24 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Fisheries use its influence in opposition to tlie construction of the proposed 

 dams." 



This department desires to express the hope that the proposed power project 

 on Kenai River will not be undertal^en, for if it is tli.ere is apparently no way 

 of saving the salmon run of the Cook Inlet region. 



The Federal Power Commission advised the applicants in the case 

 of Anan Creek and Kenai Kiver that it is doubtful if the commission 

 would feel justified in disregarding the desires of the Department 

 of Commerce and that it would probably refuse to grant a license 

 for the projects under present conditions. 



TAGGING OF SALMON. 



In the attempt to ascertain what streams form the spawning 

 grounds of the red salmon that constitute important runs along the 

 Alaska Peninsula and the migration routes followed in reaching 

 these streams extensive tagging experiments were carried out by Dr. 

 C. H. Gilbert and W. H. Rich in the Shimiagin Islands, in Morzhovoi 

 and Ikatan Bays, and at Port Moller. Consecutively numbered alu- 

 minum tags were attached to 4,000 red salmon, which were then 

 released and of which nearly 20 per cent were later recaptured. The 

 most important result of the experiments was the demonstration that 

 a large body of Bering Sea red salmon use as feeding grounds the 

 district south of the Alaska Peninsula and on attaining maturity 

 return to Bering Sea and distribute themselves to the red-salmon 

 streams of the peninsula and Bristol Bay and pass as far north even 

 as the Kuskokwim River. This discovery has an important bearing 

 on the problem of conserving the vastly important red-salmon runs of 

 Bristol Bay. It is planned to continue this work upon a larger scale 

 during the season of 1923. 



SALMON FOR FOX FOOD. 



The notable expansion of the fox-farming industry in Alaska 

 within the last year or two has correspondingly increased the use of 

 salmon for fox food. This has occurred along with the constantly 

 growing demand upon the runs of salmon for cannery use and during 

 a period when the future of the salmon supply has been viewed with 

 grave apprehension. Consequently, in the season of 1922 representa- 

 tives of the bureau were instructed to make a careful investigation 

 to determine the extent of the use of salmon for fox food, the places 

 and methods of procurement, and whether other sources of food less 

 esteemed for human consumption than salmon might be available. 



In September a complete canvass of southeast Alaska was made 

 under the supervision of Assistant Agent E. M. Ball, which showed 

 75 fox farms stocked with approximately 4,500 foxes. At the time 

 there was on hand a total of 654,550 pounds of food, about half of 

 which consisted of salmon heads obtained from canneries, while the 

 remainder was whole fish, chiefly chum salmon. It was estimated 

 that to carry these animals through until the following summer 

 approximately 642,000 pounds additional would be required, practi- 

 cally all salmon if obtainable. This means an average daily ration 

 of about three-quarters of a pound of fish for each fox, to which is 

 added about one-quarter of a pound of other food, chiefly cereals. 

 Other species of fish, such as halibut, sablefish, flounders, and her- 



