great, running from 3 to 6 years, 

 and 5 to 45 pounds, with an average 

 weight in the commercial catch of 8 

 pounds. Runs begin in midsum- 

 mer and continue into the fall, with 

 the earliest fish usually going the 

 farthest upstream. Abundance in 

 any given locality may vary greatly 

 from year to year, and less is known 

 about this species than the others, 

 perhaps because it is the least valu- 

 able commercially. 



Halibut — The halibut is the 

 largest of the flatfish, weighing as 

 much as 600 pounds but averaging 

 less than 50. As fishes go, it is ex- 

 ceedingly long-lived: a 7-foot fish 

 may be 50 years old. Most halibut 

 marketed in the United States 

 comes from Alaska. The catch in 

 Pacific waters is regulated by quota 

 under international treaty with 

 Canada, and the permitted catch is 

 taken each year from May to July. 

 Competition from synthetic vita- 

 mins has recently reduced the mar- 

 ket value of the halibut's vitamin- 

 bearing liver. 



SHELLFISH 



Shrimp — Cold-packed and froz- 

 en shrimp meat comes mainly from 

 the Wrangell-Petersburg area of 

 Southeastern Alaska. In addition, 

 small packs of canned shrimp have 

 been put up from time to time in 

 lower Cook Inlet. 



Clams — Razor clams from the 



•''■^^' 



^^ 







HALIBUT 



Copper River flats. Cook Inlet, and 

 Shelikof Strait make up most of 

 the clam production. A few 

 cockles are dug in Prince William 

 Sound for canning and for crab 

 bait, and some butter clams are 

 taken from the gravel beaches of 

 the Gulf of Alaska and the South- 

 eastern Region. All clams are har- 

 vested by hand shovels and are 

 subject to commercial fishing regu- 

 lations to prevent depletion of the 

 supply. Canned razor clams are a 

 superior product. In recent years 

 only a few butter clams have been 

 canned in Southeastern Alaska. 



Oysters — The production of oys- 

 ters in Alaska has been from a 

 single commercial bed in the Ketch- 

 ikan area. Spat must be trans- 

 planted from other regions because 

 the water is too cold for successful 

 reproduction. 



211050 O— 53- 



13 



