FISHEEY INDUSTRIES. 



25 



reservation. The two permits previously granted the Buckley Live- 

 stock, Fisheries & Transportation Co. and Emil Ittner for grazing on 

 Unalaska Island and Amaknak (Dutch Harbor) Island, respectively, 

 remained effective in 1919. 



Joint Permits in Aleutian Islands Reservation Granted in Calendar Year 



1919. 



AFOGNAK RESERVATION, 



The Afognak Fishery Reservation was established in 1892 by proc- 

 lamation of President Harrison. AU commercial lishing in the Ter- 

 ritorial waters of Afognak Island was terminated, and tlu^ two salmon 

 canneries in operation on Litnik Bay were closed and linally removed 

 from the island. During the next 20 years unauthorized (commercial 

 fishing was carried on by resident whites and natives, who sold their 

 catches to merchants at Afognak and Kodiak. Every locality about 

 the island which produced an appreciable run of salmon was fished. 

 The catch was used chiefly in the preparation of pickled bellies and 

 dried and smoked backs. 



Early in 1912 information was laid before the Department to the 

 effect that the natives of Afognak were largely dependent upon the 

 salmon fisheries of the island for a livelihood. To properly consei've 

 the fisheries and to assist the natives, an order was issued by the 

 Department whereby the natives and white men married to native 

 women were permitted to fish in the reservation for commercial pur- 

 poses after first obtaining a license. Accordingly, in the spring of 

 1912, more than 100 licenses were issued to these people, an<l in each 

 season since then the same prinlege has been granted. Xecessary 

 restrictions have been imposed in order that the salmon runs may 

 be protected from close fishing, which might otherwise ensue. These 

 restri(-tions applied to the kind and amount of gear wliicli could be 

 used and to tiie seasons when operations might be carried on. Each 

 locality was given special consideration by the establishment of close 

 seasons during the summer, for which the general law made no pro- 

 vision, the object being to insure some escapement of salmon to the 

 spawning groimds. 



Tlie (conduct of the work thus begun in 1912 has been continued 

 without much change to the present writing. The runs of sahnon 

 have varied somewhat in the eight seasons which have passed, yet 

 there appears to be no striking difference in the situation to-day from 

 that in 1911. The fisheries have survived the disaster of 1912, wlu^n 

 the eniption of Mount Katmai filled all streams of the island with 

 volcanic ash, and salmon arc now about as plentiful as before that 

 catastrophe. Taking the streams separately, it is observed that those 

 on the west side of the island are not producing as many red salmon 

 as they did before the eruption, but the ishind as a whole shows a 

 rather uniform production if some allowan(;e is made for the lean 



