ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES IN 1927 



By Ward T. Bower, Administrative Officer 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 62 



Visit of the t'omniissioner of Fisheries and 



other offlcials to Alaska 63 



Fishery Industries 63 



New fishery regulations 63 



Afognak Reserve 88 



Annette Island Fishery Reserve 89 



Alaska fishery intelligence service 89 



Stream marking 89 



Stream guards > 89 



Vessel patrol 90 



Complaints and prosecutions 91 



Robbery offish traps 93 



Territorial fishery legislation 93 



Territorial license tax 94 



Bristol Bay district 94 



General report of season's operations 95 



Patrol 95 



Runs of salmon 96 



Wood River district 96 



Becharof Lake district 97 



Inspection of Iliamna and Lake Clark 



spawning areas in 1927 97 



Kuskokwim River 99 



Yukon River 100 



Karluk salmon count 101 



Alitak salmon count 101 



Chignik salmon count 102 



Morzhovoi salmon count 103 



Thin Point Lagoon salmon count 103 



Chinik Creek salmon count 103 



English Bay salmon count 104 



Salmon count at Kalgin Island stream 104 



Ugashik salmon count 105 



Anan salmon count 105 



Salmon tagging 105 



Salmon life-history studies 106 



Observations on the escapement of salmon. 106 



Hatcheries 109 



Extent of operations 109 



Afognak 109 



McDonald Lake 109 



Heckman Lake (Fortmann) 110 



Hugh Smith Lake (Quadra) 110 



Territorial hatcheries _. 110 



Hatchery rebates 111 



General statistics of the fisheries 111 



Salmon 114 



Catch and apparatus 114 



Canning 116 



Changes in canneries 116 



New canneries 117 



Canneries not operated 118 



Total canneries operated 118 



Losses and disasters 121 



Statistics 122 



Pack in certain districts 125 



Mild curing 127 



Pickling 129 



Fresh salmon ._ 130 



Freezing 130 



Fishery Industries— Continued 



Salmon— Continued. Page 



Dry-salting, drying, and smoking 131 



Eggs for caviar 131 



By-products 132 



Herring 132 



Statistical summary... 136 



Halibut _ . 137 



Cod 139 



Statistical summary 139 



Whales 140 



Clams ._ 141 



Shrimp 141 



Crabs 142 



Trout _ 142 



Miscellaneous fishery products 143 



Fur-Seal Industry."... 143 



Pribilof Islands 143 



General administrative work 143 



Purchase and transportation of supplies. 143 



Power schooner Eider 144 



Roads 144 



New buildings and other improvements. 146 



By-products plant. 146 



Natives 146 



Census 146 



Medical services 147 



Schools 147 



Attendance at Salem Indian School, 



Chemawa, Oreg 147 



Savings accounts 147 



Payments for taking fur-seal skins 148 



Payments for taking fox skins 149 



Fur seals 149 



Quota for killing 149 



Killings 149 



Age classes. 151 



Reserving operations 151 



Computation of herd 152 



Photographs of seal rookeries 153 



Foxes 153 



Trapping season of 1927-28 153 



Reindeer 153 



Fur-seal skins 153 



Shipments 153 



Sales 153 



Disposition of skins taken at Pribilof 



Islands 162 



Shipment and sale of fox skins 163 



Sale of sea-otter skins 164 



Fur-soal patrol ..." 164 



TTnitod States Coast Guard... 164 



Bureau of Fisheries 165 



Sealing privileges accorded aborigines 165 



Japanese sealskins delivered to the United 



States 165 



Computation of Fur Seals, Pribilof 



Islands, 1927 166 



Bulls _ 166 



Average harem 167 



Pups and cows 168 



Complete computation 169 



1 Appendix IV to the Report of the U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1928. B. F. Doc. 1040. 



61 



