ALASKA FISHERY AND FUK-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 19 32 19 



begiiiniii<j: and oiid of the season. After its arrival from Seattle in 

 May the Eider engaged in patrol Avork along the Alaska Peninsula 

 for a number of weeks and was then transferred to the Kodiak- 

 Afognak area. The Teal was on duty at Cook Inlet until the middle 

 of August and later assisted Avith the i)atrol and stream inspection 

 in southeast Alaska. 



The Brant was used in general supervisory work, chiefly in south- 

 east Alaska. T\\q' Merganser, which was formerly used in the 

 Ikatan-Shumagin region, did not participate in the fisheries patrol 

 in 1932 but was used as local tender for the Yes Bay hatchery, while 

 the Pu-ffin (a vessel approximately 25 feet in length), which it re- 

 placed, was transferred to j^atrol duty in the vicinity of Ketchikan. 

 Eight small boats were operated by the Bureau in the ])atrol of 

 Bristol Bay. These included an outboard-motor speed boat, espe- 

 cially constructed for work in this region in conjunction with the 

 Scoter. 



In addition to the vessels owned by the Bureau of Fisheries, eight 

 boats were chartered for patrolling fishing areas, as follows : Gordon 

 />, Valkyrie, Gazelle, and Lady Luck in southeast Alaska ; Katherine 

 L and Frospect&r on Copper Eiver and Prince William Sound, 

 Harlequin at Port Valdez, and Auk in the Shumagin Islands region 

 and neighboring waters along the Alaska Peninsula. 



COMPLAINTS AND PROSECUTIONS 



The limited demand and low prices paid for salmon, combined 

 with a general abundance of the fish in virtually all waters open to 

 fishing, were conducive to a closer observance than usual of the laws 

 and regulations for the protection of the fisheries. 



In southeastern Alaska a floating trap of the Nakat Packing Cor- 

 poration at Niblack Point was seized on July 17 for having the heart 

 walls up and tunnel open during the weekly closed period, but in 

 view of extenuating circumstances the company was not prosecuted. 

 In one or two instances it was necessary to warn seiners away from 

 closed areas, but the infringements were not of a seriousness to 

 warrant further action. 



The operator of the gas boat Era T-IS.^ was arrested near the 

 entrance to Salmon Bay for carrying on board a small purse seine 

 35 fathoms long, in violation of the regulation limiting the minimum 

 length of purse seines to 150 fathoms. On trial he pleaded guilty, 

 signed release of the seine, and was given a 6-month suspended 

 sentence and fined $3.95 to cover court costs. A gill net with 285 

 red salmon was found anchored near the mouth of a salmon stream 

 at the head of Salmon Bay. The owner was not apprehended, but 

 the net was seized and the fish Avere sold for $28.50, which amount 

 was turned over to the Department of Justice. 



Twenty-four j^ersons charged with illegal fishing were tried before 

 the United vStates connnissioner at Cordova. Of these, 18 pleaded 

 guilty to having taken undersized clams and were assessed fines 

 ranging from $25 to $45 and aggregating $595. Three of the defend- 

 ants, in default of payment of the fines, were committed to the Fed- 

 eral jail. The clams that had been seized when the arrests were 

 made were sold to local canneries and the proceeds were turned over 

 to the Department of Justice. Three persons were arrested for fish- 



