ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1931 27 



the work of overhauling and preparing the boats for launching was begun imme- 

 diately. Besides the necessar_v work on the hulls, each engine of the eight 

 launches, as well as of the two power skiffs, was overhauled and adjusted. Sup- 

 plies and materials brought north on the cannery shii)s were lightered ashore, 

 and the material was sorted and made ready for transshipment to the various, 

 weirs. Work at the weirs was then begun, the installation of the Naknek weir 

 being undertaken first, the crew for which left for the weir camp on June 1. 



The Scoter, eight small boats, and two power skiflfs comprised the patrol fleet 

 for the district. The Scoter was used by Agent Winn in general supervision of 

 the entire area, while the small boats traversed specified localities, checking gear 

 to assure compliance with regulations, and collecting data on commercial opera- 

 tions. These boats were assigned to the various sections of Bristol Baj^, as 

 follows: 



Ugashik River and Bay. — Launch N^o. 6, C. M. Hatton and William K. Leise. 

 Launch A'o. 8, Henry McFadden and Stanley C. Tholo, also patrolled in this; 

 locality and was used as a tender in connection with Ugashik weir operations. 



Egegik River. — Launch No. 4, Elmer QuistoriT and Ralph Overbay. 



Naknek River. — Launch No. 2, Clinton Gross and Claude Bushey. 



Kvichak Bay and River. — Launch No. 9, Alf. Christensen and Oscar Thorene; 

 launch No. 1, George I. Adams and Jack Burns, assigned to patrol the upper 

 reaches of the bay and to see that no fishing was done above the limit fine; launch 

 N^o. 7, Bertel Johnson and Donald S. Praeger, engaged partly on patrol work and 

 partly as tender for the Kvichak and Naknek weirs. 



Nushagak Bay. — Launch N^o. 3, Warden Fenno and Wesley Haynes. 



Only one violation of the fishery regulations was reported. 



The total number of gill-net boats fished in the district in 1931 was 1,059, 

 consisting of 811 operated by the canneries and 248 by independent fishermen — 

 local whites and natives who sold their catches to the canneries. Of the inde- 

 pendent boats, 129 were used by white residents and 119 by natives, as compared 

 with 66 by whites and 125 by natives in 1930. The number of commercial stake 

 nets operated increased from 134 in 1930 to 188 in 1931. 



RUNS AND ESCAPEMENT OF SALMON 



There was a good run of red salmon in Bristol Bay, especially on the east side 

 from Ugashik River to the Kvichak River. The escapement in the Egegik,. 

 Naknek, and Kvichak Rivers was far above the average, as was also that at 

 Ugashik, where the weir count showed the largest escapement since tlie rack was 

 established in 1926. While the run in the Nushagak River was not as heavy as 

 elsewhere in the bay, there was a fairly good escapement. The bulk of the run at 

 Nushagak struck in on Juh' 4 at the beginning of a weekly closed period. Exami- 

 nation of the important spawning areas tributary to Bristol Bay was msde by 

 bureau observers at the close of the fishing season. 



DESTRUCTION OF PREDATORY FISHES 



The work on predatory enemies of salmon was continued to the full extent of 

 available funds, part of which were furnished by the Territory and part by canners 

 of the district, who assessed themselves $8,000, to be handled and disbursed under 

 bureau supervision in the same manner as were the Territorial funds. Not only 

 is this work of recognized benefit to the future of the salmon industry, but it con- 

 tributes immeasurably to the support and welfare of the local residents. Nearly 

 all of the Bristol Bay population engaged in the predatory activities, so that it was 

 necessary for the bureau to fix a limit for each subdistrict, in accordance with 

 funds available, and when the limit was reached to discontinue the work. The 

 entire quota was 405,000 predatory fish, and of this number 339,748 were reported 

 taken in 1931. The remainder of the quota will be taken during the winter 

 months from the Naknek and Ugashik areas, which were the onlj' sections that 

 had not reached the number allotted them. Representatives of the bureau have 

 supervised the predatory work and the improvement of the salmon spawning 

 grounds in the Bristol Bay region throughout the year, continuing individual 

 activities after the special funds for the payment of local inhabitants were exhausted. 



