FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 71, NO. 3 



other major river systems in southwestern Alas- 

 ka which produce sockeye salmon, by Burgner 

 et al. (1969). Using special surveys made in 

 1961 and 1962, as well as other data on the Kar- 

 luk runs, they concluded that: "restoration of 

 the Karluk runs to former high levels will re- 

 quire considerably more than mere manipula- 

 tion of numbers of spawners in the escapement. 

 Evidence suggests that the average reproduc- 

 tive capacity of the sockeye salmon in the Kar- 

 luk system was reduced while the run was in 

 decline. Current research at Karluk is directed 

 toward determination of the cause of this reduc- 

 tion." 



OTHER INFORMATION BEARING 

 ON KARLUK RUNS 



In addition to the above discussions of the 

 decline of the Karluk runs, a wealth of other 

 information is available in the published and 

 unpublished records of surveys and research on 

 the Karluk sockeye salmon. 



Chamberlain (1907) first mentioned the sin- 

 gle peak in the Karluk run. On page 70 of his 

 report he states: 



.... The Karluk is said similarly to have two runs, 

 one maximum about the last of June and one the first 

 of August, but this was not true in 1903 when the River 

 was under study. ... In the Karluk in 1903 [page 75] 

 the first sockeyes entered the lake about the middle of 

 June; they continued to arrive in numbers until the 

 latter part of July. They spawn during August. 



Thus, even though Thompson's analysis of the 

 catch in his 1950 paper was based upon that of a 

 single cannery, it agreed with this earlier obser- 

 vation and proved that the spring and fall peaks 

 evident in 1921 were artifacts. 



The intensity of the fishery that eliminated 

 the middle portions of the Karluk run is well 

 documented in the reports of the U.S. Fish Com- 

 mission. McDonald (1894:2) noted that: 



.... The enormous production of this year [of red 

 salmon from the Karluk River] was secured by entirely 

 obstructing the river by running a fence across so that 

 no fish could pass up, . . . 



He also described the destructive methods of 

 fishing used at Karluk at this time, as well as 

 throughout Alaska: 



.... One seine follows another in such rapid suc- 

 cession as to cover all approaches to fresh water, and 

 the movement of the salmon into the rivers is as effectu- 

 ally arrested as if permanent barriers were maintained 

 across the entire width of the stream. [McDonald, 1894: 

 11.] 



Moser (1899), in his report for the year 1898, 

 described the use of barricades in salmon 

 streams in Alaska as follows: 



It was a matter of great surprise to discover, . . . the 

 large number of streams which were either actually bar- 

 ricaded, or which showed indications of having been 

 barricaded, notwithstanding the strict law forbidding 

 such obstructions, the maximum penalty being $1,000 

 fine, three months' imprisonment, and a fine of $250 

 per day for every day the obstruction remains. 



A law prohibiting the erection of barricades 

 in streams or to fish in such a manner as to pre- 

 vent salmon from moving upstream, was passed 

 by Congress in 1896, but it was undoubtedly 

 some years before it could have been enforced 

 effectively. 



Moser (1899) also remarked on the inability 

 of the Karluk hatchery to obtain fish for spawn- 

 ing purposes from 20 July to 5 August, due to 

 the heavy net fishery in the lower end of the 

 lagoon. 



Few salmon were taken at the hatchery for spawning 

 purposes 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 for 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 depar- 

 ture. The cause of 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. ... It was subsequently learned 

 that during the latter part of August a number of good 

 hauls of salmon were made off the hatchery. 



In any event, the continued decline in the Kar- 

 luk sockeye salmon runs after 1900 resulted in 

 the exclusion of commercial fishing from the 

 Karluk Lagoon in 1918 as indicated above. 

 Thompson's (1950) description of the loss of 

 the midseason spawners from the Karluk run 



632 



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