PROGRESS REPORT ON 

 ALASKA FISHERY MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH, 1958 



INTRODUCTION 



The management of Alaska's commercial 

 fishery resources has long been the respon- 

 sibility of the Federal Government. The 

 objectives, of course, are the promulgation 

 and execution of measures to achieve maximum 

 sustained production of fishery products. 

 To accomplish this, it is necessary to main- 

 tain the presently fished populations at 

 maximum levels and to bring into production 

 species not now being utilized. These are 

 problems assigned to the Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service . 



One of the stumbling blocks today in 

 achieving management objectives is the lack 

 of knowledge of the fish themselves. What 

 factors affect their reproduction and growth, 

 where and when do they migrate, to how much 

 natural and fishing mortality are they sub- 

 jected, and how large a spawning stock is 

 necessary to give maximum production? These 

 factors vary from species to species and, 

 within the species, from area to eirea. 

 Therefore, considering the size of Alaska, 

 its varied climate and geography, it is ap- 

 parent that a great amount of basic informa- 

 tion concerning the fish themselves must be 

 obtained if proper management methods are 

 to be developed. 



The Bureau's intensified biological 

 research efforts in Alaska during the past 

 several years are beginning to shed some 

 light on the problems. Knowledge gained 

 from these efforts is utilized as rapidly 

 as it becomes available in promulgating 

 fishing regulations. 



The history of the development of the 

 continental United States and other countries 

 demonstrates that such development results 

 in demands on water resources that may be 

 inimical to fisheries. Pollution, construc- 



tion of dams, and diversion of water from 

 streams can render waters unfit for produc- 

 tion of fish. Some of these problems have 

 already arisen in Alaska, and it is safe to 

 assume that they will increase rapidly. 

 With proper planning and understanding, 

 serious damage to the fishery resources can 

 be avoided. 



There are in Alaska many commercially 

 abundant species of fish that are not now 

 being utilized. Through its technological, 

 exploratory fishing, and market development 

 branches, the Bureau is assisting in the 

 development of fisheries on some of these 

 species. As the world demand for protein 

 food and the need for additional resource 

 use to support Alaska's basic economy in- 

 crease, full development of all of Alaska's 

 potential fisheries will be required. 



With the advent of statehood for 

 Alaska, certain commercial fishery manage- 

 ment functions that are now the responsi- 

 bility of the Federal Government will be 

 assumed by the new State. These will be 

 chiefly the development and enforcement of 

 fishing regulations. It is imperative to 

 the conservation of Alaska's fishery re- 

 sources that this transition be made in an 

 orderly, well-planned manner so that con- 

 tinuity can be maintained in the management 

 of the fisheries. To this end, the Bureau 

 of Commercial Fisheries is cooperating fully 

 with the present Territorial Department of 

 Fish and Game by supplying data concerning 

 its management division and practices and 

 background information on the species in 

 the various management districts. 



HIGHLIGHTS OF 1958 

 ALASKA SALMON FISHERY 



A pink salmon pack of more than a 

 million and a half cases brought the total 



