88 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



tection was provided for the herring in southeast Alaska and for the 

 crab fishery. 



Twelve regular and 170 temporary employees, in addition to the 

 crews of 14 vessels of the Bureau and 2 chartered vessels, partici- 

 pated in the patrol of the fishing grounds. Chartered airplanes were 

 used for a supplementary patrol in southeast and central Alaska, 

 chiefly during the weekly closed periods, and for inspection of the 

 spawning grounds and general supervision of the Bureau's work. 



Biological studies of the life histories of the Pacific salmon and 

 herring were continued. Tagging experiments were conducted in 

 southeast Alaska to develop additional information regarding mi- 

 gration routes of pink salmon and herring. Weirs for counting the 

 escapement of spawning salmon were operated in 11 typical salmon 

 streams as a means of determining the ratio of escape to catch and 

 also to provide data needed in scientific investigations. 



Insofar as practicable in connection with their patrol duties, stream 

 guards removed log jams and other obstructions that hindered the 

 passage of salmon to the spawning grounds. Further improvement 

 in the natural propagation of salmon was accomplished in certain 

 localities by the taking of predatory trout destructive to salmon eggs 

 and fry. In addition to the appropriation by the Territorial legis- 

 lature and contributions from local salmon packers for this pur- 

 pose, an allotment was made by the Works Progress Administration 

 from funds available under the Emergency Relief Appropriation 

 Act of 1935, which permitted an extensive predatorj^-fish control 

 program in the Bristol Bay district in the 1935-36 season. Funds 

 were provided also by that administration for repairing the marine 

 ways at Naknek and for the construction of a fish ladder and other 

 stream improvement in southeast Alaska. The total expenditures 

 from the W. P. A. allotment amounted to approximately $45,000. 



The Commissioner of Fisheries was in Alaska during the greater 

 part of August for personal observation of fishery activities. Earlier 

 in the season Deputy Commissioner Jackson inspected the Bureau's 

 operations in Alaska, both in respect to the fisheries and the Pribilof 

 Islands fur-seal industry. 



ALASKA SALMON HATCHERIES 



Only one salmon hatchery was operated in Alaska during the 

 year — at Hugh Smith Lake, in the southeastern district. A collec- 

 tion of 34,383,000 red-salmon eggs was made in 1935, from which 

 32,531,000 fry were produced and liberated in Alaska waters. At the 

 rate of 40 cents for each 1,000 red or king salmon fry liberated, 

 as provided by the Alaska Fisheries Act of June 26, 1906, the owners 

 of this hatchery therefore were entitled to a rebate of $13,012 on 

 license fees and taxes on their catch and pack of salmon. 



PRODUCTS or THE FISHERHiS 



While the quantity of Alaska fishery products in 1935 was con- 

 siderably less than the record output of the previous year, it com- 

 pared favorably with the average level of production. A marked 

 feature of the 1935 season was the exceptionally small pack of red 

 salmon, owing to comparatively light runs of this species in several 

 districts and especially to curtailment of operations in the Bristol 



