All of these salmon are anadromous . The eggs, which are deposited 

 in the gravels of fresh v;ater streams and lakes during the summer and 

 fallj hatch during the winter and following spring and the young fish - 

 after a varying period of time depending on the species and locality - 

 migrate to the ocean - After they have attained their full growth, thqy 

 return to fresh -water to spawn. , 



It has been quite definitely demonstrated that the adult salmon 

 return to spawn in the same stream from which they migrated as young 

 fisho While there are some exceptions, there is no question of the 

 fundamental fact that the majority of the salmon return to their "home 

 stream". If a spawning area be depopulated - whether by overfishing or 

 other causes - that area will remain depopulated until it has been 

 restocked by the planting of eggs, fry, or spawning fish, an expensive 

 undertaking that would have no assurance of siiccess. 



ALASKA SAU.TON FISHERY 



The salmon fishery of Alaska had its inception in I878 when a small 

 pack of canned salmon was produced at Klawock on the west coast of Prince 

 of Wales Island o The fishery expanded rapidly to all areas of Alaska and 

 since the beginning of the century has been the chief industry of the 

 Territory. Host of the fish are canned although some are frozen, salted, 

 pickled, or delivered fresh to the consumer. The annual packs of canned 

 salmon and their vfholesale values are presented in table 1, The wholesale 

 values reflect only to a minor degree the intrinsic worth of the resource 

 for canned salmon is an important source of highly nutritious, vitamin 

 rich, protein in the nation's food economy. 



Salmon are caught by means of gill nets, beach seines, purse seines, 

 and traps. All of these forms of gear are operated close to shore, the 

 "fixed" gill nets, beach seines and traps usually having one end of the 

 gear anchored on the beach. "Drift" gill nets and purse seines usually 

 are operated in the estuaries of rivers or in bays. 



Regulations governing the fishery 



Owing to the rapid expansicn of the salmon fishery after its in- 

 ception in 18783 fears were expressed by certain far-sighted individuals 

 that unless the fishery were regi.ilated, the populations of salmon would 

 be decimated and the resource destroyed by overexploitation. As a result, 

 legistation regulating the fishery 'was passed by the Congress in I889 

 and subsequaitly numerous other acts refulating the fishery have been 

 approved o In addition to specific regulations enacted by the Congress, 



