134 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



BY-PRODUCTS 



Three companies engaged primarily in the salmon by-products 

 business reported an investment of $147,250 and operating capital 

 of $33,421, with 46 persons engaged. In addition three plants in 

 southeast Alaska and two in central Alaska manufactured fertilizer 

 and oil in connection with salmon-canning operations. The total 

 production was 1,759,300 pounds of fertilizer, valued at $43,370, 

 and 49,033 gallons of oil, valued at $21,833. This is an increase of 

 98 per cent in production of fertilizer and 68 per cent in production 

 of oil over 1923, and is accounted for primarily by the installation of 

 by-products machinery in two canneries in southeast Alaska and one 

 in central Alaska. Also, one new plant located at Ketchikan was 

 devoted solely to this business. 



HERRING 



Notwithstanding the very general opinion that the herring is the 

 most abundant food fish in Alaskan waters, and that diminution 

 of the supply by the most intensive fishing is only a remote possi- 

 bility, there was a marked scarcity of these fish in certain localities, 

 especially in the Prince William Sound region, during 1924. This 

 condition had occurred to some extent in past seasons, and it seemed 

 clear that regulatory measures were necessary to conserve the fisheries 

 and to prevent waste. 



In 1924 protection of the herring fisheries by specific regulation of 

 fishing was undertaken for the first time, although in 1923 operations 

 in the Cook Inlet and Afognak-Kodiak districts were carried on 

 under permits issued by the Secretary of Commerce. By virtue of 

 authority conferred in the Alaska fisheries act of June 6, 1924, the 

 Secretary of Commerce issued regulations establishing closed seasons 

 and limitations upon size of mesh, and imposing other restrictions 

 upon herring fishing in various waters of Alaska. These regulations 

 affected operations in the southeastern. Prince William Sound, Cook 

 Inlet, and Afognak-Kodiak sections. 



Sixteen companies were interested in herring fishing in south- 

 eastern Alaska. Of these the New England Fish Co., at Ketchikan, 

 the Booth Fisheries Co., at Sitka, and the Juneau Cold Storage Co., 

 at Juneau, took herring only for freezing halibut bait. The Puget 

 Sound Reduction Co., using the Fort Union, a 4,000-ton converted 

 steamer, as a floating reduction plant, confined its activities solely 

 to the production of oil and fertilizer, locating first at Port Arm- 

 strong and later at Klawak. The Douglas Fish Co., at Douglas 

 and Todd, the Alaska Shellfish Co., operating a floating plant near 

 Killisnoo, and#A. H. Sonsthagan, at Chatham, packed small quan- 

 tities of herring for food. The larger producers of herring in this 

 district operated combined salteries and reduction plants owned and 



