ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1929 271 



beginning of the life cycle of the pinks which niturned fi'oni the ocean 

 this year. The marked improvement in certain districts fully 

 justifies the conservation policy of the bureau, and it is the consensus 

 of opinion that but for the timely action in rigorously curtailing 

 commercial operations in 1927 the production for 1929 would have 

 been no greater than it w^as then. 



On the west coast of Prince of Wales Island there was a good 

 escapement in Klawak and Nutkwa Inlets, as well as to the south 

 of the latter, but in the north part of the district many streams were 

 not well seeded. On the east shore of the island from Cape Chacon 

 to Luck Point the run was decidedly poor, and various spawning 

 streams in this area were not fully seeded. Such large streams as 

 Karta River, Thorne River, Mineral Lake Creek, Kegan Cove, and 

 a few others had comparatively good escapements of pink salmon, 

 though very much smaller than in 1928. It is possible that a con- 

 siderable part of the run destined for the east shore of Prince of 

 Wales Island was driven eastward by the prevailing westerly and 

 southwesterly winds, as there was an unusually heavy run on the 

 west shore of Gravina Island. 



The extreme southeastern portion of the district, including Duke 

 Island, Kanagunut and Sitklan Islands, the Cape Fox shore, Revilla- 

 gigedo Channel and its tributaries, and the eastern end of Nichols 

 Passage, had much smaller runs of all species of salmon in 1929 than 

 in 1928, especially during the active fishing season. After the close 

 of commercial operations, however, excellent escapements of pink 

 salmon were noted in Boca de Quadra, Very Inlet, and at other points 

 in the southern part of the area, and while some of the streams were 

 not adequately seeded, there were many others which had a large 

 escapement and these were well distributed. Behm Canal streams 

 were in general very well seeded. 



Examination along the western shore of Cleveland Peninsula and 

 through Ernest Sound after the close of commercial fishing showed a 

 generally small escapement. On the western shore of the peninsula 

 there are but few salmon streams, and these are of little importance; 

 but in the area north and east of Lemesurier Point and along the 

 southern shore of Etolin Island a number of streams have excellent 

 spawning grounds insufficientlv seeded for years. In the Wrangell 

 district the escapement in most of the streams was equal to or better 

 than that of 1928, although in a few places it was smaller. 



Through the Icy Strait region and vicinity the run of pink salmon 

 was fair, the run of reds showed a substantial increase over the pre- 

 ceding year, while chums and cohos were below normal. The Yakutat 

 district had a satisfactory run and escapement of reds and pinks and 

 a fair escapement of kings, but the run of cohos was poor, maldng it 

 necessary to close certain areas to commercial fishing 10 days earlier 

 than originally specified in the regulations, which materially assisted 

 the escapement. 



In general, the run of pink salmon in southeastern Alaska was fair 

 but irregular, and the escapement into the streams was irregular — • 

 some streams being heavily seed.ed, while others in the immediate 

 vicinity had far less than an adequate number of spawning fish. The 

 run of red salmon was much larger than in the preceding year, while 

 the runs of cohos and chums were below normal. 



