138 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



was on a vessel that worked in Keku Strait, Port Beauclerc, Shakan 

 Strait, El Capitan Passage, Cleveland Passage, Port Houghton, Sey- 

 mour Canal, and Gambier Bay. While shrimp were found almost 

 everywhere, they were not numerous enough to warrant commercial 

 operations. 



Another boat, with Special Warden P. C. Dalgard on board, worked 

 around Sullivan Island, in the Haines district, and in Chilkat Inlet. 

 In the Sullivan Island district and in Chilkat Inlet the shrimp were 

 small and immature — a mixture of various species, with the pinks pre- 

 dominating. In the Haines district they were older and consider- 

 ably larger in size, and the pinks predominated, constituting about 

 90 per cent of the catch. 



The Alaskan Glacier Sea Food Co. later operated a floating plant 

 for a few months at Haines, but the frequent storms in Lynn Canal 

 were found to handicap the work. 



In these districts the closed season, which extends from March 15 

 to April 30, and the spawning period seem to be identical. 



In 1924 and 1925 information in regard to the habits of shrimp was 

 secured. Investigations in 1924 showed that the larger varieties — 

 the spot, coon, and sidestripe — each produce about 4,000 eggs, while 

 the smaller species — the pink, humpback, and California — produce 

 about half that many. The spawn is to be seen first in October. 

 Some observers hold that the shrimp spawn in comparatively shallow 

 water (10 to 15 fathoms deep) on mud bottom, where the eggs hatch 

 in from one to two weeks. Others believe that they spawn in deep 

 water, on rocky reefs, and among the tree corals, where they are 

 protected from the trawls. An investigation of the shrimp fishery 

 will be made in 1926 to secure more definite information on this 

 subject. While shrimp are found virtually throughout the waters of 

 southeastern Alaska, in many cases they do not occur in paying 

 quantities, or else the very rough and rocky bottom prevents the 

 successful use of trawls. It is reported that the most economical 

 form of apparatus is the large beam trawl, the otter trawl used in 

 shrimp fisheries elsewhere not having been found to be successful in 

 Alaska. 



During 1925 commercial operations were conducted as usual in the 

 Petersburg and Wrangell districts, where shrimp were found in plen- 

 tiful quantities. 



The investment in the shrimp industry in 1925 was $318,353, as 

 compared with $326,683 in 1924. Of this total, $6,000 represents 

 the value of plants, $250,253 cost of operations and wages, and $62,100 

 value of boats and apparatus. Employment was given to 146 per- 

 sons, of whom 35 were whites, 76 natives, 1 Chinese, 15 Japanese, 

 12 Filipinos, 5 Mexicans, and 2 Negroes. Products consisted of 

 519,535 pounds of shrimp meat, valued at $207,315, as compared with 

 528,432 pounds, valued at $227,979 in 1924, a decrease of approxi- 

 mately 2 per cent in quantity and 9 per cent in value. 



CRABS 



Crab products were prepared at four plants in southeastern 

 Alaska — the Alaskan Glacier Sea Food Co. (which handled chiefly 

 shrimp), the Northern Seafoods Co., and the Star Shellfish Co., all 

 at Petersburg; and the Northern Fishing Co., formerly the Dobbins 



