142 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
KUSKOKWIM RIVER 
No patrol was maintained by the Bureau on the Kuskokwim River 
in 1939, and the only information available concerning the fisheries 
there is that obtained through correspondence by the Inspector in 
charge of the Yukon district. It was stated that the catch of king 
salmon was about the same as that for 1938 but there was a shortage 
of other species all along the river, and the catch thereof was only 
about a third of that for the preceding year. Only one operator, 
Robert Gierke, engaged in commercial fishing for the outside market; 
his production amounted to 2,000 pounds of pickled king salmon. 
It was estimated that fishing operations for local food requirements 
were carried on by the same number of persons as in the preceding 
year, namely, 380 natives, and that they used 500 gill nets of 13,000 
fathoms, 47 wheels, and several small boats. Their total production 
was estimated at 75 tons of dried chum salmon, 6 tons of dried reds, 
and 21 tons of dried kings. 
YUKON RIVER 
As in the previous year, three outfits on the Yukon River prepared 
mild-cured salmon for the outside market, as follows: the Northern 
Commercial Co., which operated on a scow in Acheron Channel; 
St. Mary’s Mission, at the head of Sunshine Bay in Acropok Slough; 
and Chris Lauridsen, at Kwiguk Slough. Their total output of mild- 
cured salmon was 166 tierces * of kings. Only natives are employed 
in this district and the industry, although on a very small scale, means 
a great deal to them, as it gives them an opportunity to earn a little 
money with which to buy necessities which they would not otherwise 
have. 
A patrol of the Yukon River was again maintained by Inspector 
Calvin F. Townsend, aboard the Coot. The vessel left Nenana on 
May 25 for the mouth of the Yukon and returned there on September 
26. In all, it traversed 4,328 miles during the season. 
On the trip downstream, from May 25 to June 8, the Coot afforded 
transportation to Acting Director Charles G. Burdick, of the C. C. C. 
in Alaska, who was making a survey of the people residing along the 
Yukon in order to plan the conservation work in that locality. From 
August 30 to September 6 Vera B. Harmon, Supervisor of Social 
Welfare of the Office of Indian Affairs, was a passenger, visiting the 
camps at which stops were made between Marshall and Anvik. 
King salmon were late in entermg the Yukon, as the ice was still 
solid at the mouth of the river on June 7 and did not go out until June 
10. The first catch was made on June 16, or about 10 days later than 
in former years. The largest catch for the season was made on June 
22, after which there was a gradual decline. Commercial fishing for 
export was discontinued on July 15. The kings this year were unu- 
sually large, averaging 55 to the tierce. During the early part of the 
run, a boat from Nome came into the Yukon and purchased 200 fresh 
kings for transfer to that place. A price of 50 cents each was paid 
for these fish. 
Chum salmon began to enter the river at the same time as the kings, 
and the run reached its peak on July 9, declining gradually thereafter 
3 For the purposes of this Report the tierce has been computed on a basis of 800 pounds net. 
