ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1920. 141 



Commercial fishing for export was thus carried on exclusively in 

 the main Yukon, between the mouth of Clear River and Dogfish 

 Village and below Dogfish Village, in the main Kwikluak Channel 

 and its seaward extensions. All subsidiary channels branching off 

 from the Kwikluak were closed to commercial fishing, whether these 

 served as communicating links between larger channels, as in the case 

 of Aproka, Pass, or, as in the case of the Kwiguk Channel, secured 

 independent egress to the sea. 



But in no case were the salmon which entered through these pro- 

 tected channels given unimpeded access to the upper river. ^ All of 

 them must pass through the 40 or 50 mile stretch of the main river 

 between Dogfish Village and Andreafski, where they were exposed 

 to capture for commercial purposes; and those that enter through 

 the important Kwiguk Channel must in addition run the gauntlet of 

 a further 40 miles of river between the Kwiguk entrance and Dogfish 

 Village. During the past season very little commercial fishing was 

 in fact carried on in the stretch of river above Dogfish Village, but 

 this was of choice and not from necessity, for no restrictions are there 

 imposed by existing regulations. 



During the season of 1919, 65 per cent of the king salmon and 61 

 per cent of the smaller fish — chums, cohos, and sockeyes — were taken 

 beyond the mouth of the river, while in 1920 the proportion was even 

 greater, 69 per cent of the king salmon and 68 per cent of the chums 

 being taken outside. 



The fishing grounds in 1920 extended much farther away from the 

 river than in 1019. During a part of the season 12 fishing boats were 

 located between 10 and 20 miles outside Nilak, along the shallow 

 banks bordering the Acharon Channel on the mainland side (U. S. 

 C. & G. S. chart 9373). The outermost stations wore for a time the 

 most successful, meeting the Yukon salmon well down the coast 

 toward the mouth of Black River. How much farther in the direc- 

 tion of the Kiiskokwim the advancing schools may be encountered in 

 numbers adequate to warrant commercial fishing is as yet undeter- 

 mined. An expedition which they sent down the coast to Cape 

 Romanof testifies to the interest of the Carlisle Packing Co. in this 

 question. 



The fishing methods employed by the company in 1920 did not 

 differ from those in use in 1919. Almost their sole dependence was 

 on gill nets, set in convenient lengths in the eddies and on shallow 

 banks along the main channels. For the most part these were set 

 nets or anchored gill nets, with one end made fast to the shore and 

 the outer end anchored. But during the latter end of the season, 

 when the river was no longer at flood, it became possible to fish on 

 shallow banks, which were not available during the height of the 

 king salmon run. Stake nets were then used in larger numbers 

 and would unquestionably have been availed of more extensively 

 throughout the season had the stage of water peiTnitted. 



The gill nets used were of two kinds, the king salmon nets of 8f - 

 inch mesh anrl the nets for chums and other small salmon of 5|-inch 

 mesh. As the company from the beginning of the season contem- 

 plated fishing largely, if not exclusively, for the king salmon, only 

 nets of the larger mesh wore issiicd during the height of the king 

 salmon run, which lasted up to the last days of June. After this 



