20 



U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



ing for salmon in closed waters of the Copper River area. The case 

 against one of these defendants was dismissed and fines of $25 each 

 were imposed on the others. A fisherman charged with using a 

 salmon gill net in closed waters of the Copper River area and with 

 attaching said net to an anchored povv^er boat ]Dleaded guilty and was 

 fined $25 on each of two counts, and two fishermen were fined $25 

 each for fishing in that area during a weekly closed ])eriod. 



Twelve minor violations were reported in the Bristol Bay area, but 

 no charges were prosecuted. The nature of these violations was that 

 fishing boats were above the markers at night and that nets were 

 put in the water a few minutes before the end of a closed period. 



DECISION REGARDING LICENSE FEE FOR NONRESIDENT 



TROLLERS 



In a second appeal on the case regarding the validity of the non- 

 resident trollers' tax, which has been in controversy since 1929, a de- 

 cision was rendered by Judge Wilbur of the Circuit Court of Ap- 

 peals for the Ninth Circuit on December 12, 1932, holding that the 

 imposition of a license fee of $250 upon all fishermen regardless of 

 whether they fish for 1 hour or 1 year, and regardless of the catch, 

 is an infringement of the right to fish granted by Congress. The dis- 

 trict court was directed to enter a decree permanently to enjoin the 

 Territory from collecting the $250 license fee from nonresident troll 

 fishermen. 



TERRITORIAL LICENSE TAX 



Fisheries license taxes were collected by the Territorv under the 

 General Revenue Law of 1921, as amended in 1923, 1925. and 1927. 

 A statement from W. G. Smith, Territorial treasurer, under date of 

 May 8, 1933, gives the collections made to that date for the year 

 1932. It was stated that collections under the several schedules were 

 fairly complete, although a considerable nimnber of the fisheries com- 

 panies had not yet made settlement and the amount delinquent was 

 larger than usual because of poor market conditions. The outstand- 

 ing salmon pack taxes, including some gear taxes, amounted to ap- 

 proximately $66,000; while about $4,000 was still to be collected on 

 fish oil and fertilizer, and $7,500 under the whale-oil and fertilizer 

 schedule. 



Fishery license taxes collected hy Territory for fiscal year < iided Dec. 31, 1932 



