ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1929 263 



The run of kings started on May 31, continued tlu'ou<i;li June, and 

 was virtually over by July 10. The main run of chums started on 

 June 20 and lasted through July, while the late run began about 

 September 1. Fewer beluga wliales were seen by Inspector Town- 

 send at the mouth of the river this season than ever before. Oi'di- 

 nariiy they follow the salmon runs into the river in great nundxM-s, 

 causing consi(hM-able damage to fishing nets and wheels. 



Products of the Yukon and Tanana fisheries were as follows: 200 

 cases of kings and 4 cases of chums canned; 21 barrels of kings, '.iS 

 bai'j'els of chums, and 3 barrels of cohos pickled ; 3,210 ])()unds of bcleke 

 from kings; 1,800 pounds of kippered kings, and 699,000 pounds of 

 chums, and 1,600 pounds of kings dried. Apparatus consisted of 226 

 wheels, 75 gill nets of 655 fathoms, 2 power vessels, 1 launch, 9 gill-net 

 boats, and miscellaneous small boats. There were 19 whites and 294 

 natives engaged in the fishery. 



WEIRS FOR COUNTING SALMON ESCAPEMENT 



In connection with scientific investigations to ascertain what rela- 

 tion exists between spawning colonies of varying size and the number 

 of progeny they furnish, weirs are maintained in a number of streams 

 in Alaska for the counting of salmon ascending to the spawning 

 grounds. One of these weirs, that in the Karluk River, has been in 

 operation each season beginning with 1921, the Chignik weir was 

 started in 1922, and others have been installed from time to time 

 since then until in 1929, 20 weirs were maintained in important salmon 

 streams in various districts. 



It was planned, also, to operate again the weir at Thin Point Lagoon 

 and to establish a new weir on the Kvichak River. In the former 

 locality, where heavy deposits of sediment have been brought down 

 by the glacial stream, an attempt was made to build a jetty to prevent 

 the impairment of the weir in time of freshets and to insure an ade- 

 quate depth of water for the ascent of salmon during droughts, but 

 it was unsuccessful. In the Kvichak River large quantities of grass 

 and algae clogged the wire netting of the weir, causing high w^ater, 

 the force of which undermined the structure before it was completed. 

 Work at these weirs w^as therefore abandoned for this season, the 

 materials being salvaged and stored. 



Reports of operations of the several weirs and of the counts of sal- 

 mon in 1929 are as follows: 



ANAN CREEK 



Work on the Anan w^eir was started on May 7 and the rack was 

 ready for operation on May 21. Steelheads began to ascend on 

 June 7 and the first pink salmon were counted through on June 14, 

 or a few days earlier than in the last two seasons, although no appre- 

 ciable numbers appeared until June 29. The run held fairly steady 

 through July and reached its peak on August 2, when 10,454 pink 

 salmon were counted, after which the number gradually decreased. 

 The last count was made on September 22, when total escapements 

 of 221,482 pinks, 1,376 cohos, 79 chums, 50 kings, 63 reds, and 128 

 steelheads were recorded for the season. Walter J. Larson was in 

 charge of operations at this weir. 



