64 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



fertilizer also, and a new reduction plant was established by the Alaska 

 Salmon Meal & Oil Co. at Tiedeman Bay, although it was operated 

 only a short time during the season. The total production was 

 1,585,288 pounds of fertilizer, valued at $29,094, and 54,980 gallons 

 of oil, valued at $12,312, as compared with 2,283,882 pounds of ferti- 

 lizer, valued at $51,674, and 55,883 gallons of oil, valued at $10,525, 

 in 1930 — a decrease of about 31 per cent in the amount of fertilizer 

 and 2 per cent in the quantitj^ of oil. 



HERRING 



A continuation of the generally low price levels on fishery products 

 brought about a sharp curtailment in herring operations in Alaska in 

 1931, a number of the larger salting and reduction plants in the south- 

 eastern district remaining inactive throughout the year. Production 

 of herring oil and meal fell far behind that of 1930, showing a net 

 decrease of more than 18,000,000 pounds in quantity and $880,000 in 

 value. The output of Scotch-cured herring, however, was on about 

 the same scale as in the preceding year; southeastern Alaska increased 

 the pack of this product considerably, while the central and western 

 districts dropped somewhat behind 1930 figures. 



The runs of herring were much lighter in the Prince William Sound 

 and Kodiak districts than in 1930, and there was little or no better- 

 ment in the size and quality of the fish. No production is recorded 

 for the Cook Inlet district, and the Golovin Bay output was consider- 

 ably below the average for recent years. Herring of unusually large 

 size and fine quality were quite abundant in the Aleutian Islands 

 region. While most of the operations in this district were centered at 

 Dutch Harbor, the motor ship Donna Lane, of the Utopian Fisheries 

 (Inc.), and the schooner Alice Cooke, of the Kalgin Packing Co., were 

 stationed in Akutan Bay, where they secured fair-sized packs of 

 Scotch-cured fish. In the southeastern district herring were abundant, 

 particularly toward the latter part of the season in the lower Chatham 

 Strait region; and although small, they were of good quality for pack- 

 ing. Production of bait nerring decreased considerably from that for 

 1930, and no importation of herring from British Columbia was 

 reported. 



The number of floating plants engaged in the herring industry 

 remained the same as in 1930. The schooner Alice Cooke, owned by 

 the Kalgin Packing Co., and the motorship Donna Lane, of the 

 Utopian Fisheries (Inc.), were operated in both the central and west- 

 ern districts, while the schooner Rosamond, belonging to the North 

 American Fisheries, was used exclusively in central Alaska. 



Although many of the herring plants in southeastern Alaska were 

 idle during the season, production of oil and meal was chiefly centered 



