Figure 36. --Herring spawning areas in 

 Southeastern Alaska, 1958. 



tagging program is needed. Because of their 

 size and of the method used in their pro- 

 cessing, an external tag cannot be detected 

 on herring, and it is necessary to develop 

 an internal tag. During 1958 exploratory 

 studies on the use of an internal radio- 

 active magnetic tag were completed. Field 

 testing of a device to detect cuid eject tag- 

 ged herring from the processing plcint's pro- 

 duction line was successful. The magnetic 

 feature of the taig alleviates any possibility 

 of the radioactive substance entering the 

 processing plant's finished product. It is 

 planned to complete the necessary procedural 

 matters in compliance with Atomic Energy 

 Commission regulations in time to inaugurate 

 a herring tagging program by spring of next 

 year. 



Crab 



King, dungeness and tanner crab have 

 all been utilized commercially in Alaska. 

 At the present time, partly because of 

 technological problems, there is no fishery 

 for the abundant tanner crab. Although king 

 and dungeness crab each contribute to the 

 total Alaska crab pack, the former is by 

 far the dominant species landed. The crab 

 industry had its origin in 1909 in South- 

 eastern Alaska when a market developed for 

 fresh dungeness crab. However, it was not 

 until 1921 that a canning industry for this 

 species developed. Dungeness crab, which 

 are taken by pots, were first marketed in 

 Southeastern Alaska, but soon the industry 

 expanded to include catches from Prince 

 William Sound, an area that also produces 

 some king crab. Ehiring 1957, the last year 

 for which statistics are available, 333,974 

 pounds of dungeness crab were landed in 

 Southeastern Alaska and 217,867 pounds in 

 Prince William Sound. 



King crab fishing occurs in four 

 areas. Large vessels operations are carried 

 on in the spring and summer in the Bering 

 Sea where American boats, using trawls, and 

 Japanese boats, with both trawls and tangle 

 nets, take the catch. Smaller vessels, 

 using trawls eind pots, dominate the other 

 three fishing arccis. Kodiak and the Sand 

 Point-Cold Bay regions are areas of fall 

 and winter fishing, while the Cook Inlet 

 fishery, which is concentrated in Kachemak 

 Bay, is carried ort primarily in the summer 

 months . 



26 



