ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1925 111 



in western Alaska. In southeastern Alaska the catch increased 3.6 

 per cent, while that in the central district declined 45 per cent, and 

 in western Alaska 31 per cent. As soon as it became apparent 

 that the run of red salmon in the Bristol Bay district would be small, 

 the fishing season was curtailed, which resulted in a smaller catch 

 than otherwise would have been made. The total catch in south- 

 eastern Alaska was swelled mainly by the large number of chum 

 salmon taken by the various canneries, which were in operation for 

 a longer period than usual in the fall of 1925. 



The number of independent traps operated in southeastern Alaska 

 rose from 54 in 1924 to 95 in 1925. This augmentation of numbers 

 was chiefly responsible for the increase in the proportion of the catch 

 by traps from 57 per cent of the total catch in southeastern Alaska 

 in 1924 to 64 per cent in 1925. The increase in both traps and 



Fig. 6. — Salmon cannery on Bristol Bay 



catch took place mainly in the southern part of the district, as north 

 of 58° north latitude the distance between traps had been extended 

 by departmental regulation from 1,800 feet to lj^ miles, which 

 resulted in a reduction in the number of traps employed from 77 in 

 1924 to 56 in 1925, or 27.2 per cent, and a decrease of 967,501 in 

 the number of salmon caught in the Icy Strait-Cross Sound region. 



CATCH AND APPARATUS 



The total number of seines used in the salmon industry of Alaska 

 in 1925 was 518, of which 96 were beach seines and 422 were purse 

 seines. The beach seines aggregated 13,085 fathoms of webbing and 

 the purse seines 72,057 fathoms. The number of gill nets used was 

 3,382, having a total length of 340,901 fathoms. There were 290 

 driven traps and 256 floating traps, a total of 546. 



Southeastern Alaska is credited with 383 seines, or a total of 65,067 

 fathoms of webbing, an increase of 75 seines, or 13,368 fathoms, over 

 the number used in 1924; also with 190 gill nets, aggregating 20,871 

 fathoms, a reduction of 11 nets but an increase of 3,476 fathoms 

 when compared with the quantity used in the previous season; and 



