FISHERY INDUSTEIES. 27 



ANNETTE ISLAND FISHERY RESERVE. 



The Annette Island Fishery Reserve, in southeastern Alaska, was 

 created by a Presidential proclamation dated April 28, 1916, for the 

 benefit of the Metlakatla Indians and any other natives of Alaska 

 who might care to take up their abode on Annette Island. The 

 reserve includes Amiette Island and a number of smaller adjacent 

 islands, together with the surrounding waters, and is administered 

 by the Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior, in the 

 uiterests of the resident natives. 



The season of 1919 was the second in which fishery operations 

 within the reserve were carried on in accordance with the five-year 

 contract entered into with the Annette Island Packing Co. By the 

 terms of this contract the contracthig company paj's a fee of $100 

 a year for each fish trap operated and a royalty of 1 cent for each 

 fish taken from these traps. In addition the company pays the 

 natives for fish taken in seines. The natives also receive payments 

 for other services and materials furnished by them. In 1919 the 

 fees from the seven fish traps operated amounted to S700; 794,625 

 fish were taken from the traps, providing a royalty of $7,946.25; 

 and the amount paid the natives for fish taken by purse seines 

 amounted to ,$25,231.85. The total income to the natives, including 

 the Metlakatla Commercial Co.. from the Annette Island Packing 

 Co. for the season of 1919 was $90,032.88. 



COPPER RIVER FISHERY. 



At the close of the fishing season of 1918, it was found that the 

 regulations of December 29, 1917, afi'ecting fishing for salmon in the 

 Copper River had failed to accomplish the purposes sought by their 

 promulgation, namely, an escapement of salmon sufTicient to provide 

 for the ample seeding of the spawning })eds and to supply the needs 

 of the natives and other inhabitants of the region. Furthermore, 

 it was repeatedly alleged that the regulations were discriminative in 

 effect for the reason that operations in the delta district ^\'e^e mate- 

 rially restricted while those at Abercrombie Canyon and Miles Lake 

 were almost unafTected. It was expedient, therefore, that api)ro- 

 priate action be taken looking toward a revision of the regulations in 

 order that the original objects in view should be attained. 



On September 16, 1918, announcement was made of a hearing to 

 be held at Seattle, Wash., November 22, 1918, to consider the matter 

 of changing the existing Copper River regulations. As a result new 

 regulations were promulgated on December 20, 1918, effective 

 January 1, 1919. The important changes in the new order were 

 the extension of the weekly close season by 10 days in all j'arts of 

 the river, the omission of the weekly close period of 36 hours, the 

 prohibition of all stake nets, a reduction of 1,200 feet in the lateral 

 distance interval and of 200 feet in the length of all nets the use of 

 which was authorized in the waters of the delta over which the 

 Secretary of Commerce has jurisdiction, an extension of 200 feet in 

 the length of all nets whose use is permitted in Miles Lake, the closing 

 of the we^t and north shore^s of Miles Lake and the east side of the 

 river through A})ercrombie Canyon, and a redefining of the delta 



