and Kuskokwim Rivers in size of chum salmon 

 catches. More recent information indicates 

 that chum salmon may be in even greater 

 abundance in the Noatak River than in the 

 Kobuk River. 



Raleigh estimated that annual catches of 

 chum salmon were in excess of 264,000 for 

 the nine villages listed (table 3). Six of these 

 were rated as having medium to high depend- 

 ency on salmon resources. This area ranks 

 fourth in utilization of chum salmon, being 

 exceeded by the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers 

 and the Bristol Bay area. 



OFFSHORE ISLANDS 



The offshore islands of the Bering Sea in- 

 clude the Pribilof Islands and St. Mathew, 

 Nunivak, St. Lawrence, Little Diomede, and 

 King Islands. Raleigh estimated 25,000 salmon 

 (species unknown) for Nunivak Island in 1952. 

 Data available for St. Lawrence Island give 

 800 pink salmon for the village of Gambell in 

 1955, but the catch for the whole island would 

 be somewhat larger. Data available for King 

 Island give 1,100 salmon (species unknown) for 

 1950. No estimates have been obtained for the 

 other islands. Salmon resources are limited 

 on most of the islands and generally furnish 

 a minor part of the native livelihood. 



SUMMARY 



Chum salmon are the most abundant species 

 of salmon in the region north of Bristol Bay. 

 They are present in all of the major and many 

 of the minor streams as far north as Point 

 Hope. Although their distribution is known to 

 extend north and east to the Mackenzie River, 

 reliable information on abundance and escape- 

 ments is lacking in many cases. 



The Yukon River system has a resident 

 subsistence fishery that utilizes approximately 

 500,000 to 1,000,000 chum salmon annually. 

 Chum salmon are known to ascend the river 

 as far as Teslin Crossing, Canada, on the 

 Teslin River. 



The Kuskokwim River system ranks second 

 in importance with regard to chum salmon 

 utilization. Recent estimates of annual sub- 



sistence fisheries indicate catches in excess 

 of 511,000. 



The Bristol Bay area ranks third in impor- 

 tance with respect to utilization of this species. 

 The commercial catch alone ranges from 

 150,000 to as high as 400,000. The subsistence 

 fishery utilizes a large number of salmon in 

 addition to those used in the commercial pack. 



The area from Seward Peninsula to Point 

 Hope is fourth in utilization of this species 

 with an estimated annual catch in excess of 

 264,000 fish. The Kobuk River is the major 

 salmon stream in this area. 



Chum salmon catches from the various 

 coastal areas, excluding Bristol Bay and the 

 Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers, may range up 

 to 200,000 fish annually, with the largest 

 catches in the Seward Peninsula area and the 

 smallest in the area from Cape Newenham 

 to the Kuskokwim River. Salmon catches, in- 

 cluding all species, for the Bering Sea Islands 

 are of minor importance and form a small 

 portion of the native's diet. 



LITERATURE CITED 



BOWER, WARD T. 



1919. Alaska fisheries and fur industries 

 in 1918. [U.S.] Bureau of Fisheries, 

 Report of the United States Commis- 

 sioner of Fisheries for the fiscal year 

 1918, appendix 7, 128 p. [Bureau of 

 Fisheries Document No. 872.] 



1921. Alaska fishery and fur-seal indus- 

 tries in 1920. [U.S.] Bureau of Fish- 

 eries, Report of the United States 

 Commissioner of Fisheries for the 

 fiscal year 1921, appendix 6, 154 p. 

 [Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 909.] 



1923. Alaska fishery and fur-seal indus- 

 tries in 1922. [U.S.] Bureau of Fish- 

 eries, Report of the United States 

 Commissioner of Fisheries for fiscal 

 year 1923, appendix 4, 118 p. [Bureau 

 of Fisheries Document No. 951.] 



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