BUREAU OF FISHERIES 301 
and 168° west longitude. These operations were discontinued by the 
middle of May and did not interfere with the salmon fishery in that 
region. 
ALASKA FISHERIES SERVICE 
ADMINISTRATION OF FISHERY LAWS ANDEREGULATIONS 
Operations in the Alaska fishery industry were observed closely in 
all areas by field agents of the Bureau, and regulations with respect 
to commercial fishing were modified during the progress of the season, 
as circumstances warranted, to permit the fullest possible utilization 
of the fishery resources consistent with conservation requirements. 
The Acting Commissioner of Fisheries spent several weeks in the Ter- 
ritory studying problems of fishery management. Following the close 
of the fishing season he initiated the policy of holding annual hearings 
in the various fishing centers in order to obtain the views of those 
engaged in the industry with regard to regulatory measures. 
Revised regulations for the protection of the commercial fisheries 
of Alaska were issued by the Secretary of the Interior on January 4, 
to be effective in the 1940 season. The new regulations were based 
upon the evidence presented at the Alaska hearings and in supplemental 
briefs, as well as upon data gathered by the Bureau’s patrol force and 
biological investigators. Commercial salmon fishing in the Bristol Bay 
area was restricted to approximately 50 percent of normal operations 
for the purpose of rebuilding the weak cyclical run of red salmon 
which occurs in this area in the years divisible by five. The weekly 
closed period was increased to 60 hours in the Prince William Sound 
area and in most sections of southeastern Alaska, in order to provide 
a more continuous escapement of pink salmon throughout the season. 
In the southeastern Alaska area commercial fishing for herring was 
prohibited except by gill nets or for bait purposes, and in the Prince 
William Sound and Kodiak areas herring-catch quotas were estab- 
lished to prevent depletion. Other changes in the regulations included 
shght modifications of seasons, limitations upon the size of nets, and 
restrictions upon waters open to commercial fishing. One feature was 
the closure of 20 salmon fish-trap sites previously open to this type 
of apparatus. 
Separate regulations were issued on May 28, 1940, with regard to 
the protection of game fish and other fish in the fresh waters of Alaska, 
as distinct from the regulations pertaining to the commercial fisheries. 
The publication of separate sport-fishing regulations was found ad- 
visable in view of the rapid development of sport fishing in the 
Territory in recent years. The new regulations define game fish and 
