ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1926 267 
CHIGNIK SALMON COUNT 
Work on the erection of the weir in Chignik River was begun on 
April 30 at a point about 20 rods above its location in the preceding 
year, where the water was from 2 to 5 feet in depth and the river 
about 450 feet wide. An unusually large migration of red-salmon 
fingerlings was noted during the construction of the weir and con- 
tinued into August. 
Red salmon began to pass through the weir on June 1, but did not 
come in considerable numbers until June 8. At no time during the 
season was there a large run. Asa result of a flood, the river became 
roily, and the weir was so damaged that counting of fish was dis- 
continued from June 20 to July 6, when repairs were completed. 
Estimates were made of the daily escapement during this period. 
Counting was discontinued on September 25, as the water again be- 
came too roily to see the fish and the run virtually was over. ‘The 
total number of red salmon that passed through the weir was 960,514. 
In addition, 1,682 kings and 78,923 coho salmon were counted. 
There was a good run of humpbacks, which spawned along the whole 
length of the river. 
On June 15 commercial fishing by the three canneries that have 
fished this district in past seasons began, in addition to which the 
Salmon King, a floating cannery, anchored at Chignik on June 17 
and fished from June 18 to July 15. By departmental regulations, 
no commercial fishing is permitted after September 15. On account 
of the large percentage of the run of red salmon which was being 
taken, the four traps in Chignik Lagoon were closed on July 3 for 
the remainder of the season, and three traps in Chignik Bay were 
closed during a part of the fishing season. The total commercial 
catch of red salmon from the Chignik run was 440,989. The work 
at Chignik was under the immediate supervision of Warden Charles 
Petry. 
MORZHOVOI SALMON COUNT 
The counting of salmon ascending to spawning grounds was in- 
augurated at Morzhovoi Bay in 1926 by the construction of a weir 
on a stream about one-fourth mile above the point where it flows 
into the middle lagoon. The weir was 42 feet long over all and 
crossed the stream at a point where the banks were about 7 feet 
high with an average water depth of 2 feet. The pickets were driven 
into the ground for a distance varying from 18 to 36 inches, and a 
trench was dug along the lower face of the weir on the upstream 
side, against which sod was packed, with gravel over it to weight 
it. Two braces were placed in the center of the weir, one on each 
side of the channel, and the capping anchored to them on one end 
and to mud sills on each shore end, firmly embedded in the abrupt 
banks. Assistance was rendered by the King Cove cannery of the 
Pacific American Fisheries in transporting materials for the weir. 
The weir was completed on May 8, and a stream guard was sta- 
tioned there on June 18, but salmon did not begin to pass through 
until June 22. None but reds passed through until August 17. The 
last red was counted on August 30 and the weir was removed on 
September 3, a total of 13,590 reds, 3 kings, and 176 cohos having 
