collect and analyze biological statistics; and 

 (4) to determine the distribution, timing, and 

 relative magnitude of the escapement. This 

 paper presents the findings under the head- 

 ings of the four objectives. 



COMMERCIAL FISHERY 

 Catch 



Most king salmon taken for commercial 

 purposes in Cook Inlet are canned, and the 

 remainder are used for other markets — fresh, 

 frozen, mild-cured, pickled, or smoked. Pro- 

 duction for these markets has not been re- 

 ported consistently, and total amounts or 

 values are not known for any one year. Such 

 information as is available is presented in 

 table 1. Since it is not known if the figures 

 given represent total production, their only 

 value may be to serve as an indication of the 

 variety of uses. 



The best available measure of abundance 

 of king salmon in Cook Inlet is the canned 

 pack, which has been reported consistently 

 since 1923 (table 2 and fig, 2). The pack moved 

 steadily upward until 1951 when a record high 

 was reached. Since 1954 annual packs have 

 declined. 



In the Cook Inlet commercial fishery king 

 salmon are taken with set gill nets, which have 

 one end fastened to shore, and drift gill nets, 

 which float free with the tidal currents. Until 

 1959 they also were taken by traps, but in that 

 year the State of Alaska banned the use of traps. 



Set gill nets are fished along both the east 

 and west sides of the inlet and around the 

 shore of Kalgin Island (fig. 1). Drift gill nets 

 are fished in the offshore waters of the inlet, 

 mainly between Kalgin Island and the west 

 shore. Most of the commercial catch is taken 

 by set gill nets. In 1959, for instance, set gill 

 nets took 71.5 percent of the catch; drift gill 

 nets, 17.2 percent; and traps, 11.2 percent. 

 In 1959 set gill nets took 79.5 percent and 

 drift gill nets 20.5 percent. 



Regulations 



The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries regu- 

 lated fishing effort by limiting the length of 



gear fished and the size of the mesh and by 

 adjusting the amount of fishing time within the 

 season. Set gill nets could not exceed 35 

 fathoms in length, and the aggregate length of 

 set gill nets used by any fisherman could not 

 exceed 105 fathoms. Drift gill nets could not 

 exceed 150 fathoms in length. No minimum 

 length was stipulated. 



Mesh regulations were in effect between 

 May 25 and June 30, the time when most king 

 salmon migrate through Cook Inlet. During this 

 period all nets were restricted to 8 l/2inches, 

 stretch measure, except for optional use of 35 

 fathoms of 5 1/2-inch-mesh net, which was 

 allowed for catching early running sockeye 

 salmon. 



The principal means of regulating fishing 

 effort was in the reduction of fishing time. 

 'Before 1949 a weekly closed period of 36 

 hours (1800 Saturday to 0600 Monday) was the 

 only time limitation on fishing. In 1949 and 

 1950 the weekly closed period was increased 

 to 48 hours, and in 1951 the year of the record 

 catch (table 2), it was increased to 84 hours. 

 The following year, it was decreased to 72 

 hours. From 1953 to 1959 the weekly closed 

 period was 120 hours, which allowed two 24- 

 hour fishing periods a week. 



Reducing fishing time did not stop the decline 

 of king salmon. Annual packs in 1953 and 1954, 

 when fishing was permitted for only two 24- 

 hour periods a week, compare closely with the 

 packs in years when fishing was permitted for 

 longer periods. Yet, annual packs from 1955 

 to 1959 declined drastically, and since they 

 were achieved under the same regulations as 

 the packs of 1953 and 1954, the decline cannot 

 be attributed solely to shorter fishing seasons. 



Data that demonstrate the decline are 

 limited. Information concerning catch and 

 effort is available only for the period from 1956 

 to 1959 (table 3). Set gill net catches are used 

 because they represent major portions of the 

 catch and should therefore reflect changes in 

 abundance. Effort is expressed in set net days 

 and represents the number of set gill nets 

 multiplied by the number of days fished. 

 Despite relatively stable fishing effort between 

 years, the average catch per net day was lower 



