ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL, INDUSTRIES, 1925 97 



the principal spawning areas in the district, and everywhere the same depleted 

 condition was observed. Practically all the fish entering some of the smaller 

 streams were taken by natives for home consumption and dog feed. This was 

 especially true of Belinda Creek, where about 4,000 salmon were captured by 

 local natives. At Tommy Creek the natives reported 75 bundles dried, or 3,000 

 salmon; at Tularic Creek 25 bundles were reported, representing 1,000 red 

 salmon. At Kokhonak Creek one family of natives camped near the mouth of 

 the river had about 500 red salmon drying on their racks, some in the last stages 

 of decomposition and many drying uncut. These fish were hooked on the spawn- 

 ing grounds. 



The salmon were very small here. Dead specimens taken at random at 

 various points along the shore were measured, and nearly all were from 19 to 22 

 inches long. Salmon 24 or 25 inches long were conspicuous because of their 

 size and scarcity. In this stream very few spent fish were dead, and with the 

 exception of one school of about 200 all were on the spawning beds. None were 

 seen at the stream entrance. This stream was very sparsely seeded even in the 

 lower reaches where the salmon were most numerous, and they disappeared 

 almost entirely in the upper reaches. 



It was estimated that 15,000 red salmon reached Kokhonak Creek this season, 

 or about 9 per cent of last year's run, which also was small in comparison with 

 the runs of other years. 



Conditions in Copper River were similar to those in Kokhonak Creek with 

 respect to number and size of fish. In this stream about half the fish were dead 

 (having spawned) and the others were spawning. The fish (red salmon) dead 

 on the banks and in the water, as well as those alive in the stream, were care- 

 fully counted and together totaled about 25,000, or 17 per cent of the number 

 present last year. No natives were here at the time of inspection. 



At Newhalen, the only place where the natives fished successfully, they cap- 

 tured about 10,000 red salmon. Very few fish were seen at the time of our 

 visit, and it was presumed they had either passed upstream or been taken for 

 food. While ascending the Newhalen River en route to Lake Clark, few spawners 

 were noticed, and only a few were on the drying racks in the fish villages passed. 

 Very few fish were seen in the entire Lake Clark district, and 40 bundles 

 (1,600 salmon) were the greatest number any single fish village had dried. The 

 only places where any numbers were reported were Taziminia and Kegik Rivers, 

 but even there only a few fish had been dried. About 40 bundles (1,600 salmon) 

 had been dried at Kegik and 24 bundles (960 salmon) at Taziminia, which com- 

 prised the major portion of all salmon reaching these streams. No salmon were 

 seen along the lake shore, and on the Tarnalia Beach in the lake, near the mouth 

 of Tarnalia Creek, there was a total failure, the first in 30 years to the knowledge 

 of white men living there. These men endeavored to get the winter supply of 

 salmon for themselves and dogs from Kegik, but had salted only \}4 barrels in 

 two weeks, after which they discontinued fishing. On the date of our visit 

 (September 1) two families of natives were fishing, who took but one or two sal- 

 mon a night from several nets set at advantageous locations in and near the 

 mouth of the Kegik River. 



On returning to Iliamna Lake the entire northern shore was prospected, com- 

 prising Chekok and Canyon Creeks, the Knutson Bay district, and the lakes 

 scattered over Woody Islands. Most of these small streams carried a few 

 salmon, notably Canyon and Knutson Creeks. About 100 red salmon were seen 

 in the former and 150 in the latter stream. The possibilities of Knutson Creek 

 are limited to a small spring pond near the creek entrance. The creek proper 

 flows through light granite gravel; it continually changes its bed over about one- 

 half mile of territory, has considerable fall, and has almost no spawning pos- 

 sibilities. 



Along this northern shore the small size of the Salmon was more noticeable 

 than at the other points, as was also the large percentage of males. Many 

 specimens in this vicinity measured from 14 to 17J^ inches, and all were males. 

 A set net placed overnight at Canyon Creek, where the salmon seen were spent, 

 caught 2 medium-sized spent females and 38 males, 25 per cent of which were 

 extremely small and the others medium. About 200 red salmon spawned in the 

 Woody Islands Lakes. Many of the smaller streams contained more salmon 

 than last year, although the numbers were small and aggregated far less; in fact, 

 there were only about one-tenth as many fish as last year. 



Summing up the escapement and results in this area, the outlook for the future 

 of this run is discouraging. The escapement is the poorest in the history of the 



