28 FISHEEIES OF ALASKA, 1908. 



were halibut, steelhead and Dolly Varden trout, black bass, and red 

 rock cod. 



Fresh salmon. — Owing to a shortage of salmon on the Columbia 

 and Sacramento rivers, and an unprecedented demand from the east- 

 ern part of the country for fresh salmon, the shippers of fresh king 

 salmon found a ready market for their fish, and as a result the ship- 

 ments far exceed those of previous years. It was the more easily 

 possible to supply this demand, as the mild curers, for reasons stated 

 elsewhere, did not compete for the white-meated or the small red- 

 meated kings. Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, and Tee 

 Harbor were the principal shipping points. For shipping fresh the 

 kings are opened down the belly, the viscera and gill rakers are 

 removed, and the fish are then packed in ice in boxes. 



During the course of the season 36,286 king salmon were disposed 

 of in a fresh condition, principally outside of the district. A con- 

 siderable quantity of red, coho, and humpback salmon were also 

 disposed of locally in a fresh condition. 



FISHERY NOTES. 

 KING-SALMON FISHERY. 



This fishery is gradually developing into an all the year round 

 industry. In southeast Alaska, during the winter and spring months, 

 king salmon are to be found in most of the bays, sounds, and straits, 

 feeding upon the herring, smelt, eulachons, etc. In the spawning 

 season — May and June — the principal streams which this species 

 enter and ascend are the Unuk, Stikine, Taku, and Alsek rivers, in south- 

 east Alaska; the Copper and Kenai rivers, in central Alaska; and the 

 Ugashik, Ugaguk, Naknek, Kvichak, Nushagak, Togiak, Kusko- 

 kwim, and Yukon, in western Alaska. Owing to the distance from 

 markets and the lack of rapid transportation facilities, the handling 

 of fresh king salmon is confined to southeast Alaska, but as soon as 

 the latter handicap is overcome there will doubtless be a large devel- 

 opment in this line in the other two sections. In the early part of 

 August the kings reappear in Frederick Sound and Seymour Canal, 

 gradually extending their range until the greater part of southeast 

 Alaska is once more covered. They are then feeding upon the 

 herring and smelt. 



While the fish are feeding they are caught solely by trolling. In 

 this method the white fishermen generally use either the Ilendryx 

 Seattle trout bait spoon No. 5 or the Ilendryx Puget Sound No. 8. 

 The former comes in nickel or brass and nickel and brass; the full 

 nickel is preferred. The Siwash hook No. 9/0, known as the Victoria 

 hook in British Columbia, is in quite general use. As a rule but one 

 hook is used, and this hangs from a ring just above the spoon, while 



