FISHERY INDUSTRIES. 29 



The industry showed a gain of seven salmon canneries in central 

 Alaska, several of which were located on Prince William Sound, but 

 notwithstanding this increase in the number of plants the pack was 

 less than in 1916, though of considerably greater value. The decline 

 was due primarily to the comparatively small run of humpback 

 salmon, although there was a faUing ojff in the run of red salmon in 

 the Cook Inlet district. Karluk and Alitak were again conspicuous 

 in that they showed even better runs of red salmon than in 1916, 

 which was then considered an exceptional year. 



Western Alaska showed a pack of red salmon slightly larger than 

 in 1916, even though there was a great falling off in the catch in the 

 Port Moller region where five canneries were operated as against 

 three in the preceding season. The entire pack of the five plants 

 was less than that made at the Port Moller cannery alone in 1916. 

 This is the only district in western Alaska where salmon are taken by 

 purse seines, the chief fishing ground being off the mouth of Bear 

 River, Opinions do not agree as to the ultimate destination of these 

 salmon taken near Port Moller, since some observers hold that the 

 run is local and destined to the Bear River lakes, while others main- 

 tain that it is a part of the run to Bristol Bay. No definite conclu- 

 sion may be stated in respect to these opinions. It would seem, 

 however, that the opinion that the run is local is probably correct, as 

 at no other region between Unimak Island and the Ugashik River have 

 salmon been obtained commercially, except in the Port Heiden 

 field, where a few barrels have been pickled. If the salmon ordi- 

 narily taken in the Port Moller district are a part of the Bristol Bay 

 fish deflected from their course by the currents of fresh water from 

 the rivers near Port Moller, the smaU catch in that district may be 

 easily explained by assuming that the main body of fish was not 

 deflected in 1917 but held offshore and continued on its way toward 

 the head of the bay. Perhaps also the almost incessant westerly 

 winds prevailing during the time of the run may have influenced the 

 movements of the salmon. 



The catch of red salmon in western Alaska in 1917 was the largest 

 that has ever been made, aggregating more than 24,000,000 fish and 

 exceeding by 2,500,000 the highest previous figures, those of 1914. 



SALMON CATCH AND FORMS OF GEAR. 



As in previous years, gear used in the salmon fisheries of Alaska 

 consisted chiefly of beach and purse seines, and gill and pound nets. 

 There were 599 seines in operation, the total length of which was 

 98,520 fathoms. The gain in this form of apparatus over 1916 was 

 165, southeast Alaska being credited with an increase of 72, central 

 Alaska with 84, and western Alaska with 9 additional seines. 



Gill nets used in the salmon industry numbered 5,113 and measured 

 in the aggregate 493,554 fathoms. They were divided among the 

 three districts as follows: Southeast Alaska, 428 gill nets, a decrease 

 from the number reported in 1916 of 132; central Alaska, 1,149, a 

 gain of 644; and western Alaska, 3,536, an increase of 1,550. This 

 is a net increase of 2,062 giU nets over 1916. 



Two kinds of pound nets or traps were in use, floating and driven, 

 there being 72 of the former and 398 of the latter, a total of 470. 

 This is an increase of 97 over 1916. Of the number operated in 1917, 



