46 FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1908. 



or on the main route of the ascending salmon. To reach them the 

 fish must diverge from their course, only those following closely 

 the right bank being led naturally into these rivers. Neither river 

 has, or has ever had, a cannery on its banks; Igushik has maintained 

 a saltery, and Snake River has been fished more or less for the bay 

 canneries nearest to it. One cannery some years ago is said to have 

 made its pack chiefly from Snake River, fishing from its mouth to 

 the lake, and securing perhaps some 400,000. Since Igushik is the 

 larger of the two and is known to carry more fish, it is plain that 

 their quota while minor is still too important to ignore. By the 

 most liberal estimate the two rivers together might be held to 

 approach Wood River in the number of red salmon carried. Two 

 million would be such an estimate. We may, therefore, make the 

 following maximum estimate: 



Wood River 2, 600, 000 



Nushagak River 2, 600, 000 



Igushik and Snake 2, 000, 000 



Nushagak Bay catch 6, 400, 000 



Total 13, 600, 000 : 



One may now reduce the figures for Nushagak, Igushik, and Snake ' 

 so low that it can not on any grounds be reasonably supposed that 

 they are in excess of the actual run escaping in these rivers, and 

 thereby obtain a minimum estimate, as follows: 



Wood River 2, 600, 000 



Nushagak 600, 000 



Igushik and Snake 500, 000 



Nushagak Bay catch 6, 400, 000 



Total 10, 100, 000 



In each case the catch and Wood River run are the same, being 

 known. By the maximum estimate 13,600,000 red salmon entered 

 Nushagak Bay, of which 52.9 per cent escaped; by the minimum 

 estimate 10,100,000 red salmon entered Nushagak Bay, of which 

 36.6 per cent escaped. It is reasonably certain that the truth lies 

 within the limits stated. 



It is obvious that, in the absence of any previous actual determina- 

 tions of the runs in any of these rivers, the present count for Wood 

 River gives some general idea of the whole situation, as far as the 

 relation of the catch to the whole run is concerned. Certainly some- 

 thing may be argued from Wood River figures concerning the other 

 rivers. The whole run, the catch, and the breeding quota are each 

 matters of millions of salmon. Of an enormous run a very large 

 number, perhaps one-half, succeed in escaping the fisherman. These 

 first season's results of actual determinations seem amply to justify 

 the undertaking and to furnish information of the most fundamental 



