32 



FISHEEY AND FUR INDUSTRIES OF ALASKA IN 1912. 



of 1911 at Loring when not all the available fish were spawned for 

 the hatchery. The number of eggs taken at the various stations in 

 the years 1911 and 1912, as well as the number of fry liberated from 

 the 1911 eggs, is shown in the following table: 



Operations of Alaska Hatcheries in 1912. 



a Some humpback and coho eggs also handled; 3,271,740 humpback eggs were taken in 1912. At both 

 the Yes Lake and Afognak hatcheries the numbers under "fry" include the fingerlings held and fed in the 

 troughs. 



The take of eggs at the Afognak station in 1912 was greatly reduced 

 by the loss of fish incident to the volcanic eruption. All of the salmon 

 lying below the rack at the time of the fall of the ashes from Katmai 

 Volcano, June 6 to 9, were killed; this involved a loss of some 8,000 

 or 10,000 sockeye salmon. 



An interesting situation is shown at the Klawak hatchery. This 

 plant has a capacity of 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 eggs. The catch of fish 

 for the cannery has increased. During the years preceding 1901 the 

 average annual catch was under 40,000, while in the last four 3^ears it 

 has been almost 50,000, and in the last two considerably over that 

 number. The hatchery, until 1910, was small and did not make use 

 of all the spawning fish entering; the lake. The number of eggs taken 

 was comparatively small, and heavy losses at times from freezing 

 largely neutralized any advantage derived from the operation of the 

 hatchery. In 1910 the capacity was increased to 10,000,000, but 

 fewer than 7,000,000 eggs were taken, pn-esumably from lack of 

 spawners. In 1911 there was a larger catch of fish for the cannery 

 and a still smaller take of eggs for the hatchery, fewer than 6,000,000, 

 In 1912, wliile the returns for the catch are not definite, they indicate 

 a still larger number of fish taken for the canneries, and the egg take 

 dropped to fewer than 4,000,000. 



Hetta shows a still more remarkable situation. At this point, from 

 1896 to 1900, an annual average of nearly 200,000 redfish were taken. 

 By 1909 this had dropped to fewer than 55,000. In that year 

 slightly over 10,000,000 redfish eggs were taken, about 10 per cent 

 of the fish escaping to the lake. In 1910 the catch increased a few 

 thousands and the egg take fell off a million, In 1911 the catch was 



