REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES XIII 



A general revision of the regulations, to be effective in 1926, was 

 issued by the Secretary of Commerce under date of December 5, 

 1925. Among the new features were the requirement of a distance 

 interval of 1 mile between traps in the southeastern Alaska area, 

 south of 58° north latitude, and also in a part of the Alaska Penin- 

 sula area; the closing of 23 localities in addition to the 76 previ- 

 ously closed ; the adding of the Kuskokwim River waters to the Yukon 

 area, in which all commercial fishing for export from Alaska is 

 prohibited ; and the placing of additional restrictions on herring and 

 clam fisheries. Further limitations were imposed on the operation 

 of certain kinds of apparatus in various areas. 



The patrol for the protection of the fisheries of Alaska and the 

 enforcement of the law and regulations was expanded in 1925. Al- 

 together 13 regular and 132 temporary employees, exclusive of those 

 on the bureau's 10 vessels and the 11 chartered for patrol operations 

 in the various districts, were identified with this work. A number 

 of small launches also were used. 



Special attention was given to marking the limits of all closed 

 areas and the 500-yard zone off the mouths of salmon streams. This 

 was necessary by reason of the decision of the United States Circuit 

 Court of Appeals in June, 1925, to the effect that it was not unlawful 

 to operate a trap or to fish within 500 yards of a stream unless the 

 mouth had been marked officially. All closed areas were marked, 

 and the mouths of nearly all salmon streams had been marked be- 

 fore the opening of the 1926 fishing season. 



ALASKA SALMON HATCHERIES 



At the Government hatcheries at Afognak and on McDonald Lake 

 50,680,000 red-salmon eggs were collected in 1925. The two pri- 

 vately owned salmon hatcheries operated under the provisions of 

 the act of June 26, 1906, collected 37.160,000 red-salmon eggs. 



The hatcheries of the Alaska Territorial Fish Commission at 

 Ketchikan, Cordova, and Seward handled 25,890,814 salmon eggs 

 taken in 1925. Included in this number were 2,000,000 chinook eggs 

 transferred from the State of Washington to the Ketchikan hatchery. 

 Other species handled were reds, humpbacks, and chums. 



SPECIAL STUDIES AND INVESTIGATIONS 



In 1925 salmon ascending streams to spawn were counted at Anan 

 Creek in southeastern Alaska and in Chignik River, Karluk River, 

 and two streams tributary to Alitak Bay waters, in central Alaska . 



Salmon tagging was carried on in southeastern Alaska and at 

 Port Moller, Alaska Peninsula. Two thousand reds were tagged at 

 Port Moller, and 13,645 coho, chum, humpback, and red salmon were 

 tagged in various localities in southeastern Alaska. This was a 

 continuation of the studies of migration routes begun in 1922. The 

 study of the clam fishery of central Alaska was continued, and 

 investigations of the herring fishery were begun in 1925. 



In the fall of 1925 special attention was given to the collection of 

 data on the escapement of spawning salmon. In southeastern 

 Alaska, as a whole, the escapement was satisfactory, demonstrating 



