ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1925 



129 



that greater quantities of herring were taken by seines than could be 

 transported to the plants, and that consequently they were then 

 dumped and wasted. The entire matter was investigated by the 

 bureau, in collaboration with the Department of Justice. The fol- 

 lowing is an extract from the report of the grand jury at its special 

 November, 1925, term at Juneau: 



The attention of this grand jury was called to a letter written on August 1, 

 1925, by Mr. C. B. Ferguson, of Craig, Alaska, to the Governor of Alaska, 

 alleging that there was gross criminal and wanton waste of herring fish in the 

 vicinity of Port Walter, Alaska, during the past season. Mr. Ferguson's letter 

 was published in the "Alaska Fisherman" and other newspapers. The grand 

 jury subpoenaed Mr. Ferguson to appear before it and examined him as a witness 

 in this matter. Mr. Ferguson stated that he was in Port Walter and Chatham 

 Straits shortly before he wrote to the governor, but he had no first-hand informa- 

 tion, and that his allegations to the governor were based upon statements made 



Fig. 11. — Herring purse-seine boats at Seldovia 



to him by one Ed. Donnelly. It appears that Donnelly had been employed as a 

 cook in a reduction plant at Port Walter, but left there late in August for Seattle, 

 Wash., and has not been located. 



We also examined officers of the Bureau of Fisheries and of the Department of 

 Justice who had made extensive investigations of the matters complained of by 

 Mr. Ferguson. These officers had been unable to find any evidence substan- 

 tiating the charges made by Mr. Ferguson. This grand jury also examined 

 salmon trollers living in the country where the wjiste was alleged to have taken 

 place, but found no evidence that such waste had in fact occurred. 



Mr. Ferguson stated to the grand jury that the manufacture of herring into 

 oil and fertilizer is, of itself, a waste of food fish which should be stopped by the 

 United States Bureau of Fisheries. We find no law under which the Secretary 

 of Commerce, the Commissioner of Fisheries, or other officers of the Government, 

 could curtail this industry by regulation. We believe, however, that the Secre- 

 tary of Commerce should be vested by Congress with power to abate the manu- 

 facture of food fish into fertilizer, oil, or other by-products, whenever or wherever 

 such action appears necessary to insure against depleting the supply of herring 

 or other fish for food purposes, or the use of herring for bait. 



