ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL. INDUSTRIES, 1925 85 



ALASKA FISHERY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE 



As has been the practice for several years, the bureau continued to 

 report by telegraph to the important points in southeastern and 

 central Alaska the prices of fresh fish (chiefly halibut) at Juneau, 

 Ketchikan, and Seattle. During the closed season on halibut the 

 service was discontinued, as the quantities of other fresh fish sold 

 are negligible during that period. 



STREAM MARKING 



As a result of the decision of the United States Circuit Court of 

 Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, on June 29, 1925, in the Booth Fisheries 

 Co. case, to the effect that it is not unlawful to operate a trap or to 

 fish within 500 yards or greater prohibited distance of the mouth of a 

 stream unless the mouth has been officially marked, it became neces- 

 sary to proceed as rapidly as possible with the marking of the mouths 

 of all salmon streams in Alaska. The work was carried on throughout 

 the season and also during favorable weather of fall and winter, and 

 it is expected will be completed before the opening of the fishing 

 season of 1926. It has been estimated that there are about 1,300 

 salmon streams in Alaska in districts where commercial fishing is 

 carried on. All streams in the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Bristol Bay, 

 Alaska Peninsula, Chignik, and Kodiak districts were marked this 

 season. Notwithstanding the decision of the court, there appeared 

 to be no disposition on the part of trap operators to locate traps near 

 streams that had not been marked in the season of 1925. 



STREAM GUARDS 



The bureau employed 128 men as stream guards in 1925. Of these, 

 74 were stationed in southeastern Alaska, 33 in central, and 21 in 

 western Alaska. The period of employment ranged from two to 

 five months. 



In southeastern Alaska 22 of the guards furnished their own 

 launches, and each of these men was assigned to patrol a body of 

 water such as a bay, inlet, or around the mouths of several streams. 



In central Alaska 14 stream guards were situated in the Copper 

 River and Prince William Sound districts, 6 in Cook Inlet, 8 in the 

 Kodiak- Afognak district, one at Chignik, and 4 in the Ikatan-Shumagin 

 district. 



In western Alaska 1 guard was stationed at Port Moller, 18 in 

 Bristol Bay, and 2 on the Yukon River. 



There were also 4 special employees, 1 on a salmon investigation in 

 central and western Alaska, 1 each on clam^and herring investigations 

 in the Cordova region, and 1 making a special survey of the spawning 

 grounds of the Copper River. 



In addition, there were 5 statutory employees of the bureau in 

 southeastern Alaska, 5 in central, and 3 in western. There were also 

 24 persons on the bureau's vessels and 16 on the 11 boats chartered in 

 various districts. 



The foregoing makes a grand total of 185 persons identified with 

 fishery-protective work in Alaska in 1925. 



