ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES IN 1922.' 



By Ward T. Bowkr, Field Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 2 



Special investigation by Assistant Secretary 



of Couunerce and party 3 



Regular employees, Alaska service 6 



Fishery Industries *> 



Waters closed to commercial fishing 8 



Alaska Peninsula Fisheries Reservation — 8 



Southwestern Alaska Fisheries Reservation. 1 1 



Afognak Reservation 11 



Aleutian Islands Reservation 15 



Annette Island Fishery Reserve 16 



Stream markers 10 



Stream guards 17 



Fishery patrol 18 



Alaska fishery intelligence service 18 



Violations of the fisheries laws and regula- 

 tions 19 



Territorial license tax 21 



Water-power projects in Alaska 21 



Tagging of salmon 24 



Salmon for fox food 24 



Bristol Bay district 25 



General report of season's orera: ions 25 



Destruction of predatory fishes and birds. 26 



Extent of salmon runs." 31 



Patrol 32 



Spawning grounds 33 



Wood River lake system 35 



Generalreport of season's operations 35 



Predatory fish and birds 39 



Fishing on spawning grounds 41 



Action of ice on salmon eggs 41 



Conclusion 41 



Lake Aleknagik investigations 41 



Notes on explorations of Lake Aleknagik, 

 Alaska, its tributaries, and the salmon 



spawning grounds, in 1908 and 1909 42 



The large escapement of 1908 50 



Kuskokwim River 50 



Markers 53 



Runs of salmon 54 



Natural enemies 54 



General description of the Kuskokwim 5.5 



Chignik salmon counts 56 



Karluk salmon coinits 57 



Yukon River fishery 57 



Hatcheries 58 



Extent of operations 58 



Hatchery rebates -S 



Hatcherv operations 59 



McDonald Lake 59 



.\ fognak 59 



Fortmaim .*. 59 



Quadra fO 



Territorial hatcheries 60 



Egg collections by Washington State fish- 

 ery authorities f 



General statistics of the fisheries 61 



Salmon industry 62 



Salmon catch and apparatus 63 



Salmon canning 64 



Changes in canneries 64 



New canneries 65 



Canneries not operated 65 



Total canneries operated 66 



Losses and disasters 68 



Statistics 68 



Mild curing of salmon 72 



Salmon pickling 72 



1 Appendix IV to the Report of the U. S 

 Doc. 951. 



F.- -RY Industries— Continued. Page. 



Salmon industry — continued. 



Salmon freezing 73 



Fresh salmon 74 



Drying and smoking of salmon 74 



Salmon by-products 75 



Herring fishery 75 



Statistical summary 75 



Halibut fishery 76 



Statistical summary 76 



Cod fishery 77 



Statistical summary 77 



Whale fishery 78 



Clams 78 



Shrimps 79 



Crabs 79 



Trout 79 



MiscUaneous fishery produ ts 79 



Fur-Seal Industry 80 



Pribilof Islands 80 



General administrative work 80 



Official visit by Assistant Secretary of Com- 

 merce 80 



Personnel 81 



Purchase and transportation ofsup|ilies 81 



Power schooner £,ider 82 



Construction work 82 



Well-drilling 83 



By-products plant H 



Natives 84 



Census 84 



Health conditions 85 



Dental work 85 



Schools i5 



Attendance at Salem Inilian Trainiiig 



School, Chemawa, Oreg 86 



Savings accounts 86 



Payments for taking seal,>lcii;s 87 



Payments for taking lox skins 88 



Fur-seal herd 88 



Quota for killing 88 



Killii gi of seals 89 



Age c lasses of seals 91 



Branded seals 91 



Washing and blubbering sealskins 91 



Census 92 



Charting of harem areas 93 



Photographs of seal rookeries 93 



Specimen seals 93 



Foxes 94 



Fox-trapping season of 1922-2-3 94 



Sale of blue foxes 94 



Reindeer 94 



Pi ibilof fur-seal skins 95 



bliipments and sales 95 



Disposition of sealskins 100 



Pribilof fox skins 101 



Shipments and sales 101 



Fur-seal patrol by United States Coast Guard 102 



Sealing privileges accorded abo igines 109 



Japanese sealskins delivered to the United 



States 110 



Fur-Seal Census, Pribilof Islands, 19'22... Ill 



Pups Ill 



Cows 1 14 



Branded seals 114 



Harem and idle bulls 114 



Average harem 115 



Annual increase of the fur-seal herd 116 



Complete census 116 



Commissioner of Fisheries for 1923. B. P. 



1 



