42 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



The development of the industry was marked by the gradual opening of new 

 fishing grounds and by the extension of operations to mclude species formerly unused. 

 The sharp rise that came between 1899 and 1902 was due largely to rapid develop- 

 ment in the red-salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. Following this, for nine years the 

 general level did not change materially, but then, between 1910 and 1918, the pack 

 more than doubled, due mainly to the development of the fishery for pinks and 



Fig. 1.— Map of western Alaska 



chums in southeastern Alaska. The sudden drop in 1919 from over 6,500,000 

 cases to only a few over 4,500,000 was due to some extent to the postwar economic 

 conditions; but it can not be ascribed entirely to that cause, as the red-salmon pack 

 of western Alaska was poor in spite of intensive fishing, as indicated by the presence 

 there of more gear than in any other year save one and a correspondmg drop in the 

 catch per unit of gear. Furthermore, a distinct drop in the pack of pinks took 

 place in southeastern Alaska, while at the same time the pack of chum salmon 

 maintained itself fairly well. 



