EEPOKT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 59 



over 10. ()()(). 000 lish, and thr j)ack of canned salmon ^vas tlic lai-<:;('st 

 in the history of the Territory. The ap;<2;resate catch was over 

 43,975,000 fish, from which there were prepared 2,825,000 cases of 

 canneil sahnon each containiiio: forty-ei,<!:ht l-])oiind cans or the 

 equivalent, valued at $14,593,000, in addition to which salmon were 

 sold in a IVesli, frozen, pickled, dry-salted, or smoked condition to the 

 value of about $535,000. The number of salmon canneries increased 

 from 52 to 64, the lar^^est number of new plants hein^i; in southeastern 

 iViaska. The success of a floatino; cannery in that section resulted in 

 the equipment of several other such plants in anticipation of the 1912 

 season. 



In the fall of 1911 the five private salmon hatcheries took 

 167,146,800 e^o^s of the red salmon; adding to these the take of the 

 two Government hatcheries, amounting to 102,520,000 eggs of red 

 salmon and 6,696,700 eggs of humpback and silver salmons, the 

 total for the season was 276,363,500. Under the provision of law 

 exempting from license fee and taxation the owners of private 

 hatcheries at the rate of 10 cases of salmon for each thousand red 

 or king salmon fry hatched and liberated, there were planted in 1911 

 salmon fry to the number of 106,617,500, on which the rebate was 

 $42,647. This feature of the Alaskan fishery law has been the 

 subject of complaint and criticism, and should probably be replaced 

 by a provision placing all fish-cultural work under the direct control 

 of the Bureau. 



Under date of March 21, 1912, the Secretary of Commerce and 

 Labor established and promulgated the following regulations affecting 

 the waters of Afognak Island, which was set aside as a public fish- 

 cultural reservation by presidential proclamation in 1892; these 

 regulations were designed to safeguard the fish supply and at the 

 same time accord to the native inhabitants of the island certain 

 privileges not incompatible with the purpose for which the reservation 

 was established: 



1. No person or persons other than the natives of Afognak Island now resident there- 

 on will be permitted to fish in the reserved waters. 



2. Licenses for fishing will be granted to the said natives upon application to the 

 Secretary of Commerce and Labor or such representative of the Department of Com- 

 merce and Labor as may from time to time be designated by the Secretary. 



3. The kinds and amounts of apparatus to be used, the places where and the manner 

 in which it may be operated, and the time when it may be employed, will be deter- 

 mined by the Secretary of Commerce and Labor and will be subject to changes or 

 modifications from time to time at his discretion. 



The order of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor of December 

 19, 1907, closing Wood and Xushagak Eivers to salmon fishing, 

 remains in force, and no commercial fishing has been carried on 

 in these streams or within 500 yards of their mouths except that 

 ,'illowed in 1911 as a scientific test of the run of fish. The acquies- 



