ALASKA FISHERY AXD FUR-SEAL IISJ^DUSTRIES, 1920, 151 



munities, to a general shiftlessness, which habitually leads to priva- 

 tion and suffering in the winter. 



A similar condition was observed in certain fish camps on the 

 lower Tanana, in which natives seemed obviouslj^ less intelligent and 

 less efficient than in the great majority of camps on the main river. 

 In a few of these was heard the complaint that there were no fish, 

 but it is believed that their scant supply was due to other causes. It 

 is of course true that any scarcity will first declare itself on the 

 upper river and among the tributaries, after the salmon, which 

 run in a single channel in the main river, have distributed them- 

 selves over a far wider area. It is regretted that reliable reports 

 could not be obtained from the Innoko, the Koyukuk. and the Por- 

 cupine. 



In comparing the effects of the cannery in 1920 with those in 1919 

 conditions are met in the two years that were the very reverse of 

 one another. 



In 1919 the total run of salmon Avas far below normal, the condi- 

 tions for fishing at the mouth of the river were favorable, the can- 

 nery catch was very large, and considered in relation to the number 

 of salmon running it was far larger. 



In 1920 there was at least a fair average run of the better class, and 

 not improbably it was one of the best runs that can be expected in 

 the Yukon ; but the cannery was unsuccessful, owing to adverse fish- 

 ing conditions. It obtained little more than half as many kings as 

 in 1919 and less than half as many chums. Had the 5S,000' kings and 

 155,000 chums been permitted to enter the river more salmon un- 

 doubtedly would have reached the spawning grounds, but the amount 

 of dried salmon would not have been greatly increased. In the first 

 place the num])er released would bear a small ratio to the total num- 

 ber running in so good a year: and. furthermore, along that section 

 of the river which put up by far the larger amount of dried salmon, 

 wheels, if operated more than a few hours each day during the 

 height of the run. caught more fisli than could be cleaned and pre- 

 pared for drying. It does not then appear that with a large run of 

 salmon and a relatively small cannerv' pack the latter has any recog- 

 nizable effect in lessening the dried salmon supply of the Yukon. AVe 

 are not prepared, however, to venture the assertion that such would 

 have been the case had the cannery pack in 1920 reached as large 

 proportions as it attained in 1919. But even had the cannery put 

 up the full 60,000 cases in 1920, for which it made preparations, it 

 would not have reproduced the severe conditions which existed on 

 the river in 1919. These, as has been shown, were the result of a 

 phenomenally poor season, made much worse by a large cannery 

 pack. 



GENERAL DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 



The dependence of the native and white population on the salmon 



interior 

 ilmon 



i^/i III nn^ii 111(1111 jyiwvioiwii i\JL mc v^ 1111,^-1 iiicii iiinii I iiin_t; agalUSt 



starvation when other sources of food fail them, as they not infre- 

 quently do. No one who inquires into the matter can doubt that if 



