mile from the entrance. The output in 1897 of salt tish from this establishment was 500 half-barrels of humpback bellies and 500 barrels of redflsh and cohoes. At Wraiigell a gentleman connected with the customs service reported that a stream on Dall Island was tightly barricaded. He bad passed by Hunter Bay while we were " there, en route to Howkan on duty, and it was probably on this trip that he visited Dall Island. The stream at Hetta probably ofters a good locality for a hatchery for this section. There is a large supply of flsh and i)lenty of water, which, however, would have to be tested for temperature. The drawback is that it is not accessible, being off the calling routes of steamers. MOIRA SOUND — KEGAN. From Nichols Bay, around Cape Chacon, on the eastern coast of Prince of Wales Island, no streams are flshed for the canneries until Moira Sound is reached, the entrance to which is 21 miles northward of Cape Chacon. The stream called Kegau (the name of the Indian who claims it) empties into the western end, at the head of the flrst bay on the southern side of Moira Sound, about 3i miles from Egg Island. The entrance to the bay is somewhat obstructed by islands and rocks. At the head of the bay, near the mouth of the stream, are several good seining beaches, and on the right bank, near the entrance, is a fisherman's house, a shack in which are stored seines and nets, two canoes, and a huge seine boat. The stream is a lake outlet, about 2 miles long, flowing iu a general northwest direction. It has an average width of 30 feet between banks, and when visited was 3 inches deep over a 10 foot riffle. Immediately aboVe high-water mark there is a runway 75 feet long, 8 feet wide at the lower end and 12 feet at tlie upper, constructed of stone and rails. Its use was evident, for on the banks four Indian traps were found constructed of split poles and withes, tubular in form, fuunel-shaiied at the lower end, about 15 inches in diameter, and at least 15 feet long, closed at the smaller end. They arc no doubt used iu the runway. Half a mile above this point are the remains of an old barricade, and 50 feet above this, where the stream passes Bull U. S F. C. 1898. (To faco page 7 FISHING CAMP, SOUTH SIDE OF MOIRA SOUND. A TRIBUTARY TO HE.TTA LAKE, THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 79 betweeu two rocky points about 25 feet apart, is a barricade of more recent build, with portions of tlie central slats removed, probably by the action of the stream. It is constructed in the ixsual manner, with the top log- about 5 feet above the surface of the water. The bottom, from the high-water mark to this point, is composed of fine gravel, continues coarserfor half a mile, and is then rocky, with rapids and low falls, to the lake. The lake is about 40 feet above high wa- ter, about 1| miles long, and from one fourth to one-half of a mile wide, and has a general northwest and southeast direc- tion. The shores are heavily wooded and rocky, and the bottom around the mouth of the outlet is gravel- ly. On the south- ern side, near the outlet, a grassy slough, about three- eighths of a mile long and 50 yards wide, makes out from the lake. There were no me;ius to make a thorough examination of the lake, but from the outlet the shore at the head looked as if it were grassy at the edge, with two streams entering, the main one coming from the southwest. The following is the record of the salmon catch of this stream from 1892 to 1897, both inclusive: ^^^Ca/77 or Sketch of Kes:m Lake auassage about 60 yards across and extending in a general southeast and northwest direction. The lakes are surrounded by high, snow-covered mountains. The second lake has an outlet or wide passage at its southwest end, which was choked and prevented further examination in the very small canoe at our service. There was also a heavy jam of timber in the connecting passage. The iulet in the southwest end may lead to a third lake or receive an entering stream, but nothing could be seen. The waters of the lakes U S F. C. 1898 iTo face pase 84 1 iull. U S. F. C 1898. iToface page 84) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 85 appeared deep find were slightly discolored. At the month of tlie stream were two shacks and some fishing gear. The fish are sold to Metlakahtla. The records for three years are as follows: Tear. Bedfisli. Cohoes. Humpbacks. 1 Dates. No. Dates. No. Dates. No. 1894 1896 1897 July 17 to Ang. 18.... J alv 8 to Aug. 22 July 19 to Aug. 27.... 6,972 5,095 9, 000 Aug. 4 to Aug. 14 (Dates not kuown) Aug. 17 to Aug. 27 281 44 600 Aug.4 to Aug. 11 .Inly 28 to Ang. 20.... July 21 to Aug. 21 .... 9,810 8,914 3,800 rr/6c//ari The average catch is 7,222 redfish, and the stream could probably supply 8,000 per year. The stream is claimed and fished by an Indian, Kithranin. From Nichols Bay to and including Cholmondeley Sound there seemed to be no permanent dwellings. SKOWL ARM AND OLD TOM STREAM. We next came to the territory fished exclusively for Loring, and including Skowl Arm, Karta Bay, and Kasaan Bay Stream. Skowl Arm has two redfish streams, neither producing a large number. Old Tom Stream has its mouth at the head of the first bight immediately west of the first, long deep inlet opening into Skowl Arm from the southward. It is opposite Kasaan village. The stream enters the eastern side of the bight, where a small inlet is formed, having a narrow entrance and opening out into a grassy flat one- fourth of a mile long and one-eighth of a mile wide. High water extends about 200 yards above the entrance. In the small inlet there are good gravel seining-beaches. At the mouth of the stream ou the right bank are two shacks, a smokehouse, a canoe, seine boat, fish float, and some fishing gear. There were no evidences of barricading in the stream, which is tortuous, and has a general north and-south direction. For 1^ miles the bed is fine sand and gravel, with rocky riffies. Its width diminishes from 30 feet to 15 feet, and it rises about 20 feet in the distance named. Then for three-eighths of a mile it runs as a rapid over a rocky bed, at the end of which is an almost perpendicular fall of about 20 feet, with a deep pool below. The fall in this reach is about 40 feet. For half a mile above the fall the stream diminishes rapidly in volume and runs over a rock and gravel bottom. Considerable water drains from the western side, which is an open grassy and wooded slope. Ou the eastern side tlie mountains come to the bank of the stream. About halfway up, the stream, in running over a log, was noticed to be 10 feet wide and 2.-i Sketch of Old Toiii Streiini. 86 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES KISH COMMISSION. iuclies deep. In several i>laces there are natural obstructions formed by drift. About a mile from the mouth it receives from a grassy flat filled with pools a small tributary on the left bank. This tributary was examined for one fourth of a mile in a general westerly direction and found to be simply a rill flowing between pools, with grassy banks about 5 feet apart. The bottom generally was sandy, with vegetable sediment in the pools. The water is dark, and discolors the main stream, which above is clear. The only records of Old Tom Stream available are for 1896 and 18!t7, and are taken from the cannery books at Loring: Tear. Species. Dates. Number. I 2,310 1,925 3,000 600 The Indians state that in 1896 about 4,000 redfish were taken from this stream, and that the tributary is a lake outlet. The party examining it found no lake, unless the pools and shallows form a lake during the sAoiy/ rainy season. The annual yield of the stream is -^-^^- - probably about 3,000 redfish, averaging 5 pounds in weight. BROWN AND JOHNSON STREAM. On the western shore of Skowl Arm, where it bends to the southward, and opposite the northern end of a large island, is the mouth of the Brown & Johnson Stream. It is about li miles long, 30 feet wide, and rises about 50 feet above high water to the lake of which it is the outlet. It flows in a general north-northeast direction from the lake, with a strong current, over a bottom which is generally rocky and bowldery, but in some places sandy and gravelly. It is comparatively free from natural obstructions. A few hundred yards within the mouth are the remains of a barricade of the usual construc- tion. The central poles have been removed or carried away, but could easily be replaced. About halfway up, the stream falls in a cataract 8 feet high. The lake is approximately half a mile long by 400 yards wide. It lies in a marshy basiu, though the center seems deep and there are some sloping sandy beaches. It is fed by small streams, with sandy and gravelly bottoms. At the head is a narrow inlet, but on account MarjA\[fi/e/. of having no facilities at hand it could not be Sketch of Brown A Johnson Stream, examined. It may connect with another lake or with an entering stream. The volume of water at the outlet indicates there must be some large feeder. THE SALMON AND SAI-MON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. S? The only available records of this stream are from the cannery books at Loriug: Tear. Species. Date. Number. 2,310 1,925 1.770 7U0 Skeleton of the Uoating iish-hoiise at Skowl Arm. Brown & Johnson Stream should produce about 2,000 redflsh per year, all of which go to Loring. The average weight of the fish is about 5 pounds. There are other salmon streams at the ends of the arms making to the southward from Skowl Arm, but they contain only cohoes, humpbacks, and dog salmon. The village of Kasaan is situated on the northern shore of Skowl Arm, .3 miles within the entrance and out of the steamer track. Some of the old houses remain and many interesting totem poles may be seen. KARTA BAY. Karta Bay is at the northwestern end of Kasaan Bay (called Kasan Bay on Chart A), of which it forms a part. The saltery on the cove directly east of Karta Bay proper, known as Karta Bay or Baronovich Fishery, was one of the first operated 88 Hri.[>ETIN OF THK UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. in southeast Alaska. A redfish stream empties into tlie head of Karta Bay about a mile from the saltery. A Greek, or Slav, Baronovicli by name, many years ago married the daughter of Skowl, one of the old-time chiefs of the Kasaans, and received from him this fishery, which has been one of the most productive in southeast Alaska. Baronovich lived at the saltery, where he packed fish (about 400 barrels a year), kept a store, and traded with the Indians. He died some years ago. The saltery, wharf, store building, and several houses are still standing, but all are deserted. Baronovich's sons, who during our visit were there to conduct the season's fishing, weie housed in shacks in a bight on the eastern shore of Karta Bay proper. For a number of years the Cutting Packing Company, then operating the cannery at Loring, leased the stream, paying $300 a year to the widow of Baronovich, but in ISflS, when the cannery passed into the hands of the Alaska Packers' Association, the lease was relinquished. The run of 1892 was so small that it did not warrant the cannery in holding the stream. On account of the low price of salt fish, the saltery has not been Iti operation, except in a desultory way, for a number of years. The Baronovich sons have still about 100 barrels of a lot salted at a loss a i'ew years ago. This year (1897) they salted 41 half-barrels of humpback bellies. It appears that one of the first chiefs of the Kasaans, Sanhite (Billy Wilson), also has Indian fishing rights in the Karta Bay stream, and, with his fishing crew, con- ducts a separate fishery. He has a large house at Kasaau, but during the summer season lives in the Indian village at the mouth of the stream, where there are about a dozen houses and shacks. It is said that during the lease of the stream by the Loring cannery it was barri- caded, and that an Indian was paid $2 a day to keep the barricade perfectly tight. The cannery people say that the fencing was done by those claiming the fisheries. It is also said that on account of the rapid decrease of salmon the barricade was removed in 1892, which explains the big run in 1890 ; in 1893 the stream was closed, and a small run in 1897 was expected. The stream has been open since 1893. At Loring it was positively stated that the Karta Bay stream was barricaded in 1892, that it was open in 1893 and 1894 and very little fishing done, and was probably closed in 1895. In 1896 the cannery steamer took to Loring from this stream 84,545 redflsh. Of this number Baronovicli Brothers sold about 47,000, and Sanhite about 37,000. The price paid was $5..50 per 100. The fish are said to be of a large variety and to run 7 pounds in weight during the season. At the time of our visit about 100 redfish were taken at one haul ; 25 of these averaged 6h pounds, the largest 9 pounds, the smallest 5 pounds. Tlie Indians state, however, that the first fish are always small and that they average much higher as the run increases. KARTA BAY STREAM. Karta Bay Stream is said to have perhaps the earliest run of redfish in southeast Alaska. Fishing has commenced here on June 4, though that was an exceptionally early date. In 1897, on June 13, some salmon having been seen Jumping, a haul was made and 100 redfish were taken. No other haul was made until June 25, when fiOO were taken and sent to Loring. It is a great, wide, beautiful stream, with a large volume of watei- that comes tumbling down over the rapids with considerable velocity, and is more worthy of the name of river than the streams previously visited. Bull U. S. F. C 1898 (To face page ! THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 89 The bed of the stream is rocky, interspersed with bowhlers and coarse and fine gravel. The banks are rocky and precipitous and covered with heavy undergrowth. Mountains impinge close on the banks. From the Indian village the general course of the stream is to the southwest, and, with its meanderings, it is about 4 miles to the lake, the distance in a straight line being about 3 miles. It varies from 100 to 300 feet in width. About one-fourth of a mile from tlie mouth is an Indian shack in ruins, and stored inside were a number of Indian traps and large gratings, which, in some places, are used for barricading streams. Ilere the river is about 100 feet wide, and the runway in which the traps are used is located at this point. The traps and runway, which are of similar construction to those described under Kegan, appear not to have been used for some time. For 2 miles below the lake outlet the stream runs over solid rock, in falls and rapids a few feet high, with pools below. The highest rapids are at the lake outlet, where the stream drops 1-! feet in 150 feet. It is here divided into two parts for 100 yards from the lake by a, rocky ledge forming several islets. It is not much over 130 feet across at this point, and is 4 feet deep. The lake is Lshaped, the longest arm run- ning southwest by west for 1;^ miles, then turning north-northwest for three-fourths of a mile, and is from one-fourth to one- half mile wide. Near the end of the arm a narrow inlet com- municates on the same level with a second lake, which is said to be 4 miles long and from 1 to li miles wide, witli a number of in- flowing streams. The first lake has one stream emerg- ing from a valley Sketch of Karta Bay Stream. between two snow-capped mountains near the soutiiern shore of the upper arm, and entering the lake from a large, sparsely wooded flat, in a dozen or more streamlets having grassy banks and flue gravel and sand bottom. These streamlets cover about three eighths of a mile of the lake shore. The central part of the lake seems deej), though there are a few shoals, one appearing at the surface ; along the shores it is shal- low. The banks are mostly grassy, with sand and gravel beaches, The lake is about GO feet above the level of the sea, and the stream falls 30 feet in the first half mile. 4 m//es /a/it^' 90 BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES Fli^H COMMISSION. This seems au excellent locality for a liatcliery, as there is a harbor, abundance of water by gravity, plenty of fish, and at the mouth of the stream a natural basin that could be easily arranged for holding fish until ripe. The records of Karta Bay Stream are incomplete. The following is all that could be found. The first date, July .'?, 1807, is not the date of the first fish taken, but the date when the cannery began operations. The first fish taken were on June V,i, and 600 were sent to the cannery on June 25. Cohoes. . Redfish . Cohoes.. Reilfish . In June (first on the 20th). In July In August, to 25th. Total From Aug. 19 to Sept. 7. In June (first, 670 on the 26th). In July In August, to 17th, Total From Aug. 17 to Sept. 16. In June(flrst,2,995 on the2l3t). InJuly In August, to 4th . Species. Redfish In June(first,4,250 21, C on the 18th). Do ! In July 47,8 No record whatever could be obtained for 1892, 1893, and 1894. The run in 1892 was very small, and in 189.'5 and 1894 very little fishing was done. 1895. Redfish Julyl3to3^ , 5,631 (Echoes August 1 to 18 | 1,826 I 1896. Redfish. Do. In June (first on i 7. 258 the 20th). InJuly [ 71,837 In Augnst.to 14tli. .1,450 Total 84,545 Redfish From July 3 to 23,000 Aug. 16. Cohoes ' From Aug. 26 to 2,500 Sept. 17." Humpbacks. I From July 27 to 36,000 1 Aug. 16. * These fish made 3,343 cases, Naha Brand, redfish and colioes packed together; 9 to the case, or an average weight of over 7 pounds. tThe catch of redfish from this region in 1896 was a surprise to everyone acquainted with tlie suliject, notwithstanding that this was a remarkable year in southeast Alaska. It is generally believed that Karta Bay will, under average conditions, yield 35,000 redfish per annum, and, if kept free from barricades, there seems no reason why that number should not be doubled in the future. There is another small stream in Kasaan Bay, which has a small run of redfish. It is known as Kina, and empties into the bight next west of Coal Bay. All the fish go to Loring. The stream might supply 2,000 redfish annually. The only record available is as follows: Tear. 'Species. Dat«s. Number. 1896. .. . 2,018 1,500 470 15, 000 do Humpbacks At the head of Twelve Mile Arm, and on the western shore, are streams containing cohoes or humpbacks, or both; but the Karta Bay and Kina streams are the only ones in Kasaan Bay and its branches that have redfish. In July, 1889, the Loring cannery received from Kasaan Bay, from July 27 to September 10, 1,304 redfish and 5,219 cohoes, paying 8 cents each for redfish and 14 cents each for cohoes. Bull. U. S. F C. 1898, (To face page 90.) FISHING HUTb ON SKOWL ARM. KASAAM i-- - STREAM AT DORA BAY, LOOKING OUT, THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 91 HELM BAY. Helm Bay opens into Beliin Canal from the southeast i)art of (-leveland Penin- suhi. A small redfish stream empties into the V-shaped indentation on the nortluun shore of the bay, al)out midway of its length. At the time of our visit it discliarged very little water. It has a general northwest- and- southeast direction, is from lA to 1^ miles long, with sandy and gravelly bottom, and is about 15 feet wide. The lake is about 50 feet above high water, and 1 mile long by 4 to '} mile wide. The banks are marshy, and the bottom ap- pears sandy, slop- ing gradually from the banks to the center. Besides the tributary mentioned as entering between the two barricades, the main stream re- (Hiives from the east- ward another on the right bank, a little below the lake out- let. This tributary forks, each bi^atich leading to a, small fall. On the point forming the bight is a rude shack in which were stowed some seines, and on the beach a fiatboat was found. Within the mouth, and about the point reached by high water, are the remains of a barrier from which nearly all of the poles have been removed, but which would need only very little work to make it efiective. A short distance higher up, above the mouth of a small tributary, is a barricade of recent construction, nearly intact, and lacking only two poles in the center to make it effect- ive. Twine netting, badly damaged, was also found here, and was piobably used in the construction of the barricade. The following, the only record obtainable, is taken from the cannery books at Loring, where these fish are brought by the Indians who conduct the flsberies: Sketch of Helm Il:iy Stream. Tear. Species. 1897 Do . ... July 13 to 31 Ang.l toll Sept. 1 to 15 July 21 to Aug. 11 Sept-l 2,990 3,C91 1,931 8.000 92 BULLETIN OF THK UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. Helm Bay Stream sbould produce (J, 000 reilflsb aiiiuially. At the head of the bay is a humpback stream which was examined. Its high- water mark is on line with the edge of the timber, half a mile beyond the low-water mark. Between the two the upper part of the northern side is grassy, while the southern is rocky. From the latter, several streams enter which during high water fall, by cataracts about 30 feet high, into the bay, and at low water have their own beds and join the main stream, doubling its volume. The stream is from l-'O to 30 feet wide between banks; has much sand and gravel on the bottom, making good spawning-beds for humpbacks, and is much choked by drift timber. At tlie time of our visit the water was low; across a riffle, 8 feet wide, it was oidy 4 inches deep. The banks are quite level and heavily wooded and the water is clear. As it was early learned that this was not a redfish stream, the headwaters were not examined. At the head of the bay on the northern side are good seining beaches. NAHA BAY. Naha Bay, an .arm of Behm Canal, is on the western side of Eevillagigedo Island opposite Helm I!ay, and 10 miles within the southern entrance of the canal. Loriug is a post-oflBce, and is situated on the northern shore of Naha Bay. In 1890 it liad a population of 200, which must have included the cannery-hands (Chinese and others), as the permanent population is very small. At the head of the bay a lake or lagoon receives the waters of the home salmon stream (Naha Stream), which formerly was so prolific that the Indians, in speaking of anything and desiring to express large num- bers, would liken it to the salmon in Naha Stream. The cannery buildings, wharf, store, etc., are on the eastern point of a small cove on the northern shore, and circling this cove are the dwellings of the whites and others. The cannery belongs to the Alaska Packers' As.sociation, and in 1897 it had the largest output of any cannery in Alaska (62,040 cases), though the i>ack consisted largely of humpbacks. A saltery was in operation here for many years prior to 1888, wiien the Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Comi>any, of San Francisco, built a cannery which was operated by the Cutting Packing Company. A pack has been made here every year since. In 1892 it joined witli other canneries under the Alaska Packing Association, and in 1893, when the Alaska Packers' Association was formed, it joined tliat organi- zation and has since been operated by it. The cannery originally had a capacity of about 400 cases per day. This by better methods was increased to 700, and in 1890 it was again enlarged and now has a capacity of 1,800 cases per day. The cannery obtains fish from the home stream (Naha), Karta Bay, Kasaan, Union, and Helm bays, Moira Sound district, Quadra, Checats, and Ketchikan. The stream records are given under the jjroper headings, so far as they could be obtained, but the totals by streams will not give all the fish used, because in each district there are streamlets from which a few hundred, perhaps a thousand, are taken by the Indians and carried to the passing steamers or to the canneries. For instance, the total number of redfish used at Loriug in 1890, as recorded by streams, is 207,732, while the number actually used was 210,000. With cohoes and humpbacks there are still greater ditt'erences, as cohoes are very much scattered and only a few are taken here and there, while the humpbacks run in such numbers and are so cheap that not much attention is paid to them, so far as districts are concerned. These fish can therefore only be referred to by localities in a general way, except when taken from a regular fishery. Bull U. S. F C.1898. (To (ace page 92) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OK ALASKA. 93 III 1S96 tlie Loring cannery obtained from various localities ami packed 27,000 cohoes between August 5 and September 15, many of wliicb are recorded under the streams described. Tlie total number of liuiupbacks used at the cannery tlie same year was 7S4,1.'(53, of which number 301,738 were supplied by the home stream betweeu July 18 and August 31 and 148,258 by Ketchikan between July 24 and August 31. The following sliows the packs of Loring cannery for 189(j and 1897: Species. 1896. 1807. Date. Number of cases packed. Number of ash per case. Number offlsh. Number of cases packed. Number of lish per case. June 19 10 Aus.31.... Aug. 5 ti) Sept. 15 July 18 to Aug. 31.... July 18 to Aug. 6 19, 621 3,029 36, 365 452 U 9 20 to 21 6* 131,567 19, 478 1, 124, 610 10,470 2,306 49,264 11.8 8.4 23.0 61, 467 62, 040 Note This canuer.v is also credited with the following salt salmon in 1897: 216 barrels rcdtisb, 324 barrels colmes, and 1,449 barrels humpback bellies. No salmon wore salted at Loring; these were simply received at the cannery for shipment. It is impossible to give detailed weights of fish from each stream. The averages to the case are the general averages of all of each species coining to the cannery. The redfish from Naha Stream weigh about the same as from (Juadra, 8 jiouuds ; Karta Bay, 7 pounds; Kasaan, 5 pounds. The fish from Moira Sound average Gi pounds, except the Peter Johnson fish, which run from 3J to 4 pounds. The average weight of the cohoes packed here also varies slightly from year to year, depending somewhat upon the localities from which the fish are received, the waste, and local consumption. These averages are derived by dividing the number of fish received by the cases packed; hence, if the waste or consumption is large, the average is raised. The prices jiaid for redfish in 189G were from $4 to $G.50 per 100, for cohoes $6 per 100, and for humpbacks from 50 to 75 cents per 100. As the average weight of fish from each stream is fairly well known, the price from the different streams is agreed upon at the beginning of the season. For instance, the fish from the Peter Johnson Stream being small, less is paid for them than for those from Karta Bay. The prices in 1897 ranged from $4.50 to $8 per 100, depending upon delivery at the cannery or at the fishery, amount of gear furnished by the cannery, and size of fish. The higher rate, $8, was paid where the competition was close, and in one place the rate was raised to $10. Cohoes commanded about the same price, and humpbacks from $C to $7.50 per 1,000. Where a large number of these fish could be guaranteed and no gear was furnished, the latter price was paid under contract. The cannery fishermen's contract was $45 per month and board from the time of leaving San Francisco until the return of the vessel. The contract price with the Chinese was 40 cents per case for packing. In 1896 the cannery employed, or bought fish from, 50 white and 75 native fisher- men. In the cannery proper were employed 130 Chinese, whites, and 15 to 20 native women ("klootchmen") to assist the Chinese during the busy sea,son. In 1897, 20 white and 175 native fishermen were employed, and the cannery help consisted of 7 whites, 25 native women, and 130 Chinese. The cannery has 2 steamers. The Arctic, of 21 tons, with a crew of 5, is valued at $12,000. The Novelty, of 34 tons, with a crew of 5, is worth $12,000. Attached to the cannery is the bark El^ctra, of 940 net tons, and valued at $12,000. This vessel 94 BULLETIN UK THE UNITED STATKS FISH COMMISSION. carries tlie liamls and tlie cannery outfit for the season from Sau Francisco in the sjiring. It is met at Dixon Entrance by one of the steamers and towed to the cannery, where it is tied up to the wharf for the summer. When the pack is finished the bark carries the hands back, and also the pack, or so mucli of it as can be handled. The crew of the J^lccfra are fishermen and are so employed after the vessel reaches Ijer destination, the ofticers taking charge of the cannery steamers, acting as watchmen, etc. In 1807 an extra vessel, the Xicholas Thaije); of 5.50 net tons and valued at $10,000, made two trips to assist in carrying the pack. On the fishing-grounds and at the cannery are liO lighters and fish-scows valued at from $50 to $100 each, and 21 seine boats valued at $50 each. In 1896 the fish were all taken in 21 drag seines, varying in length from 75 to 250 fathoms, and valued at $1.50 per ftxthoni. The seines were practically the same in 1897, though of the 21 only 7 were used by the cannery fishermen, as follows: Three, 150 fathoms long, 200 meshes deep; one, 125 fathoms long, 200 meshes deep; two, 100 fathoms long, 130 meshes deep; one, 75 fathoms long, 200 meshes deep. The others were used on the independent fisheries supplying the cannery. It is difficult to give accurate statistics of seines, not only on account of the independent fisheries supplying the canneries, but because every cannery has usually a number in reserve and a large amount of web, fioats, etc., ready to be made up. The standard mesh for the Alaska fisheries is 3-inch stretched, and this usually takes the form of 2i-inch in the bunt, 3-inch in the quarters, and 3h to 1 inch in the wings. NAHA STREAM. Upon arrival at Loring inquiry was made at once in reference to this stream and its lake system. The only information obtainable was that the stream was of consid- erable length, rtowing through a very rough and rugged country, and was the outlet to a chain of lakes, some reports said two, others as high as seven. No one could be found, however, who had explored the region or who could give definite information. It was decided that an examination of the lower course of the stream and a view of the lake basin from a mountain top was all that could be attempted. Accordingly, a party ascended a mountain a little over 1,700 feet high, back of the cannery, and took photographs and bearings of the lake basin, estimating distances of prominent features. It is i^robable that all these lakes indicated on the sketch communicate with each other or with the outlet. Upon leaving the cannery for the stream, a small wooded island, connected with the shore at low water, is passed, and continuing to the eastward about a mile the head of the bay is reached. Tlie bay here narrows to a passageway (which turns about 180^ to the northward around a sharp projecting point) connecting the head of the bay with the first lake or lagoon. On the inner side of this passage, and on the western shore, is an old saltery, now used for storing boats and fishing gear. The bot- tom of this passage is rocky, and rises in such a manner that on both tides it forms rapids, making slack water only when the tide is within about 2 feet of ordinary high water, so that the current usually flows out. This body of water may be termed the "first lake." The water was found practically fresh at all stages of the tide. The water that flows in during the last of the flood can only be slightly brackish, for the large discharge keeps the water brackish in the upper part of the bay, and the amount that flows in forms only an inconsiderable portion. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 1)5 This lake is about a mile long by one-fourth of a mile wide, with a depth of fi'oni 6 to 18 fathoms, with a muddy bottom. The banks around the western and southern shores are rocky. On the northern shore three small draining streams, oidy a few feet in width, enter. They run from the mountain for al)out one-fourth of a mile to the lake over a comparatively level bottom of sand and gravel. They flow into bights where it is marshy or grassy, and at this point the lake is shallow along the shore, with mud and sandy bottom. A large stream enters the southern side near the eastern end, where there is a large grassy flat. At the eastern end, near tlie northern shore, is the mouth of Naha Stream, the out- let of the interior lake system. Around the mouth is a grassy flat, and off it the water is rather shallow, with a sand and gravel bottom. It is a beautiful stream at this poiut, about 200 feet wide and 2 feet deep. It preserves its width for about half a mile, when the banks contract, forc- ing the water between two rocky points about 40 feet apart, and 200 feet above this poiut are falls about 75 feet wide and 8 feet high. Ilalf the height is a cascade; the rest is a straight fall on one side,while ^— _- upon the ^^ "-- ■"■* other it is partly broken. The greater part of the water flows over the straight fall. The general course of the stream from the mouth to the falls is east-northeast, turning more to the northward at the falls, and then to the eastward. Above the falls the stream is about 125 feet wide, flow- ing between rocky banks over a sandy and gravelly bottom. The water is discolored. This salmon stream, one of the best in southeast Alaska, has suffered through the use of barricades. Until 1893 it was so solidly closed that it did not seem possible for a flsh to pass through. That year the barricade was removed, and the stream has remained open ever since. Whether the stream was ever barricaded at the mouth of the outlet, near the eastern end of the lake, could not be ascertained. The barricade of 1893 and the earlier ones were placed at the head of the bay, where it contracts. A trap had been driven here almost entirely across the bay, but as few fish were taken more piles were driven, and, it is said, a close-mesh net was stretched across the stream so effectually that not a salmon could pass. Fishing is carried on entirely with drag seines, one crew fishing in Naha Bay below the tidal rapids, and another in the first lake above the rapids. Naha Bay ami Lak<> 96 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The following shows the statistics of Naha Stream from 1SS7 to date. While the record is not very clear in some seasons, in the main it is correct: Year. Species. 1887.. Eedfish. 1888.. Kedflsh. Not given June (first ou 18th, 50) ... July August (UD record, but taken from totals). 2,153 42, 833 30, 218 'I'his cannery was first operated in 1888. The ahove tish made 8,366 cases, averaging 9 to the case. Cases of cohoes not ^iveu. The stream also furnished 99,200 humpliarks, making 6,200 cases, 16 to the case; and 67,500 more humpbacks were salted, making 900 barrels, of 75 to the barrel. Judging from the rec- ords, the pack in 1888 was made entirely from the homo stream ami Karta Bay fish. Eedfish . ..' June (first on 22d, 850) . .' 3, 902 Do July 35,202 Do August, to 20th 36,730 Eedfish ... June(firston20th, 1,550). Do....i July August, to 28th Total Cohoes Aug. 28 to Sept. 12. Eedfish... June (flrston 14th, 49 July August, to 27th Total Cohoes.... I Aug. 20 to Sept. 11. Humpback (»ne taken June 30. 10, 921 53, 231 3,507 8,494 69, 651 18, 351 1894. 1895. Spec Eedfish . . . . Do Do Cohoea Eedfish Do Do Eedfish.... Kedflsh.... Do Do Humpbacks Do , Eedfish... Do Do Humpbacks Do Eedfish.... Humpbacks June(flrst onl6th, 18) July August, to 18th Total Aug. 25 lo Sept.9 June (first on 23d,350). July August, to 8th Total Approximate June (firston 20th) July August, to 19th Total July (first on 19th) August Total June (firston 19th) July August, to 23d Total July (firston 18tb) August Total July 7 to Aug. 14 July 9 to Aug. 24 * Paid for outside fish, 6 cents each for redfish, 9 cents for cohoes. t Another record gives a total for this year of 46,326. * Another record given for 1893 is 52,800. The average number of redlish taken per year, according to the above figures, is 53,555. The best authorities consider the stream good at present, under fair condi- tions, for 50,000 redtish, 5,000 cohoes, and 400,000 humpbacks, and, if properly cared for, it should yield 75,000 redfish per year. The stream seems ideal for salmon, and if improved, even under natural conditions, the run of fish could be increased very materially. No observations could be made on the spawning habits. It is improbable, however, that any humpbacks go over the falls, all spawning below; but tlie redtish go over the falls into the lake system, and this makes the conditions favorable for keeijing the humpbacks from disturbing the nests of the redtish. It is probable, however, that many i-edtish fail to get over the falls, and others that succeed are bruised and injured. A hatchery might be very successful not only at the falls, where there is an abundance of water and fish, but at Loring, where water could be supplied from a stream back of the cannery. At Loring they expect a few red salmon from June 20 to July 1, and by the latter date to have the cannery started. Kedflsh are then packed until the end of August, the latter part of this time, however, only in a scattering way and in connection with the other species. A few cohoes are packed during the early \)i\Tt of August, and this is continued until the cannery closes, about September liO, though these flsh are Bull. U S. F C 1896 (To face page 96.) THE SALMOiV AND .SALMdN KISIIKlilKS ()!•' ALASKA. 97 never very abundant. TIk; liiiiii|)l)ii(-U.s cumiMeiicc (■iiininj^- Id iIm- ciuincry alioiit tin; middle of July and are packed until tin', latter p:irt ol' AiiKU'st. 'I'lie dof,' Halninn is very little used for eanriiii}^. .Soin(!tim(!.s a few tind their \v;iy into liuinpbaek cans, but as a rule they are not used. A lew hundred eases were i)a(;k(!d at J^orinj^f in I.S!»0, from .July 17 to Au},'ust 7, but none in 1«97. During the winter of I8!)(!-It7, from the latter part of Deiiemljer until April, Malia Bay was tilled with small salmon from (» to 10 inclies in lenjith. They were probably young king salmon, but they may have been redlish. They took the troll readily. No attempt was made at seiiung. A few were sliii)|)ed fresh to Seattle, and a few others were salted for local use. They were full of si>awn, but not ripe, and none enteri'il the river. It is believed around Loring that L!(), ()()() cases of these lisli could have been packed. YES (OB M'DONALD) I!AV. Yes (or McDonald) Hay is a narrow itdet opening into the western shore of IJehm Canal, extending in a genei-al iioithwest direction about 110 miles to the northward of Loring. Mirlway the length of the bay, on the northern shore, is the cannery of the Boston I'Msiiing and Trading Company. 'J'he buildings are on the peninsula formed by the bay and the right bank of V'es Bay Stream. In 1880 Rhode & Johnson locaterl at Yes Bay and salted salmon. The fidlowing year the tirm became Ford, Rhode & Johnson. Several thousand barrels were sa!t(Ml and part of the present cannery buildings were put uj). In 1888 the cannery buildings were completed and several thousand barrels of salmon were salted. In 188!) the machinery was installed and a pack of between 4,000 and 5,000 ciises made. The same year the Boston Fishing and Trading Company was incorporated, Ford & Rhode transferring their interests to that concern. The cannery is at present largely, if not entirely, owned, operated, and managed by Mr. D. \V. Crowley, of I'ortlaiid, Oregon. It is one of the smaller canneries of Alaska. While not equipped witii all the latest appliances, it has packed between 20,000 and L'.5,000 cases per year fcjr several years. The following statement shows the pack for 1896 and 1897: SpccioH. 1896. 1897. 1 Ko.of Bate of packing. caaes packed. No. of fiiffa per case. Date of i>ackiDg. No. of caaea packed. No. of flail iier case. Bedflsh July Uto Ang.25.... 7,000 Aug. 20 to Sept. 15.... 2,100 Aug. 5 to Sept. 5.... 15,000 9 16 July 12 U> Sept. 4 8,754 Aug.l»U>Sept.l2.... 1,644 July 12 to Sept. 6 12,806 9 6 15 a Humpbacks Total Total 22,300 1 Note — From July 12th to September 12th 3,037 cohoea were aalted, iiiakiug about 150 barrola. In 1890 there were employed 15 white and 20 native fishermen, and in the cannery 3 whites, 50 Chinese, and, during the busy season, 10 " klootchmen." Four drag seines were u.sed, 80 to 140 fathoms long, .'J-inch mesh, valued at $l..jO per fathom, and 1 purse seine 320 fathoms long by .'iO fathoms deep, 3-inch mesh, valued at $800. One small steamer, the Route, of 5 tons, crew of 2, and valued at 82,000, t occupies three-fourths of the width of the stream at liigh water. The census report of 1800 states that as many as 5,000 sahnon are taken out of this trap in a day. The stream flows with a strong current, in a general southeast direction, over a rocky and bowldery bed for almost its entire length. It is about a mile long, from 40 to 60 feet wide, and from 2 to 5 feet deep, cai'ryiug a large volume of water. About 200 yards above the mouth of the stream, at the head of tide water, a partly dismantled barrier was found, which could be made effective, thereby closing the stream in a few hours. This barricade is of similar construction to those already described, except that the rails are separated like the rafters of a house, and gratings, or Indian fences, were formerly secured over them, and over all a wire netting. Some of the wire nettings had been carried away, but could easily be replaced. The stream is the outlet to a lake, and about \ mile below it widens to about 200 yards, forming a lakelet about G feet deep with sand and gravel bottom. Immediately below the outlet is a rapid l.->0 feet long, 40 feet wide, by 2i feet deep, and the stream, falling about 4 feet, spreads over granite bowlders to a width of 80 feet. A large stream with a delta enters at therajjids from the eastward. Above the outlet is a log jam, over which the lake can be crossed. The lake lies in a general northwest and-southeast direction, and is about 3 miles long by 11 to i mile wide. It is deep, especially along the northern side, where the mountains come to the edge. On the southern side are several shallow bights, in which nuirshy streams enter. A number of cascades were noted along the northern shore, two of them having grassy banks and gravelly beaches near the point of dis- charge. With these exceptions, the shores along this section are rocky and steep. The head was not visited, but it is reported that a large stream enters where the lake turns in between two mountain ranges. It is said that there is a second small lake connected with the main lake by a stream having a high fall, but no one could be found who had ever visited it. The main lake can be reached by trail from the bay, near the upper end, at a point about 2 miles from the cannery. The trail runs in a general northerly direction and is about half a mile long. The following is the record of the Yes Bay fishery for a number of years. The figures for years prior to 1893 are not available. This stream has been barricaded for many years. It has a fine lake system, and under fair conditions should yield 50,000 redflsh per year. It is said that some years ago as many as 70,000 were taken from it. The locality seems well adapted for a hatchery. In 1896, from July 15 to 20, an Indian supplied the cannery with about 100 king salmon taken in gill nets in the vicinity of Burroughs Bay. They were all very large, some of them reaching 89 pounds in weight. The cannery commenced packing them, but as there were so many white meated ones it declined to take any more. The 100 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. inauiiger has under cousideratioii the advisability of atteinptiiij;' a pack of king salmon. Tbey can be taken aud are in good condition as early as May 15, or as soon as the ice is clear of the bay. CHECATS. In Jlelini Oanal, about 2 miles east of New Eddystone Rock, is an indentatiou or biiy wliicli receives a. stream called Cliecats. This stream is said to have large red salmon and to be capable of yielding 10,000 a year. The following ligures were obtained, but no conii)lete record was available: Tear. Species. Total number. Average number Season iif run. per ease. Canneries to wliicli consigned. 1895 1896 1897 9,680 10, 712 16, 229 439 20, 682 821 Tes Bay. Yes liav andLoriiig. Do." Yen Biiy. Yes Buy aud Luring. Yes Bay. July 12 to Aug. 12 July 10 to Aug. 28.... Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 .... July 21 to Aug. 15.... July 2a to Aug. 2 (Keiiash 9 6 15 6 [Humpbacks [Dog salmon There are many streams entering Behm Canal and its branches that should be examined, but, so far as known, no others that have many redflsh. BUliUOUGHS BAY. At a point where Behm Canal turns at right angles to the .southward. Burroughs Bay enters, and at its hend is the Unuk liiver, one of the largest streams of south- east Alaska, and said to contain king salmon, redflsh, and echoes. On the eastern shore, near the head of the bay, was formerly a cannery known as the Cape Lees Packing Company. Mr. James Miller operated a saltery here in 1886 aud 1887. In 1888 Messrs. Andrew and Benjamin Young, of Astoria, built the cannery and operated it in 1888, 1889, and 1890; it made uo pack after the latter year. In 1892 the cannery joined the Alaska Packing Association, aud in 1893 it became one of the canneries of the Alaska Packers' Association. lu 1894 it was dismantled, part of the machinery going to Loriug aud part to Wrangell. Mr. Miller states that from 1,200 to ],r)00 cases of king salmon could be packed at Burroughs Bay, but that the proportion of white ineated fish is very large. He also stated that he had taken salmon there weighing 90 pounds. THOUNE BAY. Thorne Bay is aji arm of Clarence Strait on the eastern side of Prince of Wales Island. Formerly all the waters to the westward of a line drawn from Tolstoi Point to Tolstoi Islaud were known as Tolstoi Bay. The chart has named the eastern bay " Tolstoi," aud the western one " Thorue Bay," but the latter is still referred to as "Tolstoi," causing much confusion. In the bay named Tolstoi on Chart A there are uo red salmon streams — in fact, uo streams of any importance — while in Thorne Bay there is oue very large stream, which empties into the head of the northwest arm, aud differs eutirely from auy of the other sti'eams thus far visited. It partakes more of the nature of a river, having a large estuary, and flows through a comparatively flat and level country, with the tide asceuding a considerable distance. It is an outlet of a lake whose source is said to be from 12 to 15 miles from the mouth. No white man in the vicinity has ever visited it, and all that is known of it is from information given by an old Indian who hunts there during the winter. It is said there is a chain of Bull. U. S. F. C 1898. (To (ace page 100^ Plate 39. THE SALMON AND SAr,MON FISHERIES OF Al-ASKA. 101 \ HeaJo^T'^'^"^^' lakes at the head, and that several tributaries to the river have lake sources. As it would have taken several weeks to thorongrlil.\' explore tlni locality, only the, lower course of the stream was examined. From the mouth of the stream to the head of tide water is a distance of about 2i miles. At low water the stream runs a winding' course through uncovered Hats and grassy banks, at places separating into several channels or sloughs, while at high water these Hats and banks are all covered, and it has the appearance of a large bay 2 miles long in a general east-and west direction, with a greatest width of five- eighths of a mile, with wooded islets (one three-eighths of a mile long) and heavily wooded banks. The mouth is contracted to a width of about one eighth of a mile, the Hats extending into the outer bay some distance outside of the natural banks. These flats afford excellent seining ground at low water. At the head of tide water, where the stream Hows between rocky banks, it is contracted to a width of 45 feet, expanding as it proceeds toward the sea to 120 feet, and about three eighths of a mile down it opens .out to 300 yards, contracting again about one eighth of a mile beyond, and then opening into the large high-water bay. At this point is a small wing of rocks and rails and the rem- nant of a wire net, which i)robably formed at one time a barricade. The depth here at high water would be about 7 feet. There are no indications that the stream has been barricaded in recent years. Thebottmn over the liat generally con- sists of gravel and sand; in the narrower l)art it is rocky, and above tide level be- comes more so, though for about a quarter of a mile above it runs through bottom lands between wide, higli gravel banks, heavily wooded and in some places grassy. The fall of the main stream is slight, and occasionally there are deep pools. At the time of our visit the main stream, above the iurtueuce of the tide, had an aveiage depth of J 8 inches over a riffle 75 feet wide. Half a mile below the high-water mark the stream becomes brackish, increasing in salinity toward the mouth; yet it is said that humi)backs spawn all over these tidal flats, and -\ Sketch of stream at head of Thorno Bay, taken at low water. I lom mouth to head li<'2(»,()(M). 'IMic wlioK; pro|)(!rty, iiicliuliii};' iiH tiic abovi;, (»,()0(). Wlieii salmon were beiu}^ paciked it was noticed tiiat Uh: butchers on the fisii (loat threw all the heads into eanoes waiting alongside to receive them, and numy <;anoe loads were earriet>ii incjuiry it was learned tiiat tlu; heads are |)ut in baskets or bags placed along tiie shores betw<-en the liigli and low water marks, weighted with stones to keej) tluMii in plae(f, and left Cor a week or ten days until thoroughly ripe; the snout or nose is then cut oil' and consumed by the Indians as a great delicacy. I'ACKlNf} CI-AMS AT KI.AWAK. The clams in this vicinity are very abundant, and in the late summer ;iiid Call they are in excellent condition for |)acking, being Cull-llavored and white. In the spring they are very dark. The cannery each Call makes a small pack of a few hun- dred leases when the, run of salmon grows slack, and the plant is idle several days at a time for want of lish. Owing to the great range oC tide in Alaska and the great the top with meat, hot Juice is poured in, comphitely filling ail the spaces, and the cans then go the solderer, by whom they are scaled. The Juice, when removed ftom the retorts, is put into a barrel, and what is not used for filling uii the cans of clams is poured into separatt; tins, each holding a pint. ()uei)ound salniou cans are used for the Juice, with caps having a small apertun; to admit of soldering. After the cans are sealed they are tested, cooked, vented, s(;aled, cooked, tested, cooled, lacijuered, tested, labeled, and cased. The day the cannery was visited 1,092 buckets of clams were packed, making 224 cases of 21 two jiound tins of clams and 190 cases of 24 one-pint tins of Juice. 112 HULLICTIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The Indians do all the work. They are neat, clean, and tidy, perform their work deftly, and receive $1 per day. It is extra work and not jiaid for by the piece. Before work was commenced about forty klootchmeu jire.sented themselves for employment, and from this number the manager made his .selection. KLAWAK STREAM. Near the ui)per end of Klawak Inlet is a large island, close to the eastern shore, and around the northern end of this island is a narrow channel leading to the can- nery, which, with the village, is on the southern end of a head making out from the main shore of Prince of Wales Island. A narrow passage around the cannery leads back of the buildings to a salt-water basin less than half a mile in diameter. This basin receives the waters of the home stream. Klawak Stream is a lake outlet and from the lake it flows in a general west- southwest direction for 2^ miles, with an average width of fully 100 feet. It flows with a strong cur- rent, in a large vol- ume, over a bowldery and rocky bottom, and empties into the basin previously men- tioned. There are three rai)ids, one at the lake end of the ArW/fl||Il!ll!\ll^^^^^'^ outlet, one uear the mouth, and one about midway, over which the fish probably have some difficulty in passing, but that they are not insurmountable is proved by the presence of fish in the lake. There are a number of side passages and i)ools in the stream, in which humpbacks and dog salmon spawn. The cannery company is considering either placing lish-ladders at the most ditticult points of the stream or blasting out some of the ledges. The lake is an irregular-shaped, elongated body of water, about 10 miles long in a general west-northwest and east southeast direction, and from 1 to 2 miles in width. The shores, except for a short distance around the upper end, are low and flat and Sketch (if Klawak Stream and Lake. . U, S, F C. 1898, (To face page 112.) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. li;', extend back for a considerable distaixie before reachiuy tlie slopes rising to tlie hi{;'ber ranges. This flat country is heavily wooded and along the shores are a number of gravelly beaches. The lake is fed by four large streams and several smaller ones. One on the northern shore half a mile from the outlet, one about 3 miles from the outlet on the same shore, and one at the head of the lake are all spawning-grounds for redfish. The largest stream enters the lake on the southern shore about 3 miles from the outlet, but red salmon do not spawn there. It drains a very low, flat area. Klawak Stream has probably been fished longer and more assiduously tluin any other stream of Alaska. The cannery has been operated twenty seasons and a large number of fish taken from around the mouth of the stream at the cannery door. The natural facilities for taking the fish are very great, as they enter a natural trap in the basin back of the cannery and school around the mouth of the stream. The stream was barricaded and had an Indian trap in it for years, but as it was becoming depleted all traps and barricades were removed some years ago, and now the stream is care- fully guarded and less extensively fished, in the hope of ))uilding up the run. There are now no signs of artificial barriers anywhere. It is said that in the early days 80,000 redfish could be taken annually in the stream. The record for the past twelve years gives an average of 30,271, the largest catch being 62,002 in 18S8. In 1890, a good redfish year, 37,172 were taken, and in 1897, a ijoor year, 12,701. A few steelheads are taken by the Indians. The stream at present is undoubtedly good for 35,000 redfish, and probably 40,000 under good con- ditions. It is believed that if properly cared for it could produce 80,000 redfish annually. The following is the record of the stream since 1886 : Species. Tear. Dates. Number. Species. Year. Dates. Number. Kedflsh 1886 .July 21 to Aug. 20 5,424 Kedflsh 1892 June 24 to Aug. 17 40,555 Do 1887 .June 27 to Aug. 15 41.180 Do 1893 Juno22 to Aug. 31 33. 166 Do 1888 June 27 to Aug. 22 02,602 Do 1894 June 21 to Aug. 15 .34, 722 Do 1889 July 1 to Aug. 13 19, 361 Do 1895 .Iuno23to Aug. 14 40, 526 Humpbacks . 1889 July 22 to Aug. 13 92, 094 Do 1896 June29to Aug. 31 37, 172 Redfish 1890 June 30 to Aug. 30 49, 689 Cohoes 189B Sept. 12 to 27 2,667 Do 1891 June 16 to Aug. 15 58, 096 Eedtish 1897 June 25 to Aug. 3 . 12,764 As the stream was not fished to any extent in 1886 and 1897, the average for the intervening ten years would be .about 41,700. KLAWAK HATCHEEY. Eealizing the value of Klawak Stream to the cannery, and the importance of the natural spawning conditions in the lake and its feeders, the managers determined to try to improve the catch by operating a hatchery. Accordingly, in May and June, 1897, a hatchery, with a dwelling for the attendants, was erected on the right bank of the outlet, close to the lake and immediately below the uppi^r rapids. The western end of the lake narrows so gradually that it is difficult to tell where it ends and the outlet begins, but the first or upper rapids seem to be the natural line of demarcation. Here the stream is from 150 to 200 feet wide, and falls and tumbles about 10 feet in a a cataract, immediately below which the hatchery site was selected. The water was conducted in a wooden trough from the lake al)ove the rapids to the building, which was built from the bank out over a side eddy or widening of tiie njain stream, so that a slight current flows uuder the building. F. C. li., 1898—8 114 liULLETlN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The hatchery is a substantial board structure, 50 feet by 16 feet, stripped over the joints to make it tight, and shingled with spruce shingles. It is lighted with five win- dows facing the timber and entered by a door at either end, from which a platform leads to the shore. The hatchery fixtures consist of 8 troughs, 10 feet long by 16 inches wide, placed in pairs, each li pairs end-on, so that there are 2 sets of troughs running 32 feet in length, broken in the middle, the 2 lower pairs in each set being 4 inches lower, allowing that much fall to tlie water for aeration. The water is conducted from the lake above thti rapids in a V-shaped trough to the upper end of the building on the river side, and, after passing through a large sluice bos packed as a filter and running across the heads of the hatchery troughs, is conducted through them. These troughs are made of planed lumber well coated with asphalt varnish, with I. sof' I sheet-iron partitions also coated with as- phalt, and are so arranged as to give sufficient space for handling the baskets and to permit the cir- zz culatingwater topass under the partition at • the head and over the -J?// — — Plan of Klawak Hatchery. one at the foot, thus percolating through the eggs; that is, there are two partitions separating each basket compartment. The upper partition extends to the bottom of the trough and is of such height as to allow the water to flow over the top. The lower one is of such height as not to permit the water to flow over it, but is raised from the bottom of the trough so that the water flows under. They are regular Williamson troughs. On the bottoms of the troughs are small sheet-iron rests, varnished, which permit the baskets to rest upon them and clear the bottom by about 1 inch. The troughs have compartments for 50 baskets. The latter are of woven wire, 7 parts to the inch, and are 24 inches by 14 inches by 5 inches. The number of eggs placed in each basket here is 50,000, giving the troughs a capacity of 2,800,000. As the passageways are very wide, the caj)acity of the hatchery could very easily be increased a half, making it 4,200,000. The waste water is returned to the stream by iron pipes at the foot of the troughs. The hatchery was ready for work July 25. Early in .July the first redfish were seen in the lake, and on July 25 fish were seen in the trap at the mouth of Half-mile Greek. On August 1 a ripe female was captured and stripiied, and from that day there was a gradual increase in numbers until September 10, when they were at their height and wliites, 9 natives, and 1 Chinese cook. The steamer Louise is 5 tons net, valued at $3,(100, and has a crew of 3. Three lighters, worth $800 each, and S .seine boats, valued at $125 each, besides numerous skiffs, etc., are employed. This year a trap was driven in the inlet, but at the time of our visit it had not proved satis- factory. In and about the factory IT whites, 35 natives, 3 Chinese, and 5 Japanese are employed. The white fishermen are i)aid $50 a month, and board ; the native fishermen get $1.50 a day, or practically $45 a month, for they are paid even if detained, and while board is not stipulated they practically get it. Laborers generally have $1 a day, but about 10 of theiu, who have been employed a long time and are faithful, having the more dirticult work to do, receive $1.50 per day. Boys are paid 50 cents a day. A good native fisherman or laborer makes about $200 a season. All wages are paid in cash, the company disbursing $10,000 to $15,000 a year to the natives and the few white men who make Killisnoo their home. The factory is ready for operation from July 1 to December 31. A barrel of herring weighing 200 pounds contains from 700 to 800 fish. The price of pressed oil is 30 cents a gallon, crude oil 25 cents a gallon, the refuse of the pressed oil 20 cents a gallon. The guano brings from $25 to $27 per ton. The oil goes largely to San Francisco, jSTew York, and England, and is used for tanning, the manufacture of soap, and adulterations. A considerable portion of the guano is sold in Hawaii. During the spawning season the herring are very poor anenetrate the interior after moose, mountain sheep, and bear, but their reports are vague and conflicting. The rise and fnll of sjjring tides at Kussilof is over 30 feet, and tide water extends up the river for a distance of G miles, to a point where the first rapids are encountered. At low water the stream runs some distance into the inlet between high mud banks, with a bar at the end, which is bare at spring tides. The cannery is on the right bank, with some buildings on the river and .some on the inlet. The river at this place is about 150 yards wide. The superintendent of the cannery stated that all their fish were taken in the inlet, and that the rivers were not fished at all, as fish were not numerous enough to justify making preparation for them. He said that a nuudjer of years ago, before there was any law on the subject, he built a trap in the river jiroper, which took only 20,000 fish during the entire season. In 1890 Mr. George W. Hume, of San Francisco, built a canuery at Kussilof on the right bank of the river, about half a mile above its mouth. It was operated in 1890, 1891, and 1892. In the latter year it joined the Alaska Packing Association, in 1893 it entered the Alaska Packers' Association, and in 1894 it was consolidated with the Arctic Fishing Company's plant. It has not been operated since 1892. In 1882 the Alaska Packing Company, of San Francisco, built a cannery at Kus- silof, on the riglit bank of the river at the mouth, utilizing in its construction the available machinery of a cannery built at Old Sitka by the Cutting Packing Company, of San Francisco, in 1878.* In 1885 this cannery was sold to the Arctic Fishing Com- pany. Iu 1890 the canuery ship, the Gorca, was wrecked in Cook Inlet, and the cannery was not operated. In 1892 it joined the Alaska Packing Association and * The Old .Sitka canuery made a pack in 1878 aud 1879 and was then closed. 142 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. MauM a/ was closed, and in 1S93 it entered the Alaska Packers' Association, and has been operated by that organization to the present time. In 1897 the Arctic, Fishing Company emjiloyed 'i~\ white tishermeu, and in the cannery S whites, 20 natives, and 100 Chinese. The hshermen used for redfish 15 gill nets, each 50 fathoms long, 6:^-inch mesh, 30 meshes deep, valued at $1 per fathom; also for king. salmon, 15 gill nets, each 50 fathoms long, 9i-inch mesh, 22 meshes deep, valued at $1 i)er fathom ; 8 ])ile and web traps, 30 feet by 50 feet square pots, and leaders 300 to 700 feet long, valued at from $300 to 81,500 each. Three steamers were employed — the Jennie, of 70 net tons, with a crew of (5, and valued at $26,000 ; the Olga, of 8 tons, Avith a crew of 2, and valued at $0,000; the Arthur, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $2,100. The chartered bark I'rxxsia, of 1,131 net tons, and with a crew of fishermen, was used as a transport. Three sloop lighters worth $400 each, 1 pile-driver worth $750, 1 coal scow valued at $500, 15 gilliiet boats at $50 each, and 6 trap scows at $50 each, were also employed. In 1890 the equipment was prac- tically the same as for 1897, and the same hands were employed. The Chinese contract of the Arc- tic Fishi!ig Comjiany was 424 cents a case. The fishermen received board, $30 a month, and f cent a case. A number of these men remain in the country during the winter, and hunt and trap; some are squaw men. The cannery ship remains at anchor in Tuxedui Harbor, under Chisick Island, on the western shore of the inlet, as the anchorage off the cannery is unsafe. The following gives the pack of the Arctic Fishing Company at Kussilof Kiver for 1896 and 1897: Cape ^i/ss/Va/' Skctcli i)f Knssildf IJivtT uiid Vicinity. Species. 1896. 1897. Number of flsh. Cases packed. Fisli per case. Dates. Number of fish. Cases packed. Fish per case. Dates. EedBsh Cohoes King salmon... Humpback 309, 863 27, 600 18, 076 37, 800 23,367 2,300 7,000 2,100 13.2 12 2.6 18 May 25 to Aug. 14 July 20 to Aug. 10 May 25 to June 25 July 15 to Aug. 10 354,800 28,000 14, 083 24, 701 2,313 6,518 14.1 12.1 2.5 May 25 to Aug. 12. July 20 to Aug. 12. May 26 t« July 27. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 143 Tliis cannery commences to pack when tbe ice leaves the inlet so tliat the nets and traps can be used, usually about May '25, and closes about August 14. The first catch consists of king salmon and redfish, the latter in small numbers, but the com- bined product is sufficient to yield 50 to 100 cases a day. By July 1 the cannery generally has a i)ack of 8,000 to 9,000 cases, of which two-thirds are king salmon and the rest redflsh. During July they expect to pack from l!t,000 to 25,000 cases, of which 2,000 cases are king salmon, 2,000 cases cohoes, the remainder redlish; in August, to the 14th, they count on from 2,000 to 4,000 cases, nearly all of which are cohoes. The height of the ran of the different species is as follows: King salmon, from June 10 to 27; redtish, from June 1 to July 25; cohoes, from July 20 until after the cannery closes; and humpbacks from July 15 to August 10. The cannery conducts all its fisheries, using traps and gill nets. The gill nets are used in the inlet by drifting in the strong tidal currents — on the eastern side from Anchor Point to the East Foreland, and on the western side from Kalgin Island to Tyonek (see Chart B). The current is very strong, so that the boats drift rapidly. The water is not clear. Five traps are used in the vicinity of Kussilof and three near Kenai. They arebuilt in the usual way, with long leaders from the shore to deflect the fish into the square or heart at the end, which is in deeper water. They are driven in the si)riug and pulled up when the cannery closes, as no piling would stand the ice which moves in great masses in the inlet during the spring. The records of 1896 may give a general idea of the relative value of gill nets and traps in Cook Inlet. Of king salmon, 33 per cent were taken in traps and 67 per cent in gill nets; redtish, 87 per cent in traps and 13 per cent with gill nets; cohoes, nearly all in gill nets; humobacks, nearly all in traps. OTHER LOCALITIES IN COOK INLET llEGION. Mr. C. B. Ladd operates a saltery a short distance above Tyonek. About 100 barrels for local use would represent the total output in 1897. On the western shore, below Tyonek, three streams of considerable size are said to empty into Cook Inlet. These streams are no doubt known to the canuerymen, as the gill-net fishermen drift their nets from Kalgin Island to Tyonek. The fish value of the district is fairly well known, except in Kamishak Bay, which is difficult of access and is rei^orted to be foul and dangerous to navigate. Two large rivers empty into Cook Inlet on the northern shore beyond the ISTorth Foreland — the Shushitna and the Knik; the former runs redfish and the latter king salmon. Very little is known of these localities. 144 liULLKTlN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. THE KARLUK AND CHIGNIK DISTRICT. EXTENT AND CHAKAOTER OF THE REGION. Tills (listrl(!t extends from Cape Douglas toUiiimak I'ass and includes the eanueries on Kadiak and Afoguak island.s, Cbiguik Bay, and Thin Point. From Gape Douglas along tlie southern shore of the Alaska Peninsula to Chignik Bay the coast is rugged and deeply indented, with high mountain masses impinging close uj)on the shore. Nearly all of these indentations probably receive streams that have sahnon runs, but few of them are known to have redlish in numbers sufficient for commercial purposes. The cannerie.s on Kadiak have prospected over this section and at times have sent a steamer to Kukak Bay and obtained a load of redlish. The canneries in prosi)ecting, or on information from the natives, will locale one or two men on a stream for a full season and provide them with means for salting, judging the value of the stream from their output and their report. The only canneries that have been operated in this locality from Gape Douglas to Chignik have been on the islands of Kadiak and Afognnk. The bulk of the packing has centered around the mouth of Karluk lliver, on the northwest side of Kadiak Island, in latitude 57° 36' north, longitude 154'^ 17' west, where more salmon are taken than at any other one place in Alaska. The output of this district during the past sixteen years represents 43.8 per cent of the total Alaska pack, Chignik furnishing 8.1 per cent. The ])ercentage has fallen oft' during the past few years, owing not so much to a reduction in the pack as to the increased output uf southeast Alaska and Bering Sea. During the summer of 1S89, in accordance with an act of Congress directing the United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries to investigate "the habits, abun- dance, and distribution of the salmon of Alaska, as well as the present condition and methods of the fisheries," a party composed of ])r. Tarletoii H. Bean, Mr. Livingston Stone, Mr. Franklin Booth, and Mr. E. E. Lewis spent the entire season on the islands of Kadiak and Afognak. The report upon their investigations is given in the Fish Commission Bulletin for 1889. KARLUK. Commercial fishing for salmon has been carried on at the mouth of the Karluk River for the past thirty years. The first cannery was built in 1882; previous to that a few hundred barrels of salt salmon were annually i)ut up. The earliest account of commercial fishing dates back to 1807, when three parties were engaged in salting salmon. In 1870 the Alaska Fur Trading Company and the Alaska Commercial Company began to salt salmon — at first only to a limited extent, the output grad- ually increasing from year to year. From this small beginning grew the present great industry. Prior to 1880 no record was kept of the salmon taken. In that year fishing com- menced June 15 and ended September 22. The output amounted to 800 barrels of salt salmon and 100 half-barrels of salted salmon-bellies. The species taken was j)robably the red salmon (Oncorhynchus nerlcu). The catch at Karluk in 1895 was approximately 1,762,000 redfish, in 1896 it was 2,650,000, and in 1897 it was 1,867,000. The canneries usually count on packing Bull, U. S F. C 1898. (To face page 144.) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 145 150,000 cases, wliicb would take 1,800,000 redfisli, and this is probably a fair estimate of the present capacity of tbe locality. It is generally believed, even by tbose inter- ested, that there is a gradual decline, though they still run in large numbers. In 1890 several hauls on Karluk Spit yielded 75,000 salmon to the liaul. Hauls of I'nmi 25,000 to 30,000 fish are not unusual during the height of the run. It is said that some years ago 100,000 salmon were taken at a single haul on the spit. The fish are rather small; the general average is probably 5i pounds in weight. In 180(J and 1897 the average number to the case was 12 fish; in 1897 it commenced at 17 to the case, changing to 15, and at the time of our visit, August 3 to G, it was 13 to the case. The first run of the season usually consists of very small fish. KARLUK ItlVKK. The mouth of the outlet is in the middle of a curve in the shore line on the northwest side of Kadiak Island, facing Shelikof Strait, forming an oi)en roadsteaerform its chief object in life, rintil the law is strictly enforced and fishing in streams can not be openly done with impunity, those who have shown an inclination to protect the salmon fishery will have little encouragement. It is true that the number of salmon taken out of Karluk Kiver is small as compared to the catch on the outside grounds; but even a limited amount of river fishing is suflicient to produce results injurious to- the fishery. Karluk Eiver, like all streams in Alaska where the operation is feasible, has in past year^ suffered by barricades and zapors. In late years it is said there have been no barricades in the stream. For some time previous to ISS'J a feuce or barricade had been placed across the mouth of the river near the upper end of the estuary above the seiuing-grouud; but it was removed in that j'ear, and there has since been no obstruc- tion except in 1891, when for a short time a fence was jiut in to aid in taking salmon for the hatchery which had been built. CANXEKIES OF THE KARLUK DISTIilCT. That a iirolific locality like the Karluk shoidd be a bone of contention is only natural, and scarcely a year has passed that some struggle for supremacy between rival canneries has not disturbed the normal conditions. In 189G the following canneries were open and made packs: Alaska Improvement Company under that company, and the Karluk Packing Company and the Hume- Aleutian under the Alaska Packers' Association. In 1897 the Alaska Packers' Association purchased the cannery of the Alaska Improvement Company and operated all the canneries. The transfer of j)roperty took place after the fishing arrangement had been made. By this purchase the association came into possession of all the canneries in the vicinity of Karluk, and purchased what they hoped was peace. But the spring of 1897 saw two canneries built at Uyak, about 18 miles from Karluk, expecting to make their pack from the Karluk beach. The contention arising from the fisheries of these canneries is now in the courts of San Francisco. Karhih Pacling Comijuny. — In 1883 Jlessrs. Smith & Ilirsch, who had been engaged in salting on Karluk Spit, built the first cannery on Kadiak Island. After operating it until 1881 it was organized under the title of the Karluk Packing Company, and has packed under that name every year to date. It joined the pool of the Alaska Packing Association in 1892, and became a member of the Alaska Packers" Associa- tion in 1893. It has a capacity of 2,000 cases per day. It has packed more fish than any other cannery in Alaska. Since 1882 the total is 814,642 cases, with an average of 52,790 cases per year. In 1888 it packed 101,304 cases. This cannery employed but few men at first — 10 Chinese to perform the mechanical work, and two gangs of fishermen, 5 or G men in each, mostly natives. Two drag seines, each 40 fathoms long and 3 fathoms deei>, were employed in capturing fish. Kiidiuli Faclinij Company. — The cannery of this company was built in 1888 on the eastern end of the spit, and was operated in 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, and 1893. It was a member of the pool of the Alaska Packing Association in 1892 and closed that year. In 1893 it joined the Alaska Packers' Association and was operated, but has been closed ever since that date and is held as a reserve. In 1891, under the agreement of the Karluk Eiver Fisheries, this cannery packed the quota of fish allowed the Arctic Packing Company at Uyak Bay. It has a capacity of 1,800 cases a day. Bull. U, S F. C. 1898, (To face page 148 ) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OP ALASKA. 149 Hume Packing Company. — The cannery of this company was built in 1889 on the spit about 400 yards westward of Kodiak cannery, and has been operated every year to date. In 1892 it joined the pool formed by the Alaska Packing Association, and in 1893 it became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. In 1891, under the agreement of the Karluk Kiver Fisheries, the quota of fish allotted to the Aleutian Islands Fishing and Mining Company's cannery was packed in the Hume cannery, and after that date these two canneries were consolidated under the Ilume, which is now known as the Hume-Aleutian. The capacity is 2,600 cases per day. Aleutian Lilands Fishing and j\[ining ('ompany. — This company in 1888 built a cannery on Karluk Spit in a position which is now about 100 yards westward of the Hume cannery, and operated it in 1888, 1889, and 1890. In 1891 the quota of hsh allowed under the Karluk River Fisheries agreement was packed in the Hume can- nery, under an agreement known as the Hume- Aleutian compact. After 1801, however, the two canneries were consolidated and, as mentioned above are now known as tlie Hume-Aleutian. The building is used as a warehouse. Alaska Improvement Company. — This company was incorporated uiuler the laws of the State of California, and in 1888 built a cannery on the left bank of the outlet, opposite the point of the spit and facing the Shelikof Straits. It was ready to pack in 1888, but was not operated on account of the loss of the cannery ship, the Julia Ford. It made a first pack in 1889, and has continued each year to date. In 1891, under the Karluk River Fisheries agreement, the quota of the fish of the Russian- American cannery at Afognak was packed at the Alaska Improvement Company's cannery. It did not enter the pool of the Alaska Packing Association of 1892, nor the Alaska Packers' Association of 1893, but in the spring of 1897 it was sold to the latter organization, and is now operated by that company. It has a capacity of 1,000 cases a day. The cost of the cannery from the time of building until 1890, including all buildings, wharves, machinery, and improvements and additions, was $38,000. Hume Canning and Trading Company. — In 1893 this company built a cannery on the beach under Karluk Head, about three-fourths of a mile northward of the Alaska Improvement Company, in what is known locally as Tanglefoot Bay. It was operated in 1893 and 1894, and in 1895 it was sold to the Alaska Packers' Association and operated by that organization; it was closed in 1896 and 1897. It is held as a reserve, and has a capacity of 1,600 cases a day. OUTPUT AND EQUIPMKNT OF THE KARLUK CANNERIES. In 1896 the Alaska Improvement Company packed 87,613 cases of redfish, 12 to the case. No other fish were packed and none salted or smoked. Of the above, 15,.j80 cases were fish taken at Uganuk, which ran 10 to the case; 3,500 cases from Ayagulik; 340 cases from Kaguayak, and 10 cases from Little River. The balance, 68,183 cases, were from Karluk beach and lagoon. The Aleuts fished the lagoon and the white crews fished the beach fronting the property of the Alaska Improvement Company. Packing begun June 10, when 270 cases were packed — 18 cases of Karluk fish and 252 cases from Uganuk. The last fish were packed September 15, all from Karluk. The nets were dragged as late as September 20. During part of .July and August the run of redfish was so large at Karluk that the company sold 101,000 to Hume Bros. & Hume and 54,000 to the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, both at Chignik, and only stopped selling fish to that point by agreement with the Alaska Packers' Association canneries, which were also shijjpiug 150 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. tisli to tiieir cannery at Chignik, and upon reijuest of the salmon inspector, who hap- pened to be tliere and who saw the great loss of tisli in transit and the poor (condition in which they arrived at their destination. In l4 days in the fall. While fishing they were paid $15 per 1,000 salmon, collectively, and a ration of 35 cents per day per man. Quarters, fuel, water, and salt were supplied and a cook and baker furnished, who together got $100 per month. The fishermen had no work on the vessel either way excei)t to man the pumjjs. Full crews wei'e kept on the vessels all the time. The Chinese were transported each way free of charge, but they fed and bedded themselves. They contracted at 45 cents a case, and were found quarters, water, fuel, and salt. A cook was furnished who received $300 for the season. The boss (Jhina- man had an additional salary of $50 per month besides his lay, and the tester was hired independently and paid $350 for the season. Tliere were used 3 seines 500 fathoms long, 3^-inch mesh stretched, 100 meshes deep at bunt, 100 meshes at the offshore end, and GO meshes deep at the inshore end; 1 seine 350 fathoms long, 3:^ inch mesh; 1 river seine, 175 fathoms long; and 1 seine 150 fathoms long; value of all seines, $1.75 per fathom. The large seines were used by the wJiite crews on the outside beaches, and the small ones by the Aleuts in the river and lagoon. There were also 2 seines, 500 fathoms long, stretched and hung in the loft ready for use, and some spare web on hand, all valued at $2,000. The Alaska Improvement Company used an experimental trap at Uganuk in 1896. As there is no timber in tins country for piling and as the water is very deep, the trap was made floating. It had a leader of 200 fathoms with a pot 36 feet by 200 feet. Old seines, 3^-inch mesh, were used in the leader. The following gear was used in anchoring and floating the trap: Six coils 2-iuch, 24 coils 2i-inch, and 4 coils 3inch rope; 100 keg floats and 10,(100 cork floats; 12 400-i)ound anchors, 14 300-pound anchors, and 20 150-pound anchors. Depth of water at pot, 11 fathoms. The Alaska Improvement Company placed a second floating trap at Uganuk in the spring of 1897, which was similar to the one just described, but larger. It liad a leader of 300 fathoms, and a pot 50 by 300 feet, with a circular extension wing 100 fathoms long. Depth at pot at high water, 12 fathoms. There were used in the con- struction of this trap, aside from the web, 10 coils each of H inch, 2-inch, 2i-inch, and 3-inch rope, 20 coils 2f-inch rope, 10,000 cork floats, 900 three-gallon keg floats, and many anchors. These traps were set at the time of the transfer of the property and turned over to the Alaska Packers' Association ; but, as the fishery at Uganuk was a failure, they were taken up, and at the time of our visit they were stored in the cannery. The Alaska Iinprovemeut Company employed the steamer Kadiak, of 58 tons, with a crew of x, and valued at $23,000; the steamer Alaska, of 23 tons, with a crew THE SALMON AND SALMON FISIIF.RIES OK ALASKA. 151 of 5, and valued at $7,500; the lamicli Delphine, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and val- ued at $4,500; the hinnch Gorinne, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $3,750; the ship Centennial, of 1,139 tons, with a crew of 14, and valued at $14,250; the bark Harvester, of 710 tons, with a crew of 10, and valued at $7,750; the threeinast schooner Premier, of 292 tons, with a crew of 8, and valued at $9,000; also 7 beach seine boats 35 feet long; 2 river seine boats 25 feet long; 1 river seine boat 20 feet long — all valued at $4 per running foot. A large nuinlier of dories and skills were also used. In 1896 the Karluk Packing Company and the Hume-Aleutian Packing Company were operated together and under one management, and the equipment will therefore be given under one bead. The two compauies employed in the fisheries and in tlie canneries 200 whites, 100 natives, and 200 Chinese. There were used 8 seines 450 fathoms long, 3-inch mesh, 145 meshes deep; 2 seines 425 fathoms long, 180 meshes deep; 1 seiue 200 fathoms long. 100 meshes deep, all 3incli mesh, valued at $1.50 per fathom. The vessels and boats employed were the steamer Hattie Gage, of 42 tons, with a crew of 8, and valued at $17,000; 2 launches of about 5 tons each, with crews of 2, and valued at $2,000 eacb ; 13 lighters, valued at $400 each ; 70 dories, valued at $25 each; 15 seine boats, valued at $125 each. The transports were the shii) St. Nichola.s, of 1,688 tons, chartered, with a crew of 19; the ship Santa Clara, of 1,473 tons, with a crew of 18, and valued at $30,000. The Karluk cannery in 1896 packed 68,495 cases of redfish, averaging 12 per case, and the Hume-Aleutian 70,320 cases of redfish, of same average size. Botli canneries packed from June 5 to September 18. No other fish were packed at these canneries. In 1897 there were packed in the Karluk district 1,865,731 redfish, niaking 156,286 cases; also 1,500 cohoes, making 89 cases, or a total of 156,.'>75 cases. Of this number, 2,113 cases wei-e packed at (Jganuk. The Alaska Improvement Company packed 49,852 cases of redfish from June 12 to September 21. The Karluk Packing Company jiacked 54,777 cases of redfish from June 3 to October 9. The Hume- Aleutian packed 49,633 cases of redfish from June 16 to September 20. The average number of fish per case was 11.94. In 1897 the Karluk Packing Company, the Hume- Aleutian Packing Company, and the Alaska Improvement Company, o[)erating together, employed 16 hatchery- men, 126 white fishermen, 49 whites around the canneries, 390 Chinese, and 25 natives, the latter as tishermeu and around the canneries. Of this number, there were taken for the Uganuk cannery 20 white fishermeu, 12 white cannery-hatuls, and 96 Chinese. As the fisheries at Uganuk were a failure iu 1897, these hands were all transferred back to Karluk early in July, so that the number first stated may properly be credited to the three canneries operated in 1897 at Karluk. For the Karluk fisheries there were used 3 drag seines each 500 fathoms long, 125 meshes deep; 8 drag seines each 450 fathoms long, 145 meshes deep; 3 drag seines eacb 425 fathoms long, 180 meshes deep; 3 drag seines each 200 fathoms long, 100 meshes deep — all 3-inch mesh, and valued at $1.75 per fathom. The steamer Kadialc, of 58 tons, with a crew of 8, and valued at $20,250, was regularly employed, and the steamer Hattie Gac/e was under charter part of the time and used as a reserve part of the time. Four launches were also used, the Aurora, Ida, Delphine, and .Julia M., valued, respectively, at $3,700, $2,700, $2,500, and $2,000, all of about 5 tons and carrying 2 men each. The transports were the ship Santa Clara, of 1,473 tons, with a crew of 18, and valued at $30,000; the chartered ship St. Nicholas, of 1,688 tons, with a crew of 19; tlie bark Nicholas Thayer, of 556 tons, with 152 15ULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. a crew of 11, and valued at $10,000; the bark Merom, of 1,159 tons, with a crew of 15, and vahied at $16,000. The Scmta Clara made two trips to Karluk; the Nicholas Thayer, besides tlie Karhik trip, made two trips to Loring, and the bark Merom made one trip to Naknek. The canneries used 13 lighters, valued at $400 each; 21 seine boats, vahied at $125 each ; and 113 dories, valued at $25 each. There is a large amount of spare equipnieiit on liand. The Chinese contract was 40 cents a case, and, as is always the arrangement, on a guaranteed pack. The fishermen have wages until fishing begins, and then an allowance per case. This nets them about $45 per month and board. REGULATION OF WORK IN CANNKRIE8. The canneries at Karluk and the one at Uganuk are under the management of one general superintendent. Each cannery has its foreman and regular number of employees, and in many ways they are separate and work independently of each other. The fish caught are equally divided among the canneries, the pack of eacli from day to day being so regulated as to amount to about the same. Each cannery packs salmon under the original brands used previous to coming into the association. It has been found necessary to do this in order to hold the established trade. Had new brands been substituted, considerable confusion and dissatisfaction would have arisen, followed by a decrease in the demand for Karluk salmon, for after establishing a reputation a brand of salmon can not be changed without a loss to the cannery. FISHERMEN IN THE KARLUK REGION. Each fishing gang has a boss, who directs the setting of the seine and the handling of the boats. Seines are set in their regular turn ; as soon as one haul has been made another is commenced. Tliis is kept up day and night when fish are plentiful and tlie weather and tide favorable. On shore two men, who are known as shore boss fisher- men, keep a sharp lookout for any signs of salmon which may appear oft' the spit. If, in their judgment, the conditions are favorable for setting seines, the fishermen are called out and rei^eated hauls made. It fre(juently happens that fish will be jumping and no i^articular notice taken of them; at other times one or two salmon observed will be sufficient for the seine to be set. Long exi^erience has taught tliese men when to make hauls to obtain the best results. They arfe governed largely by the weather, direction of the wind, and the way fish are playing. • SIZE AND NUMBER OF SEINES. It has been frequently found necessary to increase the number and length of the seines at Karluk. Commencing with nets 40 fathoms long, they have now reached a length of 500 fathoms. The average length, however, is 450 fathoms. The size of mesh is 3 inches, stretch measure. A large amount of web and other material for making seines is kept in stock. In the spring the necessary seines are manufactured; when one is worn out, it is replaced by another. The wear which seines receive in this fishery is considerable, and the number expended each year amounts to several thousand fathoms. The quantity of web, corks, and rope kept on band for making seines varies but little from year to year. lu 1895 an inventory of the amount on hand was taken, and, as there has been no material change since, the quantity for that year will answer for 1897. At the Bull. U S F C. 1898. (To face page 152.1 SEINING AT KARLUK A. P. A CANNERY AT CHIGNIK BAY. THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 153 beginning of the season mentioned 11,520 fathoms of wel) were on hand, eqnal to abont 20,000 pounds, representinji- in vahie nearly $4,000, at 15 cents a ponnd. A seine such as is used here, iinished and ready to put in the water, costs 35 cents a pound, which is approximately e(iuivaleut ta $1 a fathom. This includes corks, leads, head and foot lines. The total length of seines used in 1897 was 6,975 fiithoms, representing a value of $0,975. It is diflicult to ascertain the number of fathoms of web worn out during a season's fishing, but it is safe to say that the amount reaches nearly two-thirds as much as the combined length of seines hung at the beginning of a season. The small seines, 200 fathoms long, are used in the river; those 425 fathoms and 180 meslies deep are used mostly off the beach in Tanglefoot Bay. The water here is somewhat deeper than off the spit, and requires seines of diflerent dimensions. IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF SEINING. Previous to 1890 seining at Kaiiuk was performed by hand. In that year steam power was introduced, which greatly facilitated the work and reduced the manual labor fully one-half. Formerly the time occupied in setting and hauling a seine was from four to six hours, depending largely on the weather and other circumstances. The average time required to make a haul under favorable conditions was about four hours. In setting a seine the inner end was anchored close to the beach; the outer end, when thrown ont of the boat, was usually the length of the seine rope from the shore, about 75 to 100 fathoms. The seine rope was then run to the shore and taken to a wooden capstan. Setting the seine was comparatively easy, but it required the united strength of the crew to haul it in, and frequently the assistance of a second crew was needed. In this way only a few hauls could be made each day. The labor connected with this kind of fishing was hard, and only men inured to exposure could continue through a season. The easiest part of the work was in surrounding the fish. The crew consisted of 18 men, 8 to row the boat, 2 to tend the seine as it ran out over the stern, on the beach, and 2 stationed in dories to keep the foot line and cork rope clear. Drag seines are not thrown from the boat in the same manner as purse seines; the latter are stowed in evenly i>iled layers, the corks aft and the twine forward, and set from the side of the boat. Drag seines are stowed with considerably less care, as they run out with little assistance while the boat is being rowed. STEAM POWER IN THE KARLUK FISHERIES. The introduction of steam power on shore and the use of steam launches in setting seines has done away with a large portion of the manual labor connected with the fishery. Stowing seines and handling the catch require the same labor as heretofore. In setting a seine assisted by a steam launch, the inner end of the seine is anchored or otherwise fastened near the beach, as was the former custom wlien all work was performed by hand. The seine boat starts from the shore, from 6 to 8 men at the oars, and 2 men stationed at the stern who keep the seine from fouling as it runs out. When about 75 or 100 fathoms of net have been let out, a steam launch takes the seine- boat in tow. The men take in their oars and give all their attention to the seine, which is rapidly running out. When the seine is set it forms a semi-circle, the outer end being from COO to 800 feet off shore. The launch then commences to tow this end of the seine to the beach, making a wide sweep, so as to cover as much ground as possible. This frequently occupies an hour or more. When the end of the seine is 154 Bl LLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. witbiu about 200 feet of the shore the launch casts off the seiue rope, which is picked up by the boat and taken to the shore and phxeed in snatch blocks which lead to a steam winch and are arranged along the beach. As the seine is hove in, the circle becomes smaller, and in order to have the rope at all times pull from the right direction the seine rope is shifted as the seine comes in, from the outer to the inner blocks. By this means the seine is landed on the beach at the desired spot. During this operation a man is stationed at the post from which the seine rope leads, and gives the necessary signals; he also shifts the seine rope from block to block when necessary. After the end of the seine is lauded ou the beach, half of the seine has still lo be drawn into a small compass in order to accommodate the size of the catch. This is done by hitching the hauling lino around the body of the seine, flutiug it as it comes home, and shifting the leads as may be required. In this way the entire seine is hauled in; the hauling is all done from one end. As soon as the seine is dragged into as narrow compass as desired, a dory is anchored a short distance outside the seine, the rode line is paid out until the dory reaches the cork rojie, which is taken over the stern of the dory and made ftist. This is called a " snag tender." A man is stationed ou the outside of the corks to be ready to clear the foot line should it come in contact with anything on the bottom. When the wind is blowing on shore and any consider- able surf is heaving in on the beach, the dory keeps the seine in position, preventing it from being thrown into a heap. The catch having been gathered into a bag formed by the net, the corks are made fast to the gunwale of two or more dories, as may be required, and the fish pitched into them with singletined forks called "pews." When a large haul of salmon is taken, dip nets holding 18 to 20 flsh or more are used; this is called "bailing out.'' By the time one seiue is half in, another is being set, and at no time when the weather is suitable and fish plentiful, except from Friday night to Suiulay morning, is the fishing-ground free from seines. Frequently three and four are in the water at once. It has been the custom not to set seines directly across the mouth of the outlet, but the manner of operation often makes it almost impossible for flsh to ascend except in the early spring. Those that escape one haul are likely to be captured in the next. It is true that one day in each week no fishing is carried on. and during that time a considerable number of salmon jiass in by the mouth of the outlet, but the majority of tliese are captured before ascending very far. If fishing in the outlet were entirely prohibited, it would aid very nuiterially in keeping up the supply. SHIPS AND HOATS. A fishery so large as that carried on at Karluk requires many boats of difterent types. The expense of keeping these in repair and supplying new ones when needed is considerable. These cannery ships, like all others connected with the salmon fishery of Alaska, on leaving the home port in the spring are loaded with the raw material to be used during the season, which consists largely of box boards, tin, rope, and machinery; also the required amount of provisions. In most cases the superin- tendents, foremen, and bookkeepers of the canneries take passage in these vessels; the fishermen and Chinese help are also included among the number. In all parts of Alaska where drag-seine fishing is carried on, the style of boats varies but little, they being about the same shape and build. Those used at Karluk are from 2S to 30 feet long and 9 feet wide, flat on the bottom, and square across the Bull. U S, F.C 1898, (To face page 1 54.) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 165 stern. The seine is stowed in the bottom of the boat, and when beiug set is thrown from the stern by two men. In localities where small seines are used a platform is built at the stern of the boats, upon which seines are stowed. Seines 450 fixthoms long-, such as are used at Karhik, can not be stowed to advantage on a platform, as considerable room is required, and in a short choppy sea, which is frequently encoun- tered off the mouth of the river, the net would be likely to topple over. The dories range in leugth from 16 to 22 feet. The large ones are used mostly in carrying salmon from the seiningground to the canneries. When fish are plentiful and large hauls are made, scows are used. Small dories are used in tending the seines when set, such as clearing the foot line from bowlders or other obstacles on the bottom. The scows or lighters are principally for loading and unloading the ships, although they are frequently used in handling a large catch of salmon. There are several sizes, varying in length from 30 to 4(1 feet, the largest having a capacity of SOO cases. SALMON IIATCnBRY NEAR KARLUK. In 1891, when under the Karluk River Fisheries an ai)portionmeiit of the lish was made for the year by mutual agreement, the organization built and operated a hatchery on tiie lagoon at a point half a mile below the present liatchery; 2,.50(),O()O eggs were taken, but, owing to bad water, crude appliances, and want of experience, only about 500,000 fish were hatched. As the Karluk Kiver Fisheries agreement went out of existence after the pack of 1891 and the canneries concerned could not agree in continuing the operations, the hatchery was abandoned. The hatchery now operated at Karluk by the Alaska Packers' Association was built in 1806. It is situated on the southern bank of Karluk River abont 2 miles from the outlet, and has been successful from the beginning. 'The first season, fall of 189(( to spring of 1897, 2,500,000 red salmon were hatched and liberated. In a recent letter from the superintendent of the hatchery, he states that he took over 5,500,000 eggs during the season of 1898, and that they were in an exceedingly healthy condition, the prospects being good for a large output with no undue losses. Alaska, like most regions where hatcheries have been operated, presents a variety of conditions, both favorable and otherwise, under which artificial propagation must be carried on. A plan which has been followed with success in one locality may fail in another. It is extremely donbtful if there can be found in the Territory two places where propagation can be conducted in detail on precisely similar lines. The building at Karluk is fitted with all the modern improvements usually found in a hatchery, snch as steam engine, pump, and heating apparatus for warming the building and the water in the troughs and spawning pools. Approximately, the size of the hatchery building is 40 by 110 feet, and l.l stories high. Half the upi)er Hoor is a general storeroom; the other part is divided into quarters for the employees; the kitchen and dining room are below. At the time of our visit work was being actively carried on in the construction of spawning and rearing ponds, and buildings to cover them. One large pond had been l)reviously built in the hatchery in which many of the small fry first hatched had been reared until liberated. It is also used to keei) sjjawn fish in during cold weather. Another pond, situated near the bank of the river, had been used the first season for the same purpose. As the fish grow tliey are removed from the pond in the hatchery to th(^ one outside. 15G BULLETIN OP TITK UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The water supply is received from two creeks, one at the hatcliery, the otlier three- fourths of a mile away. The water is admitted into the building through the roof, passes through several screens, and is distributed to the troughs under pressure from a tank. The supply reaches the troughs through a Oinch pipe. There are 1.'5 sections of 4 troughs each, the total capacity of which is approxi- mately 10,000,000 eggs. Taken as a whole the hatchery compares favorably with the best. Money has not been spared to make it flrst-class in every respect. The water in the pond connected with the hatchery can be kept at any tempera- ture desired. In this way a large number of fish can be held for a long i)eriod. The average temperature of water during the winter of 1800-97 was 31!. 5°. In the hatchery it was kept at from 38° to 43°. On a few occasions a temperature of 52° was reached. Many of the eggs were 155 days in hatching. Few salmon were taken at the hatchery for spawning jinrposes from the 20th of July to the 5th of August. An abundance of fish entered the lower river, but as river fishing was being carried on, only an occasional salmon was observed as far upstream as the hatchery. Consequently the fishing gang, which was stationed on a projecting point making out from the southern bank of the river, watched for days lor favorable signs, making repeated hauls with little or no success. The highest number of fish taken in one day was 83. This catch was made on the 5th of August, the day of our departure. The cause for this remarkable scarcity of salmon at the hatchery was attributable to the frequent seine hauls made inside the mouth of the river near the canneries, from 8,000 to 10,000 being taken there daily. Fish which escaped the seines off' the spit were almost certain of capture before they could get very far up the river, thereby minimizing the chances of many being secured at the hatchery. The work of artificial propagation was thus greatly retarded, much to the discourage- ment of all concerned. At the end of a fortnight it was deemed advisable to commence supplying the hatchery with spawn fish from the moutli of the river, as at tliat time the indications were that few salmon would be taken on the hatchery seiningground. The first day 7,000 fish were caught and placed in the ponds. The mortality was considerable at first, but after a time better results were obtained. It was subsequently learned that during the latter part of August a number of good hauls of salmon were made otf the hatchery. Most of the fish, however, were taken outside the mouth of the river. As long as fishing is conducted in the river the hatchery will at most times labor under great disadvantage, for the seiningground upstream can not then be depended upon to supply the number of spawn-fish I'equired. Means should be taken to stop all commercial fishing, both in and directly off" the mouth of the river. With all obstructions removed, there would during the fishing season be little, if any, difficulty in obtaining spawn fish to run the hatchery at its fullest capacity, and at the same time this would not materially affect the pack of the canneries. The spawn-salmon are transported to the hatchery by "cars." These are manu- factured from discarded dories, and are said to be more servic /ole and more easily handled than the ordinary square box car. The fish are plai ,;• in the cars as care- fully as circumstances will i)ermit. If the tide be low at the le the catch is made, the cars are tied up to the bank of the stream until the tide rises, for the river is too shallow to admit of their being towed to the hatchery, excei)t after half flood-tide. The transportation of stock salmon in tlie manner described was in its experi- mental stage, and the fish did not always arrive at the spawning ponds in good THE SALMON AND SALMOX FISHERIES OP ALASKA. 157 condition. At this time the cars had uo covering and the tish strnggled wildly in their efforts to escape. This no doubt added largely to their death rate. It has since been learned that later in the season little difficulty was experienced in transferring and holding the fish. Another year, with the increased facilities contemplated, together with the experience gained concerning local conditions during the past two seasons' work, will bring this hatchery up to a high standard. OFFAL IN KARLUK RIVER. During a heavy run of fish a large amount of oflal is daily thrown into the outlet. Three of the canneries are situated on the bank of the stream and one at the month. The refuse material coming from the one at the mouth is usually carried directly out to sea, but that which falls from the other three is for a long time swept back and forth, up and down the estuary, by the current of the stream and tide from the ocean. A considerable amount of this material is sometimes thickly strewn over the bottom, frequently in the path of salmon on their way upstream. At the time of the writer's visit to the river the daily catch of salmon was small, and a correspondingly slight amount of refuse matter was visible; but enough was noticed to form an opinion as to the quantity that would have been dumped into the river had the catch been large. Inquiries were made of different individuals connecfed with the fishery as to whether offal in any way affected the progress of salmon in their Journey upstream. It was stated that at no time had it been noticed that the movements of salmon had been arrested by offal, either stationary or moving over the bottom. It was claimed that freipiently a large number of salmon would be seen in that part of the river where tlie refuse matter was most abundant, cau.sing the water to be very much discolored, which, so far as could be observed, did not in any way disturb their move- ments. With most marketable sea fishes, even a small amount of blood or refuse matter has the effect of driving them from the ground, and it would seem that the same rule would apply to the salmon. In order, however, to arrive at a definite conclusion in regard to this matter, a careful study would have to be made of the stream under various conditions. As this river has for years been the dumping ground for such large (quantities of refuse, it would seem that its injurious effects are indeed slight. ALITAK BAY. Alitak Bay is a deep indentation, with several arms, on the southwestern end of Ivadiak Island, about (j5 miles from Karluk. A map and a de.scrii)tion of the locality are given in Dr. Bean's report, in the Fish Commission Bulletin for 1S8!I, pages 182-184. The Arctic Packing Company in 1889 built a cannery in the southwest bight of Olga Bay, which is a branch of Alitak Bay, and is connected with it by a long, narrow passage. It has been operated every year since its construction, and in 1892 it was in the pool formed by the Alaska Tacking Association, and in 1893 it entered the Alaska Packers' Association. It has a capacitj' of 1,500 cases. In 1891, under an agreement with the Kodiak Packing Company, in the same locality, the cannery of the latter company was closed and its quota of fish packed in the Arctic cannery. This cannery is the only one now operated in the vicinity of what is locally called the " south end." In 1897 the company employed 25 white fishermen, 7 white cannery-hands, 10 natives, and 57 Chinese. The apparatus consisted of two drag seines each 250 fath- oms long by 120 meshes deep, and two drag seines each 200 fathoms long by 100 158 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. meshes deep, one drag seiuo 100 fathoms long by 80 meshes deep; all mesli 3-incli. The vessels in the service of the compauy were the steamer Aleut, of 19 tons, with a erew of 4, aud valued at $10,000; the bark Kate Davenport, of 1,175 uet tons, char- tered and used as a trausi)ort; three lighters, valued at $250 each; 1 seine boats at $150 each; 4 scows at $100 each, aud 10 dories at $20 each. The eijuipmeut statistics for ISOO are the same as for 1897, except that the bark Goryphene, of 771 tons, was chartered for transportation. The pack for 1896 was made from June 11 to August 28, and consisted of 23,155 cases of redflsh, averaging 12 to the case. No other fish were packed. The pack for 1897 was made from June 9 to August 29, and consisted of 513,000 redfish, making 37,401 cases, or an average of 13.7 lish to the case. No other fish were packed, and none salted. The Kodiak Packing Com|)any in 1889 built a cannery in Snug Harbor, a cove in the passage connecting Olga Bay with Alitak Bay, and operated it in 1889 and 1890. In 1891 its quota of lish was packed in the cannery of the Arctic Packing Company. It entered the pool formed by the Alaska Packing Association in 1892, and in 1893 became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. The same year the machinery was moved to Karluk, where some was utilized aud some held in reserve. It is now dismantled. UVAK BAY. Uyalv Bay makes into Ivadiak Island on the northwestern side, about the middh' of its length, and is an extensive sheet of water with ramifying arms, one reaching within a short distance of the southern coast of the island. On the western shore, near the entrance and about 18 miles from Karluk, is Uyak Anchorage. It is an excellent hai-bor, formed by the main shore of Ivadiak Island and Bear aud Harvester islands, and is fre(]uently used as an anchorage by cannery ships and the steamers from Karluk during bad weather. Here, on the main shore, are located two canneries. The cannery of the Pacific Steam Whaling Company is the southernmost of tlie two, and was built in the spring of 1897, making a pack the same year. It has a capacity of 800 cases a day. In 1897 the company employed 40 white fishermen, and in the cannery were 20 whites and 60 Chinese. Six drag seines, from 100 to 300 fathoms long, all 3inch mesh, and valued at about $1.50 per fathom, were used; also one purse seine, 300 fathoms long, valued at $1,000. The vessels employed were the steamer Golden Gate, of 50 tons, with a crew of 5, and valued at $20,000; the launch Beaver, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $4,000; 2 lighters worth $350 each; 5 seine boats worth $100 each, and 15 dories worth $25 each. From July 3 to September 15 the company packed 17,000 cases of redfish, averag- ing 12 to the case. The fish were taken as follows: From Karluk, 90,000; Waterfalls and Slide, 65,000; Little River, 6,000; Uganuk, 1,000, and Alitak, 42,000. The total number of redflsh used was about 204,000. The cannery of Hume Brothers & Hume is the northern one at Uyak Anchorage, and was built in the spring of 1897, making a pack the same year. It has a capacity of 800 cases a day. In 1897 it employed 75 white fishermen, aud 32 whites and 60 Chinese around the cannery. They used 3 gill nets, 200 fathoms long, 30 meshes deep, 6iuch mesh, valued at 65 cents per fathom; 6 drag seines, 200 to 300 fathoms long, 100 fo 125 meshes deep at bunt, valued at $1.75 jier fathom. Their vessels were the steamer Equator (changed from schooner of same name), 40 tons, crew of 7, valued at $10,000; Bull. U. S F. C, 1898. iTo face page 158.) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 1511 Ibe bark Harvester, 716 tons, crew of 12, valued at $7,500; 2 lighters at $350 each; 12 seine boats at $100 each. The number of fisherujen and cannery hands seems large for a small cannery, but it is the number given by the company. Some of the hands from their plant at Chigiiik may have been brought here and credited in error, to both canneries. From June 14 to September 15 the firm packed 109,824 redfish, making 13,375 cases, an average of 12.7 flsh to the case. Of this number 5,000 fisli were taken in gill nets, and the rest in seines. They were taken at the Waterfalls and Slide, Ugunuk, Little liiver, Ked River, and Ayagulik, all on Kadiak Island. A few small streams carrying salmon flow into Uyak Bay and its branches, but none is known to carry redtish. LARSKN BAY. Five miles southeast from Uyak Anchorage is a narrow arm called Lar.sen Bay. It is 4 miles long, with a general east northeast and west-southwest direction. Imme- diately within the entrance, on the northern shore,is the site of thecan- nery of the Arctic Packing Com- pany, which was built in 1888, and operated in 1888, 1889, and 1890,but which has been closed since the lat- terdate. In 1891, uuderthe Karluk River Fisheries, its (piota of lisb was packed in the cannery of the Kodiak Packing Company at Kar- luk. In 1892 it entered the i>ool of the Alaska Packing Association, and in 1893 it became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. In 1896 the available machinery was removed and utilized in the construction of the cannery at Ugauuk. All that remains of the cannery is a large building used as a warehouse, the wharf, and a few sheds. A watchman is retained to look after the buildings, as the site has not been abandoned. When the cannery was operated the tish were obtained from Karluk, Little River, Waterfalls, and Slide, ot more than 5 or miles to Karluk Lake, Sca/c. ■/ /Yau// \ra//v//^ K 'A y^ Sketch of Vicinity of Little River. From the head of Larsen Bay it is which a party of five attempted to reach and failed LITTLE RIVEE. Little River, one of the fishing stations just mentioned, empties into Shelikof Straits about a mile to the westward of Cape Ugat. Flume Bros. & llume and the Pacific Steam Whaling Company canneries at Uyak fished here in 1897, and havefish- huuses located on the beach. The formation of the mouth of the river is similar to that at Karluk, but ou a smaller scale. There is a small lagoon formed by a shingle ino BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. and bowl'lery spit closing up a valley running .south-southeast and north-northwest. The lagoon is three- fourths of a mile wide along the spit, with open water extending three-eighths of a mile from it. The stream flows into the lagoon through several channels, forming a number of grassy islands. Above this the stream flows witli little current through bottom land having a few patches of alders, which, a mile from the beach, narrows to one-eighth of a mile. The bottom of the stream is fine sand and gravel, and the shores are grassy but without beaches. The top of the spit is about 8 feet above the lagoon, and at the eastern end is the outlet, 30 feet wide, and running in a rapid to the straits, UGANUK BAY. TJganuk Bay is the next to the eastward of Uyak. From the lower end of the western bay three arms make off, which we have called the northeast, east, and south arms, respectively. At the junction of the east arm with the bay, on a sand and Cannery at Uganuk Bay. shingle beach on the northern shore, the cannery of the Alaska Packers' Association is located, and at the head of the arm is the redfish stream from which it draws its supply of salmon. For several years a saltery was operated by Mr. Oliver Smith in a bight on the southern shore of the east arm, a mile within the entrance. This was sold to the Association in 1897, and is now closed. The Uganuk cannery of the Alaska Packers' Association was built during the spring of 1890, on the point forming the northern entrance to the east arm. The mate- rial used in its construction was largely from the cannery building of the Eussian American Packing Company moved from Afognak, and the machinery is that which was available from the canneries of the Eoyal Packing Company at Afognak and the Arctic Packing Company at Larsen Bay (Uyak). The capacity of this cannery is ull. U, S F. C 1898. (To face page 160.1 THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 161 ir/" 1,400 cases a day. It made a pack iu 1S96, and commenced to pack in 1S'J7, but was closed early in the season on account of a failure iu the run of fish, and the employees were transferred to Karluk, wliere tliey assisted iu making the i)ack. This cannery is in the Karluk district of the Alaska Packers' Association. In 1896 it employed L'O white fishermen, 12 wliite cannery-hands, 16 iiiitives, and 70 Chinese. It had one trap across the mouth of the river, valued at $300; 2 drag seines, each 350 fathoms long, 125 meshes deep, 3-inch mesh, valued at $1.50 jier fathom. The station was attended hy the Karluk steamer when necessary, and the transportation was done by Karluk vessels. It used 8 lighters valued at $200 each, 7 scows valued at $00 each, and 10 dories valued at $20 each. In 1897 the company em])loyed 20 white fisher- men, and at the cannery 12 whites and 90 (Jbiuese. Two floating traps were also used (described on page 150), valued at $1,500 each; also two drag seines, each 350 fathoms long, 125 meshes deep at bunt, 3-inch mesh, valued at $1.50 per fathom; 8 lighters, valued at $200 each ; 7 scows, valued at $00 each, and 10 dories, valued at $20 each. The station was at- tended by the Karluk steam- er, and the transportatiou was done by vessels from the same i)lace. The com- pany packed 21,005 cases of red fish in 1896, averaging 10 to the case, from June 10 Sketch of Ugamik Stroaiii. tO July 26. In 1897 they packed 2,113 cases of redfish, averaging 10 to the case, from June 10 to July 13. As there was a failure in the run, the cannery was closed and the force moved to Karluk. At the time of our visit, August 10 to 14, all gear was stored and the cannery was in charge of a watchman, so we saw none of the fishing. From the salmon inspector's report for 1895, from the accounts of ditterent people connected with the fisheries here, and from personal inspection of the ground, the following information with reference to tliese fisheries was obtained: In 1896 some of the force from the cannery of the Alaska Improvement Company, at Karluk, and tlie fishermen of the Uganuk cannery fished these waters. Besides using drag seines, the former comjjany had a floating trap in the east arm, and the latter a net barricade almost entirely across the mouth of the river. F.C.B., 1898— 11 162 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. Th(! liver at its mouth flows over tidal flats in an east-and-west direction for a distance of 2 miles, having an average width of half a mile. These flats are largely uncovered at low water, having two channels through them, one close to the northern shore and skirting the native summer village; the other, entering near the center of the width of the arms, turns sharply to the northward around the northern end of a large rocky and wooded island, when it turns again to the westward. From the northern end of the island a line of piling was driven across the flats and the mouth of the river to the northern shore of the arm, leaving an opening in the low-water channel, across which a gill net was stretched. The trap described on page 150 was about a mile west from this barricade, leading from the northern shore, with the pot in deep water in the arm proper. Captain rhiHii)S, of the Eevenue-Cutter Service, directed this trap to be removed, upon which the Alaska Improvement Company protested to the Secretary of the Treasury, and the matter was referred to the Department of Justice. The correspondence, decision, etc., will be found on pages 8 to 10, salmon inspector's report for 1896. In 18'J7 the Alaska Improvement Company replaced the 1S9G trap and i)laced a second floating trap, leading from a point near the saltery on the southern shore. This must have been quite half a mile long, and at the point where it was set must have extended across the middle of the arm. The two traps undoubtedly commanded the arm. Upon the sale of the property the traps were turned over to the i)ar- chasers. Neither took many fish, and it is not unlikely that the larger trap was improperly set; that is, the pot was arranged for fish coming downstream. No traps had been used iirior to 189(5. A party of five visited the lake at Uganuk. After a hard walk of five hour.s, covering a distance of about 12 miles, along sloping mountain sides, over grassy plains, through thickets of cottonwood, alder, and willow, and along bear trails, they reached a point on the lake about a mile within the outlet, but as the view of the lake to the southeast was cut ofl' by intervening ridges, it was determined to reach the head of the lake. After crossing the mountains bordering the southern side of the lake, and obtaining a photograph of the river valley to the east arm, the party followed a valley of gradual ascent which carried them to a lieight of about 1,200 feet above the lake, whence the head of the lake and two inflowing streams could be seen. The head of the lake was reached after about flve hours' walk from the first point. The lake is somewhat crescent-shaped, about 6 miles long in a northwest and southeast direction, and of an average width of about a mile. It lies throughout its length between two ridge like mountain masses which reach a height of 2,000 feet above its surface. The bsMiks are steep, precipitous in many i^laces, and heavily wooded to a height of 300 to 400 feet. There are numerous shelving beaches of gravel, black sand, and fine slate. The lake has the appearance of being very deep. At the southeast end are two inflowing streams about a quarter of a mile apart at the mouths; the larger one, flowing from the southeast, is about 40 yards wide, and the smaller one, flowing more from the eastward, is about 15 yards wide. From the toi) of the mountain the valley of the larger stream could be plainly seen for a distance of nearly 10 miles, the country, as far as could be seen, in this valley being heavily wooded with larger growth than nearer the coast. The bottoms of both inflowing streams are large, with sandy and gravelly beds. A number of redfish of a led color were seen m the stream in places where the water . U. S F. C 1898. (To face page 162.^ THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OE ALASKA. 163 Howcd gently, and iu depths of 2 to 3 feet. In the hike a hirge iiiimber of saliuou indicated their presence by Jiiiupiug. At a point about 500 yards within the mouth of the inflowing stream from the southeast, it is from^ 30 to iO yards wide, with an average depth of li feet and a veloeity of 2 to 3 feet per second. At the northwest end is the lake outlet, which flows generally with considerable velocity through a wide river valley. It is well wooded, having along its banks dense thickets of alder and willow interspersed with large cottonwoods. About ■! iinles from its mouth a photograph was taken; here it is about 50 yards wide, li feet deep, and flows with a velocity of 3 feet per second. Its general course is to the northwest, and from the lake to the mouth is a distance of about 8 miles. From the mouth the river flows into the east arm through a wide tidal basiu at low water by two channels for a distance of 2 miles. About 3 miles above the mouth it receives a small tribu- tary, which is also an outlet to a small lake. In 1S9G the canneries took 365,850 redflsh from around the mouth of the stream. In 1897 the fisheries were a complete failure; the stream probably did not j-ield 15,000 redfish. The Aleuts say this failure was due to the lack of snow. The rcdtish from Uganuk are highly jjrized by the canneries, as they are much larger thau the Karluk fish, running 10 to the case. Inaccessibility renders this site unfit for a hatchery. I may mention here the large number of bears infesting this region. Along the streams their trails cross and recross like the lines on a checkerboard. Ilalf-consumed salmon were seen everywhere, and quite fret^uently salmon were noticed whose life was not yet extinct, having been abandoned by bears that had been alarmed at our approach. AFOGNAK ISLAND. Afognak Island was not visited, because there is no cannery in operation at that jdace now. While it seemed desirable to see the stream, it has been fully described in I)r. Beau's report, pp. 185-188 and pp. 207-208, Bulletin ix, 1889, United iStates Fish Commission. I will therefore only refer to it iu connection with the brief histories of the canneries. Afognak is a large island northeast of Kadiak, and separated from it and Easp- berry Island by a narrow strait, which is much obstructed. On the southern side, near the western end, is Afognak Bay, which receives the waters of a lake outlet, aud was once a very good redfish stream. Mr. Livingston Stone examined this stream with especial reference to its adapta- bility for hatchery purposes, and in accordance with an act of Congress, approved March 3, 1891, the President, by proclamation of December 21, 1892, set aside "Afognak Bay, River, and Lake, with their tributary streams and sources thereof, and the lands including the same on said Afognak Island, aud within one mile from the shores thereof, as a reserve for the purpose of establishing fish-culture stations, jind for the use of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, the boundary lines of which include the head springs of the tributaries above mentioned, and the lauds the drainage of which is unto the same." The stream at Afognak has been much abused by barricades. The Russians built a zapor in the river which has been maintained by their descendants, first for their own use, and afterwards to supply the cannery. Although the place is reserved by the Government, I am told that it is still fished (1897) for cannery pur- poses. The value of this stream some years ago was from 10,000 to 15,000 cases a year. Its present value is unknown. 164 BULLETIN OF THK UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The Itoyal Packing Company built a cannery in 18S9 at the head of Afognak Bay, on tlie Avestern side, three-fourths of a mile below the mouth of the river, and oper- ated it in 1889 and 1890. Under the agreement of the Karluk Kiver Fisheries in 1891, the (juota of fish for this canuery was packed in the cannery of the Karluk Packing Company at Karluk. It entered the pool of the Alaska Packing Association in 1892, and became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association in 1893. It has not been operated since 1890, and it is claimed that the President's i)roclamation of December 2i, 1892, reserving the stream at Afognak, has caused the cannery to be closed and dismantled. In the spring of 1890 the available machinery was- moved to Uganuk, and in the building are now stored the boats and some gear of this cannery and of the Kussian-American. The Russian-American Packing Company was incorporated in December, 1888, and in 1889 built a cannery immediately above tliat of the Koyal, which was operated in 1889 and 1890. In 1891, under the agreement of the Karluk lliver Fisheries, its quota of fish was packed in the cannery of the Alaska Improvement Companj' at Karluk. In 1892 it joined the pool of the Alaska Packing Association, and in 1893 it became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. It has not been operated since 1890, and it is claimed that the President's proclamation of December 24, 1892, reserving the stream at Afognak, has caused the cannery to be closed and dismantled. In 1895 the available machinery was moved to the Ugashik (Sulima) Eiver, in Bering Sea, on the western side of the Alaska Peninsula, and utilized as a i)art of the machinery in a cannery built at that point by the Alaska Packers' Association, and operated in 1890 and 1897. In the spring of 1896 the building was taken down and moved to Uganuk, and erected there for the cannery built that year by the Alaska Packers' Association. Nothing remains at Afognak of the Ilussian-American cannery except the boats, which are stored in the building of the Royal Packing Company. There is a redfish stream on Afognak Island, known as ^Malinof Eiver, which em])ties into Malinof Straits near its junction with Shelikof Straits. It has for years been heavily barricaded. CHIGNIK BAY. Chignik Bay, on the southern side of the Alaska Peninsula, is 150 miles west- southwest from Karluk, the position of one cannery in Anchorage Bay, an arm of the main bay, being in latitude olP 17' north, longitude 1-58^ 23' west. This is the next western locality after Karluk where canneries are now operated, and the westernmost outside of Bering Sea. The southeast point of Chignik Bay terminates in a high-turreted or castellated point called Tuliumnit Point or Castle Cape, having on its western side a large arm making to the southward, called Castle Bay. Passing this bay and continuing along the southern shore to the westward, four headlands are seen forming the terminal points of high ridges, and between them are shallow bights and sand beaches. These beaches have the appearance of spits inclosing lagoons or ponds. To the westward of the fourth ridge, and about 12 miles from Tuliumnit Point, a small, deep bay, known as Anchorage Bay, makes in on the southern shore. This is partially i)rotected by a sand-siiit, affording good anchorage in deep water for all winds, except from the north. Two canneries are located here, and the transporting vessels of all the Chignik Bay canneries make their anchorage at this point. - U. S. F. C. !898, I To face page 164) THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 1G5 Coiitiiuiing to the westward, another shallow bay makes in ou the soutnerii shore, known as Doris Bay, locally called IVIiid Bay, which has an iuditferent anchorage off its mouth. Around the high, round, bold head next to the westward is the entrance to Chiguik Lagoon, in the extreme soutiiwest corner of Chignik Bay. Two canneries are located on this lagoon, and at the head is the mouth of the stream, from which all the canneries here and in Anchorage Bay draw their supplies of redflsh. In 1888 the Fishermen's Packing Company of Astoria, Oreg., sent a party to Ohigiiik Bay to prospect for fish, and they returned in the fall of that year with l.',U)0 barrels of salt salmon. The Chignik Bay Company's cannery was built aud operated in the si)ring of 1889 by the Fishermen's Packing Company of Astoria on the eastern shore of Chiguik Lagoon, lii miles from the entrance. As this cannery is freijuently referred to as the "Scandinavian," resulting in some confusion, it may be mentioned that prior to the building of this cannery the Fishermen's Packing Company purchased the property of the Scandinavian Packing Company of Astoria, and also built the cannery of the Alaska Packing Company on the Xushagak. The Shumagin Packing Company, composed of capitalists from Portland, Oreg., built a cannery on Chignik Lagoon in 188!), near that of the Chiguik Bay Company, and operated it that year, and tiie same year the Chiguik Bay Packing Company, of San Francisco, built and operated a cannery near the two just mentioned. Though these three canneries were built by different companies, they soon became closely allied and Mnally combined into one organization, so that the history of one is practi- cally that of all. The operating agreement of these three canneries was successfully carried out in IS'.Kt and 1891. In 18913 they all joined the pool of the Alaska Packing Association, and the cannery of the Chignik Bay Company alone operated. In 1893 they became members of the Alaska Packers' Association. Since 1891 only the Chignik Bay Company's cannery has been operated. The Shumagin building has been moved alongside that of the Chignik Bay Company aud the nuichiuery consolidated, so as to form practically one large cannery, with a capacity of 2,G00 cases per day, which is operated, aud erroneously called the Chignik Bay Packing Company. It is really the Chignik Bay Company, for the cannery of the former is in such condition that it can be operated independently on sliort notice, and is held as a reserve. It has a capacity of 1,500 cases a day. In 189(i the Chiguik Bay Company employed 73 white tishermen and 3 white coal-miners; in the cannery were 13 whites and 158 Chinese; 33 luitives were kept at various employments. The company used 3 gill nets, 150 fathoms long,,(5^-inch mesh, valued at 65 ceuts per fathom; 9 traps, 1,350 feet long, at $1,000 each; 5 drag seines, 200 fathoms long, 3-inch mesh, 100 meshes deep at bunt, at $1.50 per fathom. The vessels and boats were the steamer A/ognalc, of 38 tons, with a crew of 9, and valued at $15,750; the stern-wheel steamer Baby Ruth, of 10 tons, with a crew of 3, and valued at $4,500; 7 lighters, valued at $500 each; 10 trap scows, at $200 each; 2 pile-drivers, at $650 each ; 12 seine aud gill- net boats, at $125 each. The ship Llewellyn J. Morse, of 1,271 net tons, valued at $25,000, with a crew of (ishernieu, was used as a transjjort. In 1897 the employees consisted of 57 white-flshermen, 3 coal-miners, 13 white cannery-hands, and 103 Chinese. The fishermen used 3 gill nets, ea(;h 150 fathoms long, valued at ti5 cents per fathom; 10 traps, averaging 1,350 feet long, valued at $1,000 each; 5 drag seines, each 200 fathoms long, Sinch mesh, valued at $1.50 per 166 ]U'I,LETIN OF THE UNITKD STATES FISH COMMISSION. fatboiii. The vessels aud boats were the steamer Afoynak, of 3S tons, with a crew of 9, and valued at $15,750; the stern-wheel steamer Bahy Ruth, of 10 tons, with a crew of 3, and valued at $4,500; the ship LUn-eUyn J. Morse,of 1,271 net tons, valued at $^.5,000, with a crew of fishermen; S lighters, valued at $350 each; 10 trap scows, at $200 each; 3 pile-drivers, at $050 each; 12 seine and gill-net boats, at $125 each. The following shows the pack of the Chignik Bay Company for 18'J6 and 1807: Tear. Species. Nnmber of cases packed. ATCrage number offish per case. Bat* of packing. 1896 37, 893 7.388 2,204 •870 36, 834 942 10 12 U June 16 to Aim. 25. Do. Aug. 18 to Sept. 25. Aug. 5 to Sept. 1. June 8 to Aug. 27. Aug. 1 to Aug. 27. July 31 to Aug. 25. 1897 Eedflsh 12.4 11 I record of Icing salmon, though a fcv ! probaldy parked and ( itli the cnhocs Hume Bros. & Hume built a cannery on the eastern side of Ancliorage Bay in the spring of 1896, and made a pack that year and iu 1897. Its capacity is 800 ca.ses per day. In 1896 they employed 40 white fishermen, 20 white canuery-hands, 91) Chinese, including boss, tester, and cook. Ten gill nets were used, each 200 fathoms long, OJ-inch mesh, 40 meshes deep, valued at 75 cents per fathom; also 2 traps, 150. and 200 fathom leads, 40 feet square pots, web 3-inch mesh, valued at $1,200 each; 3 drag seines, 100 fathoms, 200 fathoms, and 250 fathoms in length, the larger ones 100 meshes deep at bunt, and all valued at $1.50 per fathom. The vessels aiul boats were the steamer Florence Hume, of 8 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $3,000; the bark Leon, with a crew of 12, and valued at $7,000; the schooner Equator, of 69 tons, with a crew of 6, and valued at $6,000; 4 trap scows at $100 each; 1 sail scow at $500; 4 lighters at $350; 10 gillnet boats at $200 each; 8 skiffs, etc., at $25 each. In 1897 the company employed 55 white fishermen, 10 white cannery-hands, and 65 Chinese, including boss, tester, and cook. The same equiiuneiit was used as in 1890, except 5 traps instead of 3, and instead of the bark Lcou the bark Ferris . Peters, which carried the outfit to the station in April and called in the fall for the pack; 11 lighters and scows, valued at $50 to $150 each; 1 pile-driver, valued at $050; 4 seine boats, valued at $00 each; and a number of dories, skill's, etc. In 1897 the company employed 00 white fishermen, 15 white cannery-hands, and 58 Chinese. The remainder of the outfit nsed is the same as for 1896, except that 8 traps, instead of 5, were in use, and 2 pile-drivers instead of 1. The following shows the pack of the Anchorage Hay cannery of the Pacific Steam Whaling Company for 1890 and 1897: Yefir. Species. Niimljer of cases packet). Number offish per case. Date of packing. Knniarks. 1896.... 1807.... Rcclfiali from Ohignik . RedtiahfromKarlak.. 14, 000 4,500 90 2,800 125 2,1, 500 500 10 12 U 20 3 12 20 •Tune 18 to Aug. 25.. Taken In traps. Do, Do. Taken in seines. Do. About 1,500 redlish from K.arliik were not, iu condition for pack- ing anil were not used. A few taken, but not separately accounted for. July 18to AiiE. 15 .. July 20 to Aug. 20 .. Throughout season. June 9 to Aug. 15... July 20 to Aug. 13 .. The Chinese contract differs slightly according to locality, and more largely according to the manner of making the pack. The contract for one cannery was 40 cents per case for machine-filled cans and 45 cents for hand filled. The Chinese boss was paid $50 a month in addition to his lay, and the tester $50 a month without lay. Passage to and from San Francisco was free, but they found their own food and bedding, only water and salt being furnished Ity the vessel. (Quarters, fuel, water, and salt were furnished at the cannery. In all of the Alaska canneries the Chinese contract includes a guaranteed pack — that is, the cannery insures a pack of a certain number of cases; if it is not made, the Chinamen are paid the stipulated pack; if the jiack overruns, they are paid extra at the same rates. The contracts with the fishermen differ somewhat at each cannery, but tliey are usually made with the view of getting the largest number of fish and allowing the fishermen about $45 a month and board for G or 7 months. At one cannery in Chignik, in 189C, fishermen were paid $30 per month and one-fourth of a cent per case and board. They worked the vessel to and from the cannery. In 1897 the same cannery paid the Scandinavian fishermen the same rates as in 1890, but the Italians received $20 per month, $12.50 per 1,000 fish, and a per diem allowance of 35 cents per man for a ration. The boss iishermau had an extra $125 for the season. Nearly tlie same rates arc made at all the canneries here. Nearly all the fish packed in the canneries located on Chignik Bay are taken in Chignik Lagoon and the immediate vicinity. In 1890, on account of the very large run at Ivarluk, the canneries there could not handle all the fish taken on the spit — that is, they did not have outfit enough — and fish to the amount of about 20,000 cases 168 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. were sent to tbe Ohigiiik canneries; but this was exceiJtioual, and was stopped bj order of the salmon inspector. Occasionally a cannery steamer will visit the stre.ams between Tuliumnit Point and Kupreanof Point and secure a load of humpbacks. CHIGNIK LAGOON. Chignik Lagoon is in the extreme S!>utliwest corner of C3hignik l>ay ami is joined to that bay by an outlet one-fourth of a mile wide, contracted at this point by a nar- row sand-spit about 1^ miles long, which makes directly across from the western shore. The main body of the lagoon is Oi miles long, with a general southwest direction, and at the southwest end has a narrow extension, 1 J miles long, into which the river flo"3rs. Within the spit, at the entrance, it is IJ miles wide, opening out to li miles at the Alaska Packers' Association canneries, and 1 mile beyond it attains a width of 2 miles. Four miles from the entrance is an island, GOO feet high, which contracts the lagoon on the side leading to the river to three fourths of a mile. Southeast from this island are great nuid-tlats which are covered at high water. At a distance of Oi miles from the entrance the lagoon contracts to one fourth of a mile, and a mile beyond it narrows to ]00 yards. The upper trap is located here, and one-fourth of a mile beyond is the coal mine. In this locality the water is usually fresh, and the mouth of the river is practically in the vicinity of the upper traji. The lagoon is shallow, the greater i)art uncovering at low water, exposing grassy flats, with a channel running along the eastern side as far as the cannery, where it breaks around a grassy middle ground, unites at the island, and continues to the river. One mile below the island the channel narrows to 100 yards, with a depth at low water of 4 feet. Above the island the flats ai'c not so much exposed, but the channel is shoaler, 2 J to 3 feet being the best water through it at low tide. From the cannery the channel is buoyed. Bowlders brought down by the ice dot the flats here and there. Outside the lagoon entrance tbe main channel is along the eastern shore, carrying about 3 fathoms at low water. There is also a narrow, shallow channel outside and along the spit, carrying 3 feet at low water, which separates the spit from a fan-shaped shoal, 1:1 miles long, which uncovers at low water and has a greatest width of three- lonrths of a mile. At high water a small part of this shoal, near the spit, is just visible. Immediately within the entrance the water is deep and the banks are steep. CHIGNIK RIVER. Chignik liiver empties into the arm of the lagoon at its southwest end, and is estimated to be (i miles in length, with an average width of 100 yards. The bottom is rocky and gravelly. High water, neap tides, extends to the coal mine, which is practically the mouth of the river, and high-water, spring tides, extends to the first lake, affecting the lake at the outlet a few inches. The dei)th in tbe river is such that a boat can ascend only at high water. At low water the current is very strong and forms many rapids. There are two lakes. The first is about 10 miles long and of unknown depth. The banks in places are precipitous, in others sloping. In the latter localities tbe shore shelf is of sufficient width to jjermit gill netting, and then drops off' suddenly. A number of snnill streams enter, but none except the second lake connection is of considerable size. A shallow shifting arm, from 100 to .'>00 yards wide, leads through an extensive bog at the head of the lake, for a distaiu-e of 10 miles, to a second lake. The bog is THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 169 black volcanic inud and probably the result of filling an old lake bed, which may have formed another lake connection in early times. The second lake is nearly of equal size with the first, but is shallow, with muddy bottom, the water here inclining to be muddy, while the water in the first lake is clear. A large part of the banks are low, but tliere are some bluffs on the northern side which continue some distance. A number of small streams enter the lake, and one of considerable size Hows in from the northwest. The redflsh in immense numbers are said to spawn along the shore shelf of the first lake and in the mouths of the entering streams. A few redflsh and more cohoes make their way into the second lake. Dog salmon and humpbacks spawn in these lakes, but they also enter the small streams that flow iiito the lagoon. Sculpins, l)erch, and other fresh-wat(;r fish occur. In the stream above the traps there are no obstructions. Formerly fishing was carried on over the spawning-beds, but this method is now abandoned. While all the species of Pacific salmon enter the lagoon and river, yet those other tlian redfish are so few in number that they are not consid- ered in the pack. In relative abundance they stand as follows: Redfish, humpbacks, cohoes, dog, and king. No steelheads are taken here. Chignik Eiver is essentially a redflsh sti-eam, and the canneries may be said to pack only redfish. Occasionally a few humpbacks are packed, but they are obtained principally from streams between Tuliumnit Point find Kupreauof Point. The pack of king and cohoes never exceeds a few hundred cases from Chignik Eiver. The few that are taken are generally used on the cannery table and the bellies salted for home use, while the backs maybe ])acked under some different brand. Other fish are taken to a small extent. The run of redflsh commences the first days of .Tune (a few were taken in 1897 for local use on May 15), and continues until the last of August. The run is usually con- sidered large enough to pack from the middle of June to the middle of August. Cohoes run from the middle of July until after the cannery clo.ses; the watchmen say until November. Humpbaclcs run from July 20 to September 1, and dog salmon about tlie same time, though both are found scattering throughout the season. The king salmon run in vei'y small numbers, and are taken about the same time as the redflsh. A very small salmon, weighing about 2 pounds, is recognized here as a different species, and called the Arctic salmon, but it is probably only a small redfish. The weighing of 100 redfish from the bin gave the following results : Average G.24 l^ounds, heaviest 10 pounds, lightest i pounds; average length 21 inches, largest 28 inches, smallest 21 inches. The i-ed salmon in 1897 M^ere said to run very small, 12 to the case; in 189G they were larger, about 10 to the case. One hundred cohoes were also weighed : Average 0.44 pounds, heaviest 10 pounds, lightest 2i ijounds; only one of each of these extremes, and a better range would be from 4i to 9 pounds. Average length 23i inches, greatest 28 inches, least IS inches- The cohoes were running very small at the time of our visit, as it was the early part of the run, July 29. The dog salmon run larger; that is, the average is higher, as there seemed to be few small ones. The humpbacks averaged about 3i pounds in weight. The average weight of the king salmon at Cliignik is unknown, but they were said to run very small for that species, though individuals weighing 00 pounds are reported to have been taken. 170 BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. The fish are taken in traps, seines, and gill nets, and transported to the canneries on large lighters or fish-scows. It is said that the water is too clear for gill nets, and in 1897 they were not nsed by the Alaska Packers' Association or the Pacific Steam Whaling Company canneries, yet the FTnine cannery seems to have been very successful with them. Traps are principally nsed here, and form the great bone of contention. At the time of our visit, .Inly 29 to August 2, there were five traps outside the entrance to the lagoon, two just inside, and sixteen from the island to the head of the arm. They usually consist of a pot 30 to 40 feet square, with a heart and V-shaped leaders from 300 to 1,500 feet long, arranged with tlie apex up stream. The mesh of pots is 3-inch, and of leaders usually 4-inch. They are nowhere placed entirely across the main channel in the lagoon, but tliere are two or three which close up the shallow channel along the spit on the outside. lu passing up the lagoon it seems almost iiik Lagoon Trap. impossible for any flsli to reach the river, for it looks as though a forest of traps obstructed the whole passage. With two exceptions, one end of tlie leader is connected with the high-water mark on shore. The leaders or wings consist of nets hung on the upper side of rows of piles driven in a V shape, with a small opening in the upper end. This opening varies from 4 to 8 feet. The heart is formed by piles driven in an irregular box shape, inclosing the ends of the leaders. The nets are hung on the upstream side and, like those of the ends, are made fast at the top only, the bottom being weighted. They reach from above high water to the bottom. The pot is above the heart and is a s(iuare net bag, hauled out to piles at the coruers, above and below, by ropes running through blocks. On its lower side is the gate, which is the entrance from the Iieart to the xiot. It is a 7iet stretched on framework, or having a frame at each end, the upper end being much smaller than the lowei-. It is G to 10 feet wide at its lower end, l.i to 2 feet wide at its THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 171 upper end, depending on the size of the trap. The top of the gate varies in its dis- tance above low water, as does the bottom at the upper end below low water, depend- ing ou the depth of water at the pot. The trap fishes during ebb tide only, the loose bottom allowing it to clear itself of most of the grass during flood tide. The fish are taken out just after low water. The upper end of the gate is triced up, one side of the pot lowered, and a boat Avorked sideways into the pot, the lines holding the bottom corners being let go, and the net underrun until the fish are in a small space between the boat and the other side of the pot. They are then either scooi)ed out with a scoop net having a handle balanced on the gunwale of the boat or are hooked out with a short hook on a handle about 2 feet long. If cod, flounders, etc., are numerous enough to interfere, they are hooked out; if not, the upper end of the net is let go and the flood tide clears the pot. Four men are required for each of the larger -traps. Their priucijial work is to keep the traps as free as possible from grass and to repair breaks in the net caused by the weight collected, as well as to replace piles carried away in the deeper water by the strong tide. The traps are taken up after the fishing season is over, and changes are constantly made in their size and arrange- ment during the fishing season. Seines are hauled on the flats southwest of the islaiul, and on the western shore opposite, where a gill-net crew is also located. The shores are usually rocky or grassy flats. The outside beach on the spit is fine sand and gravel. It is evident to anyone who examines Chignik Lagoon during the packing season that the place is overfished. For many years one organization fished here and made a pack averaging (31,400 cases, from 1890 to 1896. In the latter year two more canneries were built by rival companies, and all expect to make the pack from the l)roduct of one stream. The result is that all kinds of i^ractices are resorted to, and the overtaxed stream must suffer by this excessive fishing. The traps are so close together and 0(!cupy so much of the channel that they look almost like barricades, but the stream is not entirely barricaded, probably because all would not be benefited alike. In some instances the tunnels or gates of the traps are lifted during the weekly close season, and in others they are not. Locally it is said that the stream will stand a yearly pack of 100,000 to 150,000 cases. In my opinion 50,000 cases is all that can be taken here by fair legal fishing. In 1S90, 87,769 cases were packed; in 1897, 74,159 cases. The 1896 pack, however, included about 20,000 cases of Karluk fish, and in both years a small pack of hump- backs from other localities was made. When the redfish cease to run in sufficient numbers for packing, about the middle of August, the Chignik canneries clean up and close for the season. ORZENOY. Ill 1889 a cannery, under the title of the Western Alaska Packing Company, was built at Crzenoy, on the western side of Stepovak Bay, south side of the Alaska Peninsula, and packed that year 0,400 cases. In 1890 a pack of 2,198 cases was made. As the locality jiroved unfavorable on account of the scarcity of fish, the cannery was dismantled in 1891 and the site abandoned. THIN POINT. Thin Point is on the southern side of the Alaska Peninsula, near its extreme western end. Two canneries were formerly located here, but they have been removed and the site is practically abandoned. A saltery was operated at Thin Point for 172 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. several years, until the Thin Point Packing Company was organized by Messrs. Louis Sloss & Co., of San Francisco, and the cannery was built iu 1889. It was operated in 1889, 1890, and 1891, and was closed after that date. In 1890 the cannery ship Oneida, en route for Thin Point, was lost on tlie Sannaks in April; there were 77 Chinese on board and nearly all perished. A small pack of 2,401 cases was made that year. In 1892 it entered the pool of the Alaska Packing Association, and in 189.'3 became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. In 1894 the cannery was moved to the Naknek IMver, Bering Sea, and utilized in the construction of the cannery of the Arctic Packing Company. The Alaska Packers' Association operated a saltery at Thin Point in 1894, 1895, and 1896, but the place is now abandoned. The cannery of the Central Alaska Company moved to Thin Point in 1890 from Little Kayak Island, and has already been referred to. The main stream fished by these canneries is near at hand, on the eastern side of the point. There are two lakes near the sea, said to be well adapted for hatchery purposes. The stream is very uncertain; some years a large pack can be made from it, and then for a number of years the run is snuill. A person who had operated one of the canneries stated that the stream would yield at least 50,000 large redfish, and usually a larger number. As the place had been abandoned, it was not visited. CHIGNIK LAGOON, CHIGNIK BAY, WESTERN ALASKA. U S r C S" -ALBATROSS- Ueut Commander Jtff P Moser US N , Com'dj fy ^i€ul. J FM'-G»inn*i&U^n July t897. Bull. U. S. F. C. 1898. (To fac« page 17}.) Plate 63. CHIG NIK LAGOON. CHIGNIK BAY, WESTERN ALASKA. USr.C S" ALBATROSS- Lieut CcmmaiKltr JrFt P Mosor USN.Com'dy Hot«. /ay« 0/ flats at Urn" rratir B^,y,d tlimntl- J/»« at Uw-rmUr • «.c./ic Sworn )r««iity Cwrnfy ' THK SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 173 BERING SEA DISTRICT. The following brief histories and statistics of the Bering Sea canneries have been largely furnished by the Alaska Packers' Association, time not permitting a visit. From the table of percentages of packs for the ditt'erent districts, it will be seen that 35.2 per cent of the Alaska pack was made in Bering Sea in 1887. By the increase of canneries in other districts in 1888, and the still larger increase in 1889, the percentage of pack fell off' and reached its lowest i)oiut (13.4 per cent) in 1892. From that date the percentage of pack has gradually increased until, in 1897, it reached 28 per cent of the whole Alaska pack, of which over nine-tenths was packed by the Alaska Packers' Association. All the canneries in Bering Sea are located on the Xushagak, Kvichak, Nakuek, and Ugashik rivers, all emptying into Bristol Bay (see Chart B). NUSHAGAK RIVER. On the Nushagak there are four canneries, as follows: Arctic Packing Company, Nushagak Packing Company, Bristol Bay Canning Company, and Alaska Packing Company. There is also a saltery operated by C. B. Whitney & Co., which in 1897 salted 2,130 barrels, principally redfish. In 1883 the schooner Neptune, with a party, prospected for salmon on the Nush- agak, and salted a large number. The same year cannery buildings were erected for the Arctic Packing Company, which was formed and commenced operations in 1884, making a pack of 400 cases that year. This was the first cannery operated in Bering Sea. It has made a pack every year to date, except iu 1892, when it joined the pool of the Alaska Packing Association and was closed. In 1893 it became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association. The cannery is located at Kanulik, on the eastern shore, at the mouth of the river, and about 3 miles above Fort Alexander. It has a capacity of 2,000 cases a day. The Alaska Packing Company built a cannery on the western shore of thelSTusha- gak, near the mouth, in 1880, and made a pack that year, as it has done every year since. It entered the pool of the Alaska Packing Association in 1892, and the Alaska Packers' Association in 1893. It is located near the village of Kauakanak, and has a capacity of 2,000 cases a day. The Bristol Bay Canning Comjiany built a cannery immediately above that of the Alaska Packing Company in 1886, and opei'ated that year and every year to date. It entered the ijool of the Alaska Packing Association in 1892, and of the Alaska Pacivers' Association in 1893. It has a capacity of 2,000 cases per day. The Nushagak Packing Company built a cannery on the eastern shore of the estuary at Nnshagak in 1888, at a jilace called Stugarok, 11 miles below Fort Alex- ander. It was operated in 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891; it was then closed and has not been operated since. It joined the ijool of the Alaska Packing Association iu 1892 174 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. aud became a member of the Alaska Packers' Association in 1893. It is in such con- dition that it can be operated at sliort notice, and is held as a reserve. Its capacity is 1,500 cases per day. These canneries are all owned and operated by the Alaska Packers' Association, and are under one local niauagemeut. In 1897 they employed 144 white tishermen,38 white cannery-hands, 300 Chinese, aud 40 uatives. Sixty gill nets were used, each 125 fathoms long by 24 meshes deep; 120 gill uets, each 75 fathoms long by 24 lueshes deep ; 4 traps with 300 feet leaders. The following vessels were employed: Kig. Name. Net tou$. Crew. Value. steamer Launch Do Do Polar Bear 29 6 6 5 1,637 1,533 632 5 2 2 2 Fisbi^rmen. (0 (?) $12, 000 4,500 3, 0011 1,500 30, 000 Chartered. Do. Do Barkentine . . 98 boats and lighters. WilUeR.HuDie... The following gives the output of the three canneries for 1897 : Kiug salnion . KedHsh Coboes Humpbacks . Total , 18, 139 1, 240, 080 150, 000 35, 348 5.823 88, 791 10,119 3,123 Number of tiab per case. Of the above, the Bristol Bay Canning Company packed 34,117 cases, the ^Vlaska Packing Company 37,849 cases, aud the Arctic Packing Company 35,890 cases. The traps are used iu Wood Ki\er, which empties into the estuary above the canneries on the western bank: the gill nets are used iu the estuary where the water is muddy. No seines are used. KVICHAK EIVKK. To the eastward of the Nushagak and emptying into the head of Bristol Bay is the Kvichak, with one cannery and one saltery. The Prosper Fishing Company established a saltery at the mouth of the Kvichak iu 1894 and operated it that year and the following. It was sold in 1896 to the Alaska Packers' Association aud closed. Under the name of Point' Roberts Packing Company the Alaska Packers' Asso- ciation established and operated a saltery at Koggiung on the Kvichak Kiver in 1894, aud built a cannery the following year, utilizing iu its construction the available machinery from the cannery of the Central Alaska Comjjany at Thin Point. It was tirst operated in 1896, and also packed in 1897. It is said to have a capacity of 2,000 cases per day. In 1897 the company employed 65 white fishermen, 10 white cannery- hands, 150 Chinese, and 25 natives. Twenty five gill nets were used, each 00 fathoms long by 30 meshes deep, and 4 traps, with the inside leaders 300 feet long aud outside leaders 250 feet long. THK 8ALJ10N AND >?ALMON FISHERIES OK ALASKA. The following vessels were employed: 175 Eig. Name. Net tons. Crew. Value. 238 5 5 1,529 55« 8 2 2 yisheriiieu. "Fishermen. $49, Olio 3,000 2,0U0 3(1, 0(10 10, 000 Bo Sbip Bark 32 boats, lighters, anil scows. The following- is the pack for 1897: Species. Number offish. Number of cases packed. Number offish per case. Barrels salted. 1 345 760, 652 126 55, 382 2.7 13.7 1,489 NAKNEK RIVER. Nakiiek IMver empties iuto the upper part of Bristol Bay, about 20 miles below Koggiung. There are two cauneries at its mouth. The Arctic Packiug Company built and operated a saltery at Nakuek iii ISltO and sold it to the Alaska Packers' Association in 1893. The association in 1S94 built a cannery at the same place, utilizing the macliinery of the Thin Point Packiug Company in its construction. It was operated in 1895, 1896, and 1897, and has a capacity of 1,800 cases per day. Salmon are also salted here. In 1897 the company employed 45 white fishermen, 10 white cannery-hands, 102 Chinese, and 10 natives. They used 11 gill nets, each 70 fathoms long by 24 meshes deep; 34 gill nets, each 70 fathoms long by 22 meshes deep; 3 traps with leads of 175 feet. The vessels employed were the lauucli R(dpli i., of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at §4,500; the bark 2Ieroi)i, of 1,159 net tons, with a crew of fishermen, valued at $16,000; the schooner Prosper, of 230 net tons, with a crew of fishermen, valued at $15,000; also 30 boats and lighters. The bark Merom made one trip on account of Karluk. The following gives the pack for 1897: Species. I Number of cases . packed. Number of fish per case. In 1890 Mr. L. A. Pederson established and operated a small saltery on the northern shore of the Naknek liiver near its mouth, and in 1894 the Naknek I'acking Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of California, a cannery being built on the site of the saltery. The first pack was made in 1895, and operations were continued in 1896 and 1897. Salting is also carried on by this comitany. In 1897 an additional saltery was built on the shore of Bristol Bay about 2 miles above the mouth of the Naknek. The cannery has a capacity of 1,500 cases per day. In 1897 the company em^Dloyed 40 white fishermen and salters, 10 white cannery- men, 75 Chinese, and about 10 natives. The following was the equipment: 27 gill nets, each 100 fathoms long by 20 meshes deep, 6^-inch mesh, valued at 40 cents 176 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. per fathom; 3 gill nets, each 100 fathoms long by 20 meshes deep, 8^-inch mesh, valued at 40 cents per fathom; also 2 seiues each GO fathoms loug, 100 meshes deep at bunt and CO at ends, 3-inch mesh, worth $1.25 per fathom (used to empty trap); 1 double trap leading out 100 fathoms from beach in front of cannery, with two wings from the pot, 50 fathoms each in length, one up and the other down stream; width of pot, 20 feet; value, $()00. The vessels and boats were tlie launch Emilia, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $1,200; the bark B. I'. Cheney, of 1,200 tons, with a crew of fishermen, and valued at $14,000; 1 lighter at $700; C lighters at $300 each; 1 pile-driver with engine valued at $300; 20 double-ended gill-net boats at $90 each. In 1896 the company employed 30 white fishermen and salters, G white cannery- hands, 62 Chinese, and 10 natives. The remaining statistics are about the same as for 1897, except that the large lighter valued at $700 was new in 1897, and only IG gill- net boats and 22 gill nets were used. The bark Ferris S. Thompson, of 514 tons, was chartered for transport. The pack for 1897 consisted of 216,500 redflsh, of which 215,000 were taken in gill nets and 1,500 in traps, making 18,000 cases, or 12 fish to the case. 16,000 of these fish were taken outside, the remainder in the river. Packing began June 30, and finished August 1. At the saltery 501 barrels of redflsh were salted, 48 fish to the barrel, between July 1 and 14, and 99 barrels at the cannery. In 1896 8,600 cases were packed from July 2 to August 2, all redflsh, averaging 12 to the case. 175 barrels of redfish were salted to order. The following redfish, running 48 to the barrel of 200 pounds, and all taken in the lower Nakuek River, have been salted by this company since the station was opened: 225 barrels in IS'JO; 450 barrels in 1891; 1,100 barrels in 1892; 2,600 barrels in 1893; 2,630 barrels in 1894; 200 barrels in 1895. EGEGAK FISHING .STATION. Egegak fishing station, also called Igagik and Ugaguk, is about 34 miles south of Naknek. In 1895 the Alaska Packers' Association established and operated a saltery at the mouth of the river, and have salted there each year since. In 1897 the company employed 10 white fishermen, 16 white saltery-hands, and 6 natives. Five gill nets were used, each 75 fathoms long by 26 meshes deep, and 2 traps with leads of BOO feet. Tlie vessels and boats were the launch Minnie, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $1,600, and 9 boats and lighters. The three-mast schooner Freviier, of 292 tons, with a crew of fishermen, and valued at $15,000, was used as a transport. In 1897 this company salted 257 king salmon, making 15 barrels, and 203,458 I'edfish, making 3,574 barrels. UGASniK RIVEE. The Ugashik, or Sulima Eiver, as it is sometimes called, is 70 miles south of Naknek, and is the most southerly station on Bristol Bay. There are two salteries and two canneries on this river. The Bering Sea Packing Company, a branch of the Alaska Imi)rovement Com- pany, but a separate corporation, built a cannery at Ugashik in 1891, and operated it that year. It was closed in 1892 and in 1893, and operated in 1894, 1895, and 1896. It was neither in the pool of the Alaska Packing Association of 1892, nor did it join the Alaska Packers' Association in 1893. It was purchased by the latter organization THE SALMON AND SALMON KISHEKIES OF ALASKA. 177 ill the spriiig of 1.S97 and closed. It has a capacity of 1,200 cases i)cr day, and at preseut is held as a reserve. A salteiy was established and operated at Ugashik in 1893 by the Alaska Packers' Association, and continued as such in 1894 and 1895. lu the hitter year the associa- tion built a cannery, utilizing in its construction the available machinery from the cannery of the liussian American Packing Company at Afognak. It was operated in 1S9G and 1897, and has a capacity of 1,800 cases per day. At the Ugashik fishing station in 1897, 59 white fishermen, 9 white cannery-hands, 102 Chinese, and 21: natives were employed. Twenty one gill nets were used, each 75 fathoms long by 21 meshes deep; also, one trap 150 feet inside leader, 80 feet outside leader, and 1 trap 250 feet inside leader, 80 feet outside leader. The vessels and boats were the steamer Thistle, of 55 tons, with a crew of G, and valued at !?25,000; the launch Cathie K, of 5 tons, with a crew of 2, and valued at $2,500; the bark Corypheae, of 771 tons, chartered; also 53 boats and lighters. The pack in 1897 consisted of 259 king salmon, making 11 cases (nearly all con- sumed fresh) ; 403,098 redfish, making 38,261 cases, or 12 to the case. 138 barrels were salted. Mr. C. A. Johnson established a saltery at Ugashik in 1889, and has salted every year to date. The names of Norton, Teller & Co., and Metso'i & Co. freciuently apjiear in connection with this saltery in the lists. They are sim^dy the saltery agents. Mr. Charles Nelson established a saltery at Ugashik in 1893, and operated it that year and in 1894. In 1895 it was sold to the Alaska Packers' Association and closed. TOGIAK AND PORT MOLLER. Togiak is on Togiak Bay, to the westward of Bristol Bay, between Cape Coiistan- tine and Cape Newenham. In 1895 the Alaska Packers' Association established a saltery here, which was operated in 1895 and 1896, and then abandoned. At Port Moller, on the northern side of the peninsula, in longitude 160° 40' W., Captain Herendeen salted salmon in 1886 or 1887. WAGES IN BERING SEA DISTRICT. The Chinese and fishermen's contracts for Bering Sea are similar to those referred to in other localities. The following for one cannery will give a fair idea of their value : The Chinese receive free transportation and furnished quarters (without bedding), fuel, water, and salt. They are paid 42 cents per case. The boss receives 850 per month in addition to his lay, and the tester receives the same. The fishermen receive $25 for working the vessel to the cannery and a like amount for taking her back. Two men form a gilluet crew, and the boat is paid 2 cents per fish. They are furnished everything except clothing, from the time they go on board the vessel until discharged. Saltery gangs are paid at the rate of $30 per mouth and 15 cents a, barrel (of 200 pounds) for the gang collectively. The beach gang receives $40 per month per man, and, if detailed for fishing, in addition to this pay, receives i cent per fish. A cook and boy are i)rovided to run the mess. The natives are j^aid in various ways, but average from $1, the lowest, to $1.50 per day. r. C. B., 1898—12 17s BULLETIN i)F THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSSON. Tlie Berii)!^ Se;i season is short, and the pack must be made in from three to five weeks. The cans are usually carried to the canneries made up, and when the fish are running, work is continued day and night. The operations are carricnl on with no little danger. The tide rushes in and out of the head of Bristol liay with great velocity, and in the estuaries l)ores are formed, which have caused the loss of a number of lives. After the pack is comi)leted much difficulty is frequently experienced in loading it on the transporting vessel, on account of the strong currents and bad weather. The AlhatfosK visited the Nushagak in 1890, and spent some time there. The four canneries were in operation that year, and the Fish Commission report for 1880-1891 gives considerable information as to the fisheries of the region, on pages 138-1-287. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. CiiAiM" A.— Dixoii Eutrauco to Heail of Lynn Canal, showing Luc? tli» principal Salmon Streania OiiAHT B.~Capo Suckling lo Hniuiak Pass, showing locations of Sain Salmon Streams To lare page. ('3 and SalterioH aner Fishing Co 174 Puree Seines 22 Pyramid Harbor 125 Pyramid Harbor Packing Co 10, 125 (Quadra Packing Co 17 Quadra Kcdlish, .Size of 63 Quadra Stream and Lake 62 Queen, Steamer 40 Quinnat Salmon 5 Qui.sutsch 5 Ratz Harbor 104 Red Bay 107 Redfish Bay 116-121 Redfish Hatchery at Karluk 35 Redoubt 120 Kedoubt.St. Nicola.s 140 Red River 146 Regulation of Work in Karluk Canneries 152 Relations between Salmon Fisheries antl Indians... 43 Relative Importance of Alaska Salmons 6 Retorts and Test Kettles 28 Revillagigedo Channel 62 Rhode &■ Johnson 97 Rights of Indians to Streams 22, 43, 74, 88 Royal Packing Co 17,164 Rubber Boot Stream 138 Run of Salmon in Hunter Bay Region 77 Runs of Alaska Salmon 7, 74, 77, 90, 114, 139, 143, 147, 109 Russian-American Packing Co 17,10(1,104 Sacramento Salmon 5 Salino mykiss 15 Salmon Bay 107 Salmon Canneries in Alaska, Establishment of 10-21 operated in Alaska, 1878-1897, Tabular Statement 50 .Sahuou i-.anuing Operations in Alaska, 1878-1897, Tabular Statement 49 Salmon (Jatch at Karluk 144 Fishery and Cannery Methods 22-34 Methods 22 Hatchery near Karluk... , 155 Inspectors 42 Law 38 Pack of AUska Canneries for 1896, Tabular Statement 54 of Alaska Canneries for 1897, Tabular Statement 55 returning to Sea 14 Runs 7,74,77,96, 114 at Karluk 147 .Sound 1.18 vr BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. Page, Siiliiion Traps 41,170 Saltery at Burroughs Bay lUO Kassook 76 Klawak 109 Naba Bay 'J2 Nutqualulct 7;( Pillar Bay Stream 121 Sukkwan 75 ThornoBay .' 102 Ugasbik 177 Saltery Statistics 60 Salting Salmon 21, 124 Salvelinus malma 15, 45 Sanborn iV Ellmore 121 Sar-Kar 116 Saukeye 5 Saw-kwfy 5 Saw-qui 5 Scandinavian Packing Co 1G5 Seal Bocks 146 Seines in Cbilkoot Ptiver 128 at Karluk 152 Sbad 103 Shipley Bay 109,121 Sbips and Boats at Karluk 154 Sbumagin Packing Co 17,165 Sbushitna River 143 Silver Salmon 5 Simpson Bay 138 SitkohBay 121 Size of Salmon 169 Skowl 71 Skowl Arm 85 Skowitz 5 Smith Bay 121,121! Smith A: Hirsch 16.148 Snug Harbor 158 Sockeye 5 Soldering Machine 26 Somerset River 138 Southeast Alaska District 61-128 Spawning and other Habits of Alaska Salmon 9-15 Spawning-ground of Alaska Salmon 11 Spawniug-nests of Alaska Salmon 11 Spring Salmon 5 Spuhn .fc Vanderbilt 121 Statistics of Alaskan Salmon Industry 49-60 Steam Power in Karluk Fisheries 153 Stikine River 105 Stirling, Tatea 3 Stone, Livingston 144, 163 Stranger River 128 Streams of Boca de Quadra Region 64 Sturgeon 128 Sukkwan 75.116 Surge Bay 121,128 Taku River 126 Tamgass Harbor 68 Tar Stream "it Tebenkof Bay Tost Kettles Thin Point Thin Point Packing Co. . . . Thome Arm Thorne Bay Tin used for Salmon Cans . Togiak Tok-hehe Tougass Narrows Tongasa Packing Co Topping Machine Totems Trap at Chiguik Lagoon . . Killisnoo Kussilof Trawls Tschavitche Tsimpsean Indians Tuliumnit Point Tustumena Lake Tyee Salmon Tyonek Uganuk Uganuk Bay _ Uganuk Fishing Station Ugasbik Fishing Station Ugasbik River Union Bay Uyak Anchorage Uyak Bay Uyak Lake Value of Plants, Number of Employees, and Fish- ing Apparatus, Alaska Salmon Canneries lor 1896, Tabular Statement Value of Plants. Number of Employees, and Fish- iug Apparatus, Alaska Salmon Canneries for 1897, Tabular Statement Vessels and Boats employed by Alaska Salmon Can- neries iu 1896, Tabular Statement Vessels and Boats employed by Alaska Salmon Can- neries in 1897, Tabular Statement Vixen Bay Vixen Bay Stream "Wages in Bering Sea District Ward Cove Warm Chuck Weasel Cove Weight of Salmon 14,31.83,93,120,126.140, Western Alaska Company Whale Passage Williams, Brown & Co Wingham Island Wrangell : Wraugell Narrows Yakntat Yea Bay Zapors