ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1920 



261 



Tlie course was tlu'ii dinicted to CopixT River, exiiiniiuition of wliicli was 

 begun on th(; morning of August 14 in a small skiff witii outbcjanl motor. Un- 

 fortunately the motor was put out of commission on tlus riffl(!S about 2 miles 

 upstream, and it was necessary to row and line the skiff the remainder of the 

 distance inspected. Good schools of salmon were not((d in the lower mile of the 

 river and at every advantageous point along its course. The; stnuim was ascended 

 for about 5 miles, and all indications were very favorable. The fish here, as at 

 Kokhonak Creek, appeared late in spawning preparations. While the escape- 

 ment was on a par with only a fair year and was deemed not entirely adecpiate 

 for the spawning area, it is felt that the seeding in this stream, as well as in 

 Kokhonak, will be almost ecjual to the capacity of the beds. A close estimate 

 was impossible because of water discoloration, but from observations and com- 

 parisons with other years it is estimated that about 150,000 salmon were in t.he 

 stream. 



On August 15 a small unnamed stream at the head of Intricate Bay was 

 inspected. This stream is the outlet for a lake about a mile or more in diameter, 

 and its current is very sluggish. No fish were noted in the stream nor in the 



l-'i'.iKE 3. - Xativrs cuiiiiK saliiioii for their own use, western Alaska 



vicinity of the lake outlet. A trip was made up a small tributary to the lake 

 creek — a stream about 30 feet wide and 1 foot deep with medium flow — where 

 a fair escapement was noted. About a mile upstream a perpendicular wall 

 approximately 12 feet high was encountered, over which no fish could pass. It 

 was estimated that about 2,000 salmon were in the stream in the last stages of 

 spawning, which condition was unlike that prevailing in other areas visited to 

 date. 



The journey was continued to Iliamna Village, where arrangements were made 

 to have patrol boat No. 7 return to Naknek, further examination of the spawning 

 areas to be carried on with patrol boat No. 6. Early in the morning of August 

 16 the inspection of streams along the north shore of the lake was begun. Streams 

 in Pedro Bay. Knutson Bay, and Chekok Bay, as well as other streams heretofore 

 harboring spawning salmon, were visited, and all except Newhalen River and the 

 vicinity of Roadhouse Portage were almost complete failures. People living near 

 the poorer streams were preparing to go elsewhere for their winter supply for 

 home use and dog feed. • 



On August 17 the lower reaches of Newhalen River were inspected, in the 

 vicinity of which are numerous fish villages. Here it was learned that a very 

 heavy run had extended over the entire season, and at the time of the visit fish 

 were being taken in fair numbers by various families camped along both shores 

 of the river for about 1 mile above its outlet into Lake Iliamna. Most of the 



