ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES IN 1925 ' 



By Ward T. Bower, Administrative Officer 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 66 



Visit of the Commissioner of Fisheries and 



other officials to Alaska.. 66 



Fishery Industries 68 



Waters closed to commercial fishing 68 



New fishery regulations 68 



Afognak reserve.. 83 



Annette Island fishery reserve 84 



Alaska fishery intelligence service - 85 



Stream marking.. 85 



Stream guards 85 



Vessel patrol 86 



Complaints and prosecutions 87 



Robbery of fish traps 89 



Territorial fishery legislation 89 



Territorial license tax.. 91 



Bristol Bay district 92 



General report of season's operations 92 



Destruction of predatory fishes 93 



Patrol. 95 



Run of salmon and escapement 96 



Inspection of Uiamna and Lake Clark 



spawning areas 96 



Winter work in the Wood River district. 98 



Examination of Snake River Lake 98 



Operations on predatory fish.. 99 



Kuskokwim River 99 



Yukon River 100 



Karluk salmon count 100 



Alitak salmon count 100 



Chignik salmon count 101 



Anan salmon count 102 



Salmon tagging 102 



Salmon life-history studies 103 



Observations on the escapement of salmon. 103 



Hatcheries 106 



Extent of operations— 106 



Afognak 107 



McDonald Lake 107 



Heckman Lake (Fortmann)... 107 



Hugh Smith Lake (Quadra) 107 



Territorial hatcheries 107 



Trout operations 108 



Hatchery rebates 109 



General statistics of the fisheries 109 



Salmon 110 



Catch and apparatus Ill 



Canning 113 



Changes in canneries 113 



New canneries 114 



Canneries not operated 114 



Total canneries operated .- 115 



Losses and disasters 117 



Statistics 119 



Pack in certain districts 122 



Mild curing 123 



Pickling 124 



Fresh salmon 125 



Freezing 126 



Dry-salting, drying, and smoking 127 



By-products 127 



Herring... 128 



Statistical summary 131 



Page 

 Fishery Industries— Continued. 



Halibut 133 



Cod.. 134 



Statistical summary 134 



Whales 136 



Clams.. 136 



Statistical summary. 137 



Shrimp 137 



Crabs 138 



Trout.. 139 



Miscellaneous fishery products 139 



Fur-Seal Industry 140 



Pribilof Islands 140 



General administrative work 140 



Purchase and transportation of supplies. 140 



Power schooner Eider 141 



Roads 141 



Construction of buildings 145 



Waterworks.. 14i 



By-products plant 143 



Introduction of lemmings, St. Paul Island 143 



Natives 143 



Census - 143 



Medical services 144 



Schools - 144 



Attendance at Salem Indian Training 



School, Chemawa, Oreg. 144 



Savings accounts 144 



Payments for taking sealskins 145 



Payments for taking fox skins 146 



Fur-seal herd 146 



Quota for killing 146 



Killings of seals 147 



Age classes of seals 147 



Reserving operations -- 148 



Census... 149 



Development of fox herds on Pribilof 



Islands — - 150 



Feeding 150 



Fox-trapping season of 1925-26 150 



Reindeer -- 150 



Fur-seal skins 150 



Shipments 150 



Sales 151 



Disposition of fur-seal skins taken at 



Pribilof Islands 157 



Fox skins.. - - 157 



Shipment and sale 157 



Fur-seal patrol 158 



United States Coast Guard 158 



Fisheries vessels... 159 



Sealing privileges accorded aborigines 159 



Japanese sealskins delivered to the United 



States... 159 



Fur seals oir Robben Island and the Com- 

 mander Islands 159 



Sale of confiscated sea-otter skins 160 



Fur-Seal Census, Pribilof Islands, 1925. 161 



Bulls 161 



Average harem.. 162 



Pups and cows 163 



Mortality of seals at sea 164 



Complete census --- 165 



Appendix III to the Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries for 1926. B. F. Doc. 1008. 



65 



