40 U. S. BUKEAU OF FLSHEKIES 



SALMON 



Outstanding features of the saljuon industry in Alaska for 1930 

 were the marked (hictuations in the yield of red and pinlv salmon. 

 The catch of I'eds was the smallest for any year in the last three 

 decades and was due primarily to the scarcity of the fish in the 

 important Bristol Bay area. There was a decided shortage of this 

 species also in the Chignik and Karluk River regions of central Alaska, 

 while in the southeastern district, which ordinarily contrihutes a 

 comparatively small proportion of the red salmon output, the run 

 was better than the average for recent years, and the catch was 

 nearly 24 per cent of the total yield of red salmon for the Territory. 



The number of pink salmon taken was the largest in the history 

 of the industry. However, the average size of the fish, particularly 

 in southeastern Alaska during part of the season, was noticeably 

 small, and the total pack of canned pink salmon was somewhat less 

 than the record output of that species in 1926. The catch of pink 

 salmon in the southeastern district was more than twice that of the 

 preceding year. Western Alaska also showed an increase in the num- 

 ber of pinks taken, but it is only a small producer of that species. 

 While the catch of pinks in central Alaska was somewhat less than 

 in 1929, it compared favorably with the average for recent years. 

 Since 1927 the once striking variation between the even years of 

 plenty and the lean odd years has given way to more level production 

 of pink salmon in the central district. 



The total catch of salmon increased approximately 15 per cent 

 over that for 1929. By districts, southeast Alaska showed a gain 

 of 82 per cent, while in central and western Alaska the catch decreased 

 approximately 17 per cent and 53 per cent, respectively. 



There was a decrease of 1 per cent for the whole of Alaska in the 

 number of fathoms of seines used, while the number of fathoms of 

 gill nets decreased about 5 per cent and the number of traps about 



2 per cent from those in operation in 1929. 



CATCH AND APPARATUS 



The total number of seines used in the salmon industry in 1930 

 was 796, of which 187 were beach seines and 609 purse seines. The 

 beach seines aggregated 22,643 fathoms of webbing and the purse 

 seines 93,754 fathoms. The number of gill nets used was 5,100, 

 having a total length of 274,615 fathoms. There were 278 driven 

 traps and 423 floating traps — a total of 701. 



Southeastern Alaska was accredited with 421 seines, or a total of 

 73,339 fathoms of webbing, a decrease of 48 seines and 8,054 fathoms 

 of webbing from the number in 1929; also with 361 gill nets, aggre- 

 gating 21,365 fathoms, an increase of 40 nets but a decrease of 4,115 

 fathoms; and with 63 driven and 381 floating traps, a decrease of 



3 driven and an increase of 3 floating traps from the number operated 

 in 1929. 



Corresponding figures for central Alaska show 354 seines, or 39,168 

 fathoms, as compared with 313 seines, or 33,779 fathoms in 1929; 

 2,555 gill nets, or 119,990 fathoms, as compared with 1,808 gill nets, 

 or 98,030 fathoms in 1929; and 213 driven and 42 floating traps, as 

 compared with 224 and 44, respectively, in 1929. 



In western Alaska 21 seines, or 3,890 fathoms of webbing, were 

 used, an increase over 1929 of 8 seines and 1,075 fathoms of webbing. 



